Patent ID: 8251008

Claim:
A unit for repelling birds away from a roof comprising: A) a housing having (1) a motor containing portion, (2) an ice forming portion, (3) a channel defined therein, and (4) an ice cube dispensing port fluidically connected to the channel; B) the ice forming portion including (1) an ice cube mold connected to the ice cube dispensing port so ice cubes are dispensed through the port into the channel, and (2) a heating coil; C) a water intake conduit fluidically connected to the ice forming portion; D) an ice cube catapult device located in the channel and including (1) spring system which has (a) first arm having one end thereof mounted on the housing and a second end thereof, (b) a catapult arm having one end thereof pivotally mounted on the housing and a second end, the catapult arm being located adjacent to the first arm, (c) a spring interposed between the first arm and the catapult arm and biasing the catapult arm outwardly of the channel, (d) an ice cube holding portion on the catapult arm, the ice cube holding portion being located on the catapult arm to be positioned adjacent to the ice cube dispensing port, (e) the catapult arm moving between a cocked orientation with the ice cube holding portion thereof located adjacent to the ice cube dispensing port to receive ice cubes dispensed through the port and a catapulting orientation with the holding portion located outside the channel and the catapult arm being oriented at an angle with respect to the channel, the catapult arm being moved from the cocked orientation to the catapulting orientation by bias of the spring whereby ice cubes located on the ice cube holding portion are catapulted off of the catapult arm, the spring having a spring constant which is selected to move the catapult arm with a force sufficient to catapult the ice cubes from the catapult arm at least one story into the air above the housing; E) a catapult arm return unit which includes (1) a track defined in the housing adjacent to the channel and adjacent to the catapult arm when the catapult arm is in the cocked orientation in the channel, and (2) a monorail element movably mounted on the catapult arm and movably mounted in the track to move between a catapult arm releasing position and a catapult arm cocking position; and F) a catapult arm lock located in the channel and movable between a catapult arm locking position which engages the catapult arm and holds the arm in the cocked orientation thereof and a catapult arm releasing position which releases the catapult arm to move under the bias of the spring.