Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/459,182 filed on Jun. 26, 2009, which claims priority to and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/133,378, filed Jun. 27, 2008. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable. 
     RESERVATION OF RIGHTS 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to intellectual property rights such as but not limited to copyright, trademark, and/or trade dress protection. The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to improvements in bird guards. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements particularly suited for railings, cable, and boat covers using hand rails or support structures. In particular, the present invention relates specifically to a flexible c-shaped channel with projecting spikes. 
     2. Description of the Known Art 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, bird guards are known in various forms. Patents disclosing information relevant to bird guards include: U.S. Pat. No. 564,591, issued to Clune et al. on Jul. 28, 1896; U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,115, issued to Nyhus et al. on Jan. 9, 1968; U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,395, issued to Cogelia on Jun. 26, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,072, issued to Tweeddale on Jan. 5, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,896, issued to Fox, et al. on Mar. 28, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,335, issued to Richter on Oct. 22, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,029, issued to Donoho, et al. on Jul. 18, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,834, issued to Ritter on Jan. 28, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,524, issued to Costa, Sr. on Apr. 1, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,933, issued to Nelson, et al. on May 8, 2001; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,506, issued to Landers on Nov. 4, 2003. Each of these patents is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     From these prior references it may be seen that these prior art patents are very limited in their teaching and utilization, and an improved bird guard is needed to overcome these limitations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an improved bird guard using an elastic clamping body with extending projections. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a bird guard is provided using a c-shaped clamping body with rounded projections for safe human interaction while still providing the bird guarding function. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, along with features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear or become apparent by reviewing the following detailed description of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the following drawings, which form a part of the specification and which are to be construed in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals have been employed throughout wherever possible to indicate like parts in the various views: 
         FIG. 1  is an end perspective view of a bird guard. 
         FIG. 2  is an end perspective view of the bird guard of  FIG. 1  clamped on a rail. 
         FIG. 3  is an end perspective view of another embodiment of a bird guard. 
         FIG. 4  is an the end perspective of  FIG. 3  shown in a closed position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, one exemplary embodiment of the present invention is generally shown as a bird guard  100 . The bird guard has a clamping body  200  supporting outwardly extending projections  300  defining a clamping aperture  201 . The bird guard device  100  fits or wraps over boat railings and is intended to prevent birds from landing or roosting on the railings. This prevents damage to the boat caused by bird&#39;s themselves or their excrement. 
     The clamping body  200  is formed from a molded elastic material such as a plastic like polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, polystyrene or any other suitable elastic material. It is envisioned that the body  200  could be made from other materials such as metals or flexible woods, but the plastic is preferred to allow for non-mar clamping on surfaces without additional parts or material. The use of a soft plastic is preferred so that no harm is done to the item being protected. Further consideration should be given to the UV properties of the item and plastics that hold up well under long term sunlight exposure are preferred over degradable plastics for longevity of the device. 
     Similarly, in the preferred embodiment, the extending projections  300  are formed from the same material for ease of manufacturing. Note the tapered conical shape of the projection body  310  to save material and the flared base  320  that allows for the projections  300  to be supported off of the main clamping body  200 . Also worthy of note is the rounded ends  330  that allow for the bird guards  100  to be safely handled without danger of piercing the user. The safe nature of the rounded ends  330  allows for the quick and easy installation of the bird guard  100  to provide protection without unnecessarily endangering the user or creating handling difficulties. This greatly contrasts with the prior art teachings of sharp or piercing types of projections. 
       FIG. 2  shows how the elastic ears  210  made from the elastic material of the body  200  can be expanded to slip over a railing  10  to protect the end  12  of the railing  10  from birds or bird droppings without having to require an additional clamp or holding structure that has to be additionally manipulated. This simple slip on elastic clamp design allows for easy installation and removal of the bird guard  100  without additional tools. As shown, the preferred embodiment includes a left ear  212 , a projection supporting body  214 , and a right ear  216 . The opposing ears  212 ,  216  terminate in clamping ends  218  which are shown as points  219  in this embodiment. The points  219  are acceptable because of the non-marring nature of the plastic utilized in this design. Also provided in this design are drip edges  220  which work to help drain away water and keep the water from wicking inside the bird guard  100 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an encasing version of the bird guard  100 . This version of the bird guard  100  has a clamping and encasing body  250  supporting outwardly extending projections  300 . In this embodiment, longer encasing ears  262 ,  264  are used that are shown defining a middle aperture  270 . While the preferred embodiment uses a flexible material that does not require special treatment.  FIG. 3  also shows how a body recessed hinge  280  may be implemented using a hinge line  282 . It is further envisioned that a spring and pin piano hinge or other hinging systems could be utilized. In the preferred embodiment, the ears  262 ,  264  are provided with an adhesive strip  400  so that the end  263 ,  265  of the left and right encasing elastic ears  262 ,  264  may be adhesively joined together to capture a cable or the like in the middle aperture  270  formed by the encasing body  250 .  FIG. 4  shows the ends  263 ,  265  attached together and how the body recessed hinge  280  has closed to join the ends together. If the adhesive strip  400  is used, spring loading of the hinge is not as important such that a flexible, but less elastic material may be utilized. 
     Reference numerals used throughout the detailed description and the drawings correspond to the following elements:
         railing  10     railing end  12     bird guard  100     clamping body  200     clamping aperture  201     elastic ears  210     left ear  212     projection supporting body  214     right ear  216     clamping ends  218     drip edges  220     clamping and encasing body  250     encasing elastic ears  260     left encasing ear  262     left encasing end  263     right encasing elastic ear  264     right encasing end  265     middle aperture  270     body recessed hinge  280     hinge line  282     outwardly extending projections  300 .   projection body  310     flared base  320     rounded ends  330     adhesive strip  400         

     From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention well adapted to obtain all the ends and objects herein set forth, together with, other advantages which are inherent to the structure. It will also be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 
     When interpreting the claims of this application, method claims may be recognized by the explicit use of the word ‘method’ in the preamble of the claims and the use of the ‘ing’ tense of the active word. Method claims should not be interpreted to have particular steps in a particular order unless the claim element specifically refers to a previous element, a previous action, or the result of a previous action. Apparatus claims may be recognized by the use of the word ‘apparatus’ in the preamble of the claim and should not be interpreted to have ‘means plus function language’ unless the word ‘means’ is specifically used in the claim element. The words ‘defining,’ ‘having,’ or ‘including’ should be interpreted as open ended claim language that allows additional elements or structures. Finally, where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element of the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.

Technology Category: 1