Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/645567 filed on May 10, 2012. 
         [0002]    The entire disclosure of this provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A birdfeeder is often placed in a backyard or other outside venues to attract birds to the area. A birdfeeder will typically include a housing defining a birdfeed-containing compartment. In one popular birdfeeder style, the housing includes a clear plastic tube having a height dimension that greatly exceeds its width and depth dimensions. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    A birdfeeder is provided wherein the housing defines a birdfeed-containing compartment and includes a plastic tube. In contrast to conventional tube-birdfeeder designs, the height dimension of the plastic tube greatly exceeds its width and depth dimensions. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows the birdfeeder  10 . 
           [0006]      FIGS. 2-9  show a housing  20 , a housing tube  30 , housing end lids  40 , a housing door  50 , a perch  60 , a baffle  70 , a roof  80 , and a feed-port insert  90 . 
           [0007]      FIG. 10  shows a stacked assembly  100  of the birdfeeders  10 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 11  shows a birdfeeder  10  without feed-port inserts  90 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the birdfeeder  10  comprises a housing  20  defining a birdfeed-containing compartment  21  having a front and rear sides  22 , a top side  23 , a bottom side  24 , and lateral sides  25 . The birdfeeder  10  is preferably sized so that its lateral length dimension (i.e., the distance between its lateral sides  25 ) greatly exceeds its depth dimension (i.e., the distance between its front and rear sides  22 ) and its height dimension (i.e., the distance between its top side  23  and its bottom side  24 ). 
         [0010]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the housing  20  comprises a tube  30 , lateral lids  40 , and a door  50 . The tube  30  defines sides  22 - 25  of the bird feed. The lids  40  are removably attached to the housing tube  30  and cover its open lateral ends  31 . The door  50  allows access to the birdfeed-containing compartment  21  through one of the lateral lids  40 . 
         [0011]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the housing tube  30  has front-rear walls  32 , a ceiling  33 , and a floor  34 . The walls  32  forms the compartment&#39;s front and rear sides  22 , the ceiling  33  forms the compartment&#39;s top side  23 , and the floor  34  forms the compartment&#39;s bottom side  24 . The lateral edges of the walls  32 , the lateral edges of the ceiling  33 , and the lateral edges of the floor  34  define the open ends  31 . 
         [0012]    Three pairs of port holes  35  and three pairs in the perch-receiving holes  36  are provided in the walls  32 , with the holes  35 - 36  in the front wall  32  aligning with the holes  35 - 36  in the rear walls. The holes  35  and/or the holes  36  can each have keyed contours. 
         [0013]    The housing ceiling  33  includes a curved channel  37  projecting upward therefrom. The housing floor  34  includes a similar channel  38  projecting upward therefrom and forming a bottom recess  39  in the housing tube  30 . The illustrated channels  37 - 38  (and thus also the recess  39 ) have a curved oblong cross-sectional shape akin to a jigsaw lob. 
         [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the lateral lids  40  each comprise an end wall  41  and a pair of brackets  42 . The end walls  41  enclose the open lateral ends  31  of the housing tube  30 . The side brackets  42  are adapted to removably attach the end wall  42  to the housing  30  with the help of another component of the birdfeeder  10  (namely a perch  60 , introduced below). 
         [0015]    Each end wall  41  has a top tab  43  for accommodating the ceiling projection  37  and bottom recess  44  for accommodating the floor projection  38 . A hanger-receiving opening  45  can be provided in the top tab  43 . 
         [0016]    The interior surface of each end wall  41  can be provided with housing-edge-capturing ridges  46 . The interior surface of each end wall  41  can additionally or alternatively be provided with a baffle-locking ridge  47 . 
         [0017]    Each bracket  42  includes an apron  48  provided with an hole  49 . The front aprons  48  extend inward from the front and bottom wall edges and the rear aprons  48  extend inward from the rear and bottom wall edges. The holes  49  on end-wall-sharing aprons  48  align with each other and also with the holes  36  in the tube housing  30  adjacent the lateral lids  40 . 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , at least one of the end lids  40  can have a door  50  allowing selective access to the housing compartment  21 . The door  50  can comprise a panel  51  and the lid&#39;s end wall  41  can have a window  52  shaped to be opened and closed by the door panel  51 . The door panel  51  can be hinged to end wall  41  via a hinge rod  53  held by sleeves  54 - 55  and/or can be locked in the closed position via magnetic elements  56 - 57 . 
         [0019]    Referring briefly back to  FIG. 1  and then to  FIG. 6 , the birdfeeder  10  additionally comprises perches  60  to provide resting places for birds when accessing feed from the compartment  21 . Each perch  60  includes a central portion  61 , end portions  62 , and locking number  63 . 
         [0020]    The central portion  61  of each perch  60  has a circular cross-sectional shape and spans the depth of the housing tube  30 . The end portions  62  each have oval cross-sectionals shape which elongate in the horizontal dimension. The locking nubs  63  are positioned on each end of the central portion  61  and extend laterally outward therefrom. 
         [0021]    To assemble the central perch  60  to the housing tube  30 , it is turned sideways to align its oval end portions  62  with the wide oval notches  64  of a perch-receiving hole  36  in the front wall  32 . The perch  60  is then inserted through this hole  36  and through the hole  36  on the rear wall  32 . The perch  60  is then twisted sideways so that the locking nubs  63  are seated in the narrow oval notches  65  of the perch-receiving holes  36 . The perch  60  can be removed in a reverse manner. 
         [0022]    As was alluded to above, the perches  60  can be employed in the removable attachment of the lateral end lids  40  to the housing tube  30 . In this attachment, the each lid  40  is assembled to the tube  30  so that the tube&#39;s lateral edges are received around the lid&#39;s ridges  46 . The same perch-insertion steps are then followed, with the perch  60  being inserted through both the now aligned tube holes  36  and lid holes  49 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , the birdfeeder  10  can additionally comprise a baffle  70  removably positioned within the compartment  21  of the housing  20 . The baffle  70  is designed to urge birdfeed in the compartment towards the feed ports  34  in the housing tube  30 . The illustrated baffle  70  comprises a divert sheet  71 , end struts  72 , rails  73 , and intermediate pedestals  74 . 
         [0024]    The baffle&#39;s diverting sheet  71  laterally extends between the struts  72  and laterally undulates to form hills  75  and valleys  76 . The illustrated sheet  71  includes an apex ribbon  77  spanning its width and centrally intersecting each hill  75  and valley  76 . The valleys  76  are transversely aligned with the feed ports  74  and slope downward from the apex ribbon  77  in front and rear directions. 
         [0025]    The rails  73  are located beneath front and rear edges of the diverting sheet  71  and also extends between the end struts  72 . The intermediate pedestals  74  are located below the sheet  71  and above the rails  73 , and they transversely span between the sheet&#39;s front and rear edges. 
         [0026]    In the assembled birdfeeder  10 , the rails  73  and/or pedestals  74  rest on the perches  60 , and specifically their central portions  61 . The end struts  72  are preferably removably attached to the housing lids  40 . For example, the end struts  72  can be provided with clasps  78  adapted to snap onto the baffle-locking ridge  47  in the corresponding end lid  40 . 
         [0027]    Referring briefly back to  FIG. 1 , and then to  FIG. 8 , the birdfeeder  10  can additionally comprise a roof  80  which removably attaches to its housing  20 . The roof  80  can comprise awnings  81  which slope downward from a central channel  82 . The awnings  81  can be sized and shaped to extend beyond the front-back sides  22  and/or beyond the lateral sides  25  of the housing  20 . The channel  82  is sized and shaped for receipt of the ceiling channel  37  in the housing  30 . 
         [0028]    The roof  80  can further comprise a hanger  83  for suspending the birdfeeder  10  from a branch or other elevated limb. The hanger  83  can be adapted for removable attachment to the channel  82  via end clips  84 . In the illustrated embodiment, the hanger end clips  84  have a mushroom shape, and the channels  82  can have slots  85  sized to receive the clip&#39;s stems. 
         [0029]    To assemble the roof  80  to the housing  20 , the ceiling channel  37  is inserted into the roof channel  80 . Each of the hanger end clips  84  is then turned so that its mushroom head can be inserted through the opening  45  in the top tab  43  of the end lid  40 , and then twisted so as to capture it therein. In the captured orientation, the stem of the hanger end clip  84  fits within the slot  85  in the roof channel  82 . 
         [0030]    Plugs  86  can be provided to enclose the otherwise open lateral ends of the roof channel  82 . Each plug  86  includes an inner pocket  87  for receipt of the corresponding lateral end of the ceiling channel  37 , an outer pocket  88  for receipt of the corresponding lateral end of the roof channel  82 , and slots  89  for accommodating the corresponding hanger clip  84 . The plugs  86  can be placed on the channel ends after assembly of the hanger  83  thereto. If the hanger  83  is not needed, the plugs  86  can be put in place after the housing-channel insertion step. 
         [0031]    Referring briefly back to  FIG. 1  and then to  FIG. 9 , the birdfeeder  10  can further comprise feed-port inserts  90 . Each insert  90  can comprise an ovate-shaped stage  91 , having an opening  92 . A sleeve  93  extends inward from the opening  92  and surrounds the top and lateral edges of opening  92 . Rectangular peninsulas  94  jut outward from opposite lateral regions of the sleeve  93 . A brim  95  can extend inward from the upper hemisphere of the sleeve  93 . 
         [0032]    The feed-port inserts  90  are designed for insertion into the holes  35  in the housing tube  30 . With the illustrated insert  90 , the housing holes  35  can be provided with top and bottom rectangular notches  96 . To assembly a feed-port insert  90  to the housing tube  30 , the stage  91  is turned sideways to that its lateral peninsulas  94  are aligned with the top and bottom notches  96  of the hole  35 . The sleeve  93 , the peninsulas  94 , and the brim  95  are then inserted through hole  35 , and then the stage  91  is twisted so that the peninsulas  94  are once again located laterally. The port inserts  90  can be removed in a reverse manner from the housing tube  30 . 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 10 , a stacked assembly  100  of the birdfeeders  10  is shown. In this assembly  100 , a plurality of birdfeeders  10  are connected one on top of the other by inserting the roof channel  82  of the lower birdhouse  10  into the floor recess  39  of the upper birdhouse  10 . In the illustrated assembly  100 , both of the birdfeeders  10  include roofs  80 , but this need not be the case. For example, if the lower birdhouse  10  could be roofless, its ceiling channel  37  could be inserted into the floor recess  39  of the upper birdhouse  10 . 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 11 , a birdfeeder  10  is shown without feed-port inserts  90 , whereby the housing holes  34  alone serve as feed ports. This design may be preferable, for example, when very small birdfeed (e.g., thistle) is intended to occupy the compartment  21 . The holes  34  can be arranged in the housing  30  near the perch holes  35  whereby they will be near the perches  60  in the birdfeeder  10 . The feed-port holes  34  can be situated above and/or below the closest perch hole  35 , they can be vertically aligned with the perch hole  35  or with each other, and/or they can be vertically offset with the perch hole  35  and/or each other. 
         [0035]    One now may appreciate a birdfeeder  10  is provided with a housing tube  30  having a width substantially larger than its height or depth. Although the birdfeeder  10 , the housing  20 , the housing tube  30 , the end lids  40 , the door  50 , the perches  60 , the baffle  70 , the roof  80 , the feed ports  90 , and/or the assemblies  100  are shown and described as having certain forms and fabrications, such portrayals are not quintessential and represent only some of the possible of adaptations of the claimed characteristics. Other obvious, equivalent, and/or otherwise akin embodiments could instead be created using the same or analogous attributes.

Technology Category: a