Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a device which provides food and accessories to birds.
It is common to provide food and liquids to birds, in containers oP various shapes and
sizes, ranging from open trays or fonts to an assortment of semi-closed dispensers.
Some food such as suet with seed mixes are moulded into blocks and placed in suet
cages, some are moulded into ballsi and hung in cloth bags or suspended by pins or wire
wrapped around them. Still others are moulded in trays and placed in cradles. Food
of the sweet or honey moulded variety are suspended or supported with a variety of
restraints. Bird accessories, for instance Cuttlebone, aid in providing cage birds
with a source of lime and salts, bird toys such as bells, ladders and figures of birds
can be added to the accessory list. It is evident that a multitude of supports are
required to accommodate all of the above mentioned foods and devices. Many of the
aforementioned dispensers fit poorly to the cage, feeder or home and much food can be
wasted. Plastic sliding trays often bind when food particles get caught between the
tray and its slides. Suet in cages for wild birds can sometime be difficult for the
bird who is on the outside of the suet cage to reach, eventually the suet is reduced
to pieces which in so-e cases fall to the ground to be eaten by predators, likewise
suet hung in cloth bags can have similar problems.
I have found that by using a receptacle which individually receives a number of
removiable, reusable or disposable food modules and said receptacle being built into or
onto, or by means of an adaptor or adaptors be attached to bird cages, bird feeders or
bird homes, the modules all being inherent components to the receptacle will provide
a devlce havlng the capability of supplying a wide variety of food to birds in a
convenlent and ePficient manner. Acce~80rle8 built onto modules can be po8itioned into
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or on said bird cages, feeders and homes using the same receptacle. Food modules may
in some cases be machine packed, and in some cases be hand packed. The reusable type
module can be modified to dispense liquid and most types of bird food. Receptacles can
be built into new bird cages, feeders and homes very inexpensively or adapted to
existing ones if required. More than one receptacle can be used for convenience. Bird
cage doors for example would be a convenient place to mount or install this device.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is an elevation
view of one embodiment, which is preferred for bird cages. Figure 2 is a top view of
this embodiment, Figure 3 i8 a side view of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1,
Figure 4 is an elevation view of another embodiment and Figure 5 is a plan view of this
embodiment.
The device illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a cylindrical receptacle 8 open throughout
its length, around which is constructed the receptacle body 1, moulded in plastic to
form a bearing surface for the modules 11 or 12. The outer perimeter of the receptacle
body forms a rectangular gate which is attached to a bird cage wall 9 in a fashion that
the longer sides of the gate lie in the vertical plane. A plastic
removable, reusable Module 11 is utilized in connecting the manually packed food
supply, and the bird accessory supply 13 to the receptacle. A plastic disposable
odule 12 is utilized in connecting a machine packed food supply to the receptacle.
The receptacle body 1 is secured to the cage with an attachment such as a hinge 4, and
a stop pin 5, and combination handle and latch 6. When unlatched, the gate and
receptacle body 1 can swing out and ~way from the cage to allow the desired module to
be in8erted lnto the receptacle who8e openlng faces the inside of the cage when the
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door is closed. With the door in the closed position and latched, an appropriate
module can be inserted into the exposed receptacle from outside the cage. A sliding
door 2, resting in vertical guides 3, which are moulded to the receptacle bodies,
outside face
relat$ve to a closed gate will when lowered cover the receptacle opening. This door
prevents small birds from escaping when modules are removed. A removable plastic peg
10, i8 inserted through the smaller cpening 7, provided in the receptacle body 1 and
acts as a resting place for birds. A variety of pegs may be utilized in this
arrangement to facilitate the birds access to food or accessories. The module 11 is
cylindrical in shape internally and is designed with a slight taper externally to
facilitate insertion into the receptacle 8, and tighten the module in position. A
flange is moulded around the large diameter end to facilitate insertion and retraction
of the module and in some embodiments can act as a bearing between the module and the
receptacle. The opposing end of the module, because of the taper, has a smaller
outside diameter than that of the receptacle and does not have a flange. The basic
module 11 is open and unrestricted throughout between the flanged end and the end
having the smaller outside diameter, to accommodate feeding from either end of the
module as required in some embodiments. The same basic module 11 is used to
accommodate a wide variety of food, liquid and accessories, by modifying the module to
suit. Some modifications to the basic module 11, are illustrated in Figure 3, namely
the large capacity loose seed bin 15, the toy bird accessory 13, and the small capacity
loose seed feeder built entirely inside the module 11, as illustrated in Figure 4 of
another embodiment. Module 12 is designed to fit the receptacle 8 in the same way
module 11 does, however the smaller diameter end i8 closed and rounded as illustrated
in Flgure 3, to accept food being dispensed by a machine. The flanged end of module
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12 can be any reasonable size to accommodate a seal for the purpose of keeping food
clean and fresh. Module 12 is made from thin deposable plastic and because it is
considerably thinner than module 11 it can be expected to become slightly enlarged if
packed too tightly by machine, however this is compensated for by the modules external
taper.
The device as illustrated in Figure 4 and Figure 5 is in the embodiment of a birdfeeder
designed as a plastic representation of a bird. The receptacle body 1, is moulded into
the wing and body structure of this embodiment. The removable Peg 10, is inserted into
opening 7 located on the receptacle body and below the receptacle 8. A modified module
11 is shown as illustrated in Figure 4 and Figure 5 which can dispense loose seed from
either end of the module. A filler slot, NOT SHOWN, is located on the upper surface
of the module a~ related to Figure 4. The filler slot lies parallel to the flange face
and is narrower than the thickness of the receptacle body thus when the module is
properly positioned in the receptacle the slot is effectively closed. In this
embodiment an unmodified module 11 can dispense suet and suet seed mixes from either
end of the module. Machine packed food modules may also be used in this embodiment.
This small device can hang inside bird cages and hang in any convenient position to
service wild birds outdoors. It can utilize both food and accessory modules.
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