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US 10,537,091 B2Granted
Hummingbird feeder with dual food-holding compartments
AssigneeIdeology, LLC
InventorStuart Tyson McFerrin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hummingbird feeder includes a base tray having an upwardly-opening interior for holding food which is attractive to fruit flies and further includes an upper tray which is positionable upon the base tray in a nested relationship and which includes an upwardly-opening interior for holding food, such as nectar, which is attractive to hummingbirds. A top cover for covering the upper tray includes a first aperture through which a fruit fly can exit the base tray and a second aperture through which a hummingbird can access the food of the upper tray. A passageway network extends between the interior of the base tray and the first aperture, and a closure assembly enables a user to selectively shut off or open communication between the interior of the base tray and the first aperture.
Claims20
A hummingbird feeder comprising:
- a base tray including a receptacle having an interior for holding food which is attractive to fruit flies;
- an upper tray disposed above the base tray including a receptacle having an interior for holding food which is attractive to hummingbirds;
- a top cover associated with the upper tray and including a first aperture and a second aperture wherein the second aperture provides a hummingbird with access to the interior of the second receptacle and the hummingbird-attracting food held therein;
- wherein the upper tray includes means providing a passageway which extends between the interior of the receptacle of the base tray and the first aperture in the top cover enabling a fruit fly to pass from the interior of the receptacle through the first aperture in the top cover;
- and
- means associated with the passageway-providing means enabling a user to close off the passageway of the passageway-providing means to thereby prevent a fruit fly from exiting the interior of the receptacle of the base tray by way of the provided passageway.
3 more elements
A hummingbird feeder comprising:
- a base tray including a receptacle having an upwardly-opening interior for holding food which is attractive to fruit flies;
- a closure assembly which is positionable upon the base tray for covering the upwardly-opening interior of the base tray receptacle, and the closure assembly including a first disc defining an opening therein and further including a second disc defining a through-opening therein and wherein the second disc is movable relative to the opening defined in the first disc between a first condition at which the through-opening of the second disc is substantially positioned in registry with the opening defined in the first disc so that access is provided to the interior of the base tray receptacle by way of the defined opening and the through-opening and a second condition at which the defined opening of the first disc and the defined through-opening of the second disc are positioned out of registry with one another so that access to the interior of the base tray receptacle is shut off;
- an upper tray including a receptacle for holding a food which is attractive to hummingbirds, the receptacle of the upper tray including a bottom and a hollow column which is joined to so at to extend upwardly from the bottom of the upper tray receptacle to an open mouth, the hollow column disposed in such a relationship to the opening defined in the first disc so that when the defined opening and the defined through-opening are substantially positioned in registry with one another, access can be had to the interior of the base tray receptacle through the mouth of the hollow column;
- and
- a top cover which is positionable upon the upper tray and which includes a top portion for covering the upwardly-opening interior of the upper tray receptacle when the top cover is positioned upon the upper tray and wherein the top portion defines a first aperture through which a fruit fly is permitted to pass, and the first aperture is positioned in such a relationship to the upper tray so that when the top cover is operatively positioned upon the upper tray and the defined opening and the defined through-opening of the first and second discs are substantially disposed in registry with one another, the first aperture is substantially disposed in registry with the mouth of the hollow column to permit a fruit fly to exit the interior of the base tray receptacle by way of the hollow column and the first aperture;
- and
- the top portion includes a second aperture through which a hummingbird is provided with access to the hummingbird-attracting food held within the interior of the upper tray receptacle.
4 more elements
A hummingbird feeder comprising:
- a base tray including a receptacle having an upwardly-opening interior for holding food which is attractive to fruit flies;
- an upper tray disposed in a superposed relationship with the base tray and including a receptacle having an upwardly-opening interior for holding a food which is attractive to hummingbirds;
- a top cover which is positionable upon the upper tray and which includes a top portion for covering the upwardly-opening interior of the upper tray receptacle and wherein the top portion defines a first aperture through which a fruit fly is permitted to pass and a second aperture through which a hummingbird is provided access to the food held within the receptacle of the upper tray;
- means interposed between the first aperture of the top cover and the interior of the base tray receptacle for providing a passageway network through which a fruit fly can pass into or out of the interior of the base tray receptacle through the first aperture;
- and
- a closure assembly for shutting off the passageway network to prevent a fruit fly from passing into or out of the interior of the base tray receptacle or for opening the passageway network to permit a fruit fly to pass into or out of the interior of the base tray receptacle by way of the first aperture of the top cover.
3 more elements
A hummingbird feeder comprising:
- a base tray including a receptacle having an upwardly-opening interior for holding food which is attractive to fruit flies;
- an upper tray disposed above the base tray including a receptacle having an upwardly-opening interior for holding food which is attractive to hummingbirds;
- a top cover including a cover portion for covering the interior of the receptacle of the upper tray and having a plurality of aperture groups including a first set of apertures which are regularly spaced about the cover portion of the top cover and a plurality of second apertures which are regularly spaced about the cover portion of the top cover for providing access to the interior of the upper tray and the hummingbird-attracting food held therein;
- wherein the upper tray has a bottom and includes a plurality of hollow columns which are joined to so as to extend upwardly from the bottom of the upper tray and so that each hollow column is substantially disposed in vertical registry with a corresponding group of first apertures;
- a first disc which is disposed between the bottom of the upper tray and the interior of the base tray and defining a plurality of openings wherein each defined opening is substantially disposed in vertical registry with a corresponding hollow column of the upper tray;
- and
- a second disc which is disposed in a stacked relationship with the first disc and which is movable relative to the first disc between a first condition and a second condition and defining a plurality of through-openings which are arranged in such a relationship with the openings defined in the first disc so that when the second disc is moved relative to the first disc to said first condition, each through-opening is substantially disposed in vertical registry with a corresponding opening defined in the first disc to thereby permit a fruit fly to pass from the interior of the receptacle of the base tray and the groups of first apertures of the cover portion of the top cover and so that when the second disc is moved relative to the first disc to said second condition, each through-opening is disposed out of vertical registry which any opening defined in the first disc to thereby prevent a fruit fly from exiting the interior of the receptacle of the base tray by way of the defined openings.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.