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US 5,195,459 AGranted
Bird feeders
OwnerDavid Ancketillinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bird feeder comprises: a food holder and shroud which is biased in an open position by a spring. When an animal such as a squirrel not intended to feed from the bird feeder lands on the shroud or a roof portion of the shroud, the weight of the animal causes the shroud to descend against the biasing action of the spring. The shroud closes the food holder thereby preventing he animal from gaining access to the food.
Claims13
A bird feeder comprising:
- a food holder, for containing bird food, having a sidewall formed from a mesh defining apertures for permitting birds access to the food;
- attachment means for allowing the bird feeder to be suspended from a fixing point;
- a shroud movably mounted on the bird feeder between an open position in which substantially all of the apertures are accessible to birds and a closed position in which the shroud surrounds the sidewall so as to prevent access to the food;
- and bias means for maintaining the shroud in the open position except when an animal having a weight exceeding a predetermined level attempts to gain access to the food by standing on the shroud whereby the shroud descends to the closed position under the weight of the animal against the action of the bias means.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.