US 7,093,561 B2Granted

Convertible feed port assembly for bird feeders

AssigneeWoodstream Corporation

InventorsChristopher T. Rich, Edward Jeffrey Holliday

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Abstract

A bird feeder has a containment housing and a convertible feed port assembly mounted through a housing opening. The feed port assembly includes a feed port having a port plate and a support frame which extends into the housing through the port opening. The port plate defines a port opening aligned with the housing opening to enable access to the bird feed within the housing. The feed port assembly also includes a door slidably and rotatably mounted in the feed port. In a retracted position, the door is supported by the support frame in the housing and leaves the port open to provide access to seed within the interior of the housing. The retracted door cooperates with the support frame to form a roof or baffle to prevent seeds from falling out of the port opening. The door is slidable outwardly from the housing interior and rotatable to overlie and close off the door opening. The door has a relatively small aperture for access to small bird seed when the door is closed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A bird feeder comprising:

a bird feed containment housing having a housing wall defining a housing interior and having at least one housing opening to receive a convertible feed port assembly;
a convertible feed port assembly including,
a feed port having a port plate with a port opening therethrough aligned with said housing opening to enable access to bird feed within the housing and engageable with the exterior of said housing wall, and a support frame connected with said port plate and extending through the housing opening into the housing interior, said support frame including a track oriented substantially transverse to said port plate for receiving and supporting a door;
and
a movable door having a feed aperture therethrough, said door engaged within said track so as convert said bird feeder between an open door position in which said port opening of said port plate is opened by moving said door to a retracted position within said housing interior such that bird feed within the housing is accessible through said port opening, and a closed door position in which said port opening is closed and bird feed within the housing is accessible only through said feed aperture of said door, said door remaining engaged with said track in both said open and closed positions and while moving therebetween.

2 more elements

A bird feeder comprising:

a bird feed containment housing having a housing wall defining a housing interior and having at least two opposed housing openings;
a pair of interconnected, back-to-back, convertible feed port assemblies received and supported in said two opposed housing openings;
each of said convertible feed port assemblies including,
a feed port having a port plate with a port opening therethrough aligned with said housing opening to enable access to bird feed within the housing and engageable with an exterior surface of said housing wall, and having a support frame connected with said port plate and extending through the housing opening into the housing interior, said support frame including a track that extends generally perpendicular to said port plate;
and
a door having a feed aperture therethrough and being slidable and rotatable in said track so as to move said door between a retracted position generally parallel with said track in which the port opening is open and bird feed within the housing is accessed through the port opening, and a closed position generally perpendicular to said track in which said port opening is closed and bird feed within the housing is accessible only through said door feed aperture, said door remaining engaged with said support frame in both of said positions and while moving the therebetween.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.