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US 8,801,493 B2Granted
Beehive
OwnerRichard Scott Vincentinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A beehive includes a column of stacked boxes which open onto each other at their tops and bottoms, with the column bearing a cap at its top and a floor at its bottom. The boxes have access ports for ingress and egress of bees, and the column is suspended above the ground on a support post which bears a pivot such that the column can be tipped from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation for easy maintenance. Bars, frames, and/or screens may be hung within and atop the boxes to promote desired comb-building behaviors, with bees tending to build comb downwardly from higher boxes into lower boxes. At desired times, upper boxes bearing honey may be removed from the column and lower boxes bearing brood may be rotated to the top of the column so that the bees continuously propagate down the column.
Claims19
A beehive including:
- a. two or more stacked boxes, each box having a box top and a box bottom with box sidewalls extending therebetween, with the box sidewalls:
- (1) defining an inner box circumference surrounding a box interior;
- (2) being at least substantially aligned within the stacked boxes;
- and
- (3) having one or more access ports therein opening onto the box interior, with the stacked boxes collectively defining a column wherein each of the boxes is removable and restackable within the column, whereby an order of the stacked boxes within the column may be varied;
- and
- b. a support post having a lower length and an opposing upper length, wherein:
- (1) the lowermost box in the column is supported along the upper length in cantilever fashion, with all or most of the column being situated on one side of a support post axis extending along the support post's lower length and upper length;
- and
- (2) the column is pivotally mounted with respect to the lower length to pivot the column between an at least substantially vertical orientation and an orientation closer to a horizontal orientation than to a vertical orientation.
7 more elements
A beehive including:
- a. two or more stacked boxes, each box having a box top and a box bottom with box sidewalls extending therebetween, with the box sidewalls:
- (1) defining an inner box circumference surrounding a box interior;
- (2) being at least substantially aligned within the stacked boxes;
- and
- (3) having one or more access ports therein opening onto the box interior, with the stacked boxes collectively defining a column wherein each of the boxes is removable and restackable within the column, whereby an order of the stacked boxes within the column may be varied;
- and
- b. a support post having a lower length and an opposing upper length, wherein:
- (1) the column is supported along the upper length above the lower length,
- (2) the support post includes a lower ledge extending therefrom upon which the column of stacked boxes rests, and
- (3) the boxes within the column are not connected to the support post at their box sidewalls,
- wherein the ledge and the upper length of the support post are pivotally mounted to the lower length of the support post, whereby the column may be pivoted between an at least substantially vertical orientation and an orientation closer to a horizontal orientation than to a vertical orientation.
8 more elements
A beehive including:
- a. two or more stacked boxes, each box having a box top and a box bottom with box sidewalls extending therebetween, with the box sidewalls:
- (1) defining an inner box circumference surrounding a box interior;
- (2) being at least substantially aligned within the stacked boxes;
- and
- (3) having one or more access ports therein opening onto the box interior, with the stacked boxes collectively defining a column wherein each of the boxes is removable and restackable within the column, whereby an order of the stacked boxes within the column may be varied;
- and
- b. a support post having a lower length and an upper length, wherein:
- (1) the column is supported along the upper length above the lower length;
- and
- (2) the stacked boxes are arrayed along the upper length of the support post;
- and
- c. a stand pivotally mounted to the upper length, wherein the stand is pivotable away from the upper length and the stacked boxes in a plane coincident with the upper length and the stacked boxes.
9 more elements
A beehive including:
- a. a stack of boxes wherein:
- (1) each box has a box top and a box bottom with box sidewalls extending therebetween, the box sidewalls including one or more access ports opening onto a box interior;
- (2) the box tops and box bottoms of the boxes are oriented in at least substantially parallel planes;
- (3) the box tops and box bottoms of adjoining boxes within the stack are complementarily interfit;
- (4) the boxes within the stack are removable from the stack, and replaceable therein in different orders;
- and
- b. an elongated support post supporting the stack of boxes above the ground, wherein:
- (1) the support post includes:
- i) an upper length along which the boxes are situated;
- and
- ii) a lower length to which the upper length is pivotally affixed, and
- (2) the stack of boxes is pivotally mounted with respect to the lower length to pivot between:
- i) an at least substantially vertical orientation, wherein the boxes are in an at least substantially vertical array, and
- ii) an orientation closer to horizontal, wherein the boxes are arrayed along a path which is more horizontal than vertical.
11 more elements
A beehive including:
- a. two or more stacked boxes wherein:
- (1) each box has at least one of:
- (a) a box top complementarily interfit with a box bottom of an adjacent stacked box, and
- (b) a box bottom complementarily interfit with a box top of an adjacent stacked box,
- with the box's box top situated above the box's box bottom;
- wherein the box top and box bottom of each box are aligned along at least substantially parallel planes;
- (2) boxes within the stack are removable and restackable in different orders, wherein after any such removal and restacking, each removed and restacked box has:
- (a) at least one of:
- i. the removed and restacked box's box top complementarily interfit with a box bottom of an adjacent removed and restacked box, and
- ii. the removed and restacked box's box bottom complementarily interfit with a box top of an adjacent removed and restacked box,
- (b) the removed and restacked box's box top situated above its box bottom;
- (3) the stacked boxes have box interiors aligned along a common path;
- and
- (4) each box includes one or more access ports between its box top and box bottom, each access port opening onto the box interior;
- and
- b. an elongated support post wherein:
- (1) the stacked boxes are arrayed along the length of the support post, and
- (2) the support post is pivotally connected with respect to a base, wherein the support post is pivotable between an at least substantially vertical orientation and an orientation closer to a horizontal orientation than to a vertical orientation, with the stacked boxes traveling therewith.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.