Liquid reservoir and bird feeder incorporating the same

• US 20090159008A1
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Woodstream Corporation
• Original Assignee: Woodstream Corporation
• Inventors: Humphries, Romilly, Vaughn, William R. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/51.500
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 39/0206 Drinkers especially adapted for feeding hummingbirds
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 39/04 Combined feeding and drinking appliances , e.g. also for batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49817 with other than ancillary treating or assembling

Abstract

A nutrient dispensing apparatus for birds having a hanger and two interchangeable dispensers supported by the hanger. Each dispenser includes a bottle for holding liquid or solid nutrients, and at least one basin into which the liquid or solid nutrients, water and bird feed, for example, are made available to the birds. The user can change the configuration of the dispensers as desired to provide just liquid nutrients, just solid nutrients or both. The flow rates for dispensing of the nutrients are different for each nutrient alternative.

Claims

1. A solid and liquid nutrient dispensing apparatus for animals comprising:

at least two dispensers, each adaptable to dispense first liquid nutrients and then solid nutrients, or vice versa, and being fully changeable therebetween thereafter; and

a hanger configured to support said dispensers in an adjacent relationship in use.

2. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said dispensers includes a bottle having an open end and a closed end, and a nutrient dispensing basin removably attached to said open end and configured to control a flow of said nutrients from said bottle into said basin in use.

3. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said basin includes a nutrient dispensing region and an attachment collar positioned in said dispensing region for securing said basin to said bottle, said collar having at least one opening therein through which said nutrients flow from said bottle into said nutrient dispensing region.

4. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein a size of said opening is adjustable.

5. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a rotating ring that fits over said collar, said rotating ring having at least one cutout therein that can be variably aligned with said opening to adjust the size thereof.

6. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said dispensers includes two nutrient dispensing basins, a first of said basins having solid nutrient openings therein for controlling solid nutrient flow and a second of said basins having liquid nutrient openings for controlling liquid nutrient flow, said liquid nutrient openings being smaller than said solid nutrient openings.

7. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of said dispensers is configured to dispense solid nutrients by attaching said first basin to the open end of said bottle with said second basin being attached to said closed end to provide an ornamental top, and each of said dispensers being configured to dispense liquid nutrients by attaching said second basin to the open end of said bottle with said first basin being attached to said closed end to provide said ornamental top.

8. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said collar has internal threads and said bottle open end has external threads, said bottle being secured within said collar by rotating engagement of said external and said internal threads.

9. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein both the open end and the closed end of said bottle have threaded portions that interchangeably engage with corresponding threaded portions of said basins.

10. A solid and liquid nutrient dispensing apparatus for birds comprising:

at least two dispensers, each adaptable to dispense liquid nutrients and solid nutrients in series and each including a bottle having an open end and a nutrient dispensing basin having a nutrient dispensing region and a collar configured to be removably attached to said bottle open end in use, said collar having at least one opening through which said nutrients can flow from said bottle into said nutrient dispensing region in use; and

a hanger configured to support said dispensers in an adjacent relationship in use.

11. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein a size of said opening is adjustable.

12. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a rotating ring that fits over said collar, said rotating ring having at least one cutout therein that can be variably aligned with said opening to adjust the size thereof.

13. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein each of said dispensers includes two nutrient dispensing basins, a first of said basins having solid nutrient openings therein for controlling solid nutrient flow and a second of said basins having liquid nutrient openings for controlling liquid nutrient flow, said liquid nutrient openings being smaller than said solid nutrient openings.

14. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein each of said dispensers is configured to dispense solid nutrients by attaching said first basin to the open end of said bottle with said second basin being attached to an opposite end of said bottle to provide an ornamental top, and each of said dispensers being configured to dispense liquid nutrients by attaching said second basin to the open end of said bottle with said first basin being attached to said opposite end to provide said ornamental top.

15. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said collar has internal threads and said bottle open end has external threads, said bottle being secured within said collar by rotating engagement of said external and internal threads.

16. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein both the open end and the opposite end of said bottle have threaded portions that interchangeably engage with corresponding threaded portions of said basins.

17. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the variable alignment of said cutout and said opening is achieved by rotating said rotating ring concentrically around said collar.

18. A method of changing a dispenser that includes a bottle, a hanging assembly, a seed basin and a water basin from a solid nutrient dispensing configuration to a liquid nutrient dispensing configuration, said seed basin being removably connected to a bottom of said bottle and said water basin being removably connected to a top of said bottle and to said hanging assembly, said method comprising the steps of:

disconnecting the water basin from the top of the bottle;

disconnecting the hanging assembly from said water basin;

turning the bottle over so that the bottom faces upward and disconnecting the seed basin from said bottom;

inverting the bottle to pour out any seed remaining therein;

connecting the seed basin to the top of the bottle and to the hanging assembly, said seed basin forming a decorative top for said dispenser;

turning the bottle over so that the bottom faces upward and filling the bottle with liquid;

connecting the water basin to the bottom of the bottle; and

inverting the bottle so that the bottle bottom faces downward; and

suspending the dispenser from a support using the hanging assembly.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein said step of disconnecting said water basin from the top of the bottle includes unscrewing a threaded collar on a water dispensing side of said water basin from a correspondingly threaded portion on the top of said bottle, and said step of connecting the seed basin to the top of the bottle includes screwing a threaded collar on said seed dispensing side of said seed basin onto said correspondingly threaded portion of said bottle top.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein said step of disconnecting said seed basin from said bottle bottom includes unscrewing the threaded collar on said seed dispensing side of said seed basin from a correspondingly threaded portion on the bottom of said bottle, and said step of connecting said water basin to the bottom of the bottle includes screwing said threaded collar on said water dispensing side of said water basin onto said correspondingly threaded portion on the bottom of said bottle.