A liquid bird feeder provides a liquid container having a sealable top opening and a bottom opening, a liquid tray adapted to immerse the bottom opening in liquid, and a valve mechanism adapted to close the bottom opening to enable the liquid container to be filled through the sealable top opening.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed it is: 1. A top-fill liquid bird feeder for providing liquid nectar to hummingbirds, comprising: a liquid container configured to contain a volume of liquid nectar and having a sealable top opening and a bottom portion with a bottom opening; a cover adapted to engage said liquid con
What is claimed it is: 1. A top-fill liquid bird feeder for providing liquid nectar to hummingbirds, comprising: a liquid container configured to contain a volume of liquid nectar and having a sealable top opening and a bottom portion with a bottom opening; a cover adapted to engage said liquid container to close said top opening and create an airtight seal therewith; a liquid tray adapted to immerse said bottom opening in liquid to allow a vacuum created in an upper end of said liquid container to retain liquid in said container when the top opening is sealed by the cover, said tray including a vertically oriented cylindrical collar adapted to connect to said bottom portion of said liquid container, said cylindrical collar being axially closed at a lower end thereof by said liquid tray and having a vertically oriented cylindrical side wall with at least one liquid port located therein, said liquid tray including at least one feeding port through which hummingbirds can access the liquid nectar in said tray; and a valve mechanism adapted to close said bottom opening to enable said liquid container to be filled by removing said cover and adding liquid nectar through said top opening while, at the same time, blocking leakage of any remaining nectar still in said liquid container through said feeding port by said valve mechanism closure of said bottom opening, said valve mechanism including a rotatable member having a vertically oriented cylindrical side wall with at least one opening therein adapted to be selectively aligned and misaligned with said at least one liquid port in said cylindrical collar to respectively open and close said port upon rotation of said rotatable member around a vertical axis. 2. The top-fill liquid bird feeder of claim 1, wherein said bottom portion of said liquid container includes a vertically oriented cylindrical extension forming said bottom opening that is received within said cylindrical collar. 3. The top-fill liquid bird feeder of claim 2, wherein said liquid tray includes a tray cover adapted to substantially close said liquid tray, said feeding port passing through said cover with a narrow elongated passageway that is sized to allow access by long-beaked hummingbirds while preventing access by bees, liquid in said liquid tray being accessible to hummingbirds only through said feeding port when said feeder is in use. 4. The top-fill liquid bird feeder of claim 1, wherein said cylindrical collar includes a plurality of ports and said rotatable member includes a corresponding plurality of openings in said cylindrical side wall that are adapted to simultaneously align and misalign with said plurality of ports for respectively opening and closing all of said plurality of ports simultaneously with rotation of said rotatable member around said vertical axis. 5. The top-fill liquid bird feeder of claim 1, wherein said rotatable member is adapted to be at least partially immersed in liquid within said liquid tray and includes an actuator which extends above said port in said cylindrical collar and thus above a normal liquid level in said liquid tray. 6. The top-fill liquid bird feeder of claim 5, wherein said liquid tray includes a tray cover through which said feeding port passes, said tray cover having a slot adapted to allow said actuator to be operable from outside of said tray cover to rotate said rotatable member. 7. A top-fill liquid hummingbird feeder, comprising: a liquid container for receiving hummingbird nectar through a sealable top opening and dispensing said nectar through a bottom opening; a container cover adapted to engage said liquid container to close said top opening and create an airtight seal therewith; a liquid tray defining a nectar enclosure adapted to immerse said bottom opening in nectar in said nectar enclosure and thereby allow a vacuum created in said liquid container to retain liquid in said container when the top opening is sealed by the cover, said container extending above said liquid tray; said liquid tray including a cover having at least one feeding port passing therethrough with a narrow elongated passageway extending into said nectar enclosure that is sized to allow access by hummingbirds while preventing access by bees, nectar in said liquid tray being accessible to hummingbirds outside said enclosure only through said feeding port and said narrow elongated passageway when said feeder is in use; and a valve mechanism adapted to open and close said container bottom opening to enable nectar to flow into said nectar enclosure from said liquid container through said bottom opening when said valve mechanism opens said bottom opening and to enable said liquid container to be filled with nectar by removing said cover and adding liquid nectar through said sealable top opening while, at the same time, retaining nectar still remaining in said liquid container in said liquid container when said valve mechanism closes said bottom opening. 8. The hummingbird feeder of claim 7, wherein said tray includes a vertically oriented collar with a port therein adapted to control closure of said container bottom opening, said valve mechanism including a cylindrical rotatable member with an opening therein adapted to be selectively aligned and misaligned with said liquid port in said cylindrical collar to respectively open and close said liquid port upon rotation of said rotatable member around a vertical axis. 9. The hummingbird feeder of claim 8, wherein said cylindrical collar includes a plurality of liquid ports and said cylindrical rotatable member includes a corresponding plurality of openings that are adapted to simultaneously align and misalign with said plurality of liquid ports for respectively opening and closing all of said plurality of liquid ports simultaneously upon rotation of said cylindrical rotatable member around said vertical axis. 10. The hummingbird feeder of claim 8, further comprising an elongated actuating member coupled to said cylindrical rotatable member and extending outwardly therefrom to facilitate rotation of said rotatable member by a user, said actuating member also rotating around said vertical axis. 11. The hummingbird feeder of claim 10, wherein said cylindrical rotatable member is adapted to be at least partially immersed in liquid within said liquid tray, said actuating member extending above said liquid port in said cylindrical collar and thus above a normal liquid level in said liquid tray. 12. The hummingbird feeder of claim 10, wherein said tray cover has a slot therein adapted to allow said actuating member to be operable from outside of said tray cover to rotate said cylindrical rotatable member. 13. The hummingbird feeder of claim 7, wherein said valve mechanism includes a rotatable member configured to open and close said bottom opening through rotation thereof, at least a part of said rotatable member being contained within said liquid tray and covered by said liquid tray cover. 14. The hummingbird feeder of claim 13, wherein said part of said rotatable member contained within said liquid tray and covered by said liquid tray cover is adapted to be at least partially immersed in the nectar in said nectar enclosure. 15. The hummingbird feeder of claim 13, wherein said rotatable member includes an actuator which extends outside said liquid tray and liquid tray cover, said actuator being coupled to said rotatable member part that is contained within said liquid tray and covered by said liquid tray cover. 16. The hummingbird feeder of claim 15, wherein said tray cover has a slot therein through which said actuator extends so as to be operable from outside of said tray cover to rotate said rotatable member. 17. The hummingbird feeder of claim 13, wherein said rotatable member rotates around a vertical axis corresponding with a vertical axis of said container. 18. The hummingbird feeder of claim 7, wherein closure of said bottom opening by said valve mechanism retains nectar remaining in said liquid container from flowing into said nectar enclosure and thereafter leaking through the feeding port when the vacuum in the liquid container is destroyed by removal of said container cover for filling of the feeder. 19. A top-fill liquid hummingbird feeder, comprising: a liquid container for receiving hummingbird nectar through a sealable top opening and dispensing said nectar through a bottom opening in a bottom portion of said container; a cover with a sealing element adapted to engage said liquid container to close said top opening and create an airtight seal therewith; a covered liquid tray defining an enclosure accessible by at least one feeding port and adapted to immerse said bottom opening in said nectar and thereby allow a vacuum created in said liquid container to retain liquid in said container when the top opening is sealed by the cover, said tray including a vertically oriented cylindrical collar positioned in said tray enclosure for connection to said bottom portion of said liquid container, said cylindrical collar having a liquid port located therein; and a valve mechanism configured to cooperate with said cylindrical collar to open and close said collar liquid port by manipulating an element outside of said enclosure, closure of said collar liquid port enabling said liquid container to be filled with nectar through said sealable top opening when said cover is removed while retaining any remaining nectar still in said liquid container. 20. The hummingbird feeder of claim 19, wherein said valve mechanism includes a cylindrical rotatable member with an opening therein adapted to be selectively aligned and misaligned with said liquid port in said cylindrical collar to respectively open and close said port upon rotation of said rotatable member around a vertical axis. 21. The hummingbird feeder of claim 20, wherein said cylindrical collar includes a plurality of liquid ports and said cylindrical rotatable member includes a corresponding plurality of openings that are adapted to simultaneously align and misalign with said plurality of liquid ports for respectively opening and closing all of said plurality of liquid ports simultaneously with rotation of said rotatable cylindrical member around said vertical axis. 22. The hummingbird feeder of claim 20, wherein said element includes an elongated actuating member coupled to said cylindrical rotatable member and extending outwardly therefrom to facilitate rotation of said rotatable member by a user, said actuating member also rotating around said vertical axis. 23. The hummingbird feeder of claim 22, wherein said cylindrical rotatable member is adapted to be at least partially immersed in liquid within said liquid tray enclosure, said actuating member extending above said port in said cylindrical collar and thus above a normal liquid level in said liquid tray.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (17)
Shaw Harry J. (6 Peach Orchard Rd. Seaville NJ 08230), Antless hummingbird feeder.
Gauker, Andrew; Kamery, Christopher J.; Lubic, Marko Konstantin; Cruz, Robert Theodore, Top-fill hummingbird feeder with float valve base closure mechanism.
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