Refilling feature for use in an animal feeder

Abstract

In a feeder for dispensing flowable feed material, such as potable liquids and particulate solids, to birds and other animals, in which a hopper supplies such feed material to an access port in a feeding station positioned below the hopper, a refilling feature permits facilitated replacement of feed stock, as necessary. A hopper, for example a feed containing reservoir, is mountably receivable on a feeder support structure, which, while mounted thereto, is pivotable between an inverted position, in which an opening therein is appropriately located to permit outflow of feed therethrough while actively providing feed material to the feeding station for animal access, and another position in which the reservoir opening is oriented to prevent outflow of feed, thereby permitting removal of the reservoir from the feeder for refilling, or replacement thereof with a pre-filled replacement reservoir, without significant spillage of the contents. A feeder incorporating such feature advantageously includes mounting structure to facilitate mountable reception of same on a cage, or outdoor tree or other support, such mounting structure being disposed as not to impede the mounted movement of the feed reservoir.

1 . An animal feeder for supplying feed material to an animal, comprising:
 a first portion including a hopper for storing a supply of the feed material;   a second portion including a support, said first portion being mountable to and removable from said second portion, said second portion further including at least one feeding station via which feed material supplied from said hopper is accessible by the animal, said support being mountable to a supporting structure such that said feeding station is normally positionally maintained generally in a use orientation; and   said hopper including an outlet which can be brought into feed-supplying communication with the feeding station when mounted to the second portion such that contents of the hopper are directed to the feeding station for availability by the animal, flow of the feed material from the outlet being selectively inhibited while said first portion is being mounted to said second portion thereby allowing said first portion to be removed from or replaced to said second portion to achieve a refilling operation substantially without loss of feed material from the hopper, while concomitantly permitting said feeding station to remain normally maintained in the use orientation during said refilling operation.   
   
   
       2 . An animal feeder according to  claim 1 , wherein the flow of the feed material from the outlet is inhibited by an at least partial inversion of said hopper while the first portion is mounted to the second portion. 
   
   
       3 . An animal feeder, comprising:
 a housing;   at least one feeding station carried on said housing via which feed material is accessible by the animal when said feeding station is in a use orientation; and   a reservoir including an opening, said reservoir being receivable to said housing while said reservoir is oriented in a replacement position in which the reservoir is positioned with the opening thereof located above the feed material contained in said reservoir to inhibit outflow of feed when detached from or replaced to the housing in said replacement position, said reservoir being movable to an active position when received to the housing in the replacement position, the use orientation of said feeding station being maintainable when said reservoir is detached or removed from said housing in said replacement position.   
   
   
       4 . A method of refilling an animal feeder, comprising:
 providing a first feeder portion including a hopper for storing a supply of feed material;   providing a second feeder portion including at least one feeding station via which feed transferred from said hopper is accessible by the animal and a support to which the first feeder portion is removably mountable;   attaching the second feeder portion to a support such that said second feeder portion is positionally maintained generally in a use orientation while attached;   removably mounting said first feeder portion to said second feeder portion while maintaining a selective restriction of flow of feed contents from an opening of said hopper; and   bringing said opening of said hopper into communication with said feeding station and at least partially relieving the selective restriction such that at least some of the feed material in said hopper is transferred to the at least one feeding station.