Bird Feeder Reinforcing Ring for Durable Seed Container Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bird feeders suffer from poor air circulation and fragile seed containers that easily break when connected or disconnected from the base for cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A bird feeder design featuring a reinforced snap-fit ring at the lower end of the seed container to enhance structural integrity and ease of attachment/detachment, combined with a cover having fins for air circulation and a funnel-shaped inner wall to guide seed flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the seed container is made thin-walled for easy manufacturing, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the lower end becomes fragile and breaks easily during connection and disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the seed container into multiple segments or sections, with the lower end being a separate removable section. This segmentation allows the thin-walled container to be manufactured easily while the separate lower section can be reinforced independently to prevent breaking during connection and disconnection operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining different materials or structural layers in the seed container walls. The composite structure provides both the manufacturing ease of thin-walled design and the enhanced strength needed to prevent breaking at the lower end during assembly and disassembly operations.
2Reliability
If the seed container is sealed tightly to protect seeds, then seed protection is improved, but air circulation is poor causing seed staleness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates porous materials or porous structures in the seed container design. These porous elements allow air to circulate through the container walls while still providing protection for the seeds, preventing staleness while maintaining seed safety from external contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different parts of the seed container. The upper and side portions provide tight sealing for seed protection, while the lower portion or specific areas incorporate breathable or porous characteristics to enable air circulation and prevent seed staleness.
3Strength
If the lower end is reinforced to prevent breaking, then structural strength is improved, but the connection and disconnection process becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates dynamic or flexible elements in the reinforced lower end structure. This allows the reinforcement to provide structural strength when needed while maintaining flexibility that facilitates easy connection and disconnection operations, resolving the contradiction between strength and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component or mechanism at the lower end that mediates between the need for reinforcement and the need for easy connection. This intermediary element provides the structural strength to prevent breaking while enabling simple attachment and detachment operations.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present disclosure provides a bird feeder having a seed container, seed tray, shroud, cover as well as a reinforced lower ring. The lower ring helps reinforce the lower part of the seed container. The bird feeder is also comprised of gaps positioned in between the cover and the seed container to increase a flow of air out of the seed container.