AU2005267520A1 - Firefly bird flapper unit - Google Patents

Description

WO 2006/011990 PCT/US2005/020953 FIREFLY BIRD FLAPPER UNIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates, in general, to warning devices, and, in particular, to warning devices that can be attached to structures to warn birds away. Description of the Prior Art In the prior art various types of warning devices have been proposed. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,597,357 to LeMessurier discloses a bird frightening device made of a sheet of aluminum having a tvist and suspended from a swivel. U.S. Patent No. 2,722,19S to Rockafeller discloses a bird frightening device with portions bent so it will rotate in the wind. U.S. Patent No. 3,085,545 to Ore discloses a bird frightening device shaped like a cat face and which has offset body portions so it will rotate in the wind. 1 WO 2006/011990 PCT/US2005/020953 U.S. Patent No. 4,131,079 to Rousseau et al discloses a bird frightening device comprising a pair of disks suspended from a springy rod. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a warning device that is attached to various structure to warn birds away. The device has a shape to rotate in the wind and portions of the device are reflective and other parts are luminescent to make it visible in daylight as well as at night. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bird warning device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bird warning device that can be attached to a variety of structures. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bird warning device that is visible during the day as well as at night. 2 WO 2006/011990 PCT/US2005/020953 These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is side view of the present invention attached to a Radio/Microwave tower. FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. S is a top view of the FIG. 4 embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, Fig. 1 shows the present invention 4 attached to a Radio/Microwave tower 2 having 3 WO 2006/011990 PCT/US2005/020953 support wires 3. However, it should be understood that the type of structure shown in Fig. 1 is merely for illustrational purposes and the invention can be attached to any structure that would pose a hazard to birds such as, but not limited to, power lines, buildings, substations, towers, etc. Also, the invention 4 is shown attached to only one wire 3 for clarity, however, in actual use it would attached to all of the wires. The invention is shown more fully in Fig. 2. The warning device has a body 5 that is made from a material that will rotate in the slightest breeze (3 - 5 mph). Since the device 4 will rotate in the slightest breeze, birds become nervous with the constant change in position due to the rotation and will avoid the area. If birds are constantly being hazed, during the day and during the night, they will soon avoid the area completely. The device 4 has a ring 10 that can be used to attach it to various structures with any conventional attaching means (not shown). The ring 10 is secured to a conventional swivel 9 which will allow the device to rotate as explained above. The swivel 9 is attached to an aperture 8 in the device 4 using any conventional attaching means. The body 5 has two stripes 6, 7 on the front and on the rear of the body. The stripes 6 are a reflective sheeting that is preferably fluorescent yellow green on the front side and fluorescent orange on the back side. It should be known that these colors are merely the preferred colors and other colors can be used with out departing from the scope of the invention. The stripes 7 4 WO 2006/011990 PCT/US2005/020953 are phosphorescent glow in the dark sheeting and appear on both the front and back sides. The material of stripe 6 causes sunlight to reflect off it during day light hours, and provides a "sparkle effect" as the device rotates due to the two different colors. This effect can be seen by birds up to one quarter of a mile. This sparkling and refraction of light allows the birds to change their flight pattern to divert around the marked wires and avoid collisions. The material of stripe 7 is a luminescent material (glow in the dark) that will emit ultra-violet and visible light up to 12 hours after dark. This will also allow the birds to see the warning device in low light or fog conditions. Birds are most vulnerable to collisions with structures during sunset and sunrise hours, especially during bad weather. Nocturnal bird migrants can see the glow material of stripe 7 both in static and active wind conditions. Also, rotation of the device increases the effectiveness of the warning device 4. A bird's vision utilizes both light and motion. The angle of the light refraction and position of the flapper unit 4 is constantly changing due to wind currents. The embodiment in Fig. 3 is essentially the same as the Fig. 2 embodiment except the shape of the body. The body 11 has a twisted shape which will allow it to rotate more freely. All other portions of the Fig. 3 device are the same and are marked with the same reference characters.

WO 2006/011990 PCT/US2005/020953 The embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is essentially the same as the Fig. 2 embodiment except the shape of the body. The body shown in Fig. 4 is essentially two intersecting disks 12 and 13. It should be noted that the stripes 6, 7 are not shown in Figs. 4 and 5 for clarity. However, the stripes would be placed on the opposite sides of each disk 12, 13. Although the Firefly Bird Flapper Unit and the method of using the same according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall within the claimed scope of this invention. 6

Claims (5)

What I claim as my invention is:
1. Claim 1. A warning device for birds, said warning device adapted to be attached to structures, and wherein said warning device comprises: a body, said body having a front surface and a back surface, means on said body for attaching said body to a structure, and said front surface having two stripes thereon, one of said two stripes is reflective, and one of said two stripes is phosphorescent, and said back surface having two stripes thereon, one of said two stripes on said back surface is reflective, and one of said two stripes on said back surface is phosphorescent.
2. Claim 2. The warning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means on said body for attaching said body to a structure comprises a swivel.
3. Claim 3. The warning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reflective stripe on said front surface is a different color than said reflective stripe on said back surface.
4. Claim 4. The warning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body is a flat planar sheet.
5. Claim 5. The warning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body is twisted so the front surface of an upper portion of said body is on the same side as the back surface of a lower portion of said body.

   Claim 6- The warning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body is a pair of intersecting disks.