GB2360689A

GB2360689A - Pet feeder with animal detection means

Info

Publication number: GB2360689A
Application number: GB0105713A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cyril Edward Winter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-03-07
Filing date: 2001-03-07
Publication date: 2001-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 2021-03-07
Also published as: WO2002070849A1; EP1368549A1; GB2360689B; GB0105713D0

Abstract

A receptacle Q for pet food has a lid D which opens as an animal approaches to feed and closes again, after a short time delay, as the animal moves away. The lid D may be under the control of a motor M (Fig 2) which responds to interruption and re-establishment of an infra red beam between an emitter H and receiver I, or infra red reflected back by the animal from an emitter K to a receiver J. The lid may respond to capacity inductance induced by the proximity of an animal or to the weight on the animal on a pressure pad.

Description

2360689 IMPRDVEMENTS IN PET FEEDERS This invention relates to an improved

pet feeder, and more particularly to a covered or lidded food or drink receptacle for a small animal such as a cat which will open only when the animal approaches to feed or drink and will close again when the animal moves away.

Pet cats, of which there are millions in the United Kingdom alone, are notoriously fickle and selective feeders. Unlike dogs, and except when very hungry, they tend not to wolf down all of the food when a plate is put down for them. Instead they may eat only a little, and then return at erratic intervals to eat more. Once the food becomes dry or stale they will leave it. Because a cat's appetite is unpredictable owners tend to put out far more food than the cat will consume at one time, resulting in excessive waste. Unattended cat food is unhygienic, smells and attracts flies and other vermin.

So that rationed amounts of food can be presented in a fairly fresh condition at pre-selected meal times automatically during a pet owner's absence there have been a number of proposals for devices which will uncover in a timed sequence portions of food previously placed in receptacles. Such devices have the merit that an excess of food remains covered until meal times specified by the owner but do not allow for the fact that cats, in particular, wish to eat at erratic intervals and even when hungry will spurn food which has been uncovered for too long. In general such devices will retain quantities of unconsumed food, will refuse food or drink when the cat wants it and will expose it at times when the cat has no interest in it.

A principal object of the present invention is to improve upon prior art Proposals by providing a covered pet feeding receptacle which will open only in response to a demand represented by an animal approaching the receptacle and which will close as soon as the animal moves away. Thus the pet's feeding habits cease to be dictated by human decisions about meal times, and because the animal can eat as often as it likes the food or drink will remain fresh until it is consumed and there will be less wastage. The feeder of the invention is designed to cope with typical cat feeding behaviour, which is to take relatively little when it is first

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offered but to return to it after longer or shorter intervals which rarely coincide with predetermined meal times.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a pet feeder comprising a receptacle for food or drink having a cover or lid, means for opening the cover or lid and allowing it to close, and proximity detection means controlling said opening means whereby the cover or lid will open when an animal approaches the receptacle and will close when the animal moves away.

The receptacle is preferably in the shape of a dish or a plurality of dishes and the cover or lid is preferably hinged to the receptacle to be raised and lowered by the opening means.

The opening means may comprise an electric motor controlled by the detection means. A worm gear may be driven by the motor, the worm gear engaging teeth of a quadrant extending from the cover or lid. Limit switches may be provided to deactivate the motor when the cover or lid is in a fully open or a fully closed position.

The detection means may be arranged adjacent the receptacle and may comprise means responsive to the weight of an animal m the detection means to actuate the opening means.

Alternatively the detection means may comprise electromagnetic means which changes its state when a body is intruded into its field, the opening mans responding to a change of state of said field.

In yet another embodiment the detection weans comprises means for emitting a photoelectric beam and means for responding to an interruption of said beam.

The detection mans may comprise means for emitting a short-length infra red beam outwardly from the receptacle generally parallel with the ground and means for receiving reflections from said beam when interrupted by an animal approaching the receptacle, the opening means being under the control of the receiving means.

Alternatively an emitter and a receiver for an infra red beam may be mounted on respective extensions from the receptacle so that the beam is 3.

emitted generally horizontally at a predetermined height above the ground and at a predetermined spacing from the receptacle, the extensions being designed to encourage an animal to approach the receptacle in a direction such as to interrupt the beam.

The extensions may be parallel walls which rise above the receptacle and extend from one side of the latter, said walls having slots to serve as carrying handles for the receptacle.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of nonlimitative example with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of two different pet feeders in accordance with the invention, and Figure 2 is an internal detail of the feeder of Figure 1.

The pet feeder illustrated has a generally rectangular body 0 suitably formed by moulding a plastics material to have two upwardly opening welllike formations C in which respective dishes or bowls (not shown) may be placed to contain food or drink for a pet animal such as a cat. The feeder has a lid or cover D which is hinged at G to the back of the body Q so that it can move between the fully open position in which it is shown in Figure 1 and a fully closed, horizontal position in which it will cover the contents of the bowls. In doing so the cover D moves between walls B which rise above parallel sides of the body Q and extend beyond its front for a purpose to be described. The walls B discourage an animal from approaching from the sides of the body 0 and are formed with slots A which serve as carrying handles. Thus if the feeder is, in use, placed with its back to a wall or other obstruction an animal is encouraged to approach only to the front of the feeder, where it will pass between the extensions of the walls.

These carry at their distal ends at similar positions above ground level respectively an emitter H and a receiver 1 for an infra red beam. As is known per se in burglar alarms the beam is preferably narrow and of a wavelength beyond the spectral response of the human eye and therefore invisible. As an animal approaches to feed it will interrupt the beam and as it moves away it will cease to interrupt the beam. Electronics P on a board F forming the underside of the body 0 respond to interruption of the 4.

beam by energising an electric motor M from a battery 0 so that the motor rotates a worm gear N in a sense such that teeth L engaged by the worm gear and on an arcuate edge of a quadrant E fixed to the lid D cause the lid to rise to the fully open position in which it is shown in Figure 1. The lid will remain open as long as the feeding animal continues to interrupt the beam. When the animal moves away after feeding it ceases to interrupt the beam. The electronics P sense the re-establishment of the beam and respond by counter-rotating the motor M so that the lid D is closed. Preferably a time delay, say of 15 seconds, is built into the electronics P so that the motor M is not started immediately the beam is re-established in case the animal hesitates and returns to the feeder.

Preferably the emitter H is pulsed with a burst of 4Okhz energy every 1 second for a duration of 1 millisecond. This will reduce the drain on the battery 0 and interference from other sources of infra red such as fluorescent lights and sunlight.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention the emitter H and receiver I are dispensed with and instead an emitter K and a receiver J for infra ^red are positioned alongside one-another m the front face of the body Q. The emitter H sends out pulses of infra red which will be reflected back to the receiver i by an animal approaching the body Q. As in the case of automatic hand dryers the beam emitted by the emitter K is of short range to prevent triggering e.g. by a person walking past the feeder. As long as the receiver J receives no reflected infra red the lid D remains closed. When the receiver J detects reflected infra red the motor M is energised and raises the lid D. When no more reflected infra red is detected by the receiver i the motor M is counter-rotated and the lid closes, again preferably after a time delay.

In either case limit switches (not shown) may be provided to de-activate the motor M when the lid D reaches either its fully open or its fully closed positions. If the lid D is sufficiently weighted it may be unnecessary Positively to drive it to its closed position, gearing between the motor M and the lid D sirfiply being disengaged to allow this to happen. Moreover drives other than a worm drive between the motor M and lid D can be envisaged and also the substitution for the motor M of a solenoid acting m the lid D via a crank.

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In yet another embodiment of the invention (not illustrated) no inf ra red beam is generated but instead the body has a radio frequency oscillator detected by an aerial within the body As an animal approaches the receptacle it changes the state of the magnetic field of the oscillator by capacity inductance so that oscillation ceases. The motor M is actuated in response to cessation of oscillation and again, after a time delay, by its resumption.

In yet another embodiment of the invention one or more pressure pads such as used in burglar alarms are positioned adjacent the receptacle Q and actuate the motor M when trodden on by an approaching animal and again, after a time delay, when the pressure is relieved. If pressure pads are arranged all round the receptacle, or m its exposed sides, walls B provided with projections may be dispensed with as it will be immaterial from which direction the animal approaches the receptacle. This is true also in the case of the embodiment of the immediately preceding paragraph.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A pet feeder comprising a receptacle for food or drink having a cover or lid, means for opening the cover or lid and allowing it to close, and proximity detection means controlling said opening means whereby the cover or lid will open when an animal approaches the receptacle and will close when the animal moves away.

2. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receptacle is in the shape of a dish or a plurality of dishes and wherein the cover or lid is hinged to the receptacle to be raised and lowered by the opening means.

3. A pet feeder as claimed claim 2, wherein the opening means comprises an electric motor controlled by the detectim means.

4. A pet feeder as claimed claim 3, wherein the opening means comprises a worm gear driven by the motor, the worm gear engaging teeth of a quadrant extending from the cover or lid.

5. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 and comprising limit switches which deactivate the motor when the cover or lid is in a fully open or a fully closed position.

6. A pet feeder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection means is arranged adjacent the receptacle and comprises means responsive to the weight of an animal on the detection means to actuate the opening means.

7. A pet feeder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein time-delay means is provided for preventing closure of the lid or cover for a predetermined time period following re-establishment of the beam.

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8. A pet feeder substantially as hereinbefore, described with reference to and as shown in the accoying drawings.

7. A pet feeder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detection means comprises electromagnetic means which changes its state when a body is intruded into its field, the opening means responding to a change of state of said field.

8. A pet feeder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detection means comprises mans for emitting a photoelectric beam and means for responding to an interruption of said beam.

9. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 8 and comprising means for emitting a short-length infra red beam outwardly from the receptacle generally 7.

parallel with the ground and means for receiving reflections from said beam when interrupted by an animal approaching the receptacle, the opening means being under the control of the receiving means.

10. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 8 and comprising an emitter and a receiver for an infra red beam mounted on respective extensions from the receptacle so that the beam is emitted generally horizontally at a predetermined height above the ground and at a predetermined spacing from the receptacle, the extensions being designed to encourage an animal to approach the receptacle in a direction such as to interrupt the beam.

11. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 10, wherein the extensions are of parallel walls which rise above the receptacle and extend from one side of the latter, said walls having slots to serve as carrying handles for the receptacle.

12. A pet feeder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS:

1. A pet feeder comprising a receptacle for food or drink having a cover or lid, means for opening the cover or lid and allowing it to close, an emitter and a receiver for an infra red beam mounted on respective extensions from the receptacle so that the beam is emitted generally horizontally at a predetermined height above the ground and at a predetermined spacing from the receptacle, the extensions being designed to encourage an animal to approach the receptacle in a direction such as to interrupt the beam and means for opening the cover or lid in response to interruption of the beam and for allowing it to close after the beam is re established.

2. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extensions are of parallel walls which rise above the receptacle and extend from one side of the latter.

3. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 2, wherein said walls have slots to serve as carrying handles for the receptacle.

4. A pet feeder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle is generally rectangular and wherein the cover or lid is hinged to pivot about an axis parallel with and in the region of one side of the receptacle, the extensions being from the opposite side of the receptacle.

5.. A pet feeder as claimed any one of the preceding claims, wherein the opening means comprises a worm gear driven by an electric motor, the worm gear engaging teeth of a quadrant extending from the cover or lid.

6. A pet feeder as claimed in claim 5 and comprising limit switches which deactivate the motor when the cover or lid is in a fully open or a fully closed position.