WO2011096002A1

WO2011096002A1 - An automatic dry food dispenser for pets

Info

Publication number: WO2011096002A1
Application number: PCT/IT2010/000036
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Pieri
Original assignee: Alesia Innovation SRL
Current assignee: Alesia Innovation SRL
Priority date: 2010-02-04
Filing date: 2010-02-04
Publication date: 2011-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 2012-08-04

Abstract

An automatic dry food dispenser for pets comprising at least one main tank (200), closed on its upper part by a cover (201), in that said main tank (200) is vertically engaged on a mechanical metering device (100) internally provided with a rotatable screening basket (101), a horizontal rotatable paddle (115) connected with a leading shut-off paddle (116) connected with an electromagnet (105) and finally in that said mechanical metering device (100) is vertically engaged on a bowl (300) suitably designed so as to extend forwardly with a front opening.

Description

An automatic dry food dispenser for pets

State of the art

The present patent application generally refers to the field of automatic feeders for pets, more particularly the invention regards an innovative automatic dry food dispenser for animals.

The invention is applicable to any animal type to which such apparatus type can be advantageously directed, but preferably it regards the field of pets and still more preferably that of dogs and cats.

Prior art

As is currently known, the number of pets present in our homes continues to grow. At the same time, it is also known that people are well disposed towards spending for the care and wellbeing of their own animals. As those who keep pets (especially dogs and cats) know, good care does not only regard cleaning, hygiene and vaccines, but also and above all diet.

The importance of a suitable diet, which considers the specific needs of our four-legged friends, is often the underlying argument on which veterinarians relate the most serious problems related to pets. The veterinarian prevailingly sustains the importance of a controlled feeding throughout the day for the wellbeing of dogs and cats, preferably administering a pre-established quantity of food several times during the day and hence eliminating excessive use or calorie deprivations. The rationalization of the pet diet, in addition to training the eating habits of our pets, also reduces the risks of obesity along with the accompanying health risks, which include cardiovascular perils.

In reality, an administration of food to one's pet several times a day involves a considerable commitment, mainly linked to the schedule and lifestyle of the owner. In addition, if one must leave his/her own pet for days alone in the house, an immoderate diet condition is inevitably created in the animal due to the excess of food which must be left available for the pet itself.

In this light, there arises the need to make an apparatus capable of

automatically dispensing predetermined food quantities over a twenty-four hour time span. Such automatic dispenser apparatuses are in reality already known in the prior art.

In particular, they range from the simplest devices, i.e. created from dispensers comprising one or more containers with covers that are automatically openable on the basis of a preset time in the timer, to those more complex which allow the autonomous enjoyment by the pet of several meals during the day, for several days. In reality, said apparatuses of the prior art all have problems which in the simplest apparatuses, i.e. those with timed covers, consist of the fact that it is not really possible to dispense more than two or maximum three meals over the span of the day. On the other hand, in the case of more complex dispensers, although valid from the functional standpoint, they are not very practical for home use needs since they are based on sophisticated electronic management devices which mainly interact with complicated and not very safe mechanical apparatuses for food dispensing such as screws. Also, the aforesaid electronic management apparatuses are subjected, for their startup, to a specific programming, which renders them little practical and not very intuitive, if one considers that such apparatuses are mainly intended for home use. Consequently, such electronic management apparatuses, due to their intrinsic characteristics, are particularly expensive.

The present invention arises from the need to face the abovementioned problems, by making an innovative automatic pet food dispenser apparatus which is capable of rationalizing the animal food in complete autonomy for several days. Such aforesaid condition request, even if currently actuatable by the most complex apparatuses of the prior art, is innovatively achieved by means of a meter of mechanical type, manually adjustable and with a command system that is easily settable with a simple timer.

Hence, the object of the present invention is that of making a so-called "food dispenser" with specific characteristics, which render it simple like that of the more elementary apparatuses known in the art and at the same time which comprises functions like those of the more complex pet food dispenser apparatuses of the prior art.

Other advantages of the invention will be clearer from the detailed description of an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment thereof, illustrated below.

Description of the invention

The innovative concept underlying the present invention consists of providing for an automatic food dispenser for pets of electromechanical type, which therefore lacks all of the complicated electronic management devices, and is capable of having a high functionality and at the same time equipped with a surprising structural and use simplicity, which hence involves an entire series of advantages with respect to the current systems.

The present invention refers to an automatic dry food dispenser for pets, particularly for dogs or cats, capable of automatically providing, with a repetitive daily programming, the supply of food over the span of one or more days, in predetermined amounts and at predetermined times.

Hence, greatly improving the practical and economical nature of the product, the present invention has as main object that of proposing equipment of electromechanical type whose programming thus results extremely simple and intuitive, since it is based overall on two different selections:

- adjustment of the quantity of food to be dispensed, - times at which the food dispensing is desired, up to a maximum of one meal per hour.

Another technical characteristic which diversifies the object of the present invention is that the inventive food dispenser can have modular and scalable components, such that it can be used according to multiple topologies and different complexity levels, being adapted to different use needs. In particular, it is provided for that the concept just described is obtained by providing that the main tank, in which the food is placed, can be volumetrically increased by means of the simple connection of further auxiliary tanks.

A further objective is that of proposing an inventive food dispenser which can be made on an industrial scale, whose components are of standard type and are easily found on the market, and whose production is fully sustainable from an economical and environmental standpoint.

The invention will have to fully satisfy all of the safety laws with regard to electrical devices. For such purpose, it is provided that the aforesaid food dispenser can be made in a manner that is entirely innovative in its field. In particular, it is provided that the on/off switch and the settable timer are positioned upstream and thus at the level of the current outlet, such that the power supply cable, along with the entire apparatus, is only crossed by electric current in the 8-10 seconds necessary for carrying out the food dispensing cycle. This means that both the cable and the entire inventive automatic dispenser are not crossed by any type of electric current except in the few seconds of steady-state functioning, thus ensuring a nearly complete safety level, preventing the possibility of electrical discharges.

One embodiment of the present invention provides that a settable and disconnectable buzzer emitting an acoustic signal informs the animal when the supply cycle has been completing, informing the pet of meal time.

With regard to the constituent materials of said inventive automatic food dispenser, these can be selected by the man skilled in the art so as to satisfy the technical characteristics in this particular field, including solidity, strength, anti-corrosive, repeated washing strength, etc.; nevertheless, said materials must satisfy strict laws regarding the materials employed in food and can comprise those of metal type, preferably stainless steel and/or polymers of plastic type.

With regard to the size of said inventive automatic dispenser, it should be said that this is merely indicative and non-limiting of the invention; nevertheless, it can be expressed and summarized overall in the case of the completely assembled dispenser, without auxiliary tanks, between 100 cm and 15 cm width, preferably 20 cm width, and between 200 cm and 30 cm height, preferably 40 cm height.

With regard to the technical characteristics, it must be stated that the inventive automatic dispenser supports variable quantities of dry food with variable grain size, whose average diameter ranges from a few millimeters to 5 cm. In addition, variable food servings to be administered for each individual meal can be set in the range of 20 g to 1000 g, and preferably 30 g - 800 g.

Other characteristics of the present invention are described in the detailed description of one or more specific embodiments, protected by the various dependent claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The preceding advantages, as well as other advantages and characteristics of the present invention, will be illustrated be making reference to the attached figures, which should be considered merely illustrative and non-limiting or non-binding for the purposes of the present patent application, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of an automatic dispenser of dry food for pets according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top perspective view of an automatic dispenser of Fig. 1 with the auxiliary tank installed;

FIGURE 3 is a top perspective view of an automatic dispenser of Fig. 2 partially dismantled and with the fundamental constituent elements viewed in sequence; FIGURE 4 shows the bottom view of the lower surface of the main tank;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the rotatable screening basket;

FIGURE 6 is a top perspective view of the main tank with a portion of the front wall eliminated;

FIGURE 7 is a top perspective view of the mechanical metering device with a portion of the front wall eliminated with the rotatable screening basket extracted;

FIGURE 8 is a top perspective view of the mechanical metering device of the alternative embodiment with a portion of the front wall eliminated and the rotatable cylindrical metering device extracted. Preferred embodiments of the invention

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures and to a preferred embodiment thereof shown therein, in which identical reference numbers were used in all the figures for the same components.

With reference to the various figures, these show an automatic food dispenser for animals of electromechanical type, i.e. characterized by the presence of an innovative calibrated rotatable screening basket, which takes advantage of the fall by gravity of the food contained in the overlying tank.

As shown in the Figures, such innovative automatic dispenser comprises a main tank 200, preferably of cylindrical form, closed on its upper part by a reclosable cover 201. Said main tank 200 vertically engages on a mechanical metering device 100 internally provided with a rotatable screening basket 101 and a horizontal rotatable paddle 115. Said mechanical metering device 100, is in turn vertically engaged on a bowl 300, suitably designed so as to extend forwardly and is equipped with a front opening in order to allow the insertion of the animal's muzzle.

As shown in Figures 3, 5 and 7, inside the mechanical metering device 100, a rotatable screening basket 101 is present. This basket is formed by a cylinder (Fig. 5), inside of which a variable number of identical circular portions 102 are made that centrally end in a circular surface 103, which in turn is characterized by a longitudinal bore 104 situated in central position. Said circular portions 102 are hollow, i.e. equipped with openings having gradually increasing surfaces, called calibrated screening surfaces 109 of the food which falls by gravity from the aforesaid overlying main tank 200. As specifically shown in Fig. 7, where for descriptive reasons a portion of the front wall has been eliminated, the lower surface 106 of the mechanical metering device 100 is centrally occupied by an electromagnet 105 connected with the rotatable central spindle 108, which in turn is inserted in the longitudinal bore 104 of the rotatable screening basket 101. The aforesaid lower surface 106 has an aperture 107 for allowing the passage of food after it has passed by gravity through the respective calibrated screening surface 109, after which the food reaches the underlying bowl 300. As can be observed in Fig. 6, where for descriptive reasons a portion of the front wall was eliminated, the lower surface 203 of the main tank 200 is innovatively provided with a downward slope towards the horizontal lower opening 202, such that the food present in the main tank 200 flows without stagnations through the aforesaid opening. The upper end of the rotatable central spindle 108, specifically shown in Fig. 7, once

it has passed through the longitudinal bore 104 of the rotatable screening basket 101, firmly engages the horizontal rotatable paddle 115, by means of a common mechanical coupling 110 such as a tooth with a central locking screw, such that the rotation of the electromagnet 105 creates a complete revolution of the aforesaid horizontal rotatable paddle 115.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 7, in order to prevent involuntary jams in the inventive device with the food contained in the main tank 200, it is provided that on the upper part of said horizontal rotatable paddle 115 a leading shut-off paddle 116 is preferably present having a minimum thickness and mutually connected through the compensation spring 117, such that during the transverse rotation of both said paddles, the aforesaid leading shut-off paddle 116 rotates in a more advanced position with respect to the same horizontal rotatable paddle 115.

As shown in Figure 4, which shows the bottom view of the lower surface 203 of the main tank 200, such leading shut-off paddle 116 and first and foremost such horizontal rotatable paddle 115 (represented with dashed lines) form the valve of the main tank 200, since by means of the rotation they are capable of liberating the lower horizontal aperture 202, thus allowing the passage of the food contained in the main tank 200 through the calibrated screening surface 109 and then the further passage of the food through the opening 107 and then the fall thereof into the underlying bowl 300. As shown in Figs. 1-3, the portion of the front wall of the mechanical metering device 100 is provided with a graduated transverse slit 111, through which it is possible to manually and gradually rotate the rotatable screening basket 101 and thus position the desired calibrated screening surface 109 below the horizontal lower aperture 202 of the main tank 200. Considering that the revolution period of the horizontal rotatable paddle 115 and the leading shut- off paddle 116 is constant, the movement of said paddles from the rest position, placed closed under the horizontal lower aperture 202, allows by gravity the formation of a temporary food flow through the calibrated screening surface 109, which is proportional to the aforesaid surface, and hence a perfectly calibrated amount of dispensed food will be obtained. The portion of the front wall of the mechanical metering device 100 is provided with a buzzer 114 for informing the animal that the bowl 300 has been filled. As shown in Figs. 1-3, connected with the mechanical metering device 100 is an electrical power supply cable 400 capable of transferring the electrical current to the electrical circuit of the inventive food dispenser and to the electromagnet 105, which terminates with the plug/timer 401. The plug/timer 401, which consists of an on/off switch 113, a pilot light 112 and a timer 118, is directly connected to the supply mains by means of an integrated electric plug 119 and allows regulating the supply of the electrical current for brief periods of a few seconds, in any case sufficient for making the inventive rotatable paddles complete a full revolution from the aforesaid rest position. Said timer mechanism therefore allows controlling the dispensing of meals at specific time intervals, starting from intervals of one hour, during certain predetermined periods of the day and for several consecutive days.

It must also be related that the innovative automatic dispenser could be subjected (by the animals) to stresses that are such to knock it over. For such reason, it is provided that this can be fixed to the wall or in any case to a stable object by means of at least one hook (not shown) situated on the rear of the main tank 200.

The versatility of use of the innovative automatic dispenser is underlined from the fact that, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, at least one further auxiliary tank 205 can be vertically engaged on the upper part of the main tank 200, in place of the cover 201. Such further auxiliary tank 205 is closeable in turn by the aforesaid cover 201, and is capable of increasing the containing capacity and thus the autonomy of the inventive apparatus.

Preferably, frontally on the wall of the main tank 200, a longitudinal inspection slit 204 is present of variable size and closed by a thin plate of transparent material, through which it is possible to verify both the contents and the level of the food present inside the main tank 200.

The present invention provides for further alternative embodiments

corresponding with several variations of its structure and component shape. For example, even if up to now the mechanical metering device 500 has been described as internally provided with rotatable screening basket 101, in the alternative embodiment shown in Fig. 8, this consists of a mechanical metering device 500 (which only for illustrating purposes is reported without the front wall) which internally has a rotatable cylindrical metering device 501 with the aperture 502. The conformation of said rotatable cylindrical metering device 501 allows, in rest step, with the aforesaid aperture 502 upwardly oriented, to be filled with the food contained in the upper main tank 510 through the opening 511 and then to unload the aforesaid amount of food into the underlying bowl by means of a semi-rotation which brings the aforesaid aperture 502 into a completely overturned position coinciding with the aperture 521 of the inventive mechanical metering device 500. A further semi- rotation concludes the cycle by bringing the aforesaid rotatable cylindrical metering device 501 back into rest position, and thus with the aforesaid aperture 502 upwardly oriented. As shown in Fig. 8, the rotational movement around a rear-front axis is actuated by means of the electromagnet 522 regulated and power supplied by the plug/timer 401 and is characterized in that the spindle 524 of said electromagnet 522 engages one of the central pins 523 of the rotatable cylindrical metering device 501. It must be stated that in this embodiment, the amount of food dispensed per single meal can be variable on the basis of the capacity of said rotatable cylindrical metering device 501 and hence on its interior volume, which for technical reasons can preferably comprise from 10 to 400 g of food.

The present invention was described for illustrative but non-limiting purposes, according to several preferred embodiments, but it should be understood that possible variations and/or modifications can be made by men skilled in the art without departing from the relative protective scope, as defined by the following dependent claims.

Claims

1. An automatic dry food dispenser for pets, characterized in that it comprises a preferably cylindrical main tank (200), closable by a cover (201) at an upper end thereof, and in that said main tank (200) is vertically engaged on a mechanical metering device (100) internally provided with a rotatable screening basket (101) and a horizontal rotatable paddle ( 115), in that said mechanical metering device (100) is vertically engaged on a bowl (300) suitably designed to extend forwardly and which is provided with a front opening, in that a leading shut-off paddle (116) is present on the upper side of said rotatable horizontal paddle (115) and has a reduced thickness, both paddles being mutually interconnected by a compensation spring (117) whereby during the transverse rotation of both paddles, said leading shut-off paddle (116) rotates into a more advanced position with respect to the horizontal rotatable paddle (115), in that inside the aforesaid mechanical metering device (100), a rotatable screening basket (101) is present that is formed by a cylinder, the latter being internally provided with a variable number of identical circular portions (102) which centrally end in a circular surface (103), in turn characterized by a longitudinal bore (104) located in a central position, in that said circular portions (102) are hollow, i.e. provided with apertures having gradually increasing surface areas, named calibrated screening surfaces (109) for the food that falls by gravity from the aforesaid overlying main tank (200), in that the lower surface (106) of the mechanical metering device (100) is centrally provided with an electromagnet (105) connected to a rotatable central spindle (108) inserted in turn in the

longitudinal bore (104) of the aforesaid rotatable screening basket (101), in that the lower surface (106) has an aperture (107) for allowing the passage of food after it has passed by gravity through the respective calibrated screening surface (109), after which said food reaches the underlying bowl (300), and finally in that the lower surface (203) of the main tank (200) is provided with a downward slope towards the horizontal lower opening (202).

2. An automatic dry food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper end of the rotatable central spindle (108), after passing through said longitudinal bore (104) of the rotatable screening basket (101), firmly engages the horizontal rotatable paddle (115) by means of a common mechanical coupling (110), in that the rotation of the electromagnet (105) gives rise to a complete revolution both of said horizontal rotatable paddle (115) and of the leading shut-off paddle (116), starting from their rest position, placed closed under the horizontal lower aperture (202), and in that said leading shut-off paddle (116) and first and foremost said horizontal rotatable paddle (11 ) form, due to their rotational motion, the valve of the main tank (200).

3. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the portion of the front wall of the mechanical metering device (100) is provided with a graduated transverse slit (111), through which it is possible to manually and gradually rotate the rotatable screening basket (101), in order to position the desired calibrated screening surface (109) below the horizontal lower aperture (202) of the main tank (200).

4. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an electrical power supply cable (400) is connected to the mechanical metering device (100), said electric power supply cable

terminating in an electric plug/timer unit (401), which consists of an on/off switch (113), a pilot light (112) and a timer (118) and which is directly connected to the supply mains by means of an integrated electric plug (119), in that the setting of said plug/timer unit (401) allows regulating the electric current supply only for short periods of a few seconds, sufficient for making the aforesaid rotatable horizontal paddle (115) and leading shut-off paddle (116) complete a full rotation, and fmally in that a portion of the front wall of the mechanical metering device (100) is provided with a buzzer (114) that can be set or disconnected as desired, whose function is to inform the animal that the bowl (300) has been filled.

5. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the regulation of the plug/timer unit (401) allows controlling the meal dispensing at predetermined time intervals, starting from intervals of one hour, during certain predetermined periods of the day and for several consecutive days.

6. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the rear side of the main tank (200), there is a hook for fixing to the wall or any other suitable object, and in that frontally on the wall of the main tank (200) there is a longitudinal inspection slit (204) of suitable size closed by a thin plate of transparent material.

7. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in place of the cover (201), at least a further auxiliary tank (205) can be vertically engaged on the upper end of the main tank (200), said further auxiliary tank in turn being closable by the aforesaid cover (201).

8. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that its constituent materials include metallic materials, preferably stainless steel and/or polymer plastic materials.

9. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the size of the completely assembled dispenser, without auxiliary tanks, is between 100 cm and 15 cm for the width, preferably 20 cm width, and between 200 cm and 30 cm for the height, preferably 40 cm height, and in that the grain size of the dispensed dry food has an average diameter ranging from a few millimetres to 5 cm, and in that food servings to be administered for each individual meal can be set in the range of 20 g to 1000 g, preferably 30 g to 800 g.

10. An automatic food dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mechanical metering device (500) is internally provided with a rotatable cylindrical metering device (501) with an aperture (502) which in rest position is upwardly oriented and through which the food contained in the upper main tank (510) flows by traversing through the latter' s opening (511), in that a semi-rotation brings the aforesaid opening (502) into a totally overturned position coinciding with the aperture (521) of the

mechanical metering device (500), thereby causing the aforesaid amount of food to flow out and into the underlying bowl (300), in that a further semi- rotation concludes the cycle, bringing the aforesaid rotatable cylindrical metering device (501) back to initial rest position, in that said rotational movement around a rear- front axis is actuated by means of an electromagnet (522) which is controlled and power supplied by the plug/timer unit (401), in that the spindle (524) of said electromagnet (522) engages one of the central pins (523) of the rotatable cylindrical metering device (501) and finally in that the capacity of said rotatable cylindrical metering device (501) comprises a food amount in the range of 10 to 400 g.