AU2008100662A4

AU2008100662A4 - Animal feeder

Info

Publication number: AU2008100662A4
Application number: AU2008100662A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Trevor Nixon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-07-19
Filing date: 2008-07-21
Publication date: 2008-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2016-07-21

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION SPECIFICATION

APPLICANT:

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: INVENTION TITLE: Trevor Nixon ANIMAL FEEDER The invention is described in the following statement 0 ANIMAL FEEDER 0 0 Field of the Invention This invention relates to animal care and feeding devices, and in particular, to an NK1 animal feeder comprising feed canisters operated by a control module whereby the release of a delivery door of a feed canister by the action of the control module releases the feed and activates the engaging of a successive delivery door for feed to be delivered to a recipient feeding vessel via an adjustable delivery means.

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Whilst the invention may be applied to any animal or animals, for convenience sake it 00 O shall be described herein in terms of an animal feeder for a pet(s) and in particular

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dogs.

Background to the Invention People raise many different types of animals for a multitude of purposes. Some are raised for agricultural reasons while others are raised as domestic pets. These animals require constant care, part of which is a daily routine of food and water, in order to maintain their proper physical condition. Particularly in the case of pet animals, food and water often needs to be supplied manually by a person, typically the owner.

These daily or periodic feedings often entail hardship for the animal owner as they are restricted in their travel and other movements. The owners are required to either take their pets or animals with them, if at all possible, or make arrangements for another person to care for the animal in their absence. Therefore, there is a need for a system that allows the animals food and/or water needs to be met without the daily participation of the owner.

Prior art devices have been introduced that seek to automatically feed animals for prolonged periods of absence by an animal owner to enable continuous supply of nourishment. However, current devices have a number of disadvantages. Animal feeders for large dogs are not battery operated and need to be operated through mains power. Furthermore, they are not sturdily made and are situated on the ground which makes them vulnerable to attack/damage by the animal, particularly in 0 a closed environment where the animal is likely to get bored. In addition, the prior art 0 animal feeders are only designed to feed a single animal.

0 Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an animal feeder N comprising feed canisters operated by a control module whereby the release of a delivery door of a feed canister by the action of the control module releases the feed and activates the engaging of a successive delivery door for feed to be delivered to a recipient feeding vessel via an adjustable delivery means.

0 0 Summary of the Invention 0 0 l The present invention provides an animal feeder for periodically feeding animals according to a predetermined feeding schedule including: a control module having a programmable timer operable via a display and input means and internal power supply; at least two feed canisters having a lid portion and delivery door pivotally held in position via a catch member; a tripping mechanism utilising a solenoid connected to an arm member for activating movement of the catch member to release the delivery door; and an adjustable delivery chute located beneath the feed canisters to direct the output of feed from the canisters into a recipient feeding vessel.

The adjustable delivery chute preferably has a divider for dividing and/or controlling the amount of feed being distributed into separate recipient feeding vessels.

Preferably, the animal feeder further provides a support post having a height adjustment means for altering the height of the animal feeder and delivery at which the food is delivered.

It is preferred that the animal feeder further provides a remote activation means such that the control module can also be used to activate the operation of one or more additional animal feeder unit(s) directly or remotely connected to the main animal feeder.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood we will describe by way of non-limiting example of a specific embodiment thereof.

00 O Brief Description of the Drawing Figures 0 Figure 1 shows a rear view of the animal feeder showing the tripping mechanism with the catch for the first canister released according to tK an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a rear view of the animal feeder showing the tripping mechanism and components of the control box according to an 0 o embodiment of the invention.

00 O0 0 Figure 3 shows a front view of the animal feeder with the delivery chute

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N attached according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the animal feeder according to an embodiment of the invention with the adjustable divider attached to the delivery chute.

Description of an Embodiment of the Invention Figures 1 to 4 show the animal feeder according to an embodiment of the invention.

The invention provides an animal feeder 1 including at least two feed canisters operated by a control module 20 whereby the release of a delivery door 11 of a canister 10 by the action of the control module 20 releases the feed and activates the engaging of a successive delivery door 11 for feed to be delivered to a recipient feeding vessel(s) via an adjustable delivery means 30. The animal feeder 1 is ideally adapted to be used outside as a feeder for larger animals, such as dogs, as it provides a sturdy, tamper proof unit that can be adapted to cope with large portions of feed. The animal feeder 1, and/or its components, can preferably be made of any suitable material, such as metal or the like. The material should preferably be durable and weather resistant to withstand exposure to external conditions. It is envisaged that the shape, size and dimensions of the animal feeder and/or its components may also be varied to suit different sized, types and quantities of animals and/or other applications.

0 The animal feeder 1 preferably has provided its own power source, such as an O internal battery power supply 21. The power source 21 is required to power the

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N operation of the control module 20. By using an independent power source, rather than mains power, the invention provides a portable device that can be used in areas where mains power is not available or convenient. This would be particularly useful if CKI the invention is used in remote farming areas. It would also be useful if the invention is used in a paddock, for example to feed livestock. It is also envisaged that other t independent power sources other than a battery could be used, such as solar power or wind power.

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The control module 20 preferably has provided a programmable timer 22.

O Preferably, the timer 22 is adapted such that a user can control the time and

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Nfrequency of activation of tripping mechanism 40 provided on the canisters 10 for feeding. For example, a user could program the timer 22 such that a feeding event occurs at 4.00pm daily. The 22 timer is preferably computerised, although it is envisaged that it may also be mechanical. Preferably, the timer 22 has a display screen and input operating buttons (not shown) to aid the user in programming the timer 22. Preferably, the timer 22 may have its own battery that is separate from the main control module power source 21 so that additional battery power can be utilised for operation of the device 1 without requiring mains power.

The animal feeder 1 preferably has provided at least two feed canisters 10. The canisters 10 are preferably rectangular or modular in shape so that adjacent canisters can be positioned with their walls to be flush against one another.

Preferably, each feed canister 10 is adapted to hold the amount of a single feed, the size of which is variable depending on the size and species of animal. Typically, a pet dog requires one feed daily, accordingly in that case, each canister 10 will hold the amount of food sufficient for the dog for one day. Preferably, the feed canisters are at least two litres in size. A two litre canister 10 will hold approximately one kilogram of dry pet food, which is sufficient to feed a forty kilogram animal for one day. It is envisaged, however, that different sized canisters may be needed to suit different sizes and species of animal to which the invention is applied.

The amount of feed delivered from each canister 10 is able to be controlled by how much feed is supplied by the user when filling the canister/s. Preferably, the feed canisters 10 have lid portions 12 that are opened allowing the feed to be added by the user and thereafter closed to protect the food from the weather and 0 insects/animals. Opening of the lid 12 may be achieved manually or be automated O via a suitable mechanism. The canister(s) 10 may be provided with measurement 0 N markings on the inner or outer wall of the canister 10 to indicate the portion size within the canister.

As stated, for a pet dog each feed canister 10 will provide the feed requirement for one day. Preferably, the invention is adapted such that additional feed canisters can easily be attached (or removed) allowing for a greater number of feeding events to occur within a given period, as required by the particular user.

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Each feed canister 10 preferably has provided a delivery door 11 at its bottom that 0 holds the feed in position within the canister 10 prior to release. Preferably, the 0 N delivery door 11 is attached to the feed canister 10 (or any other portion of the animal feeder 1) via a hinge-like mechanism (not shown). Preferably, the delivery door 11 is secured in a closed position thus, holding the feed in the feed canister 10, via a catch 13 such that when the catch 13 is activated, it will drop away to cause the delivery door 11 to also drop down and allow the feed contents of the canister 10 to be released.

Preferably, the control module 20 is adapted to activate the catch 13 and control operation of the delivery door. It is envisaged that the control module 20 could perform activation of the tripping mechanism 40 and delivery for the canisters 10 via any suitable means, including via hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, magnetic means or a combination thereof. At the user programmed time, the timer 22 triggers the control module 20 to activate the tripping mechanism 40 and catch 13 to control movement of the delivery door 11. The tripping mechanism 40 has a solenoid 41 that preferably employs an arm member 42 to mechanically release the door catch 13. The tripping mechanism 40 includes a series of relay switches (not shown) or single relay switch for triggering the solenoid 41. The release of the door catch 13 causes the delivery door 11 to open by force of gravity and deliver the contents of the particular feed canister 10 to the animal via a delivery chute The activation for feed to be released from a first feed canister 10 causes the engagement of a successive catch member 13 to be activated by a subsequent signal sent from the control module 20. The catch member 13 has provided two engageable hook portions. A first hook portion 14 is attached to the wall of the canister. A first end of the hook portion 14 is contactable by a tripping arm 42 of the 00 tripping mechanism and a second end is hook-shaped for engaging with a O complimentary hook-shaped end of the second hook portion 16. The first hook

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C portion 14 of the catch member 13 preferably has provided a return spring mechanism 15 that automatically/manually allows the catch 13 to be returned to its resting position prior to activation/re-activation. The second hook portion 16 is pivotally connected to the delivery door 11 such that, when the second hook portion 16 of the door catch 13 drops, the delivery door 11 will also drop to release the feed.

C~ The complimentary hook-shaped ends of the hook portions 14, 16 are adapted to C interlock in a closed position to prevent the delivery door 11 from being released.

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O Preferably, when a delivery door 11 is in the closed position, there is provided a mechanism that physically prevents the engaging of the next catch by the control 00 O module. This is preferably in the form of a holding rod 43 which extends vertically

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C upward from the second hook portion 16 to contact a push rod 44 of the tripping mechanism. The push rod 44 is positioned horizontally between the adjacent catch members 13 provided on each canister to control the subsequent release of an adjacent catch member 13 for successive feeding arrangements. Once the delivery door 11 opens, preferably, the holding rod 43 moves correspondingly such that it no longer prevents the engaging of the next catch 13 via the push rod 44. Thus, on the next programmed activation by the control module, the arm member 42 will strike so that the newly engaged catch member 13 will be activated to release and cause the opening of a successive delivery door 11.

An adjustable delivery means 30 delivers the feed to a feeding vessel, such as an animal bowl or trough, that can then be accessed by the recipient animal. The delivery means is in the form of an adjustable delivery chute 30. Preferably the delivery chute may be adapted to separate the feed flowing through it into two or more feeding vessels, via an adjustable divider 31 that sorts the feed through different exits/openings 32 at an external end of the chute 30. The divider 31 is adjustable such it can be positioned to determine the amount of feed flowing through each exit to provide a further means for controlling the feed portions for different animals. The delivery chute 30 may preferably have provided a series of notches (not shown) which specify the possible positions/divisions for the divider 31 and delivery chute 30. Movement of the divider 31 may be controlled by a handle-like 33 member which can be received within one of the notches to lock the divider 31 of the delivery chute 30 into position.

00 It is preferred that the animal feeder 1 is adapted to be positioned out of reach of the O intended animal. Preferably, the delivery chute 30 aspect of the invention is also out

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of reach of the intended animal and preferably adapted to discharge the feed from some distance into the feeding vessel. Many animals can cause intentional or unintentional damage to feeders. This is particularly relevant to dogs that are prone C to boredom in a closed environment, for example if locked in a backyard or tied up, and resort to interfering with a feeder in their vicinity. Preferably, the feeder 1 has Ct1 provided an adjustable pole 50 on which to be placed which is adjustable in height C such that it can be placed out of reach of the particular animal it is used for. It is also

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O envisaged that the animal feeder may preferably be hung from a secure location, such as a building/support structure, fence or tree.

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(NI Preferably, the feed can be of any type used to feed domesticated animals. Animals are currently given a wide range of different feeds, but the two major types of animal feed are processed animal feeds (compound feed) and fodder. In the case of fodder that is lightweight, it is envisaged that the animal feeder is adapted to provide a mechanism that pushes the fodder through the delivery door. Preferably, said mechanism is operated by the opening movement of the delivery door.

The invention may also be adapted such that a single control module 20 and/or timer 22 can operate more than one animal feeder 1, preferably for different animals. For example, a timer 22 and control mechanism 20 could be on the main animal feeder 1 while one or more additional feeders (each containing any number of feed canisters) are placed separately to the main animal feeder 1. Each remote animal feeder (not shown) preferably contains a solenoid 41 (or other mechanism) attached, through wires or wirelessly, to the main animal feeder control module 20 and timer 22 such that when the main feeder 1 is activated the remote animal feeders are similarly activated.

In a further embodiment, an additional set of feed canisters 10 together with an attached delivery chute 11 may be connected to the back of the animal feeder adjacent the first set of canisters 10. In this embodiment, the door shafts (not shown) to which the delivery door 11 and catch member 13 is connected, will interlock so that the movement of the neighbouring delivery doors 11 will be operable in pairs.

While we have described herein a particular embodiment of an animal feeder 1, it is further envisaged that other embodiments of the invention could exhibit any number C and combination of any one of the features previously described. However, it is to be 0 understood that any variations and modifications can be made without departing from

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C the spirit and scope thereof.

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Claims

3. An animal feeder as claimed in any one of the above claims which further provides a support post having a height adjustment means for altering the height of the animal feeder and delivery at which the food is delivered.
4. An animal feeder as claimed in any preceding claim which further provides a remote activation means such that the control module can also be used to activate the operation of one or more additional animal feeder unit directly or remotely connected to the main animal feeder. An animal feeder as substantially described herein with reference to the above examples and drawing figures.