GB2440500A

GB2440500A - Animal feeding bowl

Info

Publication number: GB2440500A
Application number: GB0615177A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicola Cardy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-07-29
Filing date: 2006-07-29
Publication date: 2008-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-29
Also published as: GB0615177D0; GB2440500B

Abstract

The bowl provides a combination of protrusions 115 and recesses to slow down animals that tend to gulp their food too fast. One or more protrusions 110 may overhang the base of the bowl, creating one or more recesses below. The recesses are preferably open rather than blind, having perhaps two or more exits from them through which food can be pushed. A single protrusion may be provided however (figs 13-16).

Description

FEED BOWL

The present invention relates to feed bowls for animals.

It is known to feed animals from a bowl on the ground. However, there can be a problem when an animal takes food too fast. It can happen that the food is regurgitated almost immediately, which is inconvenient and not particularly good for the animal. Alternatively, the bolted food can cause blockages and even death.

It is known to feed from a raised feed bowl or to put pebbles into the bowl to slow down the eating process. These techniques work to a certain extent with some animals.

According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a feed bowl for animals, which feed bowl has one or more protrusions on its feeding surface providing two or more recesses into which, in use, feeding material can be pushed by a feeding animal.

Embodiments of the invention have been found to slow down the feeding process as the animal has to recover the food from the recesses.

Preferably, at least one recess lies at least partially underneath an overhanging structure in use of the bowl. This can be more effective in slowing down a greedy animal than a recess in which feeding material is still easily visible and/or accessible to the tongue.

It is not essential that any or all of the recesses are "blind" in the context of food in use of the bowl. Indeed, recesses which have at least two pathways out of them for the food, along the base of the bowl, can be more effective in slowing down the feeding process than a blind recess because instead of being able to scoop feeding material out of the recess, the feeding material gets pushed through and beyond the recess by the action of the tongue, nose or lips.

The one or more protrusions can be provided as a single protrusion which is shaped to provide the two or more recesses, or there may be more than one protrusion. It may be the relative positioning of at least two of the protrusions which provides part or all of the recesses.

In order to hold feeding material, a feed bowl will usually have a base and side wall of some sort, either meeting each other at an angle or being curved together to provide a smoothly rounded feeding surface. In a feed bowl which has a base and at least one side wall, at least one protrusion may be supported at least partially on the at least one side wall to provide a recess which is overhung in use of the bowl by at least part of the protrusion. The bowl may be provided with a plurality of protrusions, at least one first protrusion being at least partially supported by the base and at least one second protrusion being at least partially supported by the at least one side wall.

As mentioned above, in a feed bowl having a plurality of protrusions, it becomes possible to create the two or more recesses by the relative positioning of the protrusions. This may be found beneficial in manufacture as each protrusion can optionally have a smooth, nonrecessive profile, free of dents or fissures, which can simplify the manufacturing process.

An animal feed bowl according to embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a three quarter view from above of a ceramic embodiment of the feed bowl; Figure 2 shows a view from below of the bowl of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a plan view of the bowl of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a first vertical cross section of the bowl of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows a second vertical cross section of the bowl of Figure 3; Figure 6 shows a vertical cross section of a two-part embodiment of the feedbowl; Figure 7 shows a vertical cross section of a second two-part embodiment of the feed bowl; Figure 8 shows a plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 7; Figure 9 shows a vertical cross section of a ceramic version of a feed bowl alternative to that shown in Figures 1 and 3; Figure 10 shows a plan view of the feed bowl of Figure 9; Figure 11 shows a plan view of a feed bowl having a single, shaped protrusion on its base together with protrusions on its sidewall; Figure 12 shows a vertical cross section through the feed bowl of Figure 11; Figure 13 shows a plan view of a feed bowl having a single, shallow protrusion on its base together with a single, annular protrusion on its sidewall; Figure 14 shows a vertical cross section through the feed bowl of Figure 13; Figure 15 shows a plan view of a feed bowl having a single, shaped protrusion on its base; and Figure 16 shows a vertical cross section through the bowl of Figure 15.

It should be noted that the figures are schematic only and none of them is drawn to scale.

The following description refers generally to dog bowls but other animals may equally benefit and the scale of the feed bowls and their features may be altered to suit an animal having different dimensions, such as cats and horses, without departing from an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a feed bowl according to an embodiment of the invention will generally have conventional bowl characteristics, such as a base 100 and sidewall 105, for the purpose of holding food. Food is put into the bowl and the animal takes it from where it is supported by the base 100 and sides 105. However, the bowl will also have at least one protrusion 110, 115 into the food holding area of the bowl to interfere with the taking of food by the animal.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, there are five protrusions 115 on the base 100 and four protrusions 110 from the sidewall 105. Together, these protrusions 110, 115 create recesses, or pockets, within the bowl which limit the amount of food the animal can get in one mouthful. Also, as the animal eats, the food gets pushed around the protrusions from one recess to another, this again slowing the rate of consumption.

The feed bowl is made in a ceramic material, giving it weight. If a feed bowl is light, an animal will often simply tip it over or find it too easy to push it around the floor.

Figure 4 shows a vertical cross section of the feed bowl shown in Figure 3, along the line A-A, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows, and Figure 5 shows a vertical cross section of the feed bowl shown in Figure 3, along the line B-B, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows. Figures 4 and 5 show the hollow structure of the protrusions 110, 115.

The protrusions 115 on the base 100 are made separately from the bowl itself and then mounted over apertures 200 in the base, being attached in known maimer for example using slip. There are five protrusions 115 on the base 100, arranged at the corners of a square with one central protrusion 115. Each of these protrusions 115 is hollow, slightly tapered and has the following approximate dimensions: * diameter: about two inches at the base 100 * height from the base 100: 1 V2 inches * spacing from each other: about V2 inch at the base 100 and about one inch at the tops of the protrusions 115, due to the slight tapering.

The four protrusions 110 mounted on the sidewall 105 of the bowl are slightly smaller than the ones on the base 100 but constructed in the same way, being mounted over apertures 205 this time in the sidewall 105. The four protrusions 110 on the sidewall are spaced evenly around the bowl, being interspersed between the protrusions on the base 100 so as to overhang and so create four pockets, bounded in each case by three protrusions 115 on the base 100, the base 100 itself, the sidewall 105 and an overhanging protrusion 110. In use, food will be pushed into and through these pockets and is much less available to be gulped up by the animal.

The protrusions 110 on the sidewall 105 have the following approximate dimensions: * diameter: about 1 1/2 inches at the sidewall 105 * distance of protrusion from the sidewall 105: 1 inch * shortest distance from the base 100: /4 inch.

Figure 6 shows a vertical cross section equivalent to that of Figure 5 but through a different embodiment of the invention. Referring to Figure 6, it is not essential that the bowl is made in one piece. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the base 100 and sidewall 105 are constructed in one piece, carrying the same or a similar arrangement of protrusions 110, 115, but the bowl further includes a floor support 600 which the bottom of the sidewall 105 is adapted to clip to by means of a resilient hooked profile 605. The floor support 600 can be fabricated from a heavy material while the base 100 and sidewall 105 carrying the protrusions 110, 115 are moulded in plastic.

Figures 7 and 8 show a different variation of the feed bowl, Figure 8 showing a plan view and Figure 7 showing a vertical cross section along the line A-A of Figure 8, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to Figure 7, in this variation, the bowl is again one-piece but this time the overhanging protrusions 110 on a sidewall 105 have been replaced by an overhanging sidewall 700 made in one piece with the base 100. The base 100 carries protrusions as before, this time moulded in plastic together with the overhanging sidewall 700. The feed bowl, this being the one-piece base 100 and sidewall 700 construction, is then sat inside another bowl 705, for example a conventional feed bowl. The outer bowl 705 may be constructed out of a heavier material, such as ceramic, to provide some stability and avoid the assembly being pushed around too freely.

Referring to Figure 8, the overhanging sidewall 700 can be seen from above, together with the protrusions 115 on the base 100. The edge of the conventional bowl 705 extends a little outside the overhanging sidewall 700.

Figures 9 and 10 show a further variation of a ceramic version of the feed bowl, Figure 10 showing a plan view and Figure 9 showing a vertical cross section along the line A-A of Figure 10, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to Figure 9, it is not essential that the sidewall 105 provides an overhanging structure. Instead, one or more of the protrusions on the base 100 may have an overhanging portion. For example, the central protrusion 905 may carry a mushroom-style head 900 which overhangs the base 100. This again provides pockets between the central protrusion 905 and the other protrusions 115 on the base 100 into which and through which food can be pushed in use of the bowl. This form of feed bowl may again be constructed in ceramic material with the protrusions 115, 905 being made separately and attached over apertures 200 in the main bowl structure 100, 105.

Referring to Figure 10, it can be seen that the head 900 of the central protrusion 905 has a greater diameter than the other protrusions 115, being for example three inches across.

Figures 11 and 12 show a still further variation of the feed bowl, Figure 11 showing a plan view and Figure 12 showing a vertical cross section along the line A-A of Figure 11, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to Figures 11 and 12, this still further version of the feed bowl is again constructed in ceramic material. It again has a base 100 and sidewall 105 and, as in the feed bowl shown in Figures 1 to 5, there are four protrusions 110 mounted on the sidewall 105. However, the multiple protrusions 115 mounted on the base 100 of embodiments of the invention described above have been replaced by a single, irregularly shaped protrusion 115, in this case in the shape of a letter "C" when viewed from above.

It might be noted that the use of a shape such as the letter "C" as shown in Figure 11 produces one blind pocket in the centre of the letter where food can be pushed into the pocket formed by the centre of the "C" and there is no second exit from the pocket.

This could make it easier for the animal to gulp the food. However, as long as at least some of the food is put into the outer area of the feed bowl, outside the letter "C", it will be rendered less accessible by the overhanging structures of the protrusions 110 mounted on the sidewall 105 together with the narrowness of the channel formed between the letter "C" 115 and the sidewall 105.

Referring to Figures 13 and 14, although it is preferable for there to be multiple protrusions 110, 115 on the base 100 and sidewall 105, creating open pockets through which food can be chased by the feeding animal, an embodiment of the invention that is relatively easy to fabricate while still offering some advantages has a shallow protrusion 115 spread over a thick base 100 and a single, annular protrusion 110 around the sidewall 105. The feeding animal will still find that food is relatively difficult to get out of the bowl from under the annular protrusion 110. A bowl according to this embodiment of the invention can be moulded in rubber or the like and the thick base 100 gives it weight.

Figures 15 and 16 show a still further variation of the feed bowl, Figure 15 showing a plan view and Figure 16 showing a vertical cross section along the line A-A of Figure 15, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows. In this variation, there is only one, elongate protrusion 1600, supported by the base 100 and having an overhanging lip along its edges, furthest from the base 100. This single protrusion 1600 forms recesses primarily at either end, where the ends of the protrusion come closest to the sidewall 105 of the bowl.

Other numbers and arrangements of protrusion may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention which generally relies on the creation of open-ended pockets within the volume of the bowl into and through which food can be pushed in use. For instance additional protrusions could be used, and/or a variety of differently sized protrusions 110, 115. However, it has been found that the general form of the arrangements shown, such as that shown in Figures 1 to 5 and having for example five protrusions 115 spaced apart on the base 100 together with an overhanging structure 110, 705, 900, is effective with dogs of medium size which have muzzles perhaps slightly larger than the gaps between the protrusions. Different arrangements, and indeed quite different dimensions, might be found effective with other types and sizes of animal, such as cats or horses.

It will be understood that the protrusions 110, 115 could be created by different S techniques than those discussed above without departing from an embodiment of the invention. It may be possible for instance to create the protrusions by making recesses in a surface of the sidewall 105 andlor base 100 of a feed bowl.

Embodiments of the invention are suitable for use with various types of foodstuff and can be used with wet food such as tinned meat products or with dry granules or biscuits. However, even with granules or biscuits, the addition of a little water may be found effective in making the food slide more easily through the pockets or recesses.

Claims

CLAIMS

I. A feed bowl for animals, which feed bowl has one or more protrusions on its feeding surface providing one or more recesses into which, in use, feeding material can be pushed by a feeding animal.

2. A feed bowl according to Claim I wherein, in use of the bowl, at least one of said protrusions provides an overhanging structure and at least one recess lies at least partially underneath the overhanging structure.

3. A feed bowl according to either one of the preceding claims wherein at least one recess has at least two pathways out of it for food to be pushed in use of the bowl.

4. A feed bowl according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the one or more protrusions is provided as a single protrusion.

5. A feed bowl according to any one of Claims I to 3 wherein there is more than one protrusion.

6. A feed bowl according to any one of Claims I to 5 wherein there is more than one recess.

7. A feed bowl according to Claim 5 wherein the relative positioning of at least two of the protrusions provides part or all of the recess(es).

8. A feed bowl according to any one of the preceding claims, having a base and at least one side wall, wherein at least one protrusion is supported at least partially on the at least one side wall to provide a recess which is overhung in use of the bowl by at least part of the protrusion.

9. A feed bowl according to Claim 8 wherein the bowl is provided with a plurality of protrusions, at least one first protrusion being at least partially supported by the base and at least one second protrusion being at least partially supported by the at least one side wall.