GB2572028A

GB2572028A - Drinking apparatus for animals

Info

Publication number: GB2572028A
Application number: GB1815563.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Oates Jeremy
Original assignee: Pet Mate Ltd
Current assignee: Pet Mate Ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-13
Filing date: 2018-09-24
Publication date: 2019-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-24
Also published as: GB201804033D0; GB201815563D0; GB2572028B

Abstract

A drinking apparatus for animals comprising a reservoir 2 inaccessible to animals in use, a submersible pump 1 located in the reservoir 2 and a drinking station comprising a water vessel 4 located at a greater height than the reservoir 2. The pump 1 is adapted to pump water from the reservoir 2 to the water vessel 4. The water vessel 4 comprises a weir 18 over which excess water is adapted to pass. A downtube 19 having an internal wall is coupled to the water vessel 4 and adapted to receive water passing over the weir in a return path to the reservoir 2. An auxiliary upper bowl 27 may attach to the water drinking station. A visible or audible indication may be provided to indicate the level of water in reservoir 2 is below a safe minimum level. A method for providing at least one danger warning selected from a visible and audible warning when a low water level exists in a drinking apparatus is also provided.

Description

DRINKING APPARATUS FOR ANIMALS

This disclosure relates to drinking apparatus for animals.

A variety of different forms of apparatus allowing animals to drink as and when desired by the animal have been previously proposed. Whether supplied as so-called pet waterers for use in the home or, for example, as drinking apparatus for hen houses, common problems encountered are contamination by the animals, and a desire to refresh the water presented to an animal to drink by filtering it.

Many prior examples of such apparatus have resorted to recirculation of water between a drinking bowl or container and a water reservoir. In some such apparatus, the reservoir is open or otherwise accessible to an animal to provide a second drinking station. In others, the reservoir is not accessible to an animal. Arrangements with one or more raised drinking stations and with a reservoir inaccessible to animals are less likely to become contaminated from dirt and from fur or feathers, and occupy less floor space, but the water level is then no longer readily visible.

Typically, such apparatus will incorporate some form of filter to deal with the contamination problem. A submersible pump is typically provided within the reservoir to provide recirculation via a filter, usually upstream of the pump. If the apparatus is left to run for some time, there is a risk that the water level in the reservoir may fall below a safe level, whether the pump is battery driven or mains operated. The pump may be exposed, and may run dry. While a pump running dry may not seize or blow up straight away, letting the pump run dry is likely to cause the following problems:

• Limescale will build up;

• Lack of water as a lubricant may cause wear on bearings;

• Absence of water as a coolant may result in unacceptable heating and distortion of inexpensive plastics components; and • An overall reduction in the useful life of the pump.

Where the reservoir is open, it will be obvious when the water level has dropped and the reservoir should be topped up. When the reservoir is inaccessible to an animal, being hidden from view, this is when the running-dry problems are more likely to occur.

Previously, it has been suggested to incorporate a clear strip in the wall of the reservoir, so that the water level is visible. Unless augmented with a brightly coloured float, a change of water level could easily go unnoticed. The need to provide such a float and to ensure that it can be seen through the wall of the reservoir, adds to the complexity of the product and hence its cost. The present disclosure has arisen from our work seeking to mitigate, overcome or avoid the run-dry problem without incurring significant added cost.

In accordance with a first aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a drinking apparatus for animals comprising: a reservoir inaccessible to animals in use; a submersible pump located in the reservoir; a drinking station where an animal may drink, the drinking station comprising a water vessel from which the said animal may drink located at a greater height than the reservoir, and into which the pump is adapted to pump water from the reservoir; the water vessel having a weir over which excess water is adapted to pass; and a passage in the form of a downtube having an internal wall and being coupled to the water vessel and adapted to receive water passing over the weir in a return path to the reservoir.

Since the downtube is coupled to the water vessel and positioned to receive water passing over the weir, it must necessarily have an interior visible from above.

This may be sufficient, since users can see into the downtube and see whether there is standing water therein. However, we have found that it is preferable to provide additional visible and/or audible warnings of a low water level, and that the provision of the downtube enables this.

In one such preferred arrangement, a visible indication of a safe maximum water level in the reservoir is provided by means of a ledge formed on the internal wall of the downtube and having a warning sign formed on the surface thereof, which warning sign is readily readable when the water level in the reservoir is such that the level of standing water in the downtube is below the level of the ledge, but is less readily readable or unreadable when the water level in the reservoir is such that the level of standing water in the downtube is above the level of the ledge. The ledge which may be provided with a visible warning indicative of a safe maximum level, such as the word “MAX”, integrally moulded into the surface of the ledge.

Additionally, or alternatively, the downtube provides a visible indication of a safe minimum level of water in the reservoir; the downtube having a generally closed bottom end, and a side exit through which water may pass in the return path to the reservoir for recirculation; the arrangement being such that:

when the water level in the reservoir is above a predetermined minimum safe level, the bottom end is under water, and wherein the bottom end of the downtube has a warning sign formed on the surface thereof (preferably the word “MIN” integrally moulded into its surface) indicating a low water level in the reservoir, the warning sign being clearly readable when the bottom end is exposed, but less readily readable or unreadable when the bottom end is under water.

Additionally, or alternatively, the downtube provides an audible indication of a safe minimum level of water in the reservoir; the downtube having a generally closed bottom end, and a side exit through which water may pass in the return path to the reservoir for recirculation; the arrangement being such that:

when the water level in the reservoir is above a predetermined minimum safe level, the bottom end is under water, and when the water level in the reservoir is below said predetermined minimum safe level, the bottom end is not under water, whereby water passing over the weir and down the internal wall of the downtube hits the surface of the bottom end causing a distinct splashing sound forming said audible indication.

In a second and alternative aspect of this disclosure, a method is disclosed for providing at least one danger warning selected from a visible warning and an audible warning when a low water level exists in a drinking apparatus for animals of the kind in which water is recirculated by a submersible pump from a reservoir inaccessible to animals to a drinking station comprising a water vessel at a greater height than the reservoir from which an animal may drink; the method comprising undrunk water passing from the water vessel over a weir into a downtube having an internal wall, a generally closed bottom end, and a side exit through which water may pass in a return path to the reservoir for recirculation, the closed bottom end being exposed rather than covered by standing water when the level of water in the reservoir is below a predetermined minimum safe level, the visible warning consisting of a warning sign formed on the surface of the closed bottom end and being clearly readable when the bottom end is exposed but less readily readable or unreadable when the bottom end is under water, and the audible warning consisting of a distinct splashing sound caused by water hitting the bottom end when the bottom end is exposed.

Preferred embodiments have one or more of the following features: The apparatus comprises a two-component housing, namely: a bottom portion comprising a base on which the apparatus is adapted to stand, provided with a circumextending upstanding wall continuous with the base, and having an open top, the bottom portion providing the reservoir therewithin; and an upper portion serving as a lid covering the open top, the water vessel, weir and downtube being moulded into the lid. The lid further includes an uptube connected to the pump outlet and providing a plenum upstream of the drinking vessel to help regulate the pump flow, the plenum having an open outlet provided with a lip over which water may flow to reach the drinking vessel. The open outlet from the plenum is adapted to receive an optional member therewithin, the optional member having a central opening to receive water from the plenum, and a lip over which water may pass into the water vessel, the optional member serving as an auxiliary upper bowl from which an animal may drink. A removable filter is provided intermediate the side exit from the downtube and an inlet for the pump, the filter being accessible for replacement or regeneration of at least one filter medium therewithin by lifting the upper portion of the housing from the bottom portion.

Reference may now be made to the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a drinking apparatus for animals;

Fig. 2 shows a sectional view taken along the line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 3;

Fig. 5 is an underneath plan view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 for an alternative embodiment; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 for the embodiment of Fig. 6.

In the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 5, which provides drinking water for animals, a recirculating pump 1 supplies water from a water reservoir 2 in the base of a housing 3 and inaccessible to the animals to a drinking station which comprises a water vessel 4. Housing 3 is conveniently formed from a bottom portion 5 having an open top 6 and an upper portion 7 serving as a lid 8 for the open top 6, and has a generally four-sided configuration. The bottom portion 5 comprises a base 9 defining respective feet 10 at each comer of the bottom portion with hand-hold cavities 11 between each pair of feet to enable a user to conveniently lift the housing. A circumextending upstanding sidewall 12 is formed to be continuous with the base 9. The bottom portion 5 provides the reservoir 2 for water therewithin. The recirculating pump 1 may incorporate a battery (not shown) within the pump housing, but is preferably provided with a cable for connection to mains electricity, and is submersed within the reservoir 2 and adapted to pump water from the reservoir into a plenum 13 defined by an uptube 14 coupled to an outlet 15 from the pump, water from the pump hitting a flow-breaker 16 as it enters the plenum. The plenum helps regulate the pump flow. Water from the plenum 13 spills over a lip 17 at its upper end to reach the drinking station, where water vessel 4 serves as a bowl from which an animal may drink. Water not drunk by an animal is allowed to flow back towards the water reservoir from water vessel 4 over a weir 18 into a passage provided by downtube 19 in a return path for water to the reservoir 2.

It will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2 that the uptube, water vessel and downtube are integrally moulded into the upper portion 7 of the housing. This simplifies manufacture, as the housing is formed in just two parts, simplifies cleaning of the apparatus and provides ready access to a filter (to be described below), since all a user need do is lift off the lid 8. In addition to the outlet 15 of pump 1 being coupled to the uptube 14, a pump retainer 20 supports the pump 1 from below and is screwed by fastener 21 to a boss 22 formed on the underside of lid 8 alongside the uptube 14.

The downtube 19 has a generally closed bottom end 23 with a side exit 24 for water from the downtube on its return path to the reservoir 2. Water flowing over the weir 18 and down internal wall 25 of the downtube 19 when there is sufficient water in the reservoir 2 for there to be at least some standing water in the bottom end 23 produces little or no noise, but water flowing over the weir 18 and down the internal wall 25 of the downtube 19 when the bottom end 23 is empty causes a distinct splashing noise, thereby signalling to a user that the water level in the apparatus is approaching an unsafe level..

As can be seen from Fig. 4, the bottom end 23 of downtube 19 is integrally moulded with letters “MIN” indicating a minimum safe water level. These letters are clearly visible when the bottom end 23 is exposed, but are not clearly visible in use of the apparatus when the bottom end 23 is under water. Thus exposure of the letters “MIN” to clear view serves as a second indication to a user that the water level is becoming unsafe. A maximum water level may also be shown in downtube 19 by letters “MAX” (Fig. 4) integrally moulded into the surface of a ledge 26 formed in the downtube and covered, thereby becoming less visible, when the water level is too high.

The open outlet from the plenum at its upper end may receive an optional member 27 therewithin, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, in which like reference numerals are used for like parts in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5. The optional member 27 has a stub pipe 28 which fits in the upper end of plenum 13 and a generally bowl shaped portion 29 with a central opening 30 which receives water from the plenum. Bowl shaped portion 29 serves as an auxiliary upper bowl from which an animal may drink. Excess water in bowl 29 spills over a lip 31 into the main water vessel 4.

A removable filter 32 is provided intermediate the side exit 24 from the downtube 19 and inlet 33 for the pump 1. Filter 32 is readily accessible for replacement or regeneration by lifting the lid 8, the filter 32 comprising a filter cartridge 34 positioned between rails 35 formed on inner surface 36 of the sidewall 12 of bottom portion 5 of housing 3 which allow the cartridge to be slid into and out of position. A retainer 38 positioned between the cartridge 34 and underside 39 of the lid 8 holds the cartridge 34 in position. As shown in the exploded view of Fig. 3, filter cartridge 34 has a two-part filter housing 40 comprising a front component 41 and a rear component 42, each with a plurality of openings therethrough for water to flow. Mounted between the front and rear housing components 41, 42 are firstly a filter gauze 43 adapted to trap hair, fur or feathers, and then an ion exchange resin within a filter bag 44, and activated carbon filters 45. This combination of filter components will serve to remove stray matter as well as purify the water for recirculation via the pump 1 back to the water vessel 4.

Claims

1. A drinking apparatus for animals comprising: a reservoir inaccessible to animals in use; a submersible pump located in the reservoir; a drinking station where an animal may drink, the drinking station comprising a water vessel from which the said animal may drink located at a greater height than the reservoir, and into which the pump is adapted to pump water from the reservoir; the water vessel having a weir over which excess water is adapted to pass; and a passage in the form of a downtube having an internal wall and being coupled to the water vessel and adapted to receive water passing over the weir in a return path to the reservoir.

2. A drinking vessel according to Claim 1, provided with a visible indication of a safe maximum water level in the reservoir by means of a ledge formed on the internal wall of the downtube and having a warning sign formed on the surface thereof, which warning sign is readily readable when the water level in the reservoir is such that the level of standing water in the downtube is below the level of the ledge, but is less readily readable or unreadable when the water level in the reservoir is such that the level of standing water in the downtube is above the level of the ledge.

3. A drinking vessel according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, provided with a visible indication of a safe minimum level of water in the reservoir; the downtube having a generally closed bottom end, and a side exit through which water may pass in the return path to the reservoir for recirculation; the arrangement being such that:

when the water level in the reservoir is above a predetermined minimum safe level, the bottom end is under water, and wherein the bottom end of the downtube has a warning sign formed on the surface thereof indicating a low water level in the reservoir, the warning sign being clearly readable when the bottom end is exposed, but less readily readable or unreadable when the bottom end is under water.

4. A drinking vessel according to any preceding Claim 1, provided with an audible indication in use that the level of water in the reservoir is below a safe minimum level; the downtube having a generally closed bottom end, and a side exit through which water may pass in the return path to the reservoir for recirculation; the arrangement being such that: when the water level in the reservoir is above a predetermined minimum safe level, the bottom end is under water, and when the water level in the reservoir is below said predetermined minimum safe level, the bottom end is not under water, whereby water passing over the weir and down the internal wall of the downtube hits the surface of the bottom end causing a distinct splashing sound forming said audible indication.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim formed with a two-component housing, namely: a bottom portion comprising a base on which the apparatus is adapted to stand, provided with a circumextending upstanding wall continuous with the base, and having an open top, the bottom portion providing the reservoir therewithin; and an upper portion serving as a lid covering the open top.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the water vessel, the weir and the downtube are moulded into the upper portion serving as a lid.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein the upper portion serving as a lid includes an uptube connected to the pump outlet and providing a plenum upstream of the drinking station, the plenum having an open outlet provided with a lip over which water may flow to reach the drinking station.

8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein an optional member is received in the said open outlet from the plenum, the optional member having a central opening to receive water from the plenum, and a lip over which water may pass from the optional member to the water drinking station, the optional member serving as an auxiliary upper bowl from which an animal may also drink.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 5 or any Claim appendant thereto, wherein a removable filter is provided within the bottom portion upstream of an inlet for the pump, the filter being accessible for replacement or regeneration of at least one filter medium therewithin by lifting the upper portion of the housing from the bottom portion.

10. A method for providing at least one danger warning selected from a visible warning and an audible warning when a low water level exists in a drinking apparatus for animals of the kind in which water is recirculated by a submersible pump from a reservoir inaccessible to animals to a drinking station comprising a water vessel at a greater height than the reservoir from which an animal may drink; the method comprising undrunk water passing from the water vessel over a weir into a downtube having an internal wall, a generally closed bottom end, and a side exit through which water may pass in a return path to the reservoir for recirculation, the closed bottom end being exposed rather than 5 covered by standing water when the level of water in the reservoir is below a predetermined minimum safe level, the visible warning consisting of a warning sign formed on the surface of the closed bottom end and being clearly readable when the bottom end is exposed but less readily readable or unreadable when the bottom end is under water, and the audible warning consisting of a distinct splashing sound caused by 10 water hitting the bottom end when the bottom end is exposed.