US20160219840A1 - Pellet and Flake Aquarium Feeder - Google Patents
Pellet and Flake Aquarium Feeder Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20160219840A1 US20160219840A1 US15/005,276 US201615005276A US2016219840A1 US 20160219840 A1 US20160219840 A1 US 20160219840A1 US 201615005276 A US201615005276 A US 201615005276A US 2016219840 A1 US2016219840 A1 US 2016219840A1
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- Prior art keywords
- pellet
- flake
- feeder
- aquarium
- food
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- A01K61/02—
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K63/00—Receptacles for live fish, e.g. aquaria; Terraria
- A01K63/003—Aquaria; Terraria
- A01K63/006—Accessories for aquaria or terraria
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K61/00—Culture of aquatic animals
- A01K61/80—Feeding devices
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K61/00—Culture of aquatic animals
- A01K61/80—Feeding devices
- A01K61/85—Feeding devices for use with aquaria
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
- Y02A40/80—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in fisheries management
- Y02A40/81—Aquaculture, e.g. of fish
Definitions
- the present invention relates aquarium feeders and in particular to a pellet and flake aquarium feeder.
- a preferred fish food type is dry fish food due to easy storage and longevity.
- Two primary dry fish foods are flakes and pellets of different sizes.
- the flake and pellets are typically dropped on the surface of the aquarium water and fish swim up to feed.
- a fish keeper will pinch the food several times and repeat the process. Filters that keep the aquarium water clean often suck up the flake and pellet food floating on the aquarium water surface and prevent the fish from consuming the food and create pollution in the aquarium water chemistry.
- the present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a pellet and flake aquarium fish feeder which allows a fish keeper to conveniently feed aquarium fish.
- the pellet and flake feeder includes a body having separable upper and lower portions.
- the upper portion includes a cavity for storing the pellet and flake food and a plunger shaft including indented rings.
- the plunger may be depressed forcing the pellet and flake food through a conical passage between the upper and the lower portions, grinding the pellet and flake food and releasing the ground food through an angled bottom of the lower portion and into aquarium water.
- a pellet/flake food feeder which prevents fish food from getting sucked into the aquarium filter by utilizing an extended tube that is submersed into the aquarium water and releasing the food through the extender tube below the aquarium water surface.
- the dry pellet/flake food is transferred by a bottle brush from a container into a cavity a top portion of the feeder or poured into the cavity, avoiding contamination associated with fish keepers who repeatedly pinch a small amount of the dry pellet/flake food between their fingers, and then dipping their fingers in the water and release the dry pellet/flake food.
- a grinder integrated into the pellet/flake food feeder grinds and releases the pellet/flake food feeder stored in the cavity as a plunger is depressed. Only a small amount of pellet/flake food is ground and released per thumb pump allowing the fish keepers to control the amount of the pellet/flake food released into the aquarium water.
- a pellet/flake food feeder including a base which holds the pellet/flake food feeder vertically erect when not in use to prevent any moisture/water from entering back into the food storage cavity.
- the bottom of the extender tube is cut at a 45 degree angle to expose air into the extender tube to evaporate any residual moisture which may cause mold.
- the grinding mechanism inside the product allows fish keepers to use one size pellet and/or flake food to feed a variety of fish sizes and thus reduces costs to buy multiple sizes of food.
- a method for using a pellet/flake food feeder includes opening a feeder body, depositing pellet and flake fish food into the feeder, closing the feeder body, inserting a releasing end of the feeder into an aquarium, positioning the releasing end below the aquarium water surface while retaining a grinding portion above the aquarium water surface, depressing a plunger at a plunger end of the feeder, advancing a notched plunger rod through the solid fish food and a narrowing orifice, grinding the solid fish food between the rod and the narrowing orifice, and releasing the ground fish food into the aquarium water to feed the fish.
- a method for filling a pellet/flake food feeder without touching the pellet/flake food includes inserting a bottle brush into a fish food container, collecting an amount of the solid fish food onto bristles of the bottle brush, opening the feeder body, depositing solid fish food into the feeder, and closing the feeder body.
- a second method for filling a pellet/flake food feeder without touching the pellet/flake food includes inserting an angled tip of the lower portion into a container, collecting a portion of the pellet/flake food in the tip, and depositing the portion of the pellet/flake food into a cavity of the upper portion.
- FIG. 1 shows an aquarium with a pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 2A shows a side view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 2B shows a front view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 2C shows a top view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 4 shows a bottom portion of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 5 shows the bottom portion of the pellet and flake feeder used to scoop dry fish food from a container according to the present invention.
- FIG. 6 shows a second side of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a grinding portion of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention taken along line 15 - 15 of FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 8 shows a second design plunger shaft according to the present invention.
- FIG. 9 shows a method for feeding using the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 10 shows a method for filling the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention.
- FIG. 1 An aquarium 10 and a pellet and flake aquarium feeder 40 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 .
- a lower portion 44 (see FIG. 3 ) of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is inserted below the aquarium water surface 11 to release ground food 16 into the aquarium water 12 .
- An upper portion 42 of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is kept above the aquarium water surface 11 to avoid dampening dry pellet and flake good 16 which might fowl the grinding operation of the pellet and flake feeder 40 .
- FIG. 2A A side view of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is shown in FIG. 2A
- a front view of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is shown in FIG. 2B
- a top view of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is shown in FIG. 2C
- an exploded view of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is shown in FIG. 3 .
- the pellet and flake feeder 40 includes the upper portion 42 and the lower portion 44 .
- Pellet and flake food are stored in a cavity 41 in the upper portion 42 and is visible through a window 43 .
- a plunger 48 extends out the top of the upper portion 42 biased up by a spring 50 .
- the pellet and flake feeder 40 rests in a hole 56 in a base 46 , the base 46 including at least one vent hole 45 to allow any water in the base 46 to drain and/or evaporate.
- a bottle brush 58 useable to add pellet and flake food to the pellet and flake feeder 40 and may be supported by a hole 57 in the base 46 .
- the bottom portion 44 is preferably threadably attached to the upper portion 42 , for example, by threads 54 .
- the base has a diameter D 1 of preferably 75 mm
- the upper portion 42 has a diameter D 2 of preferably 50 mm
- the plunger has a diameter D 3 of preferably 27.3 mm.
- the pellet and flake feeder 40 and base 46 have a combined height H 1 of preferably 256 mm, and the base 46 alone has a height H 2 of preferably 31 mm.
- the bottom portion 44 of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is shown in FIG. 4 and the bottom portion of the pellet and flake feeder 40 used to pellet and flake fish food 16 from a container 60 is shown in FIG. 5 .
- the bottom portion 42 may be detached from the upper portion 42 , exposing the food receptacle cavity 41 in the upper portion 42 , and a diagonally cut tip 43 (see FIG. 6 ) of the lower portion 44 may be used to transfer the pellet and flake food 16 to the upper portion 42 for feeding, thus avoiding physical contact of the aquarium keeper's fingers with the pellet and flake food 16 .
- Angled tip 23 of the lower portion 44 may be dipped into the container 60 and a portion of the pellet/flake food 16 collected in the tip 23 , and deposited into the cavity 41 in the upper portion 42 .
- a second side of the pellet and flake feeder 40 is shown in FIG. 6 and a cross-sectional view showing a grinding portion 51 of the pellet and flake feeder 40 taken along line 15 - 15 of FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. 7 .
- a plunger shaft 52 includes annular recesses 49 (i.e., a notched plunger). The plunger shaft 52 is pushed a conical passage 45 grinding the pellet and flake food 16 and releasing the ground pellet and flake food 16 into the aquarium water 12 , below the aquarium water surface.
- a second plunger shaft 52 a is shown in FIG. 8 .
- the plunger shaft 52 a includes a tapered notch 62 allowing some larger particles of pellet/flake food 16 to be released into the aquarium water 12 while still grinding other particles of pellet/flake food 16 .
- the tapered notch 62 has a depth Dth of preferably about half the diameter D 4 of the plunger shaft 52 a.
- the floor 64 of the tapered notch 62 has a length L 3
- the tapers 66 have lengths L 2
- the tapered notch 62 is recessed a length L 1 from the end 52 ′ of the plunger shaft 52 a.
- the diameter D 4 is preferably about 6 mm and the depth Dth is preferably about 3 mm.
- the length L 1 is preferably about 5 mm.
- the lengths L 2 and L 3 are preferably about equal and the length L 2 is more preferably about 5.2 mm, and the length L 3 is more preferably about 5.6 mm.
- the tapers 66 are tapered at an angle A of about 30 degrees.
- a method for feeding using the pellet and flake feeder 40 is described in FIG. 9 .
- the method includes opening a feeder body at step 100 , depositing pellet and flake fish food into the feeder at step 102 , closing the feeder body at step 104 , positioning the releasing end below the surface of aquarium water in the aquarium while keeping a grinding portion above the aquarium water surface at step 108 , depressing a plunger at a plunger end of the feeder at step 110 , advancing a notched plunger rod through the solid fish food and a narrowing orifice at step 112 , grinding the solid fish food between the rod and the narrowing orifice at step 114 , and releasing the ground fish food into the aquarium water to feed the fish at step 116 .
- a method for filling the pellet and flake feeder is described in FIG. 10 .
- the method includes inserting a bottle brush into a fish food container at step 200 , collecting an amount of the solid fish food onto bristles of the bottle brush at step 202 , opening the feeder body at step 204 , depositing solid fish food into the feeder at step 206 , and closing the feeder body at step 208 .
Abstract
A pellet and flake aquarium fish feeder allows a fish keeper to conveniently feed aquarium fish. The pellet and flake feeder includes a body having separable upper and lower portions. The upper portion includes a cavity for storing the pellet and flake food and a plunger shaft including indented rings. When the pellet and flake feeder is filled with pellet and flake food and assembled, the plunger may be depressed forcing the pellet and flake food through a conical passage between the upper and the lower portions, grinding the pellet and flake food and releasing the ground food through an angled bottom of the lower portion and into aquarium water.
Description
- The present application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/111,086 filed Feb. 2, 2015, which application is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
- The present invention relates aquarium feeders and in particular to a pellet and flake aquarium feeder.
- In aquarium environments a preferred fish food type is dry fish food due to easy storage and longevity. Two primary dry fish foods are flakes and pellets of different sizes. The flake and pellets are typically dropped on the surface of the aquarium water and fish swim up to feed. Generally, a fish keeper will pinch the food several times and repeat the process. Filters that keep the aquarium water clean often suck up the flake and pellet food floating on the aquarium water surface and prevent the fish from consuming the food and create pollution in the aquarium water chemistry.
- The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a pellet and flake aquarium fish feeder which allows a fish keeper to conveniently feed aquarium fish. The pellet and flake feeder includes a body having separable upper and lower portions. The upper portion includes a cavity for storing the pellet and flake food and a plunger shaft including indented rings. When the pellet and flake feeder is filled with pellet and flake food and assembled, the plunger may be depressed forcing the pellet and flake food through a conical passage between the upper and the lower portions, grinding the pellet and flake food and releasing the ground food through an angled bottom of the lower portion and into aquarium water.
- In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a pellet/flake food feeder which prevents fish food from getting sucked into the aquarium filter by utilizing an extended tube that is submersed into the aquarium water and releasing the food through the extender tube below the aquarium water surface. The dry pellet/flake food is transferred by a bottle brush from a container into a cavity a top portion of the feeder or poured into the cavity, avoiding contamination associated with fish keepers who repeatedly pinch a small amount of the dry pellet/flake food between their fingers, and then dipping their fingers in the water and release the dry pellet/flake food. A grinder integrated into the pellet/flake food feeder grinds and releases the pellet/flake food feeder stored in the cavity as a plunger is depressed. Only a small amount of pellet/flake food is ground and released per thumb pump allowing the fish keepers to control the amount of the pellet/flake food released into the aquarium water.
- In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a pellet/flake food feeder including a base which holds the pellet/flake food feeder vertically erect when not in use to prevent any moisture/water from entering back into the food storage cavity. The bottom of the extender tube is cut at a 45 degree angle to expose air into the extender tube to evaporate any residual moisture which may cause mold. The grinding mechanism inside the product allows fish keepers to use one size pellet and/or flake food to feed a variety of fish sizes and thus reduces costs to buy multiple sizes of food.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for using a pellet/flake food feeder. The method includes opening a feeder body, depositing pellet and flake fish food into the feeder, closing the feeder body, inserting a releasing end of the feeder into an aquarium, positioning the releasing end below the aquarium water surface while retaining a grinding portion above the aquarium water surface, depressing a plunger at a plunger end of the feeder, advancing a notched plunger rod through the solid fish food and a narrowing orifice, grinding the solid fish food between the rod and the narrowing orifice, and releasing the ground fish food into the aquarium water to feed the fish.
- In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for filling a pellet/flake food feeder without touching the pellet/flake food. The method includes inserting a bottle brush into a fish food container, collecting an amount of the solid fish food onto bristles of the bottle brush, opening the feeder body, depositing solid fish food into the feeder, and closing the feeder body.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a second method for filling a pellet/flake food feeder without touching the pellet/flake food. The method includes inserting an angled tip of the lower portion into a container, collecting a portion of the pellet/flake food in the tip, and depositing the portion of the pellet/flake food into a cavity of the upper portion.
- The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
-
FIG. 1 shows an aquarium with a pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 2A shows a side view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 2B shows a front view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 2C shows a top view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 4 shows a bottom portion of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 5 shows the bottom portion of the pellet and flake feeder used to scoop dry fish food from a container according to the present invention. -
FIG. 6 shows a second side of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a grinding portion of the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention taken along line 15-15 ofFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 8 shows a second design plunger shaft according to the present invention. -
FIG. 9 shows a method for feeding using the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. -
FIG. 10 shows a method for filling the pellet and flake feeder according to the present invention. - Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.
- The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
- Where the terms “about” or “generally” are associated with an element of the invention, it is intended to describe a feature's appearance to the human eye or human perception, and not a precise measurement.
- An
aquarium 10 and a pellet andflake aquarium feeder 40 according to the present invention is shown inFIG. 1 . A lower portion 44 (seeFIG. 3 ) of the pellet andflake feeder 40 is inserted below theaquarium water surface 11 to releaseground food 16 into theaquarium water 12. Anupper portion 42 of the pellet andflake feeder 40 is kept above theaquarium water surface 11 to avoid dampening dry pellet and flake good 16 which might fowl the grinding operation of the pellet andflake feeder 40. - A side view of the pellet and
flake feeder 40 is shown inFIG. 2A , a front view of the pellet andflake feeder 40 is shown inFIG. 2B , a top view of the pellet andflake feeder 40 is shown inFIG. 2C , and an exploded view of the pellet andflake feeder 40 is shown inFIG. 3 . The pellet andflake feeder 40 includes theupper portion 42 and thelower portion 44. Pellet and flake food are stored in acavity 41 in theupper portion 42 and is visible through awindow 43. Aplunger 48 extends out the top of theupper portion 42 biased up by aspring 50. The pellet andflake feeder 40 rests in ahole 56 in abase 46, thebase 46 including at least onevent hole 45 to allow any water in thebase 46 to drain and/or evaporate. Abottle brush 58 useable to add pellet and flake food to the pellet andflake feeder 40 and may be supported by ahole 57 in thebase 46. - The
bottom portion 44 is preferably threadably attached to theupper portion 42, for example, bythreads 54. - The base has a diameter D1 of preferably 75 mm, the
upper portion 42 has a diameter D2 of preferably 50 mm, and the plunger has a diameter D3 of preferably 27.3 mm. The pellet andflake feeder 40 andbase 46 have a combined height H1 of preferably 256 mm, and thebase 46 alone has a height H2 of preferably 31 mm. - The
bottom portion 44 of the pellet andflake feeder 40 is shown inFIG. 4 and the bottom portion of the pellet andflake feeder 40 used to pellet andflake fish food 16 from acontainer 60 is shown inFIG. 5 . Thebottom portion 42 may be detached from theupper portion 42, exposing thefood receptacle cavity 41 in theupper portion 42, and a diagonally cut tip 43 (seeFIG. 6 ) of thelower portion 44 may be used to transfer the pellet andflake food 16 to theupper portion 42 for feeding, thus avoiding physical contact of the aquarium keeper's fingers with the pellet andflake food 16.Angled tip 23 of thelower portion 44 may be dipped into thecontainer 60 and a portion of the pellet/flake food 16 collected in thetip 23, and deposited into thecavity 41 in theupper portion 42. - A second side of the pellet and
flake feeder 40 is shown inFIG. 6 and a cross-sectional view showing a grindingportion 51 of the pellet andflake feeder 40 taken along line 15-15 ofFIG. 6 is shown inFIG. 7 . Aplunger shaft 52 includes annular recesses 49 (i.e., a notched plunger). Theplunger shaft 52 is pushed aconical passage 45 grinding the pellet andflake food 16 and releasing the ground pellet andflake food 16 into theaquarium water 12, below the aquarium water surface. - A
second plunger shaft 52 a is shown inFIG. 8 . Theplunger shaft 52 a includes a taperednotch 62 allowing some larger particles of pellet/flake food 16 to be released into theaquarium water 12 while still grinding other particles of pellet/flake food 16. Thetapered notch 62 has a depth Dth of preferably about half the diameter D4 of theplunger shaft 52 a. Thefloor 64 of the taperednotch 62 has a length L3, thetapers 66 have lengths L2, and thetapered notch 62 is recessed a length L1 from theend 52′ of theplunger shaft 52 a. The diameter D4 is preferably about 6 mm and the depth Dth is preferably about 3 mm. The length L1 is preferably about 5 mm. The lengths L2 and L3 are preferably about equal and the length L2 is more preferably about 5.2 mm, and the length L3 is more preferably about 5.6 mm. Thetapers 66 are tapered at an angle A of about 30 degrees. - A method for feeding using the pellet and
flake feeder 40 is described inFIG. 9 . The method includes opening a feeder body atstep 100, depositing pellet and flake fish food into the feeder atstep 102, closing the feeder body atstep 104, positioning the releasing end below the surface of aquarium water in the aquarium while keeping a grinding portion above the aquarium water surface atstep 108, depressing a plunger at a plunger end of the feeder atstep 110, advancing a notched plunger rod through the solid fish food and a narrowing orifice atstep 112, grinding the solid fish food between the rod and the narrowing orifice atstep 114, and releasing the ground fish food into the aquarium water to feed the fish atstep 116. - A method for filling the pellet and flake feeder is described in
FIG. 10 . The method includes inserting a bottle brush into a fish food container atstep 200, collecting an amount of the solid fish food onto bristles of the bottle brush atstep 202, opening the feeder body atstep 204, depositing solid fish food into the feeder atstep 206, and closing the feeder body atstep 208. - While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
Claims (16)
1. A method for feeding fish using a pellet and flake feeder, comprising:
opening a feeder body;
depositing pellet and flake fish food into the feeder;
closing the feeder body;
inserting a releasing end of the feeder into an aquarium;
positioning the releasing end below the surface of aquarium water in the aquarium;
depressing a plunger at a plunger end of the feeder;
advancing a notched plunger rod through the solid fish food and a narrowing orifice;
grinding the solid fish food between the rod and the narrowing orifice; and
releasing the ground fish food into the aquarium water to feed the fish.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing pellet and flake fish food into the feeder comprises:
inserting a bottle brush into a fish food container;
collecting an amount of the solid fish food onto bristles of the bottle brush;
opening the feeder body, depositing solid fish food into the feeder;
and closing the feeder body.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing pellet and flake fish food into the feeder comprises:
inserting an angled tip of the lower portion into a container;
collecting a portion of the pellet/flake food in the tip; and
depositing the portion of the pellet/flake food into a cavity of the upper portion.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein inserting a releasing end of the feeder into an aquarium comprises inserting an angled tip of the lower portion of the assembled feeder end of the pellet and flake feeder into an aquarium while retaining the upper portion above an aquarium water surface.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein inserting a releasing end of the feeder into an aquarium comprises inserting an angled tip of the lower portion of the assembled feeder end of the pellet and flake feeder into an aquarium while retaining a grinding portion of the feeder above an aquarium water surface.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein depressing a plunger comprises advancing a recess in a plunger shaft through a tapered passage to grind the pellet and flake fish food.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein depressing a plunger comprises advancing at least one annular recess in the plunger shaft through a conically tapered passage to grind the pellet and flake fish food.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein depressing a plunger comprises advancing a plurality of the annular recesses in a plunger shaft through the conically tapered passage to grind the pellet and flake fish food.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein depressing a plunger comprises advancing a tapered recess in the plunger shaft through the tapered passage to grind the pellet and flake fish food.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the tapered recess has a depth Dth of about half the diameter D4 of the plunger shaft.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the tapered recess has a depth Dth of about half the diameter D4 of the plunger shaft.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein tapered portions and a flat floor of the tapered recess have about the same length.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein tapered portions are tapered at about 30 degrees.
14. The method of claim 9 , wherein tapered portions of the tapered recess have a length of about 5.2 mm and the floor of the tapered recess has a length of about 5.6 mm.
15. A method for feeding fish using a pellet and flake feeder, comprising:
separating an upper portion and a lower portion of the pellet and flake feeder;
depositing pellet and flake fish food into a cavity in the upper portion of the pellet and flake feeder;
assembling the upper portion and the lower portion of the pellet and flake feeder;
inserting an angled tip of the lower portion of the assembled feeder end of the pellet and flake feeder into an aquarium while retaining the upper portion above an aquarium water surface;
positioning the angled tip of the lower portion below the surface of aquarium water in the aquarium;
depressing a plunger at a plunger end of the angled tip of the pellet and flake feeder including advancing a plurality of annular recesses in a plunger shaft through a conically tapered passage to grind the pellet and flake fish food;
advancing a notched plunger rod through the pellet and flake fish food and a narrowing orifice;
grinding the pellet and flake fish food between the notched plunger rod and the narrowing orifice; and
releasing the ground fish food into the aquarium water to feed the fish.
16. A method for feeding fish using a pellet and flake feeder, comprising:
separating an upper portion and a lower portion of the pellet and flake feeder;
depositing pellet and flake fish food into a cavity in the upper portion of the pellet and flake feeder;
assembling the upper portion and the lower portion of the pellet and flake feeder;
observing the pellet and flake fish food residing in the cavity through a window in the upper portion;
inserting an angled tip of the lower portion of the assembled feeder end of the pellet and flake feeder into an aquarium while retaining a grinding portion of the pellet and flake feeder above the aquarium water level;
positioning the angled tip of the lower portion below the surface of aquarium water in the aquarium;
depressing a plunger at a plunger end of the angled tip of the pellet and flake feeder;
advancing a plunger rod through the pellet and flake fish food and through a narrowing orifice, including advancing a tapered recess in a 6 mm diameter plunger shaft through the narrowing orifice to grind the pellet and flake fish food, the tapered recess comprising:
an untapered floor having a length L3 of 5.6 mm and a depth Dth of 3 mm;
tapered portions before and after the floor, the tapered portions having a length L2 of 5.2 mm and a taper angle A of 30 degree;
grinding the pellet and flake fish food between the notched plunger rod and the narrowing orifice of a conical passage of the grinding portion of the pellet and flake feeder; and
releasing the ground fish food into the aquarium water to feed the fish.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US15/005,276 US20160219840A1 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2016-01-25 | Pellet and Flake Aquarium Feeder |
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US201562111086P | 2015-02-02 | 2015-02-02 | |
US15/005,276 US20160219840A1 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2016-01-25 | Pellet and Flake Aquarium Feeder |
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US20160219840A1 true US20160219840A1 (en) | 2016-08-04 |
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Family Applications (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US15/005,276 Abandoned US20160219840A1 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2016-01-25 | Pellet and Flake Aquarium Feeder |
US15/007,857 Active 2037-05-07 US10405525B2 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2016-01-27 | Frozen food aquarium feeder |
US15/008,234 Abandoned US20160219841A1 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2016-01-27 | Seaweed Food Aquarium Feeder |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/007,857 Active 2037-05-07 US10405525B2 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2016-01-27 | Frozen food aquarium feeder |
US15/008,234 Abandoned US20160219841A1 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2016-01-27 | Seaweed Food Aquarium Feeder |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (3) | US20160219840A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN112544527A (en) * | 2020-12-04 | 2021-03-26 | 浙江海洋大学 | Accurate bait casting device |
US11134661B2 (en) * | 2016-11-07 | 2021-10-05 | PetSmart Home Office, Inc. | System for fish tank cleaning and method therefor |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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CN109566513A (en) * | 2018-09-04 | 2019-04-05 | 金华市凌特水产养殖技术有限公司 | Multi-functional lobster cultivation equipment |
US11716972B2 (en) | 2020-01-27 | 2023-08-08 | Alex J. Maile | Floating seaweed clip |
USD951554S1 (en) * | 2020-10-23 | 2022-05-10 | World Feeds Limited | Aquatic feeder device |
USD940403S1 (en) * | 2021-03-12 | 2022-01-04 | Guangzhou Chiye Intelligent Technology Co., LTD. | Automatic fish feeder |
USD940965S1 (en) * | 2021-04-13 | 2022-01-11 | Heping XIAO | Automatic fish feeder |
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US1092314A (en) * | 1913-11-22 | 1914-04-07 | Charles E White | Feeding-basket for birds. |
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US3273537A (en) * | 1965-02-10 | 1966-09-20 | San W Orr | Wildlife feeder |
US3499526A (en) | 1967-08-29 | 1970-03-10 | Aquariums Inc | Fish feeder assembly |
US3742912A (en) | 1971-07-07 | 1973-07-03 | Huang & Ass T | Automatic feeder for aquatic animals |
US4027627A (en) * | 1975-03-06 | 1977-06-07 | Romeo Fillion | Automatic food feeding device for fish, fowl and the like |
US4829705A (en) * | 1986-05-06 | 1989-05-16 | Dorsey Harris J | Chum basket |
US4903429A (en) | 1988-07-21 | 1990-02-27 | John Tetenes | Device to attract fish |
US5140943A (en) | 1991-12-12 | 1992-08-25 | Nearhoff James W | Fish feeding apparatus |
US5189985A (en) * | 1992-03-19 | 1993-03-02 | Brady James L | Expandable hay feeder |
USD514748S1 (en) * | 1993-12-13 | 2006-02-07 | William Warren Sweasy | Bird feeder |
US5778824A (en) * | 1996-01-31 | 1998-07-14 | Musgrave; Gary | Magnetic device and method for feeding aquatic animals |
GB2335835B (en) | 1998-04-03 | 2002-10-30 | Steven Mclean Wilson | Fish feeder |
US6009835A (en) | 1998-07-24 | 2000-01-04 | Boschert; Jeffrey D. | Apparatus and method for dispensing frozen aquarium food |
US7249435B1 (en) | 2001-12-26 | 2007-07-31 | Tetenes John L | Device for holding a bucket of frozen chum |
US6910442B2 (en) * | 2003-06-02 | 2005-06-28 | Robert J. Berry | Method and apparatus for dispensing food granules in aquarium to minimize contamination of water filtration system |
US7230255B2 (en) * | 2003-06-04 | 2007-06-12 | Jong-Seob Shim | Photocatalyst sterilizer |
US20050252456A1 (en) * | 2004-02-03 | 2005-11-17 | Mag-Life Llc | Particulate dispenser |
DE202005003170U1 (en) | 2005-02-28 | 2005-05-19 | Tunze Aquarientechnik Gmbh | magnetic holder |
USD535718S1 (en) | 2005-09-29 | 2007-01-23 | Juan Jimenez | Chum dispenser |
USD554300S1 (en) * | 2005-12-09 | 2007-10-30 | Wendell Joshua T | Wildlife feeder |
US7699277B2 (en) | 2007-03-02 | 2010-04-20 | Gary Wayne Bagnall | Magnetic attachment apparatus |
US20100012041A1 (en) * | 2008-03-26 | 2010-01-21 | Wechsler Lawrence I | Bird and animal feeder feed supply and replenishment method, and feeder apparatus for implementing end use thereof |
US8065975B2 (en) | 2008-07-15 | 2011-11-29 | Mag-Life Llc | Temperature measuring, algae cleaning and feeding systems for aquariums |
US8272349B2 (en) * | 2008-08-08 | 2012-09-25 | Mayes Jr Vernon | Bird feeding apparatus |
USD622450S1 (en) * | 2009-02-03 | 2010-08-24 | Beyers Edward O | Hay feeding case |
US8230808B2 (en) * | 2010-06-03 | 2012-07-31 | Chih-Cheng Lai | Pet food dispenser |
US9351480B2 (en) * | 2013-03-12 | 2016-05-31 | Ling Liu Tuan | Fish food dispenser |
US20140261211A1 (en) | 2013-03-12 | 2014-09-18 | Ling Liu Tuan | Fish food dispenser |
-
2016
- 2016-01-25 US US15/005,276 patent/US20160219840A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2016-01-27 US US15/007,857 patent/US10405525B2/en active Active
- 2016-01-27 US US15/008,234 patent/US20160219841A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11134661B2 (en) * | 2016-11-07 | 2021-10-05 | PetSmart Home Office, Inc. | System for fish tank cleaning and method therefor |
CN112544527A (en) * | 2020-12-04 | 2021-03-26 | 浙江海洋大学 | Accurate bait casting device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US10405525B2 (en) | 2019-09-10 |
US20160219841A1 (en) | 2016-08-04 |
US20160219842A1 (en) | 2016-08-04 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO PAY ISSUE FEE |