1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water-stopping structure for use with a container. The container is essentially a drinking water container for use with animals, such as pets, livestock, and the like. The predetermined water intake level of the drinking water container is controllable. The water-stopping structure comprises a water-holding bucket, a bottom plate, and a water-stopping unit coupled therebetween. Water is timely introduced into the bucket to feed animals. Alternatively, as soon as the water level in the bottom plate drops to a specific low level, water is introduced by means of the water-stopping unit.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional water dispensers for use with animals, such as pets, livestock, and the like, usually comprise a bucket with predetermined capacity and shape, and a bottom plate. To enable the bucket and the bottom plate to hold water, it is necessary to turn over the bucket to hold clean water therein, turn over the bottom plate so as for the inverted bottom plate to be screwed and fastened to a lower end of the bucket such that the inverted bottom plate and the bucket together form a unitary structure, and position the water dispenser in a manner to allow the water dispenser to face squarely toward users such that water can be transferred from the bucket to the bottom plate via the outlet disposed at the lower rim of the bucket, thereby allowing the water dispenser to supply clean drinking water to pets and livestock.
Although, from a user's point of view, the water dispenser achieves the anticipated purpose of containing clean drinking water to be supplied to animals, such as pets, livestock, and the like, introducing water into the water dispenser is rather inconvenient, because the user has to turn over the bucket, turn over the bottom plate, and fasten the inverted bottom plate to the lower end of the bucket. As a result, not only is it time-consuming and inconvenient to introduce water into the water dispenser and install the water dispenser, the feed to the bottom plate of the water dispenser is determined by the water outlet height of the bucket and thus is fixed rather than adjustable.
Hence, the prior art attempted to solve the aforesaid problems facing the drinking water container. Referring to
After the water level of the water in the bottom plate 20 of the water dispenser 40 has decreased because a portion of the water in the bottom plate 20 has been consumed by animals, the float 30 descends; hence, the water 50 is transferred again from the bucket 10 to the bottom plate 20 via the tube 101 disposed at the bottom of the bucket 10 to thereby replenish the water 50 in the bottom plate 20 at any time.
The present invention is intended to improve the aforesaid prior art by putting forth a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, so as for a water dispenser to control a predetermined water intake level. The container water-stopping structure is characterized in that: a water-stopping unit coupled between a water-holding bucket and a bottom plate; and water is timely transferred from the bucket to the bottom plate so as to be drunk by animals, or, alternatively, the water-stopping unit replenishes the water in the bottom plate as soon as the water in the bottom plate decreases to a specific low water level.
The first objective of the present invention is to provide a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, characterized in that a drinking water container comprises a bucket and a bottom plate. A tube extending inward and outward is formed at the bottom of the bucket. A tough guiding element with a central hole is inserted tightly into the tube. A rod can be inserted movably into the central hole of the guiding element. A limiting element having therein a water-stopping ball is disposed around the upward-extending end of the guiding element. A water inlet is penetratingly disposed at the upward end of the limiting element. Branch portions each ending with a bending end are disposed at predetermine positions at the bottom of the bucket, respectively, and extend downward. A float can be held between supporting elements extending from a predetermined section of the bottom plate. Partition elements are disposed at predetermined positions on the bottom plate and positioned outside the supporting elements, respectively. The bending ends at the ends of the branch portions disposed at the bottom of the bucket and extending downward can be inserted into the partition elements and appropriately positioned therein. To put together the bucket and the bottom plate, it is necessary that the bending ends of the branch portions at the bottom of the bucket are inserted into the partition elements of the bottom plate, respectively, and appropriately positioned therein to thereby form a drinking water container. To allow the drinking water container to take in water, water is introduced into the bucket via an inlet at the upper end of the bucket to thereby allow the water to enter the bottom plate by passing through the water inlet of the limiting element and by being guided along by the guiding element. The float held between the supporting elements of the bottom plate is moved upward by water and thus drives the rod to push the water-stopping ball upward to thereby clog the water inlet of the limiting element, thereby effectuating water-stopping at a predetermined water intake level.
The second objective of the present invention is to provide a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, characterized in that the supporting elements extending from predetermined sections of the bottom plate are provided in the form of a plurality of posts.
The third objective of the present invention is to provide a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, characterized in that the supporting elements extending from predetermined sections of the bottom plate are provided in the form of an annular flange, and a groove is disposed circumferentially on one side of the annular flange.
The fourth objective of the present invention is to provide a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, characterized in that partition elements, which are disposed at predetermined positions on the bottom plate and positioned outside the supporting elements, respectively, are each provided in the form of an abutting member having an upwardly-tapered space and each having an upward end at which a groove is formed, such that the branch portions extending downward from the bucket move inward along the grooves of the partition element, and thus the bending ends at the ends of the branch portions can be inserted into the space of the partition element.
The fifth objective of the present invention is to provide a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, characterized in that the drinking water container for use with animals comprises the water-stopping unit for controlling the water intake level. The water-stopping unit comprises: a guiding element, a float, a water-stopping ball, a limiting element, and a lower cover. A space is formed in an upward interior of the guiding element and adapted to contain the float. One end of the float extends to form a rod to be inserted into a tube penetratingly disposed at an upper surface of the guiding element. Ribs are disposed circumferentially inside the tube of the guiding element, spaced apart from each other, and adapted to guide water in. The limiting element having therein the water-stopping ball is disposed around the upper outer rim of the tube of the guiding element, such that the rod of the float disposed inside the space of the guiding element can abut against the water-stopping ball. Grooves are disposed circumferentially at the lower section of the guiding element, spaced apart from each other, and adapted to guide water out. An annular section is disposed concavely at the outer rim of the lower end of the guiding element, so as for a lower cover to be disposed around the annular section, thereby forming the water-stopping unit. The water-stopping unit is coupled to the middle area at the bottom of the water-holding bucket and rests on a corresponding surface of the bottom plate such that, if the drinking water container needs to introduce water into the bottom plate, the float inside the water-stopping unit sinks and drives the water-stopping ball to move downward and separate from the water inlet at the upper end of the limiting element, such that the water from the bucket is introduced into the water-stopping unit via the limiting element, flows along the grooves disposed circumferentially at the lower section of the guiding element, and eventually enters the bottom plate to exercise control at a predetermined water intake level. As soon as the float inside the water-stopping unit is moved upward by the water from the bottom plate to thereby drive the water-stopping ball to abut against the water inlet at the upper end of the limiting element, an influx of the water from the bucket is stopped, such that water-stopping happens to the bottom plate of the drinking water container, allowing the water-stopping unit to feature ease of use.
The sixth objective of the present invention is to provide a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, characterized in that a thread is formed circumferentially and outwardly at an upper section of the guiding element of the water-stopping unit and adapted to allow the water-stopping unit to be screwed to the middle area at the bottom of the bucket.
The seventh objective of the present invention is to provide a container water-stopping structure for use with animals' drinking water, characterized in that the water-stopping ball and a terminal end of the rod extending from an end of the float inside the water-stopping unit are integrally formed as a unitary structure, wherein the water-stopping ball is movable and capable of displacement within the tube at an upper end of the guiding element, such that the water-stopping unit is simple in structure.
The present invention provides a container water-stopping structure (as shown in
The bucket 1 has a bottom with a tube 11 (as shown in
Supporting elements 31 (shown in
To put together the bucket 1 and the bottom plate 3 (as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Once the water 9 in the bottom plate 3 of the drinking water container 5 has been consumed by the animals to such an extent that the water level has dropped, the float 4 will descend to thereby move the rod 22 and the water-stopping ball 23 downward (as shown in
Referring to
The float 4 held between the supporting elements 31 of the bottom plate 3 is moved upward by the water 9 and thus drives the rod 22 to push the water-stopping ball 23 upward to thereby clog the water inlet 241 of the limiting element 24 (as shown in
Referring to
The guiding element 6 is a hollow-core element with a bottom hollowed out upward to form a space 61. A tube 62 is penetratingly disposed at the upper surface of the guiding element 6. Ribs 63 are disposed circumferentially inside the tube 62 of the guiding element 6, spaced apart from each other, and adapted to guide water in. Grooves 64 are disposed circumferentially at the lower section of the guiding element 6, spaced apart from each other, and adapted to guide water out. An annular section 65 is disposed concavely at the outer rim of the lower end of the guiding element 6. A thread 66 is formed circumferentially and outwardly at the upper section of the guiding element 6.
The float 7 is contained in the space 61 of the guiding element 6 and adapted to control the water intake level. One end of the float 7 extends to form a rod 71.
The water-stopping ball 67 abuts against the rod 71 formed at one end of the float 7 to effectuate water-stopping.
The limiting element 68 determines the receipt of the water-stopping ball 67 according to the tube 62 at the upper surface of the guiding element 6. A water inlet 681 is penetratingly disposed at the upper end of the limiting element 68.
The lower cover 69 determines the positioning and coverage of the float 7 according to the annular section 65 at the lower end of the guiding element 6.
The process of putting together the guiding element 6, the float 7, the water-stopping ball 67, the limiting element 68, and the lower cover 69 (as shown in
Due to the thread 66 at the upper section of the guiding element 6, the water-stopping unit 8 can be screwed to a screw nut 14 coupled beforehand to a middle area 13 at the bottom of the bucket 1 (as shown in
The water-stopping unit 8, which is screwed to the middle area 13 at the bottom of the bucket 1 and rests on a corresponding surface of the bottom plate 3, operates in conjunction with the drinking water container 5 in introducing the water 9 into the bottom plate 3 (as shown in
As soon as the float 7 inside the water-stopping unit 8 screwed to the middle area 13 at the bottom of the bucket 1 and resting on a corresponding surface of the bottom plate 3 is moved upward by the water 9 from the bottom plate 3 to thereby drive the water-stopping ball 67 to abut against the water inlet 681 at the upper end of the limiting element 68 (as shown in
Referring to