Patent Application
20180077897
None.
The present invention relates to a device and method for engaging an animal and providing treats and nourishment.
Laser pointers are commonly used to play and interact with domesticated pets because the movement of a laser pointer triggers the prey drive of a domesticated animal (typically a cat or a dog in most households). However, many animal behavioral science research reveal that a game of laser pointer chase can be very frustrating for the animal and can lead to behavioral problems. Specifically, the chase of a laser pointer beam amounts to be an unending game with no closure for the animal since they cannot ever catch the beam of light, like they can when chasing a toy or food.
Many animals continue looking for the light beam after the laser pointer has been put away; this is confusing for the animal because the prey has simply disappeared. This can create obsessive compulsive behaviors like frantically looking around for the light, staring at the last location they saw the light, and becoming reactive to flashes of light. Animals that exhibit such behavioral issues are frustrated, confused, and anxious.
Another immediate problem with laser pointers is that they are known to be hazardous to both human and animal eyesight and can cause eye injuries if an intense laser beam hits the eye. The current state of the art includes laser pet toys, but often they shine a laser beam outside the device which exposes pets and other animals including humans to potential/possible laser light emission which may be damaging to the eyes.
Yet another separate problem is that many pet owners feel guilty about leaving their pets at home during the day while they are at work and would likely feel better about leaving their pets at home during the day without unsupervised provided they know that their pets are engaged, are having fun and are being entertained. By keeping the pets engaged while their owners are away, the animals may be less likely to wreak havoc over the fragile or potentially expensive items in the home while left at home alone, unattended, but ideally the pet should be supervised while using the toy. The present invention relates to a device and method for engaging an animal and providing treats and nourishment.
Thus, against the backdrop of the problems identified above, this invention seeks to solve all the problems by creating a pet toy that uses laser pointer projections in a safe manner, combining the laser projections with a physical toy that the animal can interact and play with, and can potentially provide the animal treat or feed to reinforce positive behavior without all the risks and downsides of laser pointer animal toys found in the prior art.
The present invention is directed to laser toy and automatic feeder for an animal. In one embodiment, the toy comprises of a laser module assembly that projects a laser beam onto a laser shield enclosure. The laser beam moves in a seemingly random fashion driven by a motor assembly on the base of the laser module assembly.
The toy further comprises a feed chamber that can be filled with animal feed. The feed chamber has a plurality of spillways that allow the feed to fall out of the chamber when the animal interacts with the toy. This is achieved through the shape of the toy where it is designed to rock and wobble around when an animal interacts with the toy. This in turn creates a positive reinforcement to the animal such that when it plays with the toy, it will be rewarded with food. The feed chamber is attached, but removable from the laser module assembly to facilitate cleaning and washing the chamber without getting the electronic components wet.
The laser module assembly is located at the base of the lower assembly. The laser module assembly can freely rotate in a 360-degree fashion and is capable of rotating clockwise and counterclockwise at random.
A motor is provided at the base of the laser module assembly to rotate the laser module assembly. The motor is connected to the laser by an axle, and a gear assembly is placed on said axle between the motor and laser to allow the laser to rotate. A set of contact rings held in place by a pair of electroconductive springs that complete the electrical circuit from the motor to the laser, allowing the motor to rotate the laser and also power the laser accordingly. The springs act as electrical conductors that make contact with the contact rings that in turn are electrical conductors to the laser. The springs are used in this embodiment as a replacement for wires because the wires would twist and actually break due to the constant rotations of the laser. Alternatively, the wires would severely limit the amount of allowable rotation of the laser.
A printed circuit board (PCB) or other similar electronic controls may be provided to toggle different functions and behavior to the laser module assembly. Specifically, the laser module assembly can be programmed to change its rotational direction at a certain interval, or active for a certain period of time before rotating in a different direction. The laser module assembly's rotational speed can also be adjusted as needed.
A motion sensor assembly can further be present to add further features to the laser function. Specifically, the motion sensor can be used to detect movements of the toy. For example, if the toy has not been interacted with for a certain period of time, the toy can go into sleep mode to conserve battery power. Another use of the motion sensor is to vary the laser's rotational speed and clockwise/counterclockwise direction when sufficient motion is detected by the motion sensor assembly to keep the animal occupied.
The laser beam is projected to a laser shield enclosure using a mirror placed substantially in front of the laser. The mirror is attached to a pivotable wave guiding post that traces the perimeter of a wavy circumferential edge of a cylinder. When the laser module assembly rotates, the wave guiding post traces along the top portion of the wavy cylinder, effectively changing the angle of elevation of the mirror during the rotation. As a result, the projected laser beam on the laser shield enclosure correspondingly rotates around at the same rate as the rotational speed of the laser module assembly, with the projected laser beam moving up and down corresponding to the elevation of the angle of the mirror that is attached to the wave guiding post.
This in effect creates an illusion of a laser beam that is projected to the inside surface of the laser shield enclosure that is visible from the outside of the laser shield enclosure. As a result, the animal sees a laser beam projection that moves around in a seemingly random fashion as the projected beam moves clockwise, counterclockwise, in addition to moving up or down along the laser shield enclosure. This seemingly random movements are likely to compel the animal to interact with the toy in order to “catch” the beam that is being projected to the laser shield enclosure.
The laser shield enclosure encloses the laser module assembly and creates a surface for projecting laser beams from the laser module assembly. The laser shield enclosure is made out a texturized, opaque material that allows to break up the laser beam dot to reduce and minimize beam hazard to eyes. This is a main safety factor of the toy in that the beam only projects a hot spot on the inside of the semi-opaque laser shield enclosure, and no pure laser beam can be emitted outside to the toy. The surface of the laser shield enclosure is textured to break up the beam so that the light of the laser dot (typically red) shining through the surface of the laser shield enclosure is safe and not harmful to the eyes of the animal or people close to the toy.
In an alternate embodiment, the feed chamber can be omitted such that the laser toy allows regular play with the animal. Without the feed chamber, the toy can be placed flat on the ground resulting in a much more stable toy, thus allowing more variety of design and shapes to the laser shield. The laser shield can in turn take a shape of a cube, a dome, or a conical shape, or any other shape suitable to attract an animal to play with the toy.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following descriptions, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
100—Laser Shield Enclosure
101—Inner Surface
102—Laser Beam
103—Laser Beam Projection
200—Feed Chamber
201—Feed Chamber Spillway
202—Feed Chamber Locking Tab
300—Lower Assembly
301—Motion Sensor Assembly
302—Wave Guide Cylinder
303—Locking Tab Insert
400—Laser Module Assembly
401—Laser
402—Mirror
403—Wave Tracking Post
404—Spring
405—Gear Assembly
406—Motor Assembly
407—Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
408—Contact Rings
500—Battery Door
501—Power Switch
502—Battery Port
503—Screw
The motion sensor assembly 301 can be used to detect movements of the toy. For example, if the toy has not been interacted with for a certain period of time, the toy can go into sleep mode to conserve battery power. Another use of the motion sensor is to vary the laser's rotational speed and clockwise/counterclockwise direction when sufficient motion is detected by the motion sensor assembly to keep the animal occupied.
In the Summary of the Invention above and in the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the claims below, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally.
The term “comprises” and grammatical equivalents thereof are used herein to mean that other components, ingredients, steps, etc. are optionally present. For example, an article “comprising” (or “which comprises”) components A, B, and C can consist of (i.e., contain only) components A, B, and C, or can contain not only components A, B, and C but also one or more other components.
Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
The term “at least” followed by a number is used herein to denote the start of a range beginning with that number (which may be a range having an upper limit or no upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, “at least 1” means 1 or more than 1. The term “at most” followed by a number is used herein to denote the end of a range ending with that number (which may be a range having 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range having no lower limit, depending upon the variable being defined). For example, “at most 4” means 4 or less than 4, and “at most 40%” means 40% or less than 40%. When, in this specification, a range is given as “(a first number) to (a second number)” or “(a first number)-(a second number),” this means a range whose lower limit is the first number and whose upper limit is the second number. For example, 25 to 100 mm means a range whose lower limit is 25 mm, and whose upper limit is 100 mm.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred version contained herein.
This nonprovisional application claims benefit to priority of provisional patent application No. 62/397,880 filed on Sep. 21, 2016, incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62397880 | Sep 2016 | US |
