Pet toy treat dispenser

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 9301496
  • Patent Number
    9,301,496
  • Date Filed
    Monday, July 14, 2014
    10 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 5, 2016
    8 years ago
Abstract
A treat dispenser is provided for an animal to dispense treats by moving the dispenser. The dispenser includes a central spherical body, and a plurality of peripherally spaced spheres or balls connected to the body by respective branches. Each of the balls has a treat dispensing opening. The body has an opening for charging or loading treats. The device is substantially hollow. As an animal plays with the device, treats are dispensed through the openings. The openings are located at different positions on each of the balls so that treats are likely to be dispensed when the device is placed at various orientations.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to pet toys that dispense food or treats, and more particularly, to a pet toy treat dispenser and method wherein treats are dispensed from openings that may be of different sizes and that are located at different locations and orientations on the toy.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Interactive toys for pets have become quite popular. Animal behaviorists attribute many benefits to an animal that is stimulated or preoccupied with a pet toy. Chew toys provide needed mastication for animals such as dogs. Throw toys provide overall physical exercise for dogs. Chew toys with treats provide both mastication and extended interaction since the animal's interest can be better maintained with the reward of receiving an edible treat.


A number of inventions have been developed for increasing the length of time an animal may interact with a toy. Some of the inventions include pet toys that dispense food or treats. Toys with edible treats have proven to remediate separation anxiety experienced by some pets. By increasing the intensity and length of time the animal is occupied, the animal may be less prone to engage in negative behaviors.


One example of an animal food dispenser includes the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,912. This reference more specifically discloses a dispenser having a base portion and an upper portion defined by at least one wall enclosing a container cavity. An opening is formed in the upper portion to access the container cavity. A weighted body is fixed to the base of the dispenser, and provides a means for returning the dispenser to an upright position after the dispenser has been tipped or moved by the animal. The dispenser can be moved on a surface in an oscillating and/or sliding motion by the animal for dispensing a unit from the opening.


Another example of an animal food dispenser is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 8,225,747. This reference discloses a treat dispenser having a body with an opening to allow dispensing of the treats. A base of the device includes a weighted material therein causing the device to reside in a normally upright position. Contact by the animal causes the device to tip, thereby allowing treats to fall through the opening in the body. Changing the amount and type of material used for the weighted material changes the characteristics of how the device moves when contacted by the animal that in turn, changes the rate and amount of treats that are dispensed.


Yet another example of an animal food dispenser is described in the U.S. Patent Publication No. US20120012068. This reference discloses a pet toy with an adjustable treat dispensing lid. The lid is connected to a body of the pet toy, and a treat holding enclosure receives treats. The enclosure has an open area which communicates with a treat dispensing opening of the lid enabling treats to be selectively dispensed. The lid may be placed at selected positions with respect to the body thereby changing the size of the exposed treat dispensing opening to thereby selectively change the rate at which treats are dispensed.


While the prior art discloses various methods for dispensing treats or food, there is still a need to provide a treat dispensing device in which the animal has the opportunity to be rewarded with treats dispensed from multiple locations on the pet toy, and that may therefore contribute to a more lasting engagement of the animal with the toy. There is also a need to provide a device that is made simple for loading the treats. Finally, there is also a need to provide a device in which the treats can be dispensed from not only separate locations on the device, but also at different orientations or sides on the device that may further contribute to a longer engagement by the animal since the animal will require additional time to investigate treat dispensing opportunities.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, a treat or food dispensing device and method are provided. The word “treat” hereinafter is meant to include all animal foodstuffs that can be consumed by an animal. Treats may take various forms such as uniformly sized nuggets or the treats can be irregularly sized and shaped.


The device is characterized by a central spherical body, and three peripherally spaced bulbous shaped elements or balls that extend from the body by interconnecting branches or necks. More specifically, the body is rounded or spherical shaped with a top central opening that may be used to load treats. The interior of the device is hollow, and the interior of the body therefore defines a central cavity. In a preferred embodiment, three balls are provided and the balls are spaced from one another approximately 120°. Each of the balls is interconnected to a mid-point on the body by a corresponding neck or branch. Each of the balls also includes a treat dispensing opening for selectively dispensing treats loaded in the interior of the device. The openings in the balls communicate with internal chambers of the balls and through the corresponding branches into the central cavity.


The treat dispensing openings in the balls are located on different sides of the balls, and each may be selectively sized. In a preferred embodiment, the treat dispensing openings for the three balls are located such that there is one opening facing a top surface, another opening facing a bottom surface, and another opening facing an annular or peripheral edge of the device. By providing these treat dispensing openings at different orientations, the animal may be encouraged to have an extended engagement with the device in which continual turning or rotation of the device provides opportunities for additional treats to be dispensed. Unlike treat dispensing devices that may have but one opening or more than one opening located along the same side or plane of the device, the present invention encourages a more vigorous play action by the animal in which continual movement of the device enhances chances that the animal will receive additional treats.


The user charges or loads the device with treats through the top central opening. The top central opening also serves as another treat dispensing opening, and may be selectively sized to allow a desired rate of dispenser for selected treats. As the device is moved by the animal, treats will be dispensed through the various treat dispensing openings, and the device may be refilled.


Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be further described in the Detailed Description which follows with reference being made to the following drawings in which:



FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the invention in a preferred embodiment;



FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a lower half section of the invention according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;



FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the lower half section according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;



FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of an upper half section according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;



FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the device according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;



FIG. 6 is a vertical cross section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and



FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating treats loaded within the device, and a few treats that have been dispensed from treat dispensing openings.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION


FIG. 1 illustrates the dispenser device 10, according to the invention in a preferred embodiment. The dispenser 10 has an upper half section 12 and a lower half section 14 in which the sections 12 and 14 are connected to one another along a joint or plane 15. As shown, the joint 15 substantially bisects the dispenser 10. The primary or major components of the dispenser 10 include a central spherical body 16, and three peripherally spaced bulbous elements or balls 18. Each of the balls 18 is connected to the body 16 by a corresponding neck or branch 20. The body 16 has a top central opening 22 that can be used to load treats, and may also act as a treat dispensing opening. Yet further in an alternative embodiment, the central top opening 22 could be eliminated in favor of providing the openings 24, 26, and 28 that can also be used to load treats. The body 16 and the balls 18 in the preferred embodiment are illustrated as being substantially bisected by the joint 15; however, it is also contemplated that the body and/or balls 18 could have a larger portion thereof within the upper half section 12 or lower half section 14 such that the joint 15 does not bisect the device. Also referring to FIGS. 2-4, the dispenser 10 is substantially hollow, and the interior of the body defines a central cavity 40. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the device 10 has a substantially uniform thickness along the joint 15. The hollow interiors of the necks 20 define respective passageways 42 that communicate with the hollow interiors of the balls 18 which define respective chambers 44.


The balls 18 are shown as being spaced from one another approximately 120°. Although three balls are shown, the invention also contemplates more than or fewer than three balls that could be provided in a preferred embodiment. For example, the invention could include two balls spaced approximately 180° from one another, or four balls spaced approximately 90° from one another.


The other treat dispensing openings are shown as a top opening 24, an annular opening. 26, and a bottom opening 28, each formed on the respective balls 18. With the orientation or arrangement of the openings 24, 26, 28, a treat dispensing “opportunity” is created for moving the device when placed in various positions. Accordingly, as an animal plays with the device, treats can be selectively and continually dispensed as the device continues to be turned or rotated. Each of the treat dispensing openings can be made of a desired size to accommodate different types of treats, as well as a dispense rate for each opening. For example, it may be desirable to provide one or more of the treat dispensing openings with a relatively smaller size, thereby slowing the rate of dispense, while it may be desirable to provide one or more of the other treat dispensing openings with a relatively larger size, thereby increasing the rate of dispense.


Other structural details of the device 10 include stiffeners 30 that may be formed on the interior sides of the balls 18 in order to provide additional structural support to the device 10. Additionally, each of the treat dispensing openings are illustrated as having flanges 32 that define the respective openings, and that also provide additional structural support. The flanges also provide a means to direct the direction of dispense for treats within the respective chambers 44.


Referring also to FIGS. 5 and 6, in order to assemble the half sections 12 and 14, it may be desirable to provide some type of connecting structure which helps to align the sections. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, alignment mounts 34 are provided on opposing sides of a ball 18 to align the sections. One of the mounts 34 has a pin 36, and the other mount 34 has an opening 38 to receive the pin 36. More than one of the pairs of mounts 34 may be provided in order to attach the half sections. In one aspect of the invention, it is contemplated that the two half sections 12 and 14 can be connected by use of a plurality of mounts 34, but the sections 12 and 14 may be separated from one another in order to clean the interior of the device. In another aspect, it is contemplated that the half sections 12 and 14 may be sealed to one another, and therefore a single pair of mounts 34 is adequate for initial alignment of the half sections prior to sealing. In this latter case, effective cleaning of the interior of the device is still possible since numerous openings are provided in the device for flushing of a cleaning liquid.


Referring to FIG. 7, in one method of dispensing treats, the treats are loaded through the top central opening 22, and initially reside within the central cavity 40. As the animal plays with the device 10, the treats become dispersed through passageways 42 into the chambers 44, and the treats are ultimately dispensed through the treat dispensing openings 24, 26, and 28. As mentioned, the top central opening 22 may also serve as a treat dispensing opening. FIG. 7 more specifically illustrates a plurality of treats T that are located within the central cavity 40 in which some of the treats T have traveled through the respective passageways 42 into the chambers 44, and then through the treat dispensing openings. As the animal continues to play with the device additional treats T will be dispensed. Greater, more intense play by the animal in which the device is continually turned and rotated will result in a greater number of treats being dispensed.


It is also contemplated that restrictions can be placed within the device in order to further assist in metering or controlling the rate at which treats are dispensed. For example, the stiffeners 30 can be sized to also act as treat dispensing restrictors. Additionally, the number and size of the mounts 34 can also act as treat dispensing restrictors. Yet further, the size of the passageways 42 can be sized in order to set a dispense rate of the treats.


Although the present invention has been disclosed in a preferred embodiment, it shall be understood that various other changes and modifications can be made to the invention in accordance with the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims
  • 1. A method of dispensing treats from a treat dispensing device, said method comprising: providing a treat dispensing device including a body having a central cavity, an opening in the body communicating with said central cavity, and at least two ball shaped elements spaced from and connected to, said body, said elements each including a treat dispensing opening that communicates with said central cavity;loading, through said opening in said body, the central cavity with selected treats; andmoving said device so that treats are dispensed from the central cavity through said treat dispensing openings and said body opening.
  • 2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the treat dispensing device includes three ball shaped elements and a first element includes a top treat dispensing opening, a second element includes an annular treat dispensing opening, and a third element includes a bottom treat dispensing opening.
  • 3. The method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein one or more of said treat dispensing openings has a larger size thereby increasing a rate of dispense of the treats.
  • 4. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body opening is spaced from the ball shaped elements.
  • 5. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said treat dispensing device further includes at least two branches each having a length, internal passageways, and first and second ends, each first end connected to said body, wherein each of the ball shaped elements are connected to said body by a corresponding second end of a branch of the at least two branches, and wherein each internal passageway communicates with said central cavity and an internal chamber of a corresponding ball shaped element.
  • 6. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said ball shaped elements has an internal chamber, wherein said treat dispensing openings each include a flange that extends inward towards said internal chamber, and wherein said flange directs a direction of a flow of said treats from said internal chamber.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/801,300, filed Mar. 13, 2013, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

US Referenced Citations (159)
Number Name Date Kind
547764 Boyum Oct 1895 A
563170 Haley et al. Jun 1896 A
1100286 Cornelius Jun 1914 A
D50377 Ehrlich Feb 1917 S
D70800 McDonald Aug 1926 S
D75863 Nicholas Jul 1928 S
2115405 Allen Apr 1938 A
2134812 Dick Nov 1938 A
2187493 Gordon Jan 1940 A
2269941 Jones Jan 1942 A
D177323 Guest Apr 1956 S
3105457 Krueger Oct 1963 A
D197889 Hass Apr 1964 S
3450592 Conrad et al. Jun 1969 A
3524267 Barrett et al. Aug 1970 A
D220279 Oliver Mar 1971 S
3597874 Ogsbury et al. Aug 1971 A
D221962 Vennola Sep 1971 S
3648404 Ogsbury et al. Mar 1972 A
3694954 Brumlik Oct 1972 A
3808737 Abrams May 1974 A
3847305 Tobin Nov 1974 A
4153248 Holmes et al. May 1979 A
4170106 Koslosky Oct 1979 A
4240412 James Dec 1980 A
D260662 Hida Sep 1981 S
4309038 Spoon Jan 1982 A
D275410 Panicci Sep 1984 S
D276544 Piesco Nov 1984 S
D277983 Kaminski Mar 1985 S
D283634 Kato et al. Apr 1986 S
4617001 Parein Oct 1986 A
D291174 Koziol Aug 1987 S
4787191 Shima Nov 1988 A
D301161 Dunse May 1989 S
D308185 Valkner May 1990 S
D313455 McKinney Jan 1991 S
D328328 Juarez Jul 1992 S
5195510 Svacina Mar 1993 A
5199716 DeFluiter et al. Apr 1993 A
5318470 Denny Jun 1994 A
D354995 Barzani Jan 1995 S
D359092 Brovelli Jun 1995 S
D369661 Taylor May 1996 S
D376015 Newberry Nov 1996 S
D377100 Gladieux, Jr. Dec 1996 S
5702105 Glikmann Dec 1997 A
D396110 Kang Jul 1998 S
D396226 Davis, Sr. Jul 1998 S
D396253 Beecher Jul 1998 S
D396501 Hatting Jul 1998 S
D399890 Esterle et al. Oct 1998 S
5832877 Markham Nov 1998 A
D403429 Blanchard Dec 1998 S
5947061 Markham et al. Sep 1999 A
D422084 Mickelson Mar 2000 S
6073581 Wang Jun 2000 A
D431848 Hubbard Oct 2000 S
6129053 Markham et al. Oct 2000 A
D439378 Loomis Mar 2001 S
6217408 Willinger Apr 2001 B1
6237538 Tsengas May 2001 B1
6264522 Dickson Jul 2001 B1
D447809 Gladieux, III et al. Sep 2001 S
6386540 Stevkovski May 2002 B1
6427634 Mann Aug 2002 B1
6439166 Markham Aug 2002 B1
6443863 Dinoffer Sep 2002 B1
6463759 Garcia et al. Oct 2002 B1
6470830 Mann Oct 2002 B2
6526912 Ottoson Mar 2003 B1
D473348 Lang Apr 2003 S
D475766 Tolosa Jun 2003 S
6579145 Maxim Jun 2003 B1
6626727 Balanchi Sep 2003 B2
D484248 O'Brien Dec 2003 S
6669526 Manville et al. Dec 2003 B2
6688258 Kolesar Feb 2004 B1
D487327 Andersen et al. Mar 2004 S
6761158 Wright Jul 2004 B2
6846216 Balanchi Jan 2005 B1
D501520 Fraze Feb 2005 S
D503954 Balanchi Apr 2005 S
6899059 Crane et al. May 2005 B1
6899541 Kassai et al. May 2005 B2
6941895 St. Pierre Sep 2005 B2
6983722 Tepper et al. Jan 2006 B2
D520086 Just et al. May 2006 S
D532113 Huang Nov 2006 S
D535068 Renforth Jan 2007 S
D536506 Unlu Feb 2007 S
RE39563 Markham Apr 2007 E
D544655 Hass Jun 2007 S
D545510 Viola Jun 2007 S
7246574 Renforth Jul 2007 B2
7270085 Wolfe, Jr. et al. Sep 2007 B2
7278374 Mann Oct 2007 B2
D554811 Rutherford Nov 2007 S
D556913 Laituri Dec 2007 S
D563493 Nelson et al. Mar 2008 S
7354330 Bentley, Jr. Apr 2008 B2
7389748 Shatoff et al. Jun 2008 B2
D577868 Rutherford et al. Sep 2008 S
D581543 Ferber et al. Nov 2008 S
D582049 Ferber et al. Dec 2008 S
D582563 Ferber et al. Dec 2008 S
D582998 Chernick et al. Dec 2008 S
D585162 Partain et al. Jan 2009 S
7500450 Wolfe, Jr. et al. Mar 2009 B2
7506613 Wolfe, Jr. et al. Mar 2009 B2
7555997 Wolfe, Jr. et al. Jul 2009 B2
D599964 Viola Sep 2009 S
D599966 Viola Sep 2009 S
7591234 Shatoff et al. Sep 2009 B2
7600488 Mann Oct 2009 B2
D614365 Watson et al. Apr 2010 S
D617395 Colangelo et al. Jun 2010 S
7789727 Chernick et al. Sep 2010 B2
7806086 Ottoson Oct 2010 B2
D627897 Yde et al. Nov 2010 S
D627935 Rutherford et al. Nov 2010 S
D629056 Grimm Dec 2010 S
D634507 Lawrenson Mar 2011 S
D642342 Shatoff et al. Jul 2011 S
D650536 Oblack et al. Dec 2011 S
8087387 Gamble et al. Jan 2012 B2
8141521 Shatoff et al. Mar 2012 B2
D660664 Hsu May 2012 S
D660665 Hsu May 2012 S
8225747 Markham et al. Jul 2012 B2
D665915 Ma Aug 2012 S
8240273 Benson Aug 2012 B2
D672100 Willinger Dec 2012 S
D672398 Kondou et al. Dec 2012 S
D672415 Garcia et al. Dec 2012 S
D676090 Rottje Feb 2013 S
8372111 Reyna Feb 2013 B2
8464665 Scheffler et al. Jun 2013 B1
8474404 Costello Jul 2013 B2
D687954 Dallman Aug 2013 S
D688027 Smith et al. Aug 2013 S
8516977 Shatoff et al. Aug 2013 B2
D700755 Reiss et al. Mar 2014 S
20010029904 Viola Oct 2001 A1
20020151248 Hsu Oct 2002 A1
20020174838 Crane et al. Nov 2002 A1
20040200434 Shatoff et al. Oct 2004 A1
20050197211 Sullivan et al. Sep 2005 A1
20060014467 Tusacciu Jan 2006 A1
20070044730 Axelrod et al. Mar 2007 A1
20070077854 Jeon et al. Apr 2007 A1
20070190892 Manvelian Aug 2007 A1
20110000441 Woltmann et al. Jan 2011 A1
20110028063 Colangelo et al. Feb 2011 A1
20120012068 Costello Jan 2012 A1
20120184174 Kwak et al. Jul 2012 A1
20130102220 Wang et al. Apr 2013 A1
20130210314 Rottjer et al. Aug 2013 A1
20140261195 Reiss et al. Sep 2014 A1
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry
U.S. Appl. No. 14/053,159, filed Oct. 14, 2013, Simon et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 29/471,283, filed Oct. 30, 2013, Simon et al.
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20140318462 A1 Oct 2014 US
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 13801300 Mar 2013 US
Child 14330180 US