Patent Application
20060060149
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to non-spill refreshment containers, and more particularly relates to spill-resistant fluid containers for pets.
2. Background of the Invention
Pet owners frequently travel with their pets in motor vehicles, whether for necessity (e.g. veterinary visits), or for pleasure (e.g. vacation). Methods of travel include automobile, plane, train, boat, and other motor vehicles.
Many animals, particularly dogs, rely on panting to dissipate heat, which is accompanied by evaporation of moisture causing dehydration. With many pets, the combination of high metabolism and a thick fur coat causes the pet to pant at moderate, or even cool ambient temperatures. Even moderate panting can cause dehydration requiring frequent drinks of water. Lack of adequate water can cause the animal to dehydrate and overheat, resulting in severe physical trauma and even death. Therefore, if the trip is expected to last more than a few minutes, it would be prudent to bring along a bowl of water, especially if the weather is warm.
Some owners attempt to have water in the vehicle at all times so it is always available for the pet. Unfortunately, placing a water bowl in a vehicle frequently results in spills from the water sloshing around in the bowl due to vehicle motion. Even if the bowl is only half full, typical vehicle motions such as starts, stops, turns and bumps can cause the water to slosh, creating waves which exceed the height of the bowl rim. Spills can soak into the vehicle carpet resulting in the growth of molds, mildew, odors, and rust of the vehicle body. Previous efforts to reduce spills in vehicles have focused primarily on beverage containers for human use and little effort has been dedicated to pet water containers.
One obvious previous solution that provides water to pets without the potential of spilling liquid in the vehicle is to provide water to the pet only when the vehicle is stopped, and remove the water when the travel resumes. While this method certainly avoids sloshes and spills, the pet may not receive adequate water. Pets are often excited at the start and end of a trip and may be too preoccupied with the people and events to drink adequate water. A dehydrated pet may also drink too much water too fast resulting in the animal becoming sick. In addition, on long trips, infrequent water stops may result in poor time coordination with the pet's need for water and need to urinate. It is clear that a need exists for a water container that can be used in a moving motor vehicle and resists spills due to splashing and sloshing.
One attempt to address the need for a mobile dog bowl is a fabric bowl sewn in a bowl shape with the opening at the top of the bowl somewhat smaller than the bottom of the bowl. The fabric is either covered with a waterproof coating or layered with a waterproof material.
These fabric bowls are light and fold neatly to save space when not needed. Because the opening at the top is slightly smaller than at the bottom of the bowl, if the container is half full or less, it resists spills resulting from waves and splashes.
However, the soft sides of these bowls make them a natural spill-risk if they are filled more than about half way. Since only about half the bowl volume is useable, the size of the bowl must be larger to compensate. The soft sides and bottom of the bowl make it necessary to place the bowl on a rigid level surface, typically in an area where the pet might walk. As a result, the pet can step on the soft side of the bowl, flattening the side and spilling the entire contents of the bowl.
Another attempt to minimize spilling is to add an inward facing lip to the bowl. These bowls (sometime known as “Spill-Less” bowls or “SmartBowls”) have a smoothly curved lip around the rim facing inward toward the center of the bowl. When the bowl is subjected to a sudden movement, the resulting wave travels under the lip before striking the side of the bowl. As the wave hits the side of the bowl the resulting splash moves upward under the lip and is redirected toward the center of the bowl instead of spilling over the edge and out of the bowl.
While these bowls are much better at resisting spills due to sloshing than conventional bowls, they are only moderately effective. The inherent problem is that in order to accommodate the lip, the opening in the top of the bowl must be significantly smaller than the diameter of the bowl. As a result, the bowl contains a volume of fluid much greater than the opening in the top of the bowl would otherwise dictate. When subjected to motion, the large volume of fluid in motion and its energy result in larger waves that easily overwhelm the inward-facing lip. Moderate motion causes a severe wave that is taller than the lip and simply sloshes over the side of the bowl. Also, shorter severe waves that travel under the lip and are redirected by the inward facing lip back toward the center of the bowl with enough energy to cause a splash over the opposite side of the bowl.
Coffee mugs designed for automotive use also resist spills due to vehicle movement. While there are many designs of mobile coffee mugs, all involve small openings in the top that allow fluid to flow at moderate rates when the mug is tilted, as in the human drinking process. The openings are small enough to prevent rapid fluid flow that may spill or splash over the rim of the container. These prior art containers are not applicable to the pet or animal markets since pets cannot tilt the container to drink. Pets require a large opening in the top of the container to access the water for drinking.
Accordingly, a need exists for an open-top fluid container that can effectively resist spills due to motion, one specific application being a water bowl for pets in a moving vehicle. Also, such a container must be efficient in size and fluid capacity to be appropriate for confined spaces such as motor vehicles and pet carriers.
There is also a need for a method or system to mount this type of container in a vehicle that reduces the likelihood that a pet will step in it or on it causing the container to spill. This mounting system should also allow placement of the container in a location easily accessible by a pet. Ideally this mounting method would be inexpensive, simple, and reduce the vehicle floor space consumed by the container.
A spill-resistant fluid container is described herein, which includes a liquid-holding chamber that has a plurality of cavities within the chamber. The cavities are circumferentially arranged so as to define a central area with in the chamber. Each of the cavities has an opening so that the cavities are in fluid communication with each other. These cavities are open at the top to permit fluid to flow from one to adjacent cavities when waves exceed the height of the cavity walls.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the cavities are made of a plurality of baffles located within the chamber and arranged substantially concentric with an oblong outer wall of the chamber. The baffles are separated from each other so as to allow fluid to pass between them. A plurality of ribs is also located within the chamber. Each rib is located between, and arranged substantially perpendicular to, the outer wall of the chamber and a different one of the plurality of baffles.
In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the ribs has a height that is greater than the baffles.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the chamber has a top section with an inner-lip section that has a substantially cylindrical or curved inner surface defining an opening in the top section of the chamber. In one embodiment, the inner surface is substantially parallel with an outer wall of the chamber. In another embodiment, the inner surface is arranged at an angle defined by a line running from an outer wall of the chamber to a center point above the chamber.
The top section also has an outer-lip portion that spans from a top edge of the outside wall of the chamber to a bottom edge of the inner-lip portion. An upper edge of the inner-lip portion is approximately co-planar with the upper edge of the outer wall of the chamber. Furthermore, the outer-lip portion is provided with a plurality of openings.
In one more embodiment of the present invention, the top section of the chamber is removably attached to the chamber and the inner-lip portion is oblong in shape.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the container has a lower portion that extends from a bottom surface of the chamber, so that the container can be attached to various objects.
In still other embodiments of the present invention, the container has a lower portion that has fastening points adapted for accepting brackets, mounting hardware, and other accessories for mounting the container to animal cages, anti-tip platforms, bean-bag bases and other accessories.
The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention.
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.
The following discussion is directed to preferred embodiments of spill-resistant fluid container that can be used as a pet water bowl.
The bowl portion 12 includes a liquid-holding chamber 16 and lower mounting portion 18. An imaginary line 8, used herein to add clarity to this discussion, runs through the center of the bowl portion 12 and top section 14 and is shown in
Top section 14 has two main sub-portions: an outer lip portion 30 and an inner lip portion 32. Inner lip portion 32 resembles is a thin sleeve surrounding the imaginary line 8. In one embodiment, the inner lip portion 32 is orientated so that its inner surface is substantially parallel to the imaginary line 8. In another embodiment, the inner lip portion 32 is inclined upward towards the imaginary line 8 in a direction away from the inside cavity formed by the bowl section 12. The inner lip portion 32 acts as a barrier to prevent liquid from exiting the bowl section 12 by directing waves underneath both lip portions 30 and 32.
Outer lip portion 30 slants downward from an outermost perimeter wall 15 of the top section 14 toward the center of the bowl and terminates at a connection to a bottom edge of the inner lip 32. The configuration of the outer lip portion 30 and inner lip portion 32 resembles a V-shape and can be seen most clearly in the cross-sectional view of
The outer lip 30 is provided with a plurality of openings 34 adjacent the inner lip 32. The downward slant of the outer lip portion 30 redirects liquid that overcomes the inner lip 32 to the openings 34 and, therefore, back into the bowl. The openings 34 are large enough and are in sufficient quantity to allow fluid to drain rapidly, but not so large and numerous that waves under the lip portions can flow through fast enough and with enough energy to overwhelm the outer edge of top section 14. Holes 34 may alternatively be located in inner lip 32, or partially in both of lip portions 30 and 32 near the junction of these lip portions.
Optionally, as shown in
Referring back to
Turning now to
Wave dampeners 20 separate a large portion of the fluid volume in liquid-holding chamber 16 from an open top central chamber area 42. Since bowl volume is a function of the radius squared, a relatively large volume of fluid, approaching 20-80% of upper bowl 16 volume, can be separated from the main area or central chamber area 42 with modest sized perimeter cavities 40. It is important to note that other volumes of cavity 42 from 10-90% have been shown to be used advantageously with the present invention.
Wave dampeners 20 have small openings 26 that allow restricted fluid flow between perimeter cavities 40 and main cavity 42. Openings 26 are small such that the dynamic energy of the fluid in the perimeter cavities 40 does not contribute to the wave motion in main cavity 42. Additionally, limited or restricted fluid flow between adjacent perimeter cavities effectively prevents wave motion within and between perimeter cavities. As a result, when subjected to movement, the waves and the dynamic energy of the fluid in bowl assembly 10 is greatly reduced. While the figures show openings 26 in baffles 24, similar openings may also be used in ribs 22.
Referring now to
Reference is made now to
The embodiment of the present invention depicted in the figures is designed to be molded in plastic polymer which is well suited for high volume, low cost production. Many of the features of this embodiment are designed to accommodate the molding process. For example, the openings 26 are depicted as narrow vertical slots to accommodate the molding process, even though a hole in baffle 24 near the bottom of the liquid-holding chamber would suffice, but be more difficult and costly to produce. Similarly, the shape, location, and thickness of the features of bowl 10 are all selected to accommodate the molding process while achieving the objectives of the invention. Other applications of this invention may result in very different variations to accommodate the specific application and processes. For example, an aircraft application may result in a container of the subject invention fabricated from thin aluminum sheet riveted or welded together. Such a variation may have different shapes, sizes and locations for openings 26 and wave dampeners 20 without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The above figures and discussion describe a preferred embodiment of the present invention where the container is a pet water bowl for use in a moving vehicle. As is obvious from the above discussion, there are many other applications for the present invention, for example, soup pots for use in boats, trains, recreational vehicles (RVs) and aircraft.
In addition, the container can be constructed in various materials using various assembly methods. Features of the invention can be incorporated into a single part, or they can be assembled as many separate parts. For example, the pet bowl could be a single molded plastic part, while the present invention suited for high temperature-liquids may have a separate metal portion, separate fin, or perimeter cavity portion, and a separate top section. The above variations as well as other variations and applications obvious to those skilled in the art are within the scope of this invention. It is important to note that top portion 14 is removable from the bowl portion 12 and in another embodiment, the top portion 14 is permanently affixed to the bowl portion.
In one embodiment, the container has an attachable lid that will prevent fluid from exiting the container even if the container is turned upside down. In another embodiment, the container is provided with a surface location to label the animal's name. The location can be a flat surface for applying a sticker or can be an attachable label.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the lower mounting portion 18 is a water-tight chamber that is in fluidic communication with the liquid-holding chamber 16. The lower mounting portion can then be used as an extra liquid-holding reservoir. In variations of this embodiment, the lower mounting portion 18 can be provided with a heating element for heating the liquid or a cooling element for cooling the liquid. The lower mounting portion 18 can have an adapter to attach hot or cold packs. In yet another embodiment, the lower mounting potion 18 is provided with a stirring element for stirring the liquid in the chamber 16.
While the various embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
This application is based upon and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/612,312, filed on Sep. 23, 2004 the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60612312 | Sep 2004 | US |
