Food container having compatibility with an automatic feeding assembly

Abstract

A container suitable for storing animal food therein, comprising: a) a container base defining a food cavity, the container base including one or more flanges including and / or forming one or more keying features; and b) a lid removably fixed to the container base, the lid including: i) a handling portion including the bottom surface of the lid, one or more of which is exposed; ii) the handling portion extending beyond the container base such that the bottom surface of the lid is exposed, and further including a reinforcing structure fixed to the container base; or iii) the handling portion extending away from the container base and together with the reinforcing features of one or more flanges fixed to the container base, and further configured to be engaged to peel the lid from the container base. The container includes the lid and includes one of the above.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] <Cross - Reference to Related Applications> This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 341,962, filed on May 13, 2022, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0002] <Technical Field> The present disclosure relates to a container with a removable lid useful for containing food. The present disclosure can be particularly used when providing a container having compatibility with an automatic feeding assembly so as to be able to open a container that provides food displayed therein for later ingestion.

[0003] <Background> Automatic pet food feeders in today's market are typically compatible with dry food, also commonly referred to as kibble. Although there are some automatic pet food feeders that are compatible with wet food, they are not compatible with wet food packages. For example, some automatic feeders include a plurality of individual compartments formed therein. The pet owner distributes wet food from individual containers or pouches into each compartment. Then, the feeder exposes each compartment one at a time based on a timer to provide the animal with access to the food in the compartment. Such feeders, although automatic, still require the pet owner to open the package and distribute the food. Once the food is placed in the feeder, it is not sealed against spoilage, and due to spoilage, the feeder can only be left in a dispensing state for a limited period to feed the animal. Also, since the wet food is placed directly in the feeding compartment, the feeder needs to be cleaned frequently, indicating problems.

[0004] In the development of an automatic feeder that is capable of cooperating with a container having a peelable lid, storing a plurality of containers therein, automatically opening the container by peeling off the lid, and providing the container to an animal so that food can be directly ingested therefrom, many problems have been found with existing containers and their plastic or foil lids.

[0005] One of the common problems seen in containers with lids removable by peeling is that the lid often does not peel off completely, and lid residues remain attached to the rim of the container base. This may simply be said to be a nuisance that can be solved by manually removing the residues in the case of manual lid removal by the user, but this may render the function of the automatic feeder ineffective. Depending on the amount of lid material remaining attached to the container base, the path to the food in the container may be blocked by the remaining part of the lid material, causing the animal to feel discomfort or even completely preventing access to the food. Therefore, there is a need for a container having a lid that can be peeled off cleanly without leaving lid residues on the container base.

[0006] Another problem seen in the development of an automatic feeder is the amount of wet food that can scatter during the automatic feeding process in the feeder. Wet food for animals has a unique odor and may produce an undesirable strong odor when it spoils. Due to the magnitude of the force required for a typical container to overcome the bond between the lid and the container base and peel the lid from the container base, food scattering is likely to occur during lid removal. Therefore, what is needed is a container that can reduce the amount of peel start force and / or peel end force (e.g., peel start at the leading edge and / or peel end at the trailing edge) for the purpose of assisting in lid removal and reducing scattering.

[0007] When providing a container having compatibility with an automatic feeder, one of the other challenges is to provide a container that is attractive to pets for direct consumption therefrom, along with internal food storage (e.g., during transportation, home storage, in the feeder). Today, there are many single-use disposable containers, but pet owners often recognize that they themselves transfer food from the container to the feeding dish. Pets, most often cats, do not prefer to consume from a specific shape or type of feeding container. For example, a container having sharp corners inside restricts access to the food, prevents comfortable access by the animal's tongue due to a small container opening diameter, and the sharp rim of a metal can or plastic base may come into contact with the animal's face. Accordingly, there is a need for a container that not only has compatibility with the feeding assembly but is also attractive and comfortable for the animal to directly consume food therefrom.

[0008] <Summary> The present disclosure relates to a container suitable for storing animal food therein, the container comprising: a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to hold food therein; and b) a lid removably secured to the container base, the lid including: i) a handling portion extending beyond the container base and configured to engage a container opening structure for peeling the lid from the container base.

[0009] The present disclosure relates to a container suitable for storing animal food therein, comprising: a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to hold food therein, the container base including and / or forming one or more flanges including one or more keying features configured to form one or more orientations of the container; and b) a lid removably fixed to the container base, the lid being configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container, the lid including a handling portion including the bottom surface of the lid, the bottom surface of the lid being exposed from one or more flanges and / or one or more rims of the container base, the handling portion further including a reinforcing structure fixed to the container base and extending beyond the container base such that the bottom surface of the lid is exposed (e.g., from one or more flanges), or the handling portion extending away from the container base and together with a reinforcing feature of one or more flanges fixed to the container base and being configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container.

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a container suitable for storing animal food therein, comprising: a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to hold food therein, the container base including and / or forming one or more flanges including one or more keying features configured to form one or more orientations of the container; b) a lid removably fixed to the container base, the lid being configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container, the lid including: i) a handling portion including the bottom surface of the lid, which is exposed from one or more flanges and / or one or more rims of the container base; ii) a handling portion including a reinforcing structure fixed to the container base and extending beyond the container base such that the bottom surface of the lid is exposed (e.g., from one or more flanges); or iii) a handling portion extending away from the container base and together with reinforcing features of one or more flanges fixed to the container base, and being further configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container; and c) one or more seal members for removably fixing the lid to the container base, the one or more seal members including two or more opposing stress-increasing features formed as portions of the seal member so as to be concentration points and / or taper points at the leading edge and the trailing edge.

[0011] The present disclosure relates to a container suitable for storing animal food therein, comprising: a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to hold food therein, the container base including and / or forming one or more keying features configured to form one or more orientations of the container within a feeding assembly, within a cartridge magazine, or within both, the one or more keying features including one or more flanges; and one or more lid reinforcement features fixed to the lid and configured to be removably fixed to the remaining portion of one or more flanges, rims, or both; b) a lid removably fixed to the container base and configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container, the lid including a handling portion extending away from the container base and together with the lid reinforcement features of one or more flanges fixed to the container base, and further configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container base; c) one or more seal members, including: a first seal member removably fixing the lid to the container base, disposed between the rim of the container base and / or one or more flanges and the lid, and disposed around the opening of the food cavity, and further including two or more opposing stress-increasing features formed as portions of the seal member to serve as concentration points and / or taper points at the leading and trailing edges; and d) a second seal member fixing the lid reinforcement features of one or more flanges to the handling portion of the lid such that the lid reinforcement features remain adhered to the lid when the lid is peeled from the container base.

[0012] The present disclosure provides a container suitable for use with an automatic feeding assembly. The container may be suitable for storing and sealing wet food therein. The container can have a removable lid. The lid can be configured to interact with the feeding assembly for peeling. The container can include a handling portion configured to cooperate with a container opening sub-assembly. The handling portion can provide a consistent placement of the lid relative to the container opening sub-assembly. The container can include lid reinforcement features or a lid reinforcement structure. The lid reinforcement features can assist in receiving and distributing the peeling force. The container can include one or more seal members. The seal members can have stress increasing features. The stress increasing features can create one or more concentration points and / or taper points near the leading edge and / or trailing edge of the lid. The stress increasing features can assist in orienting the peeling force, or assist in reducing the required peeling force as compared to the case where the stress increasing features are absent, or assist in both. The stress increasing features can assist in reducing and / or eliminating the possibility that lid residues remain adhered to the container base, or assist in reducing spattering at the start of opening and / or at the end of peeling, or any combination thereof. The container can be relatively shallow with a rounded edge that provides a comfortable eating experience for the animal.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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[0014] <Detailed Description> The descriptions and examples presented in this specification are intended to make the teachings of this specification, its basic principles and its actual applications well-known to those skilled in the art. The specific embodiments of the teachings described are not intended to cover or limit the teachings. The scope of the teachings should be determined with reference to the appended claims along the entire scope of equivalents of the claims to be granted. The disclosures of all discussions and references, including patent applications and published documents, are incorporated by reference for all purposes. Other combinations obtainable from the following claims are also possible and are incorporated by reference into the description herein.

[0015] <Container> The present teachings relate to a container. The container has a function of storing food inside and is used as a feeding dish from which animals can ingest, and may be compatible with an automatic feeding assembly that automatically opens the container, or may be compatible with an automatic feeding assembly that provides food to the animals that ingest from it, or may be compatible with any combination of these. The container can seal the food inside so as to extend the shelf life of the food and avoid the need for refrigeration.

[0016] The food can include any type of food suitable for ingestion by animals. The food here can include wet food, dry food or both. The wet food can include ground and / or shredded protein (such as meat), vegetables, grains, fruits and / or the like, which are utilized in a state of being put into a liquid or mixed with a liquid. The liquid can refer to water, broth, gravy or other liquids. The dry food can refer to food that is substantially free of liquid or food in the form of granular material or both.

[0017] The container may include a container base, a lid, a sealing member, an identifier, or the like or a combination thereof.

[0018] The container may include a lid removably coupled to the container base. The container base may define a hollow cavity (e.g., a food cavity) for containing food.

[0019] The container may have a symmetric or asymmetric shape. The symmetry may be with respect to an axis or a plane intersecting both the container base and the lid.

[0020] The container may include one or more positioning features (e.g., keying features, alignment features, engagement features). The one or more positioning features enable the container to be placed in a correct orientation within the feeding assembly. The one or more positioning features may include a plurality of positioning features. The plurality of positioning features may enable a single correct orientation or a plurality of correct orientations within the feeding assembly. Features within the container may appear more than once within the container to form two or more “correct” orientations of the container within the container storage assembly. Features within the container may appear only once or in a specific pattern to form only a single “correct” orientation of the container within one container storage assembly.

[0021] The container may have an open configuration, a closed configuration, a partially open configuration, or the like or any combination thereof.

[0022] The closed configuration can enable the transportation and storage of the container. Transportation can refer to the movement of the container from the production facility to the retail store, user, user's residence, and / or the like. Storage can refer to the storage at any point between production and use, including the interior of the feeding assembly itself. The closed configuration can mean that the lid of the container is disposed on and sealed to the container base. In the closed configuration, the lid can cooperate with the cavity base to completely seal the cavity of the cavity base. In the closed configuration, the lid can be adhesively attachable or otherwise fixable to the flange and / or rim of the container base. In the closed configuration, the seal member can seal the lid to the container base. In the closed configuration, the lid may be fixed to the rim and / or flange via the seal member. It may be possible to change the container to the closed configuration even after the container has been opened. In other words, even after the container has been opened, it may be possible to reseal the container base with the same lid that was used to seal the container initially.

[0023] An open configuration and / or a partially open configuration may allow access to the food inside the container, direct ingestion of the food from the container (e.g., by an animal), access to the food placed in the feeding dish, or any combination thereof. The open configuration may mean removing the lid of the container from the container base so that the cavity of the container is exposed. By exposing the cavity, access to the food stored inside can be enabled. The open configuration may mean removing or separating the lid and / or the sealing member from the container base by other means. Part or all of the sealing member may remain on the container base, on the lid, or on both when the lid is removed from the container base. The open configuration may mean that the casing is at least partially opened to expose the food stored inside. Thereafter, the food can be removed from the casing, or the casing can be removed from the food. The open configuration may mean that the entire cavity of the container base is exposed. The partially open configuration may mean that only a part of the cavity of the container base is exposed. In the open configuration, the lid may be completely removed from the container base or may remain partially attached. By removal, it may be possible to separate and dispose of the lid from the container base. By remaining partially attached, it may be possible to reuse the lid to reseal the container base, dispose of it together with the container base, or both.

[0024] The container can cooperate with the feeding assembly so as to transition from a closed configuration to an open configuration and / or a partially open configuration, or vice versa from an open configuration and / or a partially closed configuration to a closed configuration.

[0025] The user can manually transition the container from a closed configuration to an open configuration or vice versa from an open configuration to a closed configuration.

[0026] The container can include a container base. The container base can function to store food inside. The container base can function as a feeding dish for an animal to directly ingest from the container base. The container base can define an internal volume in which food can be placed. The food cavity can be defined by the internal volume. The container base can include one or more storage portions, rims, flanges, keying features, alignment features, engagement features, lid access features, lid reinforcement features or the like or combinations thereof.

[0027] The container base can include a storage portion. The storage portion can define a hollow cavity for containing food. The storage portion can be the part of the container where the animal ingests. The storage portion can define the volume of food that can be stored within the container base. The storage portion can include one or more bottom walls, side walls, food cavities or the like or any combination thereof.

[0028] The bottom wall can define the bottom surface of the container. The bottom wall can cooperate with the lid and one or more side walls to seal the food stored within the container. The bottom wall can cooperate with one or more side walls to define the food cavity. The bottom wall can have one or more features for adding strength to the container, or for stacking with other containers, or for providing stability when placed on a surface, or for enabling easy removal from a stack, or the like or any combination of these things.

[0029] The bottom wall can have internally formed pantos. The pantos can define concave portions and / or cut-out portions of the bottom wall. The pantos can be upward cut-outs, cut-outs towards an opening defined by a rim, cut-outs towards the lid or any combination thereof. Also, the pantos can enable the bottom wall of the container to provide space for placing one or more labels, identifiers or other information internally or on top.

[0030] The bottom wall can have a cross-sectional shape (a cutting plane parallel to the longitudinal plane and / or the horizontal plane) or an overall two-dimensional planar shape (when viewed from above or below) that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal) or similar. The two-dimensional planar shape of the bottom wall may or may not include vertices. The planar shape of the bottom wall may be the same as or different from the cross-sectional shape or planar shape of one or more side walls, food cavities, rims, flanges, and / or lids. The bottom wall may have one or more side walls extending therefrom.

[0031] One or more side walls can define the outer surface of the container base. The one or more side walls can determine a part, most or all of the volume and / or height of the container and / or the container base. The one or more side walls may extend from the bottom wall. The one or more side walls can have a closed end and a free end. The closed end can be the end adjacent to the bottom wall. The free end can be the end that defines the rim of the container base. The one or more side walls can have a cross-sectional shape (a cutting plane parallel to the longitudinal plane and / or the horizontal plane) or an overall two-dimensional planar shape (when viewed from top to bottom or from bottom to top) that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal) and / or similar thereto or can form the same. The two-dimensional planar shape of the one or more side walls can be the same as or different from the cross-sectional shape or planar shape of the bottom wall, the food cavity, the rim, the flange and / or the lid. The two-dimensional planar shape of the one or more side walls can be without vertices or can include vertices. The absence of vertices can assist in allowing the animal to access all of the food in the container without or with minimal food clogging in the corner areas. The vertices can provide an overall shape that is easier to package and / or can provide more storage volume and / or can do similar things. A rounded shape without vertices can provide a single side wall, while a shape with two or more vertices can provide three or more side walls. The vertices at the container base can be provided as rounded corner areas to alleviate problems related to access to the food.

[0032] One or more side walls can extend from the bottom surface at a substantially perpendicular angle, an obtuse angle, or both angles. The angle can be the angle between the bottom surface and the side wall measured within the food cavity. The angle can be about 90° or more, about 95° or more, about 100° or more. The angle can be about 150° or less, about 140° or less, about 130° or less, or even about 120° or less. The angle can be about 95° to about 120°. One or more side walls can define a food cavity having a diameter or width that narrows toward the base rather than toward the rim. Such widening toward the opening can facilitate access by an animal to food within the food cavity.

[0033] The container base can have a radius of curvature where the bottom wall transitions to the side wall. The curved transition can facilitate an animal's access to and ingestion of all food within the food cavity by eliminating sharp edges and corners. The radius of curvature can refer to a radius measured inside the container base (e.g., from within the food cavity) and / or from outside the container base. The radius of curvature can be the same or different between the inside and the outside. The radius of curvature can be about 1.5 mm or more, about 3 mm or more, about 5 mm or more, or even about 7 mm or more. The radius of curvature can be about 20 mm or less, about 15 mm or less, about 12.5 mm or less, or even about 10 mm or less.

[0034] The container base can have a radius of curvature where the bottom wall is continuous with one or more side walls. One or more side walls may not be definable as separate from the bottom wall. In other words, the container base can have a concave, hemispherical, or similar (e.g., bowl-shaped) overall shape.

[0035] The container base can be configured to be relatively shallow. The shallowness can be determined by the height of one or more side walls from the outside of the bottom wall to the top of the container base (the rim, flange and / or the upper surface of the side wall) (e.g., from the bottom wall to the rim). The shallowness can enable an animal to easily access the food at the bottom of the container. The height of the container base can be about 1 cm or more, about 2 cm or more, about 3 cm or more or even about 4 cm or more. The height of the container base can be about 10 cm or less, about 8 cm or less or even about 6 cm or less.

[0036] The container base can be configured to preserve the volume of the food. The volume can be about 20 mL or more, about 30 mL or more or even about 50 mL or more. The volume can be about 100 mL or less, about 80 mL or less or even 70 mL or less.

[0037] The container base can include one or more rims. The one or more rims can function as the outer edge of the container base, one or more flanges or both. The one or more rims may include one or more flanges or may be separate from the one or more flanges. The one or more rims may be arranged on the opposite side of the bottom wall, or may be the free end of the side wall, or both. The one or more rims may be in direct contact with the lid (e.g., when the container is in a closed configuration), or may be adhered to the lid, or both. The one or more rims can have or can form a cross-sectional shape (a cutting plane parallel to the longitudinal plane and / or the horizontal plane) or an overall two-dimensional planar shape that is substantially circular, oval, egg-shaped, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal), lobed and / or similar thereto or (when viewed from above or below). The two-dimensional planar shape of the one or more rims may be the same as or different from the cross-sectional shape or planar shape of the bottom wall, one or more side walls, the food cavity, one or more flanges and / or the lid.

[0038] The rim may have a substantially planar surface, a non-planar surface, or both. The rim may define the edge of one or more sidewalls. The rim may extend outwardly, inwardly, upwardly, downwardly, or any combination thereof with respect to one or more sidewalls. The rim may extend laterally from one or more sidewalls outwardly and / or substantially orthogonally. Extending laterally outwardly may be substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis, or parallel to the transverse plane, or parallel to the flange plane, or parallel to the horizontal plane, or any combination thereof. The portion of the rim that extends outwardly from the upper edge of the sidewall may be defined as the upper surface and / or side of the rim. The rim may extend downwardly. The portion that extends downwardly may be defined as the portion of the rim that protrudes downwardly. The rim may protrude approximately outwardly (e.g., in a direction away from the sidewall or vertical axis) and then approximately downwardly (e.g., approximately parallel to the sidewall or vertical axis). The rim may or may not define one or more flanges. One or more flanges may be defined as the portion of the rim that protrudes laterally outwardly from the sidewall, the portion of the container base that protrudes laterally away from the portion of the rim that extends approximately downwardly, or both.

[0039] The container base may include one or more flanges. The one or more flanges can function to provide a surface to which a lid is adhered, to cooperate with one or more container storage sub-assemblies, to cooperate with one or more container handling sub-assemblies, to cooperate with or for similar purposes to a container magazine, or for any combination thereof. The flange may extend from a storage portion. The flange may extend from one or more side walls, one or more rims or both. The flange can extend from and / or define the rim of the container base. The flange can be separated from, fixed to, or integral with the rim of the container base. The flange can be a portion that extends outwardly in the lateral direction of the rim. The flange can extend substantially laterally from a side wall below the rim, or from a portion projecting downward from the rim, or below the upper surface of the rim, or from any combination thereof. In other words, the flange can be disposed along any portion of the height of one or more side walls and / or rims. The flange can be biased more towards the rim, towards the upper surface of the rim and / or towards the upper surface of the side wall. The flange can provide a surface for handling the container, for adhering a lid, for supporting a sealing member or for any combination thereof. The flange can cooperate with one or more container storage sub-assemblies, container handling sub-assemblies, container opening sub-assemblies, container holding sub-assemblies, or the like or any combination thereof.

[0040] The flange can have a cross-sectional shape (a cutting plane parallel to the flange, the longitudinal plane, and / or the horizontal plane) that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal), lobe-shaped, and / or similar thereto, or an overall two-dimensional planar shape (when viewed from above or below). The flange can have a shape that is asymmetric or symmetric with respect to one or more planes. The flange can have a shape without a plane of symmetry, a shape with a single plane of symmetry, or a shape with two or more planes of symmetry. The flange shape can assist in the orientation of the container.

[0041] The flange and / or rim may have a predetermined width. The predetermined width of the flange and / or rim is a width that can provide a sufficient surface for fixing to the lid, for cooperation with a sealing member, for cooperation with one or more components of the feeding assembly, or for similar purposes or any combination thereof. The width of the flange and / or rim can be measured substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis, or from the edge facing the feeding cavity to the opposite edge facing outward, or both. The width of the flange and the width of the rim may numerically and / or structurally be different or the same. For example, the rim may be a flange, or the flange may be separate from the rim. If they are the same, they can share the same width. If they are different, they can have the same width or different widths. The width of the flange and / or rim may be about 2 mm or more, about 3 mm or more, about 3.5 mm or more, about 3.8 mm or more, about 4 mm or more, about 4.5 mm or more, or even about 4.7 mm or more. The width of the flange and / or rim may be about 250 mm or less, about 225 mm or less, about 200 mm or less, about 180 mm or less, about 150 mm or less, about 125 mm or less, about 100 mm or less, about 75 mm or less, about 50 mm or less, about 25 mm or less, about 15 mm or less, about 12 mm or less, about 10 mm or less, about 7 mm or less, or even about 6 mm or less. The width of the rim and / or flange may be substantially uniform, variable, or both. For example, the width of the rim and / or flange may be substantially uniform around most of the circumference of the storage portion and / or the container base, but may vary in the vicinity of the lid access feature, lid reinforcement feature, front edge of the lid, or a combination thereof.

[0042] The container base and / or one or more overall dimensions of the container can be defined by a flange and / or a rim. The outermost edge of the container and / or the container base can be defined by the edge and / or the surface facing outward of the flange and / or the rim. The width and / or length of the container and / or the container base can be defined by the flange and / or the rim. The width of the container and / or the container base may extend across the widest part, perpendicular to the longitudinal plane, parallel to the transverse plane, or a combination thereof. The length of the container and / or the container base may be the length across the longest part, the length parallel to the longitudinal plane, the length perpendicular to the transverse plane, the length parallel to the front plane, the length from the front (near the front edge) to the back (near the rear edge), or a combination thereof. The width of the container and / or the container base may be about 75 mm or more, about 85 mm or more, about 90 mm or more, or even about 95 mm or more. The width of the container and / or the container base may be about 130 mm or less, about 120 mm or less, about 110 mm or less, or even about 100 mm or less. The length of the container may be about 75 mm or more, about 90 mm or more, about 100 mm or more, or even about 105 mm or more. The length of the container may be about 150 mm or less, about 140 mm or less, about 130 mm or less, about 120 mm or less, or even about 115 mm or less.

[0043] The rim and / or flange may be substantially planar, non-planar, or both. The rim and / or flange may be substantially planar (e.g., upper surface, lower surface), while having one or more non-planar features formed therein and / or fixed thereto. The rim (or its upper surface) may be substantially planar, while the flange may be substantially planar, may have non-planar features, or both. Non-planar features may include one or more keying features, engagement features, alignment features, lid access features, lid reinforcement features, and / or the like.

[0044] The flange may include one or more keying features, engagement features, alignment features, lid access features, lid reinforcement features, and / or the like.

[0045] The container may or may not include one or more keying features. The one or more keying features can function to be keyable to engage the container with a feeding assembly, a container magazine, or both. The one or more keying features can assist a human in correctly orienting the container, one or more parts of a feeding assembly in correctly orienting the container, or even one or more machines in correctly orienting in an assembly process. The one or more keying features can function to be keyable to engage the container with a container storage subassembly, a container magazine, a container handling subassembly, a container holding subassembly, a waste collection subassembly, or the like or any combination thereof. The one or more keying features can be formed and / or fixed to any suitable part of the container. The one or more keying features can be formed, included, and / or fixed in one or more rims, flanges, sidewalls, bottom walls, lids, or the like or any combination thereof.

[0046] One or more keying features can be a contour change in one or more portions of the container base. The one or more keying features can include one or more recesses, protrusions, projections, cuts, flat surfaces, straight edges, or the like or any combination thereof. The one or more keying features can include the overall shape of the flange, the two-dimensional shape of the flange, or both. For example, the flange can have a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is non-circular or lacks radial symmetry or both. For example, a teardrop shape, an oval shape, a circle with lobes, an ellipse with blunt ends, or the like or a combination thereof. Such shapes can assist in forming a limited correct orientation and thus a correct placement. Example keying features can include one or more notches, tabs, rounded portions, and / or flat portions. The keying features can be formed on the flange so as not to affect the storage volume or storage shape of the storage portion of the container base. The keying features can be formed on the flange to assist in the correct orientation of a shape having two or more planes of symmetry (e.g., square, rectangular, circular). The one or more keying features can include one or more pockets formed in the flange.

[0047] One or more keying features may include a single keying feature or multiple keying features. The keying features may or may not be arranged in a mirror image on opposite parts of the container. The mirror image arrangement can form one or more correct orientations of the container. For example, the mirror image arrangement of keying features using a container base (e.g., a flange) that has symmetry only with respect to one plane can form only one correct orientation. For example, the mirror image arrangement of keying features using a container base (e.g., a flange) that has symmetry with respect to two or more planes can form two or more correct orientations. The multiple keying features can include two or more, three or more, four or more, or even six or more keying features. The multiple keying features may all be the same or may be different from each other. One or more keying features can have the same shape and / or the same dimensions and / or a different shape and / or different dimensions as one or more other keying features. For example, all of the keying features can be notches. As another example, some keying features can be notches and other keying features can be straight edges. As another example, a single keying feature can be the overall two-dimensional shape of one flange.

[0048] One or more keying features can include, or function as, or be distinct from, one or more alignment features, engagement features, lid access features, lid reinforcement features, or the like or combinations thereof.

[0049] The container may or may not include one or more alignment features. The one or more alignment features can facilitate alignment of the container within the container storage subassembly, within the container magazine, within the container handling subassembly, or within any combination of these. The one or more alignment features can facilitate alignment of the container within the hopper, within the cartridge magazine, within the shuttle assembly, within the gripper assembly, within the lifting wedge, or within or in a combination of these or the like. The one or more alignment features can facilitate maintenance of a properly oriented container during movement within the feeding assembly, loading of the container, or both. The one or more alignment features can prevent rotation, wobbling, or rotational misalignment of a container once loaded into the container storage subassembly, container magazine, container handling subassembly, or any combination of these.

[0050] The one or more alignment features can include a change in the contour of the rim, flange, bottom wall, side wall, or any combination of these. The one or more alignment features can include one or more cutouts, protrusions, planar surfaces, planar edges, rounded surfaces, rounded edges, or any combination of these in the rim, flange, bottom wall, side wall, or any combination of these. The one or more alignment features can include a change in the contour at the upper and / or lower and / or peripheral edges of the rim, flange, bottom wall, side wall, or combination of these. The one or more alignment features can include one or more protrusions extending laterally away from the lid, or generally parallel to the vertical axis, or towards the bottom wall, or in any combination of these directions, from the rim and / or flange of the container base. The one or more alignment features can have a shape opposite to or can form an opposing shape to one or more parts of the container storage subassembly, container magazine, container handling subassembly, or any combination of these.

[0051] One or more alignment features can be disposed at one or more engagement points with one or more components of the feeding assembly. The one or more alignment features can be biased towards the rear of the container, towards the front of the container, towards the leading edge and / or trailing edge, towards the sides of the container, or towards any combination thereof. The one or more alignment features may be centered exactly or off-center with respect to the front plane, longitudinal plane, or both. The one or more alignment features may or may not be mirror-image arranged with respect to one or more other alignment features. The one or more alignment features may be mirror-image arranged with respect to one or more opposing alignment features. The one or more alignment features can be arranged on opposing sides with respect to the front plane, longitudinal plane, or both.

[0052] One or more alignment features are capable of cooperating with the cradle, one or more arm pairs, or both. Cooperation can include engagement, joining, formation of friction surfaces, formation of passages, formation of opposing surfaces, or any combination thereof. For example, one or more alignment features can form a passage (e.g., a C-shaped passage) with the side wall of the container and the bottom surface of the flange. For example, one or more alignment features can include two or more protrusions that project from the side wall to form grooves and / or passages around at least a portion of the container base. For example, one or more alignment features can include one or more notches or protrusions that form grooves or passages in the bottom wall. The passages and / or grooves can receive a portion of the cradle, one or more arms, a support plate (e.g., of a handling subassembly), or a combination thereof, and can assist in maintaining the container base in a stationary position relative thereto. For example, one or more alignment features can be a planar portion of a mostly curved side wall. The planar portion of the side wall can be aligned with a planar portion of a container handling subassembly, a container storage subassembly, or both.

[0053] The container may or may not include one or more engagement features. One or more engagement features can function to engage one or more components of the feeding assembly, i.e., the container magazine, or to hold the proper orientation and maintenance of the container relative to one or more components, or both. One or more engagement features can also cooperate with one or more container storage subassemblies, container magazines, container handling subassemblies, container holding subassemblies, or combinations thereof. One or more engagement features can engage the cradle, a pair of arms, a support plate (e.g., of a container handling subassembly), a lifting wedge, or any combination thereof. One or more engagement features can be the same as or distinct from one or more keying features, alignment features, or both.

[0054] One or more engagement features can form a shape that receives one or more container storage sub-assemblies, container handling sub-assemblies, container holding sub-assemblies or the like or any combination thereof. One or more engagement features can be provided on a rim, flange, bottom wall, side wall or any combination thereof. One or more engagement features can function to receive one or more protrusions, either partially or throughout. One or more engagement features may be partially or completely opposite to, or not opposite to, one or more protrusions. One or more engagement features can include one or more holes, depressions, grooves and / or the like.

[0055] One or more protrusions can include one or more pins, tabs, posts, hooks and / or the like. One or more protrusions can be part of one or more container storage sub-assemblies, container handling sub-assemblies, container holding sub-assemblies and / or the like. One or more protrusions can extend from one of one or more cradles, arms, support plates (such as of a container handling sub-assembly), lifting wedges, rails and / or any combination thereof. For example, one or more protrusions can include pins protruding from one or more arms of a container handling sub-assembly, gripper plates and / or support plates of a container handling sub-assembly, cradles of a container handling sub-assembly, lifting ramps of a container holding sub-assembly or any combination thereof.

[0056] Exemplary engagement features may include a plurality of holes defined at predetermined positions through a rim and / or flange of the container base. These holes can receive corresponding pins protruding from a gripper plate and / or a cradle of the container handling subassembly. Together, the holes and pins can maintain proper orientation and retention of the container base at various stages of the feeding cycle.

[0057] The container base may or may not have one or more lid access features. One or more lid access features function to allow access to a portion of the lid, allow access to the bottom surface of the lid in addition to the top surface, expose a portion of the bottom surface of the lid, allow access to the leading edge, receive one or more components of the container opening subassembly, enable one or more components of the container opening subassembly to engage the lid for later removal, or combinations thereof. The one or more lid access features can protect the leading edge, trailing edge, or both of the lid. The one or more lid access features can be provided at one or more locations on the container.

[0058] The container can be configured to have a single correct orientation or multiple correct orientations for placement within a feeding assembly and / or for cooperation with a container opening subassembly. The lid can be formed such that the leading edge and the trailing edge are reversible or non-reversible. For example, the container may not have a plane of symmetry, or may have only one plane of symmetry to form a single correct orientation, or may have two planes of symmetry to form two correct orientations. A container having a single correct orientation may have one or more lid access features only adjacent to and / or in the vicinity of the leading edge of the lid. A container having two correct orientations may have one or more lid access features adjacent to and / or in the vicinity of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the lid.

[0059] One or more lid access features can include one or more pockets, one or more rim and / or flange cutouts, one or more rim and / or flange blunt surfaces, or the like or any combination thereof.

[0060] One or more lid access features can include one or more pockets. One or more pockets can function to protect and maintain the handling portion of the lid. One or more pockets can form a pocket gap for a portion of the container opening sub-assembly to be received. The pocket can be defined by or coupled to the rim and / or flange of the container base. The pocket can extend below the upper surface of the container base, or below the flange plane, or below the flange axis, or below the major upper surface of the flange, or any combination thereof. The pocket can be formed in the flange and / or rim of the container base. The pocket can be formed as a cutout, recess, and / or the like in the flange and / or rim. The pocket can project away from the lid, or away from the upper surface of the container base, or away from the upper surface of the rim and / or flange, or towards the bottom of the container, or generally parallel to the vertical axis of the container, or in a combination of these directions. The pocket can be formed near and / or adjacent to the leading edge of the lid, the trailing edge of the lid, the stress increasing feature of the seal member, or a combination thereof. The pocket can cooperate with the lid to define a pocket gap. The pocket gap can be the distance from the pocket to the lid.

[0061] One or more lid access features may include one or more rim cutouts. The one or more rim cutouts can function to allow access to the bottom surface in addition to the top surface of the lid, or to allow access to the leading edge, or to expose a portion of the lid to the container, or to allow one or more components of the container opening subassembly to engage with the lid, or any combination thereof. The one or more rim cutouts can be formed in the rim and / or flange of the container base. The one or more rim cutouts can be formed near and / or adjacent to the leading edge of the lid, the stress-increasing feature of the seal member, or both. The one or more rim cutouts can project inwardly toward a vertical axis, or toward the center of the container, or toward the center of the rim and / or flange, or in a combination of these directions. The one or more rim cutouts can be formed as one or more notches and / or notches. The one or more rim cutouts can refer to a local region of a change in the contour of the rim and / or flange. The one or more rim cutouts can have a shape that is opposite or not similar to one or more components of the container opening subassembly. The one or more rim cutouts can have a shape that is opposite or not similar to one or more jaws, hooks, and / or the like. The one or more rim cutouts can have a shape having a cross-sectional area that is the same as or larger than the cross-sectional area of one or more jaws, hooks, and / or the like. The same or larger cross-sectional area as that of one or more jaws and / or hooks allows these jaws and / or hooks to have sufficient access to the lid for removal of the lid.

[0062] One or more lid access features may include one or more blunt surfaces (e.g., straight edges). The one or more blunt surfaces function such that access to the bottom surface of the lid in addition to the top surface is possible, or access to the front edge is possible, or a part of the lid can be exposed with respect to the container, or one or more components of the container opening subassembly can be engaged with the lid, or any combination thereof can be performed. The one or more blunt surfaces can be formed on the rim and / or flange of the container base. The one or more blunt surfaces can be formed near and / or adjacent to the front edge of the lid, the stress increasing feature of the seal member, or both. The one or more blunt surfaces can be formed as one or more straight edges, an edge contacting most of the contour, or both one or more rims and / or flanges. The one or more blunt surfaces may be formed as a substantially flat edge and / or a straight edge of the rim and / or flange. The one or more blunt surfaces may not be similar to most of the peripheral contour of the rim and / or flange. The one or more blunt surfaces can be formed in a cross-sectional shape and / or a two-dimensional planar shape that results in a straight surface. For example, one or more rounded shapes may have one or more straight edges formed therein. For example, circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, and / or the like can be curved and / or narrowed to a straight edge to form a blunt surface. The blunt surface may be on the opposite side of the rounded surface. The one or more blunt surfaces can refer to a local region of a change in the contour of the rim and / or flange. The one or more blunt surfaces can also define an exposed area of the lid referred to as a handling portion.

[0063] The container may or may not include one or more lid reinforcement features. The one or more lid reinforcement features can function to reinforce the lid during removal from the container base, or to prevent breakage of the lid while being peeled away from the container base, or to provide a structurally strong enough structure for cooperation with the container opening subassembly, or any combination thereof. The one or more lid reinforcement features can function as one or more keying features, or form a consistent orientation of the lid, or both. In many cases, when peelable lids are peeled away from their respective container bases, these lids break and lid residues remain attached to the container base. Such residues can interfere with an animal's access to the food cavity within the food cavity of the container when attempting to consume the food therein. This is particularly a problem in an automatic feeding assembly because there may be no user physically present to remove the lid residues.

[0064] The lid reinforcement feature can assist in dispersing the peeling force outwardly, to the seal member, and / or away from the centerline or longitudinal plane (e.g., during peeling of the lid from the container base). By dispersing the peeling force outwardly, the risk that the lid is incompletely peeled and lid residues remain attached to the container base is reduced and / or eliminated. Here, the peeling force can be dispersed outwardly at the start of the peeling operation, or at the start of peeling at the leading edge, or before the peeling reaches the midpoint, or before the peeling reaches the widest part of the container base, or any combination thereof. The lid reinforcement feature can also assist in reducing the amount of force required to initiate peeling. The amount of force here can be equivalent to the force required in the absence of the lid reinforcement feature. The reduction in force here can assist in reducing and / or eliminating splashing from the food contained within the container base.

[0065] The lid reinforcement feature can assist in dispersing the peel force towards the seal member, or towards the centerline and / or longitudinal plane, or in both directions (e.g., while the lid is being peeled away from the container base). By dispersing the peel force inwardly, the risk that the lid is not completely peeled away and residues of the lid remain attached to the container base can be reduced and / or eliminated. The peel force can be dispersed outwardly during the latter half of the peeling operation, or when the peeling begins to reach the trailing edge, or after the peeling reaches the midpoint, or after the peeling reaches the widest part of the container base, or in any combination of these. The lid reinforcement feature can also assist in reducing the amount of force required to complete the peeling. The amount of force here can be equivalent to the force required in the absence of the lid reinforcement feature. The reduction in force here can assist in reducing and / or eliminating splashing from the food contained within the container base.

[0066] One or more lid reinforcement features can be provided as part of the lid, the container base, or both. One or more lid reinforcement features can be provided on the handling portion of the lid. The handling portion can be arranged towards and / or adjacent to the leading edge of the lid, a part of the lid and / or the container base (e.g., the flange), or the handling portion can interact with the container opening sub-assembly, or both can be done. The handling portion can be arranged adjacent to one or more lid access features. The handling portion can be exposed by the lid access features.

[0067] One or more lid reinforcing features can be formed as part of the flange and / or rim, or separately from the flange and / or rim. One or more lid reinforcing features can be a portion of the rim and / or flange configured to be separated from the remainder of the rim and / or flange. This can be referred to as a removable flange portion and / or a removable rim portion. For simplicity, a removable flange portion and a removable rim portion may also be referred to as a removable flange portion. The removable flange portion can be planar or non-planar with the remainder of the flange and / or rim. The removable flange portion can be formed as a raised portion of the flange, or even be coplanar with the rim or flange, or be in contact and adhered to the lid, or any combination thereof. The removable flange portion can be formed as an extension of the flange. In other words, the removable flange portion can be an extension of the flange that provides a larger surface area than the remainder of the flange. The removable flange portion may or may not have any removal openings. The removal openings can be similar to those described in relation to the removal openings of the lid. If present, the removal openings of the removable flange portion can be aligned with the removal openings of the lid.

[0068] The removable flange portion may include a portion extending in the vertical direction. The portion extending in the vertical direction can define a portion that bends upward from the flange, a portion that bends toward the lid, a portion that bends toward the same height as the upper surface of the rim, or any combination of these portions among the removable flange portion. The portion extending in the vertical direction can form the removable flange portion as a raised portion. The portion extending in the vertical direction can have a height of about 1 mm or more, about 2 mm or more, about 3 mm or more, or even about 4 mm or more. The portion extending in the vertical direction can have a height of about 20 mm or less, about 15 mm or less, about 12 mm or less, about 10 mm or less, about 8 mm or less, or even about 6 mm or less. The portion extending in the vertical direction can form a transition portion between the flange (or most of it) and the removable flange portion.

[0069] The removable flange portion may include a lid contact portion. The lid contact portion can define the portion of the removable flange portion that directly contacts the lid, can directly contact the handling portion of the lid, can interact with one or more container opening sub-assemblies, or can do the like or any combination thereof. The lid contact portion may be in the same plane or a different plane from the flange, the rim, or both. The lid contact portion may extend from the removable flange portion. The lid contact portion can define a part of the flange and / or the rim with a contour different from the remainder of the flange and / or the rim. The removable flange portion may have a removal opening therein. The lid contact portion can form the leading edge of the flange and / or the rim. The leading edge of the flange and / or the rim may coincide with the leading edge of the lid. The lid contact portion may have a predetermined length. The predetermined length can be measured from a separation point to a free end, or from a separation feature to a free end, or from the end closest to the container storage portion to the opposite end, or from the end of a portion extending in the vertical direction to the end of the lid contact portion, or in any combination thereof, across one plane, or across a plane approximately parallel to the horizontal plane and / or the transverse plane, or across a plane approximately parallel to the flange plane. The length may be about 2 mm or more, about 5 mm or more, about 7 mm or more, or even about 10 mm or more. The length may be about 50 mm or less, about 30 mm or less, about 25 mm or less, about 20 mm or less, or even about 15 mm or less.

[0070] It is also contemplated that the lid reinforcing feature may be separate from the flange and / or rim. In other words, it is possible that the lid reinforcing feature is fixed to the lid and not fixed to the rim and / or flange. The lid reinforcing feature may include a lid contact portion. The lid reinforcing feature may not have a portion extending in the vertical direction. The lid reinforcing feature can be arranged adjacent to or in the vicinity of the lid access feature. The lid reinforcing feature can be arranged adjacent to the blunt surface of the rim and / or flange. Even when the lid reinforcing feature is separate from the rim and / or flange, it can be composed of the same material as the flange and / or rim (for example, the same material as the container base).

[0071] One or more lid reinforcing features of the flange may be removable by one or more separating features. The separating feature can fix the removable flange portion to the remainder of the flange to make it integral, while facilitating easy removal simultaneous with the removal of the lid. The separating feature may include one or more weakening points, cuts, grooves, rib lines, perforations and / or the like. For example, the separating feature can include a rib line between the removable flange portion and the remainder of the flange portion. The separating feature can be arranged adjacent to the portion of the lid reinforcing feature extending in the vertical direction and the remainder of the flange and / or rim. The container opening sub-assembly can be engaged with the removable flange portion and the lid (for example, a grip, a hook, etc.). When the container base is moved away from the lid and / or the lid is moved away from the container base, the separating feature may first receive a peeling force in front of the seal member. The peeling force can break the separating feature and further separate the removable flange portion while remaining adhered to the lid.

[0072] The container base can be composed of one or more materials. The one or more materials can include one or more polymers, metals, or the like or combinations thereof. The one or more polymers can include one or more plastics. The one or more plastics can be biodegradable, non - biodegradable, or both. The one or more materials can include one or more food - grade plastics. The one or more plastics can include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high - density polyethylene (HDPE), low - density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), or the like or combinations thereof.

[0073] The container can include a lid. The lid can function to close or seal the container, or to store food within the container, or both. The lid can be shaped to be opposite to, similar to, not similar to, or to completely cover the food cavity of the container base, or any combination thereof. The lid can be shaped to be opposite to, similar to, not similar to, or to completely or partially cover the flange and / or rim of the container base, or any combination thereof. The lid can be adhesively attachable to the container base. The lid can be partially or completely removable. Removing the lid can cause the container to transition from a closed configuration to an open configuration.

[0074] The edge of the lid that is first peeled off from the container or removed by another means can be referred to as the leading edge. The edge of the lid that is last peeled off or remains adhered or is removed by another means can be referred to as the trailing edge. A peeling force can be applied from the leading edge towards the trailing edge and / or to the trailing edge.

[0075] The lid can be removably coupled to the container base. The lid can be removably fixed to the rim and / or flange. The lid can be removably coupled to the container base via a sealing member. The lid may be re-attachable or non-re-attachable to the container base.

[0076] The lid can be shaped to completely cover the opening of the container base that defines the food cavity inside. The lid can be shaped to cover the opening defined by the rim and / or flange of the container base. The lid can be shaped to cooperate with the container opening sub-assembly. The lid can be shaped to enable consistent provision and placement for the container opening sub-assembly, the container magazine, or both. The lid can be shaped to allow for repeatable and accessible gripping, clamping, hooking, and / or the like by the container opening sub-assembly, the user, or both.

[0077] When provided to the container opening sub-assembly, the lid can be shaped to be provided at a position that coincides with the front edge facing the container opening sub-assembly. The lid can have a cross-sectional shape (a cutting plane parallel to the upper surface, longitudinal plane, and / or horizontal plane of the lid) that is substantially circular, oval, egg-shaped, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal), lobe-shaped, or similar, or an overall two-dimensional planar shape (when viewed from above or below). The lid can have an asymmetrical or symmetrical shape with respect to one or more planes. The lid can have a shape without symmetry, or a shape that includes a single plane of symmetry, or a shape that includes two or more planes of symmetry. The lip shape can assist in orienting the container within one or more components of the feeding assembly.

[0078] The lid may include a handling portion. The handling portion can form a portion of the lid that is removed by gripping, clamping, hooking and / or another technique so as to be able to apply a peeling force for removal of the lid. The handling portion may be a portion of the lid that extends beyond the container base, rim and / or flange. The handling portion of the lid may be a portion of the lid that is intended to engage with the container opening sub-assembly. The handling portion can extend beyond most of the flange, but may have lid reinforcement features fixed to the flange. The handling portion can have a removable flange portion fixed to itself. The handling portion can have a lid contact portion fixed to itself. The handling portion may extend in the same direction as the flange, or may project in a direction laterally away from one or more sidewalls of the container base, or both. The handling portion of the lid can be formed as an extension tab. The handling portion need not be folded above the rim and / or flange as is typical of standard disposable food containers.

[0079] The lid may include a rigid engagement portion. The rigid engagement portion can be disposed on the handling portion of the lid. The rigid engagement portion may be the same as or different from the lid reinforcement features described in relation to the flange. The rigid engagement portion may be the same as or different from the lid contact portion of the lid reinforcement features. The rigid engagement portion can prevent the lid from collapsing or moving relative to the container base and / or the remainder of the lid. The rigid engagement portion can ensure that the lid projects in a direction away from the container base and that the handling portion can engage securely with the container opening sub-assembly. The rigid engagement structure can project beyond the edge of the rim of the container base, or can be a portion of the flange, or can be separate from the flange, or can be an extension of the flange, or any combination thereof.

[0080] The handling portion can have a length and / or shape equivalent to or similar to that described as being suitable for lid reinforcement features.

[0081] The handling portion of the lid may or may not include an optional removal opening. The removal opening is operable with one or more container opening sub-assemblies. The removal opening can be configured to receive a portion of the container opening sub-assembly therein. The portion of the container opening sub-assembly can be any portion configured to grip, grasp, hook, or otherwise engage and hold the lid for later removal from the container base. The removal opening can receive hooks, struts, jaws, and / or the like. The removal opening can have a shape that is opposite or not opposite to the portion of the container opening sub-assembly. The removal opening can have a cross-sectional dimension (e.g., cross-sectional area) equal to or larger than the portion of the container opening sub-assembly. The larger dimension can facilitate introduction into or insertion of a portion therethrough. The removal opening can be offset toward the leading edge. The removal opening can be disposed between the leading edge and a stress-increasing feature. When the handling portion cooperates with a removable flange portion of the lid, the removal opening of the handling portion can be aligned with the removal opening of the removable flange portion.

[0082] The lid can be composed of one or more materials. The one or more materials can include one or more polymers, metals or the like or combinations thereof. The one or more materials of the lid may be the same as or different from the one or more materials of the container base. The one or more polymers can include one or more plastics. The one or more plastics can be biodegradable, non - biodegradable or both. The one or more materials can include one or more food - grade plastics. The one or more plastics can include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high - density polyethylene (HDPE), low - density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) or the like or combinations thereof. The one or more metals can include one or more metals that are safe for one or more foods. Examples of metals that are safe for one or more foods include aluminum, copper or the like. The one or more metals can also be formed as a foil. For example, the lid can be composed of aluminum foil. The lid can be formed as a laminate. For example, it can be a PP - EVOH - PP laminated structure.

[0083] The container can include one or more seal members. The one or more seal members can function to removably couple the lid to the container base, or to adhere the lid to the container base, or to continuously adhere a lid reinforcement feature to the lid, or to perform any combination thereof. A seal member can refer to means for directly adhering the lid to the container base, an adhesive separate from the lid and the container base, or both.

[0084] One or more seal members may include one or more welded joints, adhesives, and / or the like. The one or more adhesives can include one or more pressure-sensitive adhesives and / or hot melt adhesives. The one or more adhesives can include polyvinyl acetate (PVA), vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE), vinyl acetate acrylate (VAA), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), metallocene, polyurethane reactive materials, or the like or any combination thereof. The one or more welded joints can be formed by one or more welding methods. The one or more welding methods can include ultrasonic plastic welding, vibration welding, laser welding, spin welding, infrared welding, hot plate welding, heat caulking, or the like or any combination thereof. The one or more seal members can include one or more food adhesives and / or joining methods.

[0085] The sealing member can be disposed on the rim, on the flange, on the lid, or on a combination thereof. The sealing member can be disposed around all or part of the rim and / or flange. When the flange extends from the rim, the sealing member can be disposed on the upper surface of the flange. When the flange is disposed below the rim, the sealing member can be disposed on the rim. The sealing member can also be disposed on one or more lid reinforcing features, such as a removable flange portion. The sealing member can be disposed between the container base and the lid. The sealing member can be disposed between the rim and / or flange and the lid. When the lid is removed (e.g., peeled off) from the container base, the sealing member can be completely removed from the container base and / or the lid, and / or can be partially removed, and / or can remain fixed to the container base and / or the lid. The sealing member can include a first sealing member and a second sealing member. The first sealing member can function to removably adhere the lid to the container base. The first sealing member can be disposed around the container storage portion. The first sealing member may be disposed between the main rim and / or flange portion and the lid. The second sealing member can function to continuously adhere the lid to the lid reinforcing feature. The second sealing member can be disposed between the lid contact portion and the lid. The second sealing member may be disposed on the opposite side of a separation feature (e.g., a scored line) as the first sealing member.

[0086] The sealing member can have a shape that is substantially opposite to one or more parts of the lid, the container base, or both. The sealing member can have a shape that is substantially opposite to the cross-section of a storage part (e.g., side wall, food cavity), the cross-section of the rim, and / or the cross-section of the flange of the container base. For example, the sealing member can have a shape that is substantially opposite to the storage part and / or the rim of the container and does not resemble the shape of the flange of the container base. The sealing member can have a substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal) and / or overall two-dimensional planar shape similar thereto (when viewed from above or below). For example, when the container storage part has a substantially circular planar shape or cross-section, the sealing member can also have a substantially circular planar shape or cross-section. The sealing member can also produce one or more concentration points and / or taper points. The shape can be lemon-shaped, diamond-shaped or similar thereto or a combination thereof.

[0087] The sealing member can include one or more stress-increasing features. The one or more stress-increasing features can facilitate removal of the lid from the container base, reduce scattering of food from inside the container base to the outside, reduce the force required to initiate peeling of the lid from the container base at the leading edge (compared to a sealing member without the stress-increasing feature), reduce the force required to terminate peeling of the container at the trailing edge (compared to a sealing member without the stress-increasing feature), or achieve similar or a combination thereof. A sealing part that produces one or more concentration points and / or taper points (e.g., vertices) can form one or more stress-increasing features. The one or more stress-increasing features can include sharp edges (e.g., vertices) at the axial ends of the sealing member. The sharp edges (e.g., vertices) can be located at positions where peeling of the lid from the container can first start (e.g., leading edge) and / or end (e.g., trailing edge).

[0088] The container may include one or more tensioning features. The one or more tensioning features can function to couple the lid to the container base. The one or more tensioning features may be located at one or more predetermined positions. The one or more tensioning features can be disposed on one or more outer edges of the lid. The one or more tensioning features may be disposed at locations where the outer edge of the lid is positioned at the top of the rim portion. The one or more tensioning features may include one or more heat shield dots, spot welds, adhesives, or the like or combinations thereof. The one or more tensioning features can be disposed near or adjacent to or beside one or more stress increasing features or combinations thereof. The one or more tensioning features can be used in combination with and / or in place of a seal member.

[0089] The container can include one or more identifiers. The one or more identifiers can function to indicate one or more parameters associated with the container. The one or more identifiers can include one or more visual identifiers, signal identifiers, or both. The one or more visual identifiers can include one or more quick response (「QR」) codes (registered trademark), barcodes, color patterns, textures, surface reflection patterns, or the like or combinations thereof. The one or more signal identifiers can include one or more radio frequency identification tags (「RFID」), near field communication (「NFC」) tags, or the like or any combination thereof. The one or more RFID identifiers can be passive. The one or more identifiers can be disposed on one or more portions of the container. The one or more identifiers can be disposed outside the container. The one or more identifiers can be disposed on the outer side of the lid, on the outer side of one or more side walls of the container base, on the bottom wall of the container base, on the outer side of the casing, or the like or any combination thereof. The one or more identifiers can be disposed on the container so as to be accessible and readable by an identification sensor. The one or more parameters associated with the identifier can include compatibility with a feeding assembly, the type of food in the container, the volume of food in the container, the nutritional value associated with the food in the container, the brand or manufacturer of the food in the container, the manufacturing date and / or packaging date of the food in the container, the amount of time until the food spoils after being opened and exposed to ambient temperature, the expiration date, or the like or any combination thereof. The one or more parameters associated with the identifier can include one or more instructions for accessing one or more databases to obtain information regarding the container or the food.

[0090] One or more portions of the container can define, or be defined by, one or more axes, planes, or both.

[0091] One or more axes may include a vertical axis, a horizontal axis, a longitudinal axis, a front axis, a transverse axis, a flange axis, or the like or any combination thereof. The vertical axis may extend through the container base and lid, or through the bottom of the container base and the cavity defined therein, or through the bottom of the container base and the opening defined by the rim and / or flange, or any combination thereof. The vertical axis may be approximately perpendicular to the bottom surface of the container base, rim, flange, lid, or combination thereof. The vertical axis may be approximately parallel to the side wall of the container base. The front axis and / or the central axis may be a vertical axis that is approximately centered with respect to the container, container base, lid, or combination thereof. The horizontal axis may be approximately perpendicular to the vertical axis. The horizontal axis may be approximately parallel to the rim, flange, lid, bottom of the container base, or combination thereof. The horizontal axis may or may not intersect the vertical axis. The longitudinal axis may be a horizontal axis. The longitudinal axis may include the center line of the container. The transverse axis may be a horizontal axis. The flange axis may be an axis that is approximately parallel to most of the surface area of the flange. The flange axis may be approximately parallel to the horizontal axis, longitudinal axis, or both, or may be offset therefrom.

[0092] One or more planes may include a flange plane, a rim plane, a lid plane, a longitudinal plane, a transverse plane, a front plane, or the like, or combinations thereof. The flange plane may be a plane defined by a majority of the surface area of the flange (e.g., the upper surface, the surface facing the lid). The flange plane may have a flange axis located internally (e.g., parallel and non-intersecting). The flange plane may be substantially parallel to the transverse plane, the lid plane, or both. The rim plane may be a plane defined by a majority of the surface area of the rim. The rim plane may be parallel to the flange plane, the lid plane, and / or the transverse plane. The rim plane may be the same as the flange plane or may be offset from the flange plane. The lid plane may be a plane defined by a majority of the surface area of the lid (e.g., the lower or upper surface of the lid). The lid plane may be approximately parallel to the flange plane or may be offset from the flange plane. The lid plane may be parallel to the transverse plane, the flange plane, or both. The front plane may be a plane that intersects through the container, the container base, the lid, or combinations thereof. The container can be divided into a front and a rear by the front plane. The front plane can define one or more symmetry planes of one or more components of the container. The front plane may be disposed between the front and rear edges of the lid. The front plane may have a vertical axis and / or a front axis located internally (e.g., parallel and non-intersecting). The front plane may be approximately perpendicular to the flange plane, the lid plane, the longitudinal plane, the transverse plane, or combinations thereof. The longitudinal plane may be approximately perpendicular to the transverse plane, the front plane, the flange plane, the lid plane, or combinations thereof. The longitudinal plane can divide the container laterally (e.g., left and right). The longitudinal plane may have a longitudinal axis, a vertical axis, and / or a front axis located internally and / or parallel thereto. The longitudinal plane can have a center line of the container located internally (e.g., parallel and located internally). The transverse plane can define the upper and lower portions of the container.The transverse plane may be formed between the lid and the container base or may pass through the container base. The transverse plane may be perpendicular to the transverse plane, the longitudinal plane, or both. The transverse plane may be parallel to the flange plane, the lid plane, or both.

[0093] The container may or may not have a symmetric shape. Symmetry may be with respect to one or more planes. Symmetry can mean symmetry with respect to any other symmetry plane such as the front plane, the longitudinal plane, or any plane intersecting the center point of the container. A container having only one symmetry plane can have one correct orientation for interaction with the feeding assembly, for removal of the lid, or both. A container having two or more symmetry planes can have two or more correct orientations for interaction with the feeding assembly, for removal of the lid, or both. Interaction with the feeding assembly can include placement and / or orientation in and / or with respect to a container storage subassembly, a container handling subassembly, a container opening subassembly, a container holding subassembly, a container disposal subassembly, a waste collection subassembly, or combinations thereof. Interaction with the feeding assembly can include placement and / or orientation in and / or with respect to a hopper, a container magazine, a joe, a hook, a gripping / holding feature, a cradle, a lifting wedge, a container display opening, a disposal bar, a waste collection section, or combinations thereof. According to a single correct orientation, the complexity and cost of container design, manufacture, and / or transportation can be reduced while increasing the accuracy of component interaction. According to two or more correct orientations, the probability of loading errors by the user can be reduced. A loading error can include an incorrect orientation such that one or more features of the container intended to interact with one or more components of the feeding assembly cannot perform their function and / or cannot cooperate together.

[0094] <Feeding Assembly and Container> A feeding assembly can be any device that contains and provides food for animals to consume. The food can include any type of food suitable for animal consumption. Here, the food can include wet food, dry food, or both. Wet food can include proteins (such as meat), vegetables, grains, fruits, and / or the like that have been ground and / or chopped and introduced into a liquid or mixed with a liquid. The liquid can refer to water, broth, gravy, or other liquids. Dry food can refer to food that is substantially free of liquid or food in the form of granular material or both.

[0095] A feeding assembly can be useful in providing food from a container, removing food from a container, or both. A feeding assembly can be useful in removing or otherwise accessing a container storing food therein and providing the contents of the container so as to be accessible by an animal. The animal can be any domestic animal. Domestic animals can include dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, or the like or any combination thereof. In a typical household with pets, the domestic animals can include one or more cats, dogs, or both.

[0096] A feeding assembly can include one or more features of a housing, a container storage sub-assembly, a container handling sub-assembly, a conveyance sub-assembly, a container opening sub-assembly, a container holding sub-assembly, a disposal sub-assembly, a waste collection sub-assembly, a feeding area, or the like or a combination thereof.

[0097] The feeding assembly may include a housing. The housing can function to house and / or support various components of the feeding assembly, and / or to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance for the feeding assembly, or both. The housing may include one or more bases, intermediate supports, support plates, top covers, or the like, or any combination thereof. The housing can provide or define a feeding area.

[0098] The housing can provide a feeding area. The feeding area may be a portion of the housing that provides access to the container and / or food for the animal to consume. The feeding area can be located at any level of the housing. The feeding area can be provided on the base, intermediate support, support plate, top cover, or a combination thereof. The feeding area can be provided adjacent to (e.g., in front of) the base, intermediate support, support plate, top cover, or any combination thereof. The feeding area can be defined by a container display opening.

[0099] The feeding assembly may include a container storage sub-assembly. The container storage assembly can function to temporarily position and store one or more containers. Positioning can mean vertical, horizontal, or radial stacking, placement, or the like, or any combination thereof. The container storage sub-assembly can provide a stack of single or multiple containers. The container storage assembly can provide a single circular array or multiple circular arrays of multiple containers.

[0100] The container storage assembly may have one or more hoppers. The one or more hoppers can be configured to store a plurality of containers therein. The containers can be stacked or aligned in a column in another manner. The hopper may directly receive the containers or may receive a container magazine that holds a plurality of containers. The one or more hoppers can include one or more, two or more, or even three or more hoppers.

[0101] The container storage sub - assembly may include one or more restraint mechanisms. The one or more restraint mechanisms can function to hold one or more containers within the hopper and / or container magazine, operate against gravity, and selectively release the containers (e.g., when the preparation for ingestion is complete), or perform any combination thereof. The one or more restraint mechanisms can be arranged adjacent to, and / or partially within, and / or in the vicinity of, and / or in a similar state to these one or more hoppers. The one or more restraint mechanisms can include one or more rollers, drive units, gears, pulleys, and / or the like.

[0102] The container storage assembly includes a container magazine and / or can be configured to removably receive the container magazine. The container magazine can function to store a plurality of containers together as a set, thereby enabling placing a plurality of containers into the container storage assembly in a single loading step, loading a plurality of containers together into the container storage assembly after they are sent out together, providing easy user access for loading the containers, or performing any combination thereof. The container magazine can function as a cartridge for inserting a plurality of containers into a feeding assembly.

[0103] The feeding assembly may include a container handling sub-assembly. The container handling sub-assembly receives the container from the container storage sub-assembly, holds the container during conveyance to the feeding area, holds the container in the feeding area, holds the container base during lid removal, conveys the container to be discarded after use, or can function to perform any combination of these. The container sub-assembly can be configured to releasably engage one or more containers. The container handling sub-assembly can be configured to be disposed in the feeding area or adjacent to the feeding area. The container handling sub-assembly can be configured to actively remove (e.g., grip) the container, or to place the container inside, or to do both. The container handling sub-assembly can be configured to actively release the container, or to dispose of the container in place, or to do both. The container handling sub-assembly can include one or more shuttle assemblies, gripper assemblies, or both. The container handling sub-assembly can also include one or more cradles, holding supports, bearings, through holes, disposal bars, arms, plates, bases, actuators, or the like or any combination thereof.

[0104] The container handling sub-assembly can be coupled to the conveyance sub-assembly. The container handling sub-assembly may be fixed to the conveyance sub-assembly or may be part of the conveyance sub-assembly. The container handling sub-assembly is movable between positions via the conveyance sub-assembly.

[0105] The container handling sub-assembly may be movable to one or more positions within the feeding assembly. The container handling sub-assembly may be movable to various positions for interaction with one or more containers and / or other sub-assemblies. The one or more positions may include a loading position, an open position, a feeding position, a placement position, a stationary position, or the like or a combination thereof.

[0106] The feeding assembly includes a conveying sub-assembly. The conveying sub-assembly can function to cooperate with the container handling sub-assembly, or to move the container handling sub-assembly and / or the container between various positions within the feeding assembly, or to do both. The conveying sub-assembly can function to convey the container to the container opening sub-assembly, the feeding area and / or the container disposal sub-assembly. The conveying sub-assembly can function to move the container handling sub-assembly to a loading position, an opening position, a feeding position, an arranging position, a stationary position or a position similar thereto or any combination of these positions. The conveying sub-assembly can function to move the container handling sub-assembly and / or the container along one or more axes, one or more linear directions or both. The conveying sub-assembly can move the container handling sub-assembly along a single axis, and / or in three dimensions, and / or along two axes, and / or along three axes.

[0107] The feeding assembly may include a container opening sub-assembly. The container opening sub-assembly can function to open the container, or to remove the lid, or to separate the lid from the container base, or to remove or at least partially open the casing, or to do something similar or a combination of these. The container opening sub-assembly may also be referred to as a lid removal sub-assembly or a lid removal structure.

[0108] The container opening subassembly can be releasably coupled to the lid to apply a tensile force to the lid and configured to remove the lid from the container base. The container opening subassembly can engage the lid and peel the lid from the container base when the lid and / or the container base move (e.g., via a conveying subassembly, a container handling subassembly, or both). The container opening subassembly can be configured to move the lid away from the container base while holding the container base stationary, or to hold the lid in a predetermined position while moving the container base, or to move the lid away from the container base while simultaneously moving the container base away from the lid.

[0109] The container opening subassembly can include or function as an arm, a knife, a hook, a clamp, a can opener, a vacuum source, a jaw, or the like or any combination thereof.

[0110] The feeding assembly can include a container holding subassembly. The container holding subassembly can function to hold the container in the feeding area, or to provide the container to the feeding area, or both. The container holding subassembly can cooperate with one or more container handling subassemblies, conveying subassemblies, portions of the housing, or any combination thereof to prevent movement of the container while it is in the feeding area, or to facilitate providing the container in the feeding area, or both. The container holding subassembly can include or be a lifting wedge, an arm, a rail, a shroud, or a combination thereof.

[0111] The feeding assembly may include one or more container disposal sub-assemblies. The container disposal sub-assembly can push a used container into the waste collection sub-assembly, or cooperate with the container handling sub-assembly, or cooperate with the conveying sub-assembly, or perform any combination thereof. The container disposal sub-assembly may be configured to cooperate with the movement path of the container handling sub-assembly. The container disposal sub-assembly can dispose of a container (e.g., the base of a used container) from the container handling sub-assembly when moving away from the feeding position, or at the placement position, or when moving towards the stationary position, or when moving towards the loading position, or when moving to a position similar thereto or to any combination of these positions. The container disposal sub-assembly can be configured to move away from the container within the container handling sub-assembly or otherwise not interfere with the container while moving towards the feeding position. The container disposal sub-assembly can be arranged along the movement path of the container handling sub-assembly. The container disposal sub-assembly can be arranged on one or both sides of the passage. One or more container disposal sub-assemblies can include two opposing disposal sub-assemblies on each side of the passage. The container disposal sub-assembly can be configured to retract away from the passage and / or the movement path when the container handling sub-assembly is moving towards the feeding position to avoid interfering with the container. The container disposal sub-assembly can be configured to extend within the passage and / or the movement path such that a biasing force for disposing of the container is transmitted to the container handling sub-assembly. The container disposal sub-assembly can be arranged above, and / or in the vicinity of, and / or below, and / or adjacent to one or more waste collection sub-assemblies. The passage can be a passage within the intermediate support, within the support plate, or within both. The container disposal sub-assembly may include mounts, plungers, springs, inclined surfaces, levers, and / or the like.

[0112] The feeding assembly may include one or more waste collection sub - assemblies. The waste collection sub - assembly can be configured to collect one or more lids, container bases, food and / or the like, or to collect one or more lids after removal from the container base, or to collect one or more container bases after an animal has been given an opportunity to ingest from the assembly, or to collect residual waste, or to do the like or any combination thereof. The waste collection sub - assembly may be easily accessible so that a user can easily access the waste contents within the waste collection sub - assembly for disposal. The waste collection sub - assembly may have one or more waste receptacles, openings, residual waste collection parts, or a plurality of these. The waste collection sub - assembly may include one or more waste receptacles, openings, removable lids, seals, garbage bags or the like or any combination thereof. The waste receptacle can be configured to receive a lid, container base, residual waste or a combination thereof.

[0113] The feeding assembly may include one or more drive units. The one or more drive units can be configured to drive the movement of one or more parts of the feeding assembly. The one or more drive sources can be associated with a container storage assembly (e.g., a restraint mechanism), a conveying sub - assembly, a container opening sub - assembly, a container handling sub - assembly (e.g., a gripper), a movable cover (e.g., a cover for a container display opening) and / or the like. The one or more drive sources may be shared among various parts or may be dedicated drive sources. For example, a drive source associated with the conveying sub - assembly can also be associated with the container opening sub - assembly. The drive unit may also be referred to as an actuator.

[0114] The feeding assembly may include one or more sensing devices. The one or more sensing devices can function to sense the presence of one or more containers, or to acquire one or more parameters of one or more containers and / or a container magazine, or to sense the position of one or more sub-assemblies, or to perform any combination thereof. The one or more sensing devices can generally function to sense the state of one or more components within the feeding assembly. The one or more sensing devices can communicate electrically with one or more controllers. The one or more sensing devices can include one or more identification sensors, container presence sensors, holder position sensors, weight sensors or the like or any combination thereof.

[0115] One or more sensing devices may include one or more identification sensors. The one or more identification sensors can function to read one or more identifiers and / or communicate with one or more identifiers. The one or more identification sensors can be disposed in the vicinity of the container storage subassembly. The one or more identification sensors can be arranged to have a view of one or more identifiers of one or more containers, or to form a connection with one or more identifiers of one or more containers, or to do both. The one or more identification sensors can function to obtain one or more parameters related to the container and / or the food inside, or to obtain access to a database or other repository having one or more parameters related to the container and / or the food inside, or to do both. The one or more identification sensors are compatible with any identifier disclosed herein, can scan or read the identifier, can obtain parameters related to the container or the food inside, can instruct the controller where to obtain parameters related to the container or the food inside, or can do something similar or any combination thereof, and can be any type of communication device. The one or more identification sensors can include one or more radio frequency transmitters, barcode readers, QR code readers, near field communication devices (NFC), image sensors, or the like or any combination thereof. The identification sensor can be an optical sensor (e.g., UV sensor, IR sensor, CCD camera, electrical sensor, etc.). The one or more identification sensors can be compatible with one or more identifiers including barcodes, QR codes, reflective features, scannable optical features, IR-visible or UV-visible printed features, raised features or recessed features, or electrical circuits (e.g., resistive electrical circuits), NFC chips, RFID, or any other visual, electrical or electromagnetic indicator.

[0116] The feeding assembly can communicate with, or can include, one or more power sources. The power source can function to supply power to one or more components of the device. The power source can be any power source typical of consumer products. The power source can be an outlet, direct current, alternating current, or the like or combinations thereof. In the device, for example, an adapter for the power source can be housed within the base of the feeding assembly.

[0117] The feeding assembly can include one or more controllers. The one or more controllers can function to receive one or more signals, or to transmit one or more signals, or to control the operation of one or more components of the device, or combinations thereof. The one or more controllers can be configured to control the overall operation of the feeding assembly. The one or more controllers can communicate with one or more sensing devices, sub-assemblies, communication modules, other components, or any combination thereof. The one or more controllers can be adapted to receive one or more signals from one or more sensing devices, sub-assemblies, communication modules, and / or the like. The one or more controllers can communicate electrically with one or more sensing devices, sub-assemblies, communication modules, and / or the like.

[0118] <Exemplary embodiments> The following figures and descriptions are intended as exemplary embodiments. The features of one example can be combined with the features of other examples. For example, any keying feature of FIGS. 8-11 can be combined with any of the containers of FIGS. 1-7. For example, the lid reinforcement features and handling portions of the containers of FIGS. 1-7 can be combined with any of the containers of FIGS. 8-11.

[0119] Figures 1-4 show the container 16 in the closed configuration C and the open configuration O. In the closed configuration, the lid 54 covers the container base 52. In the open configuration O, the lid 54 is removed from the container base 52. The lid 54 and the container base 52 each include a keying feature 188. The keying feature 188 can be defined as the flange 77 and the overall peripheral shape (e.g., two-dimensional planar shape and / or cross-section) of the lid 54. The keying feature 188 can be, as illustrated, an overall teardrop shape, an oval with a blunt end, a circle with lobes, or the like. The flange 77 can be separate from the rim 76. The lid 54 includes a handling portion 201. The lid 54 includes an extension tab 202. The extension tab 202 is the handling portion 201. The extension tab 202 can include a hook opening 204. The extension tab 202 can define the leading edge 206 of the lid. A trailing edge 208 can be present on the opposite side of the leading edge 206. The container base 52 can include a lid access feature 193 formed in the flange 77. Adjacent to the lid access feature 193, there is a tensioning feature 194 (e.g., a weld point). The container base 52 can further include an extension tab 202. The extension tab 202 can likewise include a hook opening 204. The extension tab 202 can also be referred to as a lid reinforcement feature 203. The hook openings 204 are alignable with each other. The container base 52 can include a ribbing line 210. The ribbing line 210 is disposed between the extension tab 202 and the remainder of the container base 52. The ribbing line 210 enables the extension tab 202 to be folded away from the remainder of the rim 76. The container base 52 includes a seal member 198. The seal member 198 includes a stress increasing feature 196. The stress increasing feature 196 is disposed in the vicinity of the locations where the leading edge 206 and the trailing edge 208 of the lid 54 are adjacent to the container base 52. The seal member 198 includes a first seal member 198a and a second seal member 198b. The first seal member 198a is disposed on the rim 76. The second seal member 198b is disposed on the flange 77. The second seal member 198 is disposed on the lid reinforcement feature 203.

[0120] Figures 5 to 7 show different plan views of both the container 16 in the open configuration O and the container 16 in the closed configuration C. The container 16 includes a container base 52. The container 16 includes a container base 52 to which a lid 54 is removably fixed.

[0121] The container 16 has a vertical axis VA. The vertical axis VA passes through an opening defined by a rim 76 and / or a flange 77 and / or the lid 54 and extends through the container base 52. A transverse plane TP is positioned substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis VA. The transverse plane is substantially parallel to a flange plane FP and / or a rim plane RP. The flange plane FP is defined by the upper surface of the flange 77. The rim plane RP is defined by the upper surface of the rim 76. A longitudinal plane LP extends from the front to the rear of the container 16. The longitudinal plane LP can define a center line CL of the container 16. A front plane FRP extends from one side of the container 16 to the other side. The front plane FRP divides the container 16 from the front and the rear.

[0122] The container has a predetermined height H, a predetermined length L, and a predetermined width W. The height H is measured parallel to the vertical axis VA. The height H is measured from the upper part to the lower part of the container 16. The length L is measured from the front to the rear. The length L is measured parallel to the longitudinal plane LP. The width W is measured from one side to the other side. The width W is measured parallel to the front plane FRP.

[0123] The lid 54 includes a handling portion 201. The handling portion 201 may or may not have a hook opening 204. The handling portion 201 can be positioned towards the container 16 and / or in front of the container 16.

[0124] The handling portion 201 is fixable to a lid reinforcing feature 203. The lid reinforcing feature 203 can include a vertically extending portion 203a and a lid contact portion 203b.

[0125] FIG. 8 shows the container 16 in the partially open configuration O and the container 16 in the closed configuration C. The container 16 in the closed configuration C also has a large storage volume. The container 16 includes a container base 52 and a lid 54. The lid 54 is removable from the container base 52. The lid 54 may be removable by a peel force PF. The container base 52 includes a rim 76. The rim 76 is formed as a flange 77. The container base 52 includes one or more pockets 180. The pockets 180 are formed as part of the rim 76. The container base 52 includes one or more alignment features 182. The alignment features 182 are formed as part of the rim 76. The container base 52 includes an engagement feature 184. The engagement feature 182 is formed as part of the rim 76. The lid 54 of the container 16 in the open configuration O includes an identifier 186. The container base 52 of the container 16 in the closed configuration C includes an identifier 186.

[0126] FIG. 9 shows the container base 52. The container base 52 has a vertical axis VA extending therethrough. The vertical axis VA is located substantially centrally with respect to the container base. The container base 52 includes a rim 76. The rim 76 is formed as a flange 77. A flange axis FA is defined by most of the surface of the flange 77. The flange axis FA is substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis VA. The flange axis VA is aligned with the opposing pockets 180. The flange 77 includes internally formed pockets 180. The pockets 180 are formed as cuts or variations in the surface of the flange 77. The pockets 180 project downward in a direction substantially similar with respect to the vertical axis VA. The pockets 180 project in a direction away from the axis A. The flange 77 includes an internally formed keying feature 188. The keying feature 188 defines a variation in the peripheral contour of the flange 77. The keying feature 188 includes one or more cuts 190. The cuts 190 project inwardly toward the vertical axis VA. The keying feature 188 includes one or more linear edges 192. The linear edges 192 are substantially parallel to the axis A.

[0127] Figures 10 and 11 show the container 16. The container 16 includes a container base 52. The container base 52 is closed by a lid 54. The lid 54 is removably adhered to the container base 52 via a seal member 198. The seal member 198 includes a stress increasing feature 196. The container base 52 includes a flange 77. The flange 77 includes a pocket 180 and an alignment feature 182. The container 16 includes a tensioning feature 194. The tensioning feature 194 is provided as part of the lid 54. The container base 52 has a planar surface 200.

[0128] Figure 12 is a perspective view of the feeding assembly 1. The feeding assembly 1 includes a housing 10, a container storage sub-assembly 12, and a waste collection sub-assembly 14. The feeding assembly 1 provides the container 16 in an open configuration O. The housing 10 includes a base 18, an intermediate support 28, a support plate 20, and a top cover 22. The base 18 houses the waste collection sub-assembly 14. The support plate 20 includes a feeding area 32. The support plate 20 includes a container display opening 24. A guard 26 is provided on the upper surface of the support plate 20 around the container display opening 24.

[0129] Figure 13 shows a method of refilling the feeding assembly 1. The feeding assembly 1 is refilled with the container 16. The container 16 is in a closed configuration C. The container 16 is inserted into a container refill opening 34. The container refill opening 34 is formed in the housing 10. The container refill opening 34 is provided in the top cover 22. The container refill opening 34 is provided on the upper surface 22a of the top cover 22. The container refill opening 34 provides access to the container storage sub-assembly 12.

[0130] FIG. 14 shows a method of refilling the feeding assembly 1. The container 16 is refilled in the feeding assembly 1. The container 16 is in a closed configuration C. The container 16 is inserted into the container refill opening 34. The container refill opening 34 is formed in the housing 10. The container refill opening 34 is provided in the top cover 22. The container refill opening 34 is provided on the side surface 22b of the top cover 22.

[0131] FIG. 15 shows a method of refilling the feeding assembly 1. A plurality of containers 16 are refilled in the feeding assembly 1. Each of the plurality of containers 16 is in a closed configuration C. The plurality of containers 16 are held together by a container magazine 40. A plurality of containers 16 are stacked together in the container magazine 40. The container magazine is inserted into the container refill opening 34. The container refill opening 34 is formed in the top cover 22. The container refill opening 34 provides access to the container storage sub-assembly 12.

[0132] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the feeding assembly 1. The feeding assembly 1 includes a container storage sub-assembly 12. A plurality of containers 16 are refilled in the container storage sub-assembly 12. The container 16 is in a closed configuration C. The container 16 is held at a predetermined position in the hopper 48. An identification sensor 138 is provided near the hopper 48. The container 16 is held at a predetermined position by a restraint mechanism 50 (not shown). A container handling sub-assembly 42 is provided near the container storage sub-assembly 12. The container handling sub-assembly 42 is shown at a loading position LP. At the loading position LP, the container handling sub-assembly 42 can be aligned with the container storage sub-assembly 12. By alignment, it may be possible to transfer the container 16 from the container storage sub-assembly 12 to the container handling sub-assembly 42.

[0133] Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view of the feeding assembly 1. The feeding assembly 1 includes a container storage sub-assembly 12. A plurality of containers 16 are refilled in the container storage sub-assembly 12. The container 16 is in a closed configuration C. The container handling sub-assembly 42 is adjacent to the container storage sub-assembly 12 and is in the loading position LP. The container handling sub-assembly 42 is aligned with the hopper 48. A restraint mechanism 50 (not shown) pushes the container 16 into the container handling sub-assembly 42.

[0134] Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view of the feeding assembly 1. The container handling sub-assembly 42 moves from the loading position LP to the open position OP. The container handling sub-assembly 42 moves from the container storage sub-assembly 12 towards the feeding area 32. The container handling sub-assembly 42 moves the container 16 in the closed configuration from the container storage sub-assembly 12 towards the container opening sub-assembly 46. The container opening sub-assembly 46 engages with the lid 54. In the example here, the container opening sub-assembly 46 sandwiches the lid 54. As the container handling sub-assembly 42 continues to move towards the feeding area 32, the container opening sub-assembly 46 continues to hold a part of the lid 54. By maintaining the part of the lid 54 in a stationary state while moving the container base 52 towards the feeding area 32, the lid 54 is removed from the container base 52.

[0135] Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view of the feeding assembly 1. The container handling sub-assembly 42 is disposed inside and / or below and / or adjacent to the feeding area 32. The container handling sub-assembly 42 is in the feeding position FP. The container handling sub-assembly 42 contains the container 16 inside. The container 16 is in an open configuration O. The lid 54 has been removed in advance. The lid 54 is in the waste collection sub-assembly 14. The lid 54 is in the waste receiving portion 36 of the waste collection sub-assembly 14. The container handling sub-assembly 42 moves upward in both the horizontal and vertical directions within the feeding area 32. As a result of the upward movement, the container 16 is lifted towards the container display opening 24.

[0136] Figures 20 and 21 are cross-sectional views of the feeding assembly 1. The container handling sub-assembly 42 is moved towards the waste sub-assembly 56. The waste sub-assembly 56 cooperates with the container handling sub-assembly 42. The container handling sub-assembly is in the placement position DP. Due to the interaction between the waste sub-assembly 56 and the container handling sub-assembly 42, the container 16 is pushed into the waste collection sub-assembly 14. The container 16 falls into the waste receiving portion 36. After the container 16 is placed in the waste collection sub-assembly 14, the container handling sub-assembly 42 stops at the rest position RP. The container handling sub-assembly 42 can wait at this position until the subsequent container 16 is distributed from the container storage sub-assembly 12 and is provided to the animal for ingestion after the preparation is complete.

[0137] Figures 22, 23 and 24 show the container opening sub-assembly 46. The container opening sub-assembly 46 includes a drive unit 64. The drive unit 64 includes a motor 66 and a drive shaft 68. The drive unit 64 can be configured as a thread motor 64a. The drive unit 64 can be accommodated and supported by the drive unit support 92. The drive unit 64 may be attached to the drive unit cap 95. The movable jaw 94 is rotatably engaged with the drive shaft 68. The movable jaw 94 is stationary relative to the stationary jaw 96. When the drive shaft 68 rotates, the movable jaw 94 can move closer to or away from the stationary jaw 96. By moving the movable jaw 94, the pinch gap 98 can be enlarged or reduced. The lid 54 (not shown) can be moved into the pinch gap 98. The lid 54 (not shown) can be held in a state sandwiched between the movable jaw 94 and the stationary jaw 96.

[0138] Figures 25 and 26 show the container opening subassembly 46. The container opening subassembly 46 includes a hook 220. The hook 220 is fixed to an arm 222. The arm 222 may be movable (e.g., rotatable) or may be stationary. The arm may be drivable by a drive unit. The arm may be drivable by a force applied by the container. The hook 220 interacts with the hook opening 204 of the container 16. The hook opening 204 may be formed in the container base 52 and / or the lid 54 (not shown).

[0139] Figures 27, 28, and 29 show the container magazine 40. The container magazine 40 is configured to hold a plurality of containers 16 in a closed configuration C. The containers 16 are stacked vertically.

[0140] In Figure 27, the containers 16 are stacked vertically on top of each other. The lid 54 of the container 16 supports the container base 52 of the adjacent container 16. The container magazine 40 includes an outer wall 176. The outer wall 176 defines a hollow interior of the magazine 40. The container magazine 40 includes a cover 178. The cover 178 may be removable to allow the containers 16 to be dispensed.

[0141] In Figures 28 and 29, the containers 16 are supported by the container magazine 40. The container magazine 40 includes a plurality of slots 168. The slots 168 are formed in the outer wall 176. The slots 168 support the rim or flange 76 of the container 16. Each slot 168 can be spaced apart to accommodate containers 16 having different volumes. For example, for containers 16 having a larger volume, only some of the slots 168 can be used, while for containers 16 having a smaller volume, all or various slots are used. Figures 28 and 28 show the compatibility with containers 16 having different volumes.

[0142] Unless otherwise stated, any numerical value recited herein includes all values from the lower value to the higher value in increments of one unit, provided that there is at least a two-unit interval between any lower value and any higher value. By way of example, for a quantity of a component, a value of a property or a process variable such as temperature, pressure, time and the like, if it is stated to be, for example, from 1 to 90, preferably from 20 to 80, more preferably from 30 to 70, it is intended that intermediate range values such as, for example, from 15 to 85, from 22 to 68, from 43 to 51, from 30 to 32 are also included in the teachings herein. Similarly, individual intermediate values are also included in the teachings. For values less than 1, one unit is considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01 or 0.1 as appropriate. These are merely examples of what is specifically intended, and all possible combinations of numerical values between the recited lowest and highest values should be considered to be explicitly stated in this application as well.

[0143] Unless otherwise stated, all ranges include both endpoints and all numbers between the endpoints. The use of "about" or "substantially" in connection with a range applies to both ends of the range. Thus, "about 20 to 30" is intended to cover "about 20 to about 30" including at least the specified endpoints.

[0144] The terms "about" or "substantially" when describing an angular measurement may mean about ±10° or less, about ±5° or less, or even about ±1° or less. The terms "about" or "substantially" when describing an angular measurement may mean about ±0.01° or more, about ±0.1° or more, or even about ±0.5° or more. The terms "about" or "substantially" when describing a linear measurement, percentage or ratio may mean about ±10% or less, about ±5% or less, or even about ±1% or less. The terms "about" or "substantially" when describing a linear measurement, percentage or ratio may mean about ±0.01% or more, about ±0.1% or more, or even about ±0.5% or more.

[0145] The disclosures of all papers and references, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated by reference for all purposes. The term "consisting essentially of" describing a combination shall include other elements, components, parts or steps that do not materially affect the basic novel characteristics of the combination in addition to the recited elements, components, parts or steps. The use of the terms "comprising" or "including" to describe a combination of elements, components, parts or steps in this specification contemplates embodiments that substantially include such elements, components, parts or steps or even consist of these. A plurality of elements, components, parts or steps may be provided by a single integrated element, component, part or step. Alternatively, an integrated single element, component, part or step may be divided into separate plural elements, components, parts or steps. The disclosure of "a" or "one" element, component, part or step is not intended to exclude additional elements, components, parts or steps.

[0146] It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only and not limiting. Many other embodiments and many applications will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and should be construed to cover the full scope of equivalents to which the claims are entitled. The disclosures of all papers and references, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated by reference for all purposes. The omission of any aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein in the following claims is not an exclusion of that subject matter, nor should it be regarded as an indication that the inventor does not consider that subject matter to be part of the claimed inventive subject matter.

Claims

1. A container suitable for storing animal food therein, a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to hold food therein, i) one or more flanges including and / or forming one or more keying features configured to form one or more orientations of the container comprising a container base, b) a lid removably fixed to the container base, configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container, and further i) a handling portion including the bottom surface of the lid, exposed from one or more flanges and / or one or more rims of the container base, ii) the handling portion including a reinforcing structure fixed to the container base and extending beyond the container base such that the bottom surface of the lid is exposed (e.g., from the one or more flanges), or iii) the handling portion extending away from the container base and together with reinforcing features of one or more flanges fixed to the container base, and configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container base, including one of, a container.

2. A container suitable for storing animal food therein, a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to hold food therein, i) one or more flanges including and / or forming one or more keying features configured to form one or more orientations of the container comprising a container base, b) a lid removably fixed to the container base, configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container, and further i) a handling portion including the bottom surface of the lid, exposed from one or more flanges and / or one or more rims of the container base, ii) the handling portion including a reinforcing structure fixed to the container base and extending beyond the container base such that the bottom surface of the lid is exposed (e.g., from the one or more flanges), or iii) extending away from the container base and together with reinforcing features of one or more flanges fixed to the container base, and further configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container base, said handling portion including one of, a lid, c) one or more seal members for removably fixing the lid to the container base, i) two or more opposing stress-increasing features formed as parts of the seal member so as to be concentration points and / or taper points at the front edge and the rear edge including one or more seal members, and including a container. **Claim 3** A container suitable for storing animal food therein, a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to hold food therein, i) one or more flanges including and / or forming one or more keying features configured to form one or more orientations of the container within a feeding assembly, within a cartridge magazine, or within both ii) one or more lid reinforcing features fixed to the lid and configured to be removably fixed to the remaining portion of one or more of the flanges, rims, or both, including a container base, and b) a lid removably fixed to the container base and configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container, and further i) extending away from the container base and together with lid reinforcing features of one or more flanges fixed to the container base, and further configured to engage a container opening structure (e.g., a sub-assembly) for peeling the lid from the container base, a handling portion including one of, a lid, c) one or more seal members, i) a first seal member for removably fixing the lid to the container base, disposed between the rim of the container base and / or one or more of the flanges and the lid, and disposed around the opening of the food cavity, and further - two or more opposing stress-increasing features formed as parts of the seal member so as to be concentration points and / or taper points at the front edge and the rear edge including a first seal member, and ii) a second sealing member that secures the lid reinforcing feature to the handling portion of the lid such that when the lid is peeled away from the container base, the lid reinforcing feature of the one or more flanges remains adhered to the lid; A container comprising a sealing member and A container. **Claim 4** The container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container includes one or more sealing members that removably adhere the lid to the container base. **Claim 5** The container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one or more sealing members have a shape that is substantially opposite to that of the food cavity, the rim of the container base, the flange of the container base, or a combination thereof. **Claim 6** The container according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the one or more sealing members include one or more stress-increasing features. **Claim 7** The container according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the one or more stress-increasing features are adjacent to and / or disposed at locations on the leading edge, trailing edge, or both of the lid. **Claim 8** The container according to claim 7, wherein the one or more stress-increasing features enable the peeling of the lid from the container base to start and / or end with a smaller tensile force than if the one or more stress-increasing features were not present. **Claim 9** The container according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the one or more stress-increasing features are one or more concentration points and / or taper points of the sealing member. **Claim 10** The container according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the one or more stress-increasing features are one or more sharp edges (e.g., vertices) at the opposing axial ends of the sealing member. **Claim 11** The container according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the one or more sealing members have a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially circular, oval, egg-shaped, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal), or similar thereto, or a combination thereof. **Claim 12** The container according to claim 11, wherein one sealing member has a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, circular having lobes or similar thereto or a combination thereof.

13. The container according to claim 11 or 12, wherein one sealing member has a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially lemon-shaped, diamond-shaped or both.

14. The container according to any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein the one or more sealing members are an adhesive separate from the lid and the container base, a formed joint (e.g., a welded joint) between the lid and the container base or both.

15. The container according to any one of claims 2 to 14, wherein the one or more sealing members include a sealing member that fixes the handling portion of the lid to the lid reinforcing portion of the one or more flanges.

16. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the container base includes a storage portion having a bottom wall that defines the food cavity and one or more side walls.

17. The container according to claim 16, wherein the one or more side walls are tapered in a direction away from the bottom wall such that the width of the food cavity towards the bottom wall is narrower than the width of the food cavity towards the rim.

18. The container according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the one or more side walls are angled with respect to the bottom wall such that the side wall forms a perpendicular angle or an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom wall.

19. The container according to claim 18, wherein the angle is from about 90° or more to about 150° or less.

20. The container according to claim 19, wherein the angle is from about 95° or more to about 120° or less.

21. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the height of the container base is determined as the distance from the bottom wall to one or more side walls, the rim of the lid or both.

22. The container according to claim 21, wherein the height of the container base is from about 1 cm or more to about 10 cm or less.

23. The container according to claim 22, wherein the height of the container base is from about 2 cm or more to about 7 cm or less.

24. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein there is a radius of curvature at which one or more side walls join the bottom wall.

25. The container according to claim 24, wherein the radius of curvature is from about 1.5 mm to about 20 mm.

26. The container according to claim 25, wherein the radius of curvature is from about 5 mm to about 15 mm.

27. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the bottom wall of the container base has a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal) or similar thereto or a combination thereof.

28. The container according to claim 27, wherein the bottom wall has a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped or similar thereto or a combination thereof.

29. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein one or more side walls of the container base have a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially opposite to the cross-sectional shape or the planar shape of the bottom wall of the container base.

30. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 29, wherein one or more side walls of the container base have a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal) or similar thereto or a combination thereof.

31. The container according to claim 30, wherein the one or more side walls have a cross-sectional shape or a planar shape that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped or similar thereto or a combination thereof.

32. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 31, wherein a pant is formed on the bottom wall of the container base.

33. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 32, wherein the one or more flanges are present around the one or more side walls.

34. The container according to claim 33, wherein the one or more flanges project in a direction substantially laterally away from the one or more side walls.

35. The container according to claim 34, wherein the one or more flanges project from a rim or the one or more side walls.

36. The container according to claim 35, wherein the one or more flanges project from above the upper surface of the rim or below the upper surface of the rim.

37. The container according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the one or more flanges are separate from the rim or are part of the rim.

38. The container according to any one of claims 33 to 37, wherein the one or more flanges surround the entire circumference of the one or more side walls.

39. The container according to any one of claims 33 to 38, wherein the one or more flanges are biased towards the rim of the container base, away from the bottom wall of the container base, or both.

40. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 39, wherein the one or more flanges have a cross-sectional or planar shape that is opposite to, similar to, and / or dissimilar to the cross-sectional or planar shape of the one or more seal members, the bottom wall, the one or more side walls, the lid, or a combination thereof.

41. The container according to claim 40, wherein the one or more flanges have a cross-sectional or planar shape that is dissimilar to the cross-sectional or planar shape of the seal member, the bottom wall, the one or more side walls, or a combination thereof.

42. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 41, wherein the one or more flanges include one or more lid reinforcement features.

43. The container according to claim 42, wherein the one or more lid reinforcement features include portions of the one or more flanges adhered to the lid (e.g., the bottom surface of the lid).

44. The container according to claim 42 or 43, wherein the one or more lid reinforcement features are configured to distribute the peel force at the outer periphery of the lid, towards the seal member, away from the center line of the lid, towards the center line of the lid, in a direction similar thereto, or in any combination thereof.

45. The container according to any one of claims 42 to 44, wherein the one or more lid reinforcement features are portions of the one or more flanges that form an extension protruding in a direction away from the rim relative to the remainder of the flange.

46. The container according to claim 45, wherein the one or more lid reinforcement features include a vertically extending portion, a lid contact portion, or both.

47. The one or more lid reinforcing features are portions of the one or more flanges that are raised (e.g., closer to the lid in a direction further away from the bottom wall) compared to the remainder of the one or more flanges, the container according to any one of claims 42 to 46.

48. The one or more lid reinforcing features are removable flange portions configured to be removed from the remainder of the one or more flanges, the container according to any one of claims 42 to 47.

49. The removable flange portion is integral with and continuous with the remainder of the one or more flanges, the container according to claim 48.

50. The removable flange portion is separated from the remainder of the one or more flanges by one or more score lines, perforations, grooves, weakening points or the like or any combination thereof, the container according to claim 48 or 49.

51. The one or more flanges have a cross-sectional shape or planar shape that is substantially circular, oval, egg-shaped, teardrop-shaped, lobe-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal) or the like or a combination thereof, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 50.

52. The flange has a cross-sectional shape or planar shape that is substantially circular, oval, egg-shaped, teardrop-shaped, circular having a lobe or the like or a combination thereof, the container according to claim 51.

53. The one or more flanges have a cross-sectional shape or planar shape that tapers towards the leading edge of the lid, or towards the removable flange portion, or a combination thereof, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 52.

54. The container base is composed of one or more food-grade materials (e.g., food-grade plastic), the container according to any one of claims 1 to 53.

55. The container base is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) or the like or a combination thereof, the container according to claim 43.

56. The lid is shaped so as to be opposite to the food cavity of the container base and / or to be similar to the food cavity and / or not to be similar to the food cavity and / or to completely cover the food cavity, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 55.

57. The lid does not extend beyond most or all of one or more flanges of the container, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 56.

58. The lid has a cross-sectional shape or planar shape that is opposite to and / or similar to and / or not similar to the cross-sectional shape or planar shape of the seal member, the bottom wall, the one or more side walls, the rim, one or more flanges or a combination thereof, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 57.

59. The lid has a cross-sectional shape or planar shape that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal (e.g., pentagonal, hexagonal), lobe-shaped or the like or a combination thereof, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 58.

60. The lid has a cross-sectional shape or planar shape that is substantially circular, elliptical, oval, teardrop-shaped, circular with lobes or the like or a combination thereof, the container according to claim 59.

61. The lid has a cross-sectional shape or planar shape that tapers towards the leading edge of the lid and / or towards a removable flange portion and / or a combination thereof, the container according to claim 60.

62. The one or more flanges, the lid, or both have a rounded shape that creates a blunt surface at the leading edge of the lid, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 61.

63. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 62, having no symmetry, or being symmetric with respect to only one plane of symmetry, or being symmetric with respect to two or more planes of symmetry.

64. The container according to claim 63, being symmetric with respect to a longitudinal plane extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the lid and intersecting both the lid and the container base.

65. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 64, wherein a hook opening (e.g., a removal opening) is arranged together with the lid, one or more flanges, or both.

66. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 65, wherein the container includes one or more keying features.

67. The container according to claim 66, wherein the one or more keying features are configured to assist in the correct placement of the container within a feeding assembly, within a container magazine, or within both.

68. The container according to claim 66 or 67, wherein the one or more keying features are associated with a unique geometry external to the container.

69. The container according to any one of claims 66 to 68, wherein the one or more keying features are one or more variations in the contour at one or more portions of the container base, the lid, or both.

70. The container according to claim 69, wherein the one or more keying features may include one or more recesses, protrusions, projections, cuts, flat surfaces, straight edges, or the like, or any combination thereof.

71. The container according to any one of claims 66 to 80, wherein the one or more keying features refer to the overall shape of one or more flanges, the two-dimensional shape of one or more flanges, or both (e.g., a shape defined by a perimeter).

72. The container according to any one of claims 66 to 80, wherein the one or more keying features may be formed within one or more rims, flanges, side walls, bottom walls, lids, or any combination thereof.

73. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 72, wherein the container includes one or more alignment features, engagement features, or both.

74. The container according to claim 73, wherein the one or more alignment features are configured to maintain the container in an appropriate alignment state during movement associated with the feeding assembly.

75. The container according to claim 73 or 74, wherein the one or more alignment features include a change in the contour of a rim, flange, bottom wall, side wall, or any combination thereof.

76. The container according to any one of claims 73 to 75, wherein the one or more alignment features include one or more cuts, protrusions, planar surfaces, planar edges, rounded surfaces, rounded edges, or any combination thereof within the rim, flange, bottom wall, side wall, or combinations thereof.

77. The container according to any one of claims 73 to 76, wherein the one or more engagement features are configured to engage with one or more components of the feeding assembly.

78. The container according to any one of claims 73 to 77, wherein the one or more engagement features are formed within the rim, flange, bottom wall, one or more side walls, or combinations thereof.

79. The container according to any one of claims 73 to 78, wherein the one or more engagement features include one or more holes, depressions, grooves, and / or the like.

80. The container according to any one of claims 73 to 79, wherein the one or more keying features, alignment features, engagement features, or portions thereof are symmetric, or mirror - arranged with respect to a plane of symmetry, or both.

81. One or more keying features, alignment features, engagement features, or portions thereof are disposed proximate to and / or adjacent to and / or at locations of the leading edge and / or trailing edge of the lid, and / or on opposite sides of the container defined by a longitudinal plane intersecting the leading edge and / or the trailing edge, and / or on opposite front and rear sides of the container defined by a front plane, and / or in any combination thereof, of the container according to any one of claims 1 to 80.

82. The container base includes one or more pockets, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 81.

83. The one or more pockets are formed on one or more rims, flanges or both of the container base, the container according to claim 82.

84. The one or more pockets are arranged below the front edge and / or the rear edge of the lid, the container according to claim 82 or 83.

85. The one or more pockets, together with the lid, form one or more pocket gaps defined as the distance from the pockets to the lid, the container according to any one of claims 82 to 84.

86. The container includes one or more identifiers configured to identify one or more parameters related to the container, the food or both, the container according to any one of claims 1 to 85.

87. The identifier includes one or more visual identifiers, signal identifiers or both, the container according to claim 86.

88. The one or more visual identifiers can include one or more quick response (“QR”) codes (registered trademark), barcodes, color patterns, textures, surface reflection patterns or the like or combinations thereof, The one or more signal identifiers include one or more radio frequency identification tags (“RFID”), near field communication (“NFC”) tags or the like or combinations thereof, the container according to claim 87.

89. The one or more parameters include compatibility with a feeding assembly, the type of food in the container, the volume of food in the container, the nutritional value associated with the food in the container, the brand or manufacturer of the food in the container, the manufacturing date and / or packaging date of the food in the container, the amount of time until the food begins to spoil after being opened and exposed to ambient temperature, or the like or any combination thereof, and / or The one or more parameters include one or more instructions for accessing one or more databases to retrieve information about the container or the food, the container according to any one of claims 86 to 88.

90. The container according to any one of claims 86 to 89, wherein the one or more identifiers are arranged on and / or inside the lid, the container base or both.

91. The container according to any one of claims 86 to 90, wherein the one or more identifiers are arranged on and / or inside one or more of an outer surface (e.g., upper surface), rim, flange, bottom wall of the lid and / or upper portions of one or more side walls of the container base, or at locations of combinations thereof.

92. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 91, wherein the food is wet food, dry food or both.

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