Adjustable Pet Food Container with Movable Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pet food dispensing methods are inefficient and lack precision, often leading to overfeeding or underfeeding due to the reliance on informational cards and traditional measuring cups, which are time-consuming and prone to errors, especially for pets on weight management plans.
Innovation Solution
A pet food implement with a container featuring graduated markings and a selectively adjustable wall, coupled with a handle, allows for precise measurement of pet food based on the pet's weight, enabling easy alignment with the appropriate markings to define the correct volume for different weight management plans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional measuring cup with fixed graduations is used, then the device is simple and easy to manufacture, but the measurement precision is insufficient for small doses in a large cup
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the cup wall selectively adjustable between different positions. The cup wall can be moved to define different intermediate predetermined volumes within the container, allowing the same cup to provide precise measurements for various dose sizes (e.g., 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/8 cup) rather than relying on fixed graduations that lack precision for small measurements.
2Ease of operation
If informational cards and measuring cups are used separately, then the device is simple to manufacture, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to time-consuming two-step process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the informational card and measuring cup into a single integrated device. The container includes both the graduated markings (informational element) and the measuring functionality (cup) in one unit, eliminating the need for separate informational cards and reducing the process to a single-step operation where the user can directly measure the required dose without cross-referencing external materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The container serves multiple functions: it provides informational guidance through graduated markings, acts as a measuring device through the adjustable wall that defines intermediate volumes, and functions as a dispensing tool. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate informational cards and simplifies the feeding process.
3Measurement precision
If a large measuring cup is used to accommodate up to 2 cups, then the volume capacity is sufficient, but the measurement precision deteriorates for small doses like 1/2 cup
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction between volume capacity and measurement precision by making the cup wall dynamically adjustable. The cup wall can be positioned at different locations within the container to define intermediate predetermined volumes (such as 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/8 cup) even though the container has a large total capacity of up to 2 cups. This allows precise measurement of small doses while maintaining the ability to measure larger volumes when needed.
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
A pet food implement (100) having a container (200) to measure an amount of pet food based on a weight measurement of a pet and a weight management plan, the container (200) having a side (215, 220) with graduated markings (230) corresponding to weight measurements for pets. The container (200) further includes a selectively adjustable wall (300) that defines an intermediate predetermined volume of the container (200) corresponding to an amount of pet food suitable for a pet with a certain weight on a predetermined weight management plan; and a handle (400) coupled to the wall (300) to selectively adjust the wall (300) along the side of the container (200) to define the intermediate predetermined volume, the handle (400) aligning the wall (300) proximate one of the graduated markings (230).