Automatic Fish Feeder with Gravity-Driven Valve and Submerged Food Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional automatic fish feeders are cumbersome, pose safety risks, expose food to air, and cannot direct food to locations beyond their immediate proximity, leading to contamination and messes, and often have complex external moving parts.
Innovation Solution
An automatic fish feeder with a housing shaped like an aquatic animal, integrated food storage reservoir, feeding track, and valve system that uses gravity and a counter-rod mechanism to distribute food at predetermined intervals, eliminating external moving parts and ensuring food remains submerged, reducing contamination and messes, and allowing for adjustable food delivery across the aquarium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If traditional automatic fish feeders use external moving components, then automated feeding is achieved, but safety risks to fish, users, and passersby increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes external moving components from the traditional fish feeder design. The feeding mechanism is integrated into the aquarium environment with no external motors, gears, or moving parts that could pose safety risks. Food is delivered through a controlled opening at the bottom of the feeder device, eliminating hazardous external mechanisms while maintaining automated feeding functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where food is stored in a reservoir and delivered through a controlled opening without direct mechanical intervention. The feeder acts as a mediator between the food source and the fish, using gravity and controlled release rather than external moving parts to achieve automated feeding safely.
2Extent of automation
If traditional automatic fish feeders use elaborate supporting structures, then automated feeding capability is provided, but device complexity and ease of installation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the feeder housing, food reservoir, and feeding mechanism into a single integrated unit. The supporting structure is simplified by merging it with the aquarium environment - the feeder rests on or attaches to the aquarium without requiring separate elaborate supports. This integration reduces overall device complexity while maintaining automated feeding functionality.
3Ease of operation
If traditional automatic fish feeders expose food to outside air, then food distribution is simplified, but food contamination and messes increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the food reservoir is contained within a sealed housing that is integrated with the aquarium environment. The food is stored in an inner chamber and delivered through a controlled opening at the bottom, keeping it submerged or protected from air exposure. This nested design maintains simple food distribution while preventing contamination and messes.
4Device complexity
If traditional automatic fish feeders are positioned for immediate proximity feeding, then device structure is simplified, but food distribution coverage is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the feeder with universal positioning capability - it can be placed on the aquarium surface or attached to the sides at various heights. The feeding opening can be directed toward different areas of the aquarium, allowing a single simple device structure to serve multiple locations and provide broader food distribution coverage throughout the tank.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a safe, easy-to-use, and efficient method for feeding aquatic animals at set intervals, reducing contamination and messes while allowing for flexible food distribution within the aquarium, ensuring reliable feeding schedules even during caretaker absences.
Implementation Method 1
The automatic fish feeder can then be position such that gravity can assist in the distribution of the food
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods for automatically feeding fish at predetermined intervals are disclosed herein. An automatic fish feeder can include a housing, at least one cover, a feeding track, and a valve. The housing can include a peripheral outer cover and at least one access hole. The food storage reservoir can be connected to the housing and configured to be accessible by an access hole. At least one cover can be removably attached to the peripheral outer cover and substantially seal the food storage reservoir. The feeding track can be coupleable to the food storage reservoir and configured to receive and distribute food from the food storage reservoir at individual rates. The valve can be coupleable to the feeding track and configured to control the flow of food from the feeding track. The valve can include a rod and a counter configured to move the rod relative to the feeding track.