Pet Toy Hub With Rounded Recess for Clean Food Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pet toys fail to provide a stable and easy-to-clean configuration for holding and removing spreadable edible substances like peanut butter, often leading to material spillage and difficulty in complete consumption by pets.
Innovation Solution
A pet toy design featuring a hub with a cylindrical opening or recess, free of sharp corners and undercuts, allowing easy removal of spreadable substances by licking, and a tilting mechanism to prevent spillage, made from chewable materials like nylon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the hub opening is designed with complex shapes (corners, undercuts, overhangs, protrusions), then the hub can hold more material, but the pet cannot remove all material and cleaning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by designing the hub opening with rounded surfaces instead of sharp corners. The inner wall is smoothly curved without angles, undercuts, overhangs, or protrusions, allowing the pet's tongue to smoothly access and remove all material while also making cleaning easier.
2Ease of manufacture
If the hub opening has sharp corners and edges, then the structure is easier to manufacture, but the pet's tongue is impacted and material removal is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces sharp corners and edges with rounded surfaces throughout the hub opening. This curvature allows the pet's tongue to move smoothly without being impacted by sharp edges, enabling complete material removal while still being manufacturable.
3Reliability
If the hub is tilted to prevent spillage, then material is kept contained, but the toy becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the hub dynamically tiltable by projecting arms from the central portion that can be pressed downwardly against a support surface. This simple mechanical dynamic feature allows the hub to tilt and prevent spillage without requiring complex mechanisms, motors, or electronic controls.
4Reliability
If the opening is made narrow to contain material, then spillage is reduced, but the pet cannot access the material easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a rounded inner wall surface that is smooth and continuous, allowing the pet's tongue to easily navigate and access the material despite the opening's containment features. The curvature prevents material sticking while maintaining accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A pet toy has a recess that is configured to hold a spreadable, edible substance in a manner that allows it to be removed by a pet such as a dog. Examples of the spreadable, edible substance are peanut butter, cream cheese, or a spreadable cheese. The pet toy has a hub with a straight inner wall that defines at least the upper portion of a recess. There are no overhangs so that the recess is easy to clean. A ring-shaped arm is connected to a middle portion of the hub to cause it to tilt when placed on a flat support surface.