Removable Motor Assembly Puzzle Pet Toy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pet toys that dispense treats lack sanitization capabilities due to their construction, require significant human supervision, and often incorporate motorized parts that are difficult to clean, limiting their interaction with pets and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A motorized puzzle pet toy with a removable motor assembly and dishwasher-safe components, featuring a rotating drum aperture that requires pet interaction to dispense treats, allowing for adjustable dispensing intervals and wireless control via smartphone or tablet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If motorized parts are integrated into the toy to enable automatic treat dispensing, then automation and reduced human supervision are improved, but ease of cleaning and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The motor assembly is designed as a separate, removable module that can be detached from the toy housing. This segmentation allows the motorized components to be easily separated from the cleanable toy parts, enabling owners to clean the toy without disassembling integrated motor components.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor assembly is extracted as a distinct removable unit from the main toy structure. This extraction allows the motorized functionality to be maintained while enabling easy access for cleaning the toy's interior chambers and surfaces without dealing with motor components.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the toy construction is sealed to prevent treats from scattering, then treat containment is improved, but sanitization capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The toy is divided into separable components including the housing, lid, and motor assembly. This segmentation creates removable parts that can be easily taken apart for thorough cleaning and sanitization, while maintaining effective treat containment when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The toy transitions between static sealed state during operation (for treat containment) and dynamic disassembled state during cleaning (for sanitization). The removable lid and motor assembly enable this dynamic transition between containment and cleanability modes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the toy requires pet interaction to dispense treats, then pet engagement is improved, but treat dispensing reliability deteriorates due to inconsistent pet behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The motor assembly rotates the inner chamber at predetermined intervals to bring treat openings into alignment with the outer chamber. This periodic mechanical action ensures reliable treat dispensing regardless of pet behavior, while the puzzle mechanism maintains pet engagement through interactive elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The toy incorporates a puzzle mechanism that provides feedback to the pet through treat dispensing when specific interactions occur. This feedback loop maintains pet engagement and motivation, while the automated rotation ensures consistent treat availability when the puzzle is solved.
4Extent of automation
If multiple separate chambers are used to control treat dispensing intervals, then treat dispensing control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple treat storage chambers are merged into a single rotating inner chamber structure. This consolidation maintains the ability to dispense treats from multiple locations while reducing the complexity of having separate stationary chambers, motors, and mechanisms for each dispensing location.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating inner chamber serves multiple functions: it stores treats in multiple compartments, provides the dispensing mechanism through rotation, and controls timing through predetermined rotation intervals. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity while maintaining sophisticated treat dispensing control.
Data Source
AI summary
A puzzle pet toy and treat dispenser that includes a housing, a lid, an inner chamber with a plurality of vertical radial walls, a drum aperture, a motor assembly, and an external chamber. The plurality of containers hold non-liquid pet treats, and an opening on the drum aperture aligned vertically with the tangential walls allows the pet treat on a given container to be released into the external chamber and dispensed via timer or controlled wirelessly through a wireless remote or controlled by a mobile device like a smart phone or tablet through a wirelessly connected app interface.