Triangular Pet Bowl Assembly Cup Holder Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pet bowls are impractical for use in vehicles due to issues like water spillage, lack of stabilization, bulkiness, and the need for separate containers for food and water, making them inefficient and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A portable, compact pet bowl assembly with an inwardly extending splashguard and a design that fits into a vehicle's cup holder, allowing secure stabilization and integration of both food and water containers without auxiliary stabilizing components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an anti-spilling lip is added to the bowl, then water spillage is reduced, but the bowl becomes more complex and harder to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the anti-spilling lip with the bowl's rim structure, making them an integrated single component rather than separate parts. This merging maintains the anti-spilling function while simplifying manufacturing by eliminating the need for separate anti-spilling components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the anti-spilling lip only at specific locations where spillage is most likely to occur (at the rim edge), rather than making the entire bowl structure complex. This localized approach provides effective spill prevention while minimizing overall structural complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the bowl is placed on a flat planar surface without stabilization, then the bowl is easy to position, but the bowl shifts and moves during vehicle motion causing water spillage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an asymmetric bowl shape with a flat base that is specifically designed to fit into the curved contour of cup holder recesses. This asymmetric design provides stable positioning in the vehicle's cup holder while maintaining ease of placement, resolving the contradiction between positioning ease and motion stability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate containers are used for food and water, then each container can be optimized for its specific use, but additional interior space is required and the system becomes less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the food container and water bowl into a single integrated unit where the food container sits atop the water bowl. This combining allows both food and water to be stored in one compact assembly, reducing the total volume required while maintaining the functional specialization of separate compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where the food container is positioned within or above the water bowl structure, allowing one container to be housed within or alongside the other. This nesting arrangement maximizes space efficiency while preserving the functional separation needed for food and water storage.
4Quantity of substance
If conventional pet bowls are made large and bulky to provide adequate food and water capacity, then storage capacity is sufficient, but the bowls become heavy and difficult to transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bowl into multiple lightweight components (bowl, lid, food container) that can be separately manufactured from lightweight materials and assembled as needed. This segmentation allows for adequate total capacity while keeping individual components light and easy to transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite or lightweight materials (such as plastics or polymers) for constructing the bowl and container components. These materials provide sufficient structural strength and capacity while significantly reducing the overall weight compared to traditional materials like ceramic or metal.
Data Source
AI summary
A pet bowl assembly for traveling in a vehicle includes a container for holding water, a triangular shaped bowl that is in fluid communication with the container, and a lid removably attached to the triangular shaped bowl. The container is shaped and sized to dimensionally correspond to a shape and size of a recess of a cup holder in a console of a vehicle. The container is securely retained within the cup holder, and the triangular shaped bowl extends partially between the front vehicle seats. In another embodiment, a pet bowl assembly is provided for storing both food and water. The pet bowl assembly includes a container for holding pet food where the container is releasably attached to a triangular shaped pet bowl that is filled with water. The embodiments optionally include a splashguard for preventing spilling when a pet is drinking from the bowl and when a vehicle is in motion.