This invention generally relates to animal feeders, an animal feeding monitor and a method of training an animal to use a feeder. An animal feeder may have a housing with an aperture for a food bowl and a door for covering the aperture. The feeder can further include a door mechanism to control movement of the door over the aperture and a sensor to detect when an animal has moved away from the aperture. The feeder is configured to be operable in a training mode wherein the door mechanism is operable to control the door to cover a portion of the aperture in response to the detection and to respond to one or more later detections by controlling the door to cover a portion of the aperture larger than the preceding portion.

An automatic interactive pet food bowl includes a base; a bowl; a sensor that activates a retractable cover to protect contents of the automatic interactive pet food bowl; LEDs; a rotational energy connecting element a motor; a cover; a key pad; a solar paneling material; a small LED screen; a video screen; BLUETOOTH or WIFI; a camera; an outer housing; and a water level indicator sensor.

Animal feeders are disclosed that include a barrier limiting access to feed inside the feeder, doors controlled by an actuator and a control system configured to feed certain species to the exclusion of others by the recognition of those species. Cameras and, in some cases, other detectors are used to detect and identify animals by species. Doors may be configured to be open by default and remain open for the feeding of desired animals with the doors closing to prevent feeding upon the approach of an animal targeted for exclusion.

An animal feeder apparatus including a feed hopper defining an interior for receiving a quantity of feed, an upper opening and a lower feed discharge opening. A feed shelf may be located below the feed hopper and have an upper feed support surface with at least a portion of the upper feed support surface being located directly below the feed discharge opening of the feed hopper. A feed trough may be located toward the bottom of the apparatus below the feed hopper and below the feed shelf, and form a lower feed support surface upon which feed falling from the hopper and shelf rests. A feed shelf movement assembly may be configured to permit a feeding animal to move the feed shelf from a location adjacent to the lower feed support surface of the feed trough.

An animal feeder apparatus including a feed hopper defining an interior for receiving a quantity of feed, an upper opening and a lower feed discharge opening. A feed shelf may be located below the feed hopper and have an upper feed support surface with at least a portion of the upper feed support surface being located directly below the feed discharge opening of the feed hopper. A feed trough may be located toward the bottom of the apparatus below the feed hopper and below the feed shelf, and form a lower feed support surface upon which feed falling from the hopper and shelf rests. A feed shelf movement assembly may be configured to permit a feeding animal to move the feed shelf from a location adjacent to the lower feed support surface of the feed trough.

A pet-feeder device is provided. The pet-feeder device may include a casing, a printed circuit board, at least one compartment, at least one mixer, and a tray. The mixer may be located below at least one compartment. The tray may include at least one bowl. The tray may be located below the mixer.

The inventive concept relates to a smart feeding apparatus capable of feeding a meal and a snack depending on an input received by the feeding apparatus. In addition, the smart feeding apparatus is capable of adjusting an amount of the meal, selecting a type of the snack, and feeding the selected snack thereby feeding a food in consideration of a condition of a subject to be fed.

A pet interaction device is described. In some examples, the device includes a housing having an opening, and a treat dispenser configured to deliver a treat to a shelf within the housing or other target area visible from the outside by a pet that looks through the opening. The device also includes a camera having a lens that is oriented to provide the camera with a view from the inside of the housing outwards through the opening. The treat dispenser delivers a treat onto the shelf where it is visible to the pet through the opening, such that the camera will have a view of the pet as it gazes at the treat on the shelf.

An automatic animal feeding system is provided. Embodiments of the automatic animal feeding system include an automatic food dispenser and a food canister storing food pods. The automatic food dispenser couples to the food canister, receives a food pod form the food canister, removes a cover or lid from the food pod, presents the opened food pod for pet consumption, disposes of the food pod into a disposal compartment that is sealed off from the ambient air, and implements other steps of an automatic feeding process. Aspects of the automatic feeding process can be efficiently implemented, for example, by actuating two motors based on data received from sensors of the automatic animal feeding system. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a compact, control-efficient, self-cleaning automatic animal feeding system that can continuously personalize feeding patterns or feed a pet with little to no human intervention over a period of time.

An automatic animal feeding system is provided. Embodiments of the automatic animal feeding system include an automatic food dispenser and a food canister storing food pods. The automatic food dispenser couples to the food canister, receives a food pod form the food canister, removes a cover or lid from the food pod, presents the opened food pod for pet consumption, disposes of the food pod into a disposal compartment that is sealed off from the ambient air, and implements other steps of an automatic feeding process. Aspects of the automatic feeding process can be efficiently implemented, for example, by actuating two motors based on data received from sensors of the automatic animal feeding system. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a compact, control-efficient, self-cleaning automatic animal feeding system that can continuously personalize feeding patterns or feed a pet with little to no human intervention over a period of time.