A DOUBLE-DINER PET BOWL ASSEMBLY AND A METHOD OF FABRICATING THEREOF

Abstract

A double diner pet food bowl assembly may include first and second dog bowls, and a base portion. The base portion may include first and second opposing ends, and a medial portion separating the first and second opposing ends. Each of the first and second opposing ends may define a receptacle configured to respectively receive the first and second dog bowls. The base portion may have an anti-skid feature on a bottom surface of the base portion and extending between the first and second first opposing ends.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A double diner pet food bowl assembly comprising: first and second dog bowls; and a base portion comprising first and second opposing ends, and a medial portion separating said first and second opposing ends; each of the first and second opposing ends defining a receptacle configured to respectively receive said first and second dog bowls; said base portion comprising an anti-skid feature on a bottom surface of said base portion and extending between said first and second first opposing ends.

15. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 14 wherein said base portion includes a peripheral wall extending around the receptacles for said first and second dog bowls and configured to retain spillage from said first and second dog bowls.

16. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 14 wherein each receptacle includes an upper layer abutting said first and second dog bowls.

17. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 16 wherein said upper layer comprises a plastic resin.

18. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 17 wherein said plastic resin is selected from polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, crystal, acrylic, and nylon.

19. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 16 wherein said base portion comprises a bonding layer between said upper layer and adjacent portions of said first and second opposing ends.

20. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 19 wherein said bonding layer comprises a thermoplastic elastomer.

21. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 20 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer comprises at least one of rubber, silicone, and a thermoplastic material.

22. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 14 wherein said base portion comprises polypropylene.

23. The double diner pet food bowl assembly of claim 14 wherein said anti-skid feature comprises a plurality of rubber feet extending downward to contact a surface.

24. A method for making a double diner pet food bowl assembly, the method comprising: forming a base portion comprising first and second opposing ends, and a medial portion separating the first and second opposing ends; each of the first and second opposing ends defining a receptacle configured to respectively receive first and second dog bowls; the base portion comprising an anti-skid feature on a bottom surface of the base portion and extending between the first and second first opposing ends.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the base portion includes a peripheral wall extending around the receptacles for the first and second dog bowls and configured to retain spillage from the first and second dog bowls.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein each receptacle includes an upper layer abutting the first and second dog bowls.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the upper layer comprises a plastic resin.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the plastic resin is selected from polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, crystal, acrylic, and nylon.

29. A method for making a double diner pet food bowl assembly having a base portion comprising first and second opposing ends, and a medial portion separating the first and second opposing ends, each of the first and second opposing ends defining a receptacle configured to respectively receive first and second dog bowls, each receptacle including an upper layer abutting the first and second dog bowls, the base portion comprising an anti-skid feature on a bottom surface of the base portion and extending between the first and second first opposing ends, the method comprising: forming the upper layer with an injection molding process; placing the upper layer on a mold for bonding plastic and thermo-elastic rubber together by injection molding to make the upper layer so that material flows; forming the first and second dog bowls, the forming comprising stamping a stainless steel sheet, cutting and trimming edges of a stamped stainless steel piece, rolling the edges to remove any sharpness, and polishing the stamped stainless steel piece using a buffing machine.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the injection molding process comprises a single-step molding.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the base portion includes a peripheral wall extending around the receptacles for the first and second dog bowls and configured to retain spillage from the first and second dog bowls.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein each receptacle includes an upper layer abutting the first and second dog bowls.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the upper layer comprises a plastic resin.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a double diner pet food bowl assembly, according to the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom plan view of the double diner pet food bowl assembly of FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 3 is another schematic perspective view of the double diner pet food bowl assembly of FIG. 1.

[0022] FIGS. 4-7 are images of an example embodiment of the double diner pet food bowl assembly, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] However, none of the above discussed inventions provide to a pet bowl, which comprises two parallel bowls kept on a surface which is ant-proof and also acts as a double-diner so that two pets can eat together and/or one bowl can be used for food and the other one for water. The bowls of said product can be safely locked into the provided mat without using any external locking means. Thus, the present invention provides a unique and innovative product, comprising all these features in one product only.

[0024] The present invention relates to the field of pet bowls. More particularly, the present invention relates to a double-diner pet bowl assembly. Even more particularly, the present invention provides double-diner pet bowl system in which two separate pet bowls can be locked into one mat or tray type base with proper placing and locking systems for two bowls, so that at a time two pets can have food or one bowl can be used for food and another for water for the pet. The present invention also provides a method of fabricating such double-diner mat and bowls assembly

[0025] The primary objective of the invention is to provide a multi-purpose assembly for pets. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose double-diner pet bowl assembly. Another objective of the invention is to provide a double-diner system wherein both the bowls can be safely locked into the base or stand of the feeder so that the bowl does not topple with the normal activity of the animal. Another objective of the invention is to provide a system for double-diner and their base/mat/tray, wherein no screws are required to keep the bowls in place. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating such multi-purpose double-diner mat and bowls assembly.

[0026] The present invention relates to an improved double-diner pet bowl assembly. The invention provides double-diner pet bowl system in which two separate pet bowls can be locked into one mat or tray type base with proper placing and locking systems for two bowls, so that at a time two pets can have food or one bowl can be used for food and another for water for the pet. There is also provided a method of fabricating such double-diner mat and bowls assembly.

[0027] Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved double-diner multi-purpose mat cum bowl assembly, and a method of fabricating thereof, said assembly comprising a base portion including two holders/receptacles for fixing a bowl removably, said assembly having an anti-skid bottom, said two holders/receptacles separated from each other by a portion in between, and said method of fabrication comprises molding of anti-skid material over bottom of base material from down side towards upside of base using robotic machinery automatically.

[0028] It should be noted that the particular description, features, components, construction, mechanism and embodiments set forth in the specification below are merely exemplary of the wide variety and arrangement of instructions which can be employed with the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. All the features disclosed in this specification may be replaced by similar other or alternative features performing similar or same or equivalent purposes. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, they all are within the scope of present invention. Various modifications or substitutions are also possible without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that this specification has been described by way of the most preferred embodiments and for the purposes of illustration and not limitation.

[0029] The present invention provides a multi-purpose double-diner mat and bowls assembly for pets. The present invention provides a food grade and dish-washer safe double-diner feeder system for pets. The present invention is an improved double diner pet dish and a mat, which overcomes the many disadvantages of the prior art pet dishes.

[0030] The present invention also provides a method of fabricating such double-diner mat and bowls assembly. The method of fabricating said assembly is different and innovative over methods used in prior art. The present method saves time and cost for fabricating bowl and also uses less material. So this method is highly environment-friendly and cost-effective.

[0031] The present invention is a dual purpose, double-diner feeder for pets. This diner is able to hold food and liquid together or can serve food to two pets together. There is provided a base/mat/tray surrounding the receptacle chamber for bowls, which keeps the two-bowls affixed, such that once fixed, they are not easy to remove, especially by normal activity of animal.

[0032] The diner of the present invention has two main components. The first component comprises a base/tray/mat area, which comprises receptacles or chambers to hold the bowls in place. The second component is the plurality of bowls, which are easily removable yet very tightly affixed and stable when in place inside the first component.

[0033] The two receptacles have sufficient distance in between them on the mat/tray/base, so that there is protective barrier preventing the water or liquid from one bowl spilling into the other bowl containing food. Since the second component, i.e. said bowls can be removed; it is easy to wash these and then resupply without moving the entire dish. The mat is rubber mold to make bowl placed firmly. The base is polypropylene (PP).

[0034] The molding of rubber over polypropylene is done in different way than traditional techniques. The rubber enters from the bottom through robotic machinery and automatically reaches the top side (down to up). The steel bowl when affixed into rubber base component does not move and also locks in. This cannot be removed by normal activity of animal. The product also is free of any sound as the steel bowl completely locks into the rubber component.

[0035] The resin used for making the mat is TPE (thermo-plastic elastomer) and so the product is anti-skid in nature. Due to novel molding step, two steps are avoided and single step molding is achieved as there is no need for separate top and bottom molding.

[0036] In the bottom most side, only the points where rubber is placed, touch the ground. The other portions of the entire diner are above the ground level. So, the food placed in the diner is not infected by ants or other insects. Since the bowl is fixed over the mat, even if while consuming or otherwise, some food or liquid is spilled by the animal, it will not be leaked on the ground, this will be spilled on the mat only. The diner mat or tray is having sufficient size to retain the spilled food to avoid spillage on ground/floor.

[0037] The feeder of the present invention comprises at least two pet bowls secured safely in a base or stand by in-build locks so that the bowls stand in place and do not topple or move by normal activity of the pet. The material used for manufacturing the device of present invention is all of good quality and thus there are no harmful chemicals which might leach into the food of the pet. The device is very easy to clean and so hygiene is maintained easily. Any component of the device does not catch rust and so the device is durable and has a long life.

[0038] The process used for manufacturing the device is very simple. Double Diner Bone Shape manufacturing steps: plastic Mat is made using plastic resin through plastic injection process with the help of injection molding machine, (plastic resin could be any material i.e. Polypropylene, ABS, LDPE, HDPE, Crystal, Acrylic, Nylon etc.)

[0039] After plastic mat is made, the same is placed on the mold for bonding plastic and rubber together, which makes the mat anti-skid. This process is done again through injection molding, so that the elastomeric resin flows on the plastic mat and gets bonded permanently. The elastomer could be any material selected from but not limited to a TPE, TPR, Silicone or rubber.

[0040] Once the mat is made, two stainless steel bowls are placed on the mat for serving food or water or to serve two pets together as per the requirement. The process for manufacturing stainless steel bowl is: stainless Steel pet bowl is made by stamping process on Hydraulic or any other stamping machines for stainless steel. After stamping the bowl, the edges of stainless steel bowl are cut and trimmed with the help of cutting and trimming machine for making the outer edge even on all sides.

[0041] After making the bowls even-edged, the edges are rolled, so that they are not sharp, to avoid any accidents. Bowl is polished with the help of buffing machine, for giving shiny or matt surface as per the requirement. The mat of the double-diner bowl is above the ground surface and only the corners of the mat are touching the ground. So, the food and water is safe from being infested by ants/insects etc. Thus, the present invention provides many novel and innovative features in one product, which were not covered in any of the prior art so far.

[0042] So accordingly, the present invention provides an improved double-diner multi-purpose mat cum bowl assembly, and a method of fabricating thereof, said assembly comprising a base portion including two holders/receptacles for fixing a bowl removably, said assembly having an anti-skid bottom, said two holders/receptacles separated from each other by a portion in between, and said method of fabrication comprises molding of anti-skid material over bottom of base material from down side towards upside of base using robotic machinery automatically.

[0043] In an embodiment, said base has extended portion around bowl holders/receptacles to retain/hold any spillage from bowls while in use. In another embodiment, said mat is made of a plastic resin selected from Polypropylene, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), LDPE, HDPE, Crystal, Acrylic and Nylon etc.

[0044] In yet another embodiment, said mat is bonded permanently with a thermo-plastic elastomer from the bottom side to make said mat non-skid and to make bowls remain firmly immovable once fixed. In another embodiment, said step of bonding of plastic resin and thermoplastic elastomer is done through injection molding, so that the elastomeric resin flows on the plastic mat from bottom side towards upper side and gets bonded permanently.

[0045] In yet another embodiment, said thermo-plastic elastomer is preferably Rubber, Silicon, TPE or TPR. In another embodiment, said base is preferably made of polypropylene (PP). In another embodiment, said process for fabricating said assembly comprises the steps of: fabricating the mat by injection molding process with the help of injection molding machine; placing the mat of step (a) on the mold for bonding plastic and thermo-elastic rubber together by injection molding to make the mat anti-skid so that rubber flows on the mat and gets bonded permanently and final mat comprises holders/receptacles for keeping bowls in place on the upper side; said bowls are made up of stain-less steel and are fabricated in a separate process by stamping on Hydraulic or any other stamping machines for stainless steel, in which after stamping the bowl, the edges of stainless steel bowl are cut and trimmed with the help of cutting and trimming machine for making the outer edge even on all sides; edges are rolled to avoid any sharpness and bowl is polished with buffing machine to obtain final product.

[0046] In yet another embodiment, said bowl holders/receptacles keep bowl immovable, when affixed in it so that the bowls do not move by normal activity of animal. In another embodiment, said entire product is free of any sound while in use, as the bowl completely locks into the receptacle/holder.

[0047] In another embodiment, said molding of thermoplastic elastomer over polypropylene is done from bottom-side towards up-side using automatic robotic machinery in a single-step molding, thus making the fabrication cost-effective. In yet another embodiment, at the bottom most side, only the points where rubber is placed, touch the ground and mat portion of the is raised above the ground level, thus making the food placed in the diner safe from ants or other insects.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Easy to handle and clean
Food grade materials

Rust Proof

[0049] No screws required
More durable

Anti-skid

[0050] Safe from ants/insects as bowl is placed above ground level with only rubber corners touching the ground
Spill-free as any food/water spillage by pet falls over the mat and thus ground or any other surface on which diner is placed remains clean.

[0051] Referring to FIGS. 1-7, a double diner pet food bowl assembly 10 according to the present disclosure in now described. The double diner pet food bowl assembly 10 illustratively includes first and second dog bowls 13a-13b, and a base portion 11. The base portion 11 illustratively includes first and second opposing ends, and a medial portion separating the first and second opposing ends. Each of the first and second opposing ends defines a receptacle configured to respectively receive the first and second dog bowls 13a-13b. The base portion 11 illustratively includes an anti-skid feature 14a-14f on a bottom surface of the base portion and extending between the first and second first opposing ends.

[0052] The base portion 11 illustratively includes a peripheral wall 15 extending around the receptacles for the first and second dog bowls 13a-13b and configured to retain spillage from the first and second dog bowls. Each receptacle illustratively includes an upper layer 12a-12b abutting the first and second dog bowls 13a-13b.

[0053] The upper layer 12a-12b may comprise a plastic resin. The plastic resin may be is selected from polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, crystal, acrylic, and nylon. The base portion 11 may comprise a bonding layer between the upper layer 12a-12b and adjacent portions of the first and second opposing ends. The bonding layer may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer. The thermoplastic elastomer may comprise at least one of rubber, silicone, and a thermoplastic material. The base portion 11 may comprise polypropylene. The anti-skid feature 14a-14f may comprise a plurality of rubber feet extending downward to contact a surface.

[0054] One aspect is directed to a method for making a double diner pet food bowl assembly 10. The method may include forming a base portion 11 comprising first and second opposing ends, and a medial portion separating the first and second opposing ends. Each of the first and second opposing ends may define a receptacle configured to respectively receive first and second dog bowls 13a-13b. The base portion 11 may include an anti-skid feature 14a-14f on a bottom surface of the base portion and extending between the first and second first opposing ends.

[0055] Yet another aspect is directed to a method for making a double diner pet food bowl assembly 10. The double diner pet food bowl assembly 10 may comprise a base portion 11 comprising first and second opposing ends, and a medial portion separating the first and second opposing ends. Each of the first and second opposing ends may define a receptacle configured to respectively receive first and second dog bowls 13a-13b. Each receptacle may include an upper layer 12a-12b abutting the first and second dog bowls 13a-13b. The base portion 11 may include an anti-skid feature 14a-14f on a bottom surface of the base portion and extending between the first and second first opposing ends. The method may include forming the upper layer 12a-12b with an injection molding process, placing the upper layer on a mold for bonding plastic and thermo-elastic rubber together by injection molding to make the upper layer so that material flows, forming the first and second dog bowls 13a-13b, the forming comprising stamping a stainless steel sheet, cutting and trimming edges of a stamped stainless steel piece, rolling the edges to remove any sharpness, and polishing the stamped stainless steel piece using a buffing machine. In some embodiments, the injection molding process comprises a single-step molding.