Abstract:
A Mobile Pet Food Storage Container is disclosed. The container has a movable platform for placing bagged or loose pet food thereon. The height of the platform raises or lowers, depending upon the quantity of food remaining on the platform. The container further has wheels and a retractable handle such that it can be conveniently transported. Still further, the container has at least one tray extendable from the front of the container that is further capable of being foldably stowed. Finally, the container has a pocket extending from a side wall of the container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to pet food storage containers and, more specifically, to a Mobile Pet Food Storage Container  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Most modern households these days have one or more pets, with cats and dogs being generally the most popular type. In an effort to cut the cost of caring for their pets, many pet-owners will purchase large bags of dry pet food for feeding to the pet. An example of these packages is depicted in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . The typical vendor-supplied bulk dry pet food package  10  is a large paper bag  12  that has a folded seal at its top. These packages  10  can typically range from 10 to 50 pounds in weight. The dry food  18  is dispensed out of the top  14  of the bag  12  through the opening  16  formed in the bag&#39;s top.  
         [0005]     The numerous problems associated with these large bulk food packages  10  sometimes outweigh their advantages, namely: (1) they are so bulky that it is difficult to find a convenient location to store them, while still being able to get at the opening  16  to get out the food  18 ; (2) since they are so heavy, they are difficult to transport, such as when the family travels with their pet; (3) the folded top seal is not airtight—this allows that food to be accessed by insects and rodents, particularly since the typical storage locale for the package  10  is the garage, where these vermin have easy access; and (4) the package  10  does not provide a convenient position to dispense the food  18  from the bag  12  and into the pet&#39;s dish—many times the pet-owner must have an intermediate storage receptacle (e.g. a demoted water pitcher) for dispensing food into the pet&#39;s dish, because they lack the coordination necessary to get food  18  out of the bag  12  without spilling.  
         [0006]     What is needed, therefore, is a conveniently movable, vermin-proof pet food storage container that also provides a convenient place to dispense food from a vendor bulk package  10  into the pet&#39;s dish.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Mobile Pet Food Storage Container. The container should have movable platform for placing bagged or loose pet food thereon. The height of the platform should raise or lower depending upon the quantity of food remaining on the platform. The container should further have wheels and a retractable handle such that it can be conveniently transported. Still further, the container should have at least one tray extendable from the front of the container; the tray should further be capable of being foldably stowed. Finally, the container should have a pocket extending from a side wall of the container.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which:  
         [0009]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are perspective views of a conventional vendor bulk dry pet food storage package;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a pet food dispensing container of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the container of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a cutaway side view of the container of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway side view of the container of  FIGS. 2-4  having a full vendor package resting therein; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a cutaway side view of the container of  FIGS. 2-5  having a partially full vendor package resting therein.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Mobile Pet Food Storage Container.  
         [0016]     The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a pet food dispensing container  20  of the present invention. The container  20  comprises a housing  22 , typically constructed from metal, or alternatively, molded plastic; the housing  22  defines a main chamber  24  and typically will have a pair of wheels  26  extending therefrom (only one wheel shown) to enable the container  20  to be rolled around.  
         [0017]     The housing  22  further has a rim  28  at its top end that defines an opening  30  through which the pet-owner can gain access to the main chamber  24 . To assist in moving the container  20  from place to place, a first handle  32  extends from the housing  22  from a pair of struts  34 A and  34 B. These struts  34  will typically collapse telescopically into the rear of the housing  22  in order to provide a condensed size.  
         [0018]     The container  20  has a (typically molded plastic) lid  36  hingeably attached to the top of the housing, in the vicinity of the rim  28 . The lid  36  can be closed to provide a substantially air-tight (and vermin-proof) seal to the opening  30 , as will be discussed more fully below.  
         [0019]     On the depicted embodiment of the container  20 , there is a folding tray  40  that can be extended out from the front of the housing  22 . The tray  40  attaches to the housing by attachment devices  41 , such as the pivoting hinge connections, of which one is shown here. The operation of the tray  40  will be provided below in connection with other drawing figures.  
         [0020]     A second handle  42  may be provided on the front of the housing  22  in order to allow the container  20  to be picked up more easily, such as to load or unload from a vehicle. Finally, one or more auxiliary containers  44  may be attached (possibly detachably) to the side(s) of the housing  22  in order to provide the pet-owner with a convenient storage receptacle for other pet items, such as snacks, toys, leashes, etc. A scoop for assisting in the dispensing of pet food may also be held in the auxiliary container(s). Now turning to  FIG. 3 , we can examine other aspects of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the container  20  of  FIG. 2 . As shown, the first handle  32  is attached to the housing  22  by one or more telescoping struts  34 . The telescoping nature of the struts  34  permits the first handle  32  to be extended or retracted along direction “A” when the user desires. When retracted, the struts  34  slip into one another and into the strut housing  48  formed or attached to the rear side of the housing  22 .  
         [0022]     A rubber (or other resilient material) bumper  50  may be provided to extend rearwardly from the housing so that exterior structures are not dented and scraped by the container  20  when it is being handled. As discussed previously, the lid  36  can hingably move from an opened to a closed position along arc “B.” 
         [0023]     The tray  40  extends from the attachment devices  41  by a pair of arms  43 . The pivoting nature of the attachment devices  41  permits the tray to travel through arc “C.” In its lowered position, the tray  40  will lay substantially flat against the front of the housing  22 . When extended, the tray  40  can be locked into place in the position shown here, thereby creating a convenient work surface for the user.  
         [0024]     Also shown here is one of the auxiliary containers  44  mounted to the side of the housing  22 ; the container  44  forms an auxiliary chamber  46  therein that may or may not be sealable (such as with a lid, not shown). Turning to  FIG. 4 , we can continue to examine the device of the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is a cutaway side view of the container  20  of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The main chamber  24  is essentially a hollow cavity bounded on four sides by the rear wall, side walls, and front wall  52  of the housing  22 . The bottom of the chamber  24 , however, is formed by a platform  56 . The platform  56  is attached to the housing  22  (typically the bottom thereof) by device(s) that will raise or lower the platform  56  in order to provide convenient dispensing of the pet food from a vendor package. In this depicted version, the raising/lowering devices are biasing devices  58 , namely springs, pistons, or other conventional devices. As designed, the biasing devices  58  will create an upward force to suspend the platform  56  at some level above the bottom of the housing.  
         [0026]     In order to provide a substantially air-tight seal, the lid  36  may be equipped with a gasket  54  around its periphery for sealing to the rim  28  when the lid  36  is in the closed position.  
         [0027]     As is further shown here, the tray  40  is in its “stowed” position, i.e., it is folded flat against the front wall  52  of the housing  22 .  FIG. 5  shows the invention in use.  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway side view of the container  22  of  FIGS. 2-4  having a full vendor package  10  resting therein. The substantial weight of the full package  10  resting on the platform  56  causes the biasing devices  58  to compress, thereby lowering the platform  56  (and package  10 ) towards the bottom wall  61 . In other non-depicted embodiments, the biasing devices  58  may be replaced with a mechanism that allows the user to manually raise or lower the platform. In one embodiment, the housing  22  is designed to accept an entire package of pet food (rather than loose food dumped into the chamber) for two reasons: (1) it is much easier to keep the inside of the chamber clean this way, and (2) packaged bulk dry food is more readily available (and easier to handle) than loose dry food. For alternative embodiments, the biasing mechanism may be modular and removable for cleaning—this would permit the dumping of loose food directly into the container.  
         [0029]     In this Figure, the tray  40  has been locked in the “up” position; here, the pet-owner can place the pet&#39;s food dish  60  on the tray  40  while food is scooped or otherwise dispensed from the top  14  of the large package  10  and into the dish  60 . It should also be noted that the telescoping struts have been retracted into the strut housing  48 , such that the first handle  32  is in its “down” position. Finally turning to  FIG. 6 , we can see how the container reacts as food is dispensed from the package  10 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 6  is a cutaway side view of the container of  FIGS. 2-5  having a partially full vendor package resting therein. As shown, the package  10  has been emptied somewhat of food; as food is taken out of the package  10 , the weight is reduced. As the weight is reduced, the biasing devices  58  will force the platform  56  (and package) higher and higher along the height “H” of the main chamber. The purpose for this is to make the top  14  of the package  10  at or as near as possible to the same level as the rim  28  of the housing  22 —this provides for less stooping and effort on the part of the pet-owner when food is being dished out.  
         [0031]     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.