Abstract:
A pet food bowl has three bowls, a first bowl for holding drinking water, a second bowl for holding water and providing a moat, and third bowl to be placed in the second bowl for holding the pet food. The water from the drinking bowl passes through a conduit to the second bowl, maintaining the water level in the second bowl. The third bowl may be removable to allow for easy cleaning of the second and third bowls.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    Feeding of domesticated animals is generally quite easy. One bowl for food and one for water are provided for the owner&#39;s pets. The owner puts dry (or even wet) food into the food bowl and water into the water bowl. The animals then can eat and drink whenever they are hungry or thirsty. However, in some climates and locales, this situation is less than ideal. Pests may also like to eat whenever they are hungry as well. The pests, and ants in particular, will find and take over the pet&#39;s food. This causes problems not only for the pets whose food is being tainted by the pests, but may also provide the pests with other options, including infesting other areas of the home, etc. 
         [0002]    Thus, a pet bowl is needed to prevent the pests from entering the food bowl. While a moat around the food bowl is known, the present invention allows the water from a water dish to travel from the water dish to the moat around the food portion and maintain a constant water depth. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention is directed to a moated pet food bowl that includes a first bowl for holding water and having an opening in a sidewall thereof, a second bowl having an opening in a sidewall thereof, the second bowl disposed adjacent to and attached to the first bowl, a third bowl disposed at least partially within the second bowl, the third bowl for holding pet food, and a conduit disposed between the first and second bowls and connected to the openings in the sidewalls thereof so that the first bowl and the second bowl are in fluid communication with each other. 
         [0004]    In some embodiments, the opening in the sidewall of the first bowl is higher than the opening in the sidewall of the second bowl. 
         [0005]    In some other embodiments, the third bowl has a lip extending outward to at least partially cover the gap when the third bowl is disposed within the second bowl. 
         [0006]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a moated pet food bowl includes a first bowl for holding water having a bottom and a side wall extending around the bottom to form a water holding portion, the first bowl having an opening in the side wall, a second bowl having a bottom and a side wall extending around the bottom, the second bowl having an opening in the sidewall, the second bowl disposed adjacent to and attached to the first bowl, a third bowl having an outside perimeter, the outside perimeter being smaller than an inside perimeter of the second bowl such that the third bowl fits at least partially within the second bowl, the third bowl for holding pet food, and a conduit disposed between the first and second bowls and connected to the openings in the sidewalls thereof so that the first bowl and the second bowl are in fluid communication with each other. 
         [0007]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present embodiments of the invention are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operations of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a moated pet bowl according to the present invention with supply bottles that can be used therewith; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 1  along line  3 - 3 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 1  along line  4 - 4 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 1  along line  5 - 6 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a front view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is an exploded top view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 7   
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of the moated pet bowl of  FIG. 1  illustrating one embodiment of clamp that can be used to secure the moated pet bowl; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is rear cross sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a conduit used to join the two bowls together in fluid communication. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0019]    Referring to the figures, a moated pet bowl  10  has a first bowl  100  and a second bowl  200 , the first bowl  100  and the second bowl  200  being attached to one another. The first bowl  100  and the second bowl  200  are preferably attached to one another with supports  12 ,  14 . As illustrated, the first bowl  100  and the second bowl  200  are made from metal and the supports  12 , 14 , also made of metal, are welded to the bowls  100 , 200 . However, the pet bowl  10  may be made of any appropriate materials, including but not limited to plastic, steel, aluminum, or other appropriate materials. While the supports  12 , 14  are illustrated as attaching to sides of the bowls  100 , 200 , they could be attached in other ways and/or manner. For example, they could be attached by the bottoms or the tops of the bowls  100 , 200 , and the bowls  100 , 200  could also share a common wall. 
         [0020]    The moated pet bowl  10  also has a third bowl  300 , which is inserted into the second bowl  200 . See, e.g.,  FIGS. 2 and 3 . As described in more detail below, the first bowl  100  is designed to hold water for the pet that will be using the moated pet bowl  10 . The second bowl  200  is designed to be the moat as it is in fluid communication with and receives water from the first bowl  100  and in particular, from water bottle WB. The third bowl  300  holds the dry pet food. The third bowl  300  is preferably removably inserted into the second bowl  200  with space therearound to allow water from the first bowl  100  to surround the third bowl  300  to make a moat, preventing pests from being able to access the pet food in the third bowl  300  due to the water barrier between the second bowl two hundred  200  and the third bowl  300 . 
         [0021]    As best seen in  FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 , the first bowl  100  has a bottom  102  and a side wall  104  that encircles the bottom  102 . The first bowl  100  has a shape that approximates a  FIG. 8 , but could be of any appropriate shape, including more of an oval or rectangular shape (with rounded corners if desired). By using this configuration, Applicant has eliminated tight corners to allow for easier cleaning and safety as there are no sharp edges or corners to accumulate old food or to injure the persons or the pets using the bowl. While there appears to be a seam between the bottom  102  and the side wall  104 , the two elements could be formed simultaneously, with the bottom  102  and the side wall  104  forming a unitary structure. There may also be a smoother or curved transition between the bottom  102  and the side wall  104 , eliminating the 90 degree corners (see, e.g.,  FIGS. 3 and 5 ), further improving the ability to clean the moated pet bowl  10 . 
         [0022]    Returning to the first bowl  100 , the bottom  102  and the side wall  104  form a water holding portion  106 , which is divided into a supply area  108  and a drinking area  110 . On the top edge  112  of the supply area  108  is a bottle holding member  114 . The bottle holding member  114  has a first ring portion  116  that is preferably attached to at least a portion of the side wall  104  and a disbursing portion  118 . While the bottle holding member  114  is fixedly attached as illustrated, it could also be removable. The disbursing portion  118  holds a source of water, a water bottle such as the water bottle WB in  FIG. 1 , and preferably has a lower portion to  120  control the flow of water from the water bottle (see e.g.,  FIGS. 3, 5, and 7 ) into the supply area  108 . The lower portion  120  is preferably funnel-shaped but could be any appropriate configuration. The top part of the disbursing portion  118  may be configured to accept a variety of water supply bottles and sizes of openings, including specialized bottles or more prevalent water bottles that are available from numerous retailers. The length of the lower portion  120  may also be altered, depending on the depth of water that is needed in the first bowl  100 . For a shallower water line in the first bowl  100 , the lower portion  120  would be closer to the bottom  102  and farther away from the bottom  102  for a higher water line. However, the water line in supply area  108  needs to be at least as high as the opening  122  as discussed below. 
         [0023]    The water bottle WB is illustrated as a tall, thin water bottle, but it could be of any shape or size. For example, the water bottle WB could be a regular 16 ounce water bottle, or a much larger diameter and shorter water bottle. The water bottle WB could simply sit within the disbursing portion  118 , or be secured within the disbursing portion  118  with threads on the water bottle WB and the disbursing portion  118  or in any other fashion. 
         [0024]    The first bowl  100  also has an opening  122  in the side wall  104 , see  FIGS. 3 and 5 , that is connected to a conduit  130 , which joins the first bowl  100  with the second bowl  200 , as discussed below in more detail. The conduit  130  is illustrated as a cylinder but could be of any shape in cross section—oval, square, etc. and still fall within the scope of the present invention. While is it not the most preferred embodiment, the conduit  130  may have a lengthwise opening giving it a u-shaped cross section. 
         [0025]    The second bowl  200  has a bottom  202  and a side wall  204  and has a shape that also approximates a  FIG. 8 . However, as noted above with regard to the first bowl  100 , it could be of any appropriate shape and made of any appropriate materials. The bottom  202  and the side wall  204  could be formed simultaneously, with the bottom  202  and the side wall  204  forming a unitary structure for the same reasons as given for the first bowl  100 . 
         [0026]    The bottom  202  and the side wall  204  form a water holding portion  206  (and as is clear from the figures, also holds third bowl  300 ). The second bowl  200  also has an opening  222  in the side wall  204 , see  FIGS. 2 and 5 , that is connected to the conduit  130 , which connects the second bowl  200  with the first bowl  100  to allow water to flow from the first bowl  100  to the second bowl  200 . The second bowl  200  also includes alignment members  216 , which are attached to the bottom  202  and the side wall  204  to center the third bowl  300 . The third bowl  300  will have cooperating structures to engage the alignment members  216 . The alignment members  216  may only be attached to one of the bottom  202  and the side wall  204  if so desired. For obvious reasons, the third bowl  300  is preferably removable from the second bowl  200  to allow for cleaning of both second bowl  200  and third bowl  300 . 
         [0027]    The third bowl  300  has a bottom  302  and a side wall  304  and has a shape that preferably approximates the shape of the second bowl  200 . In the embodiment illustrated, that shape is a  FIG. 8 , but could be any shape that fits inside the second bowl  200 . The bottom  302  and the side wall  304  form a pet food holding portion  306 , which is divided into a supply area  308  and an eating area  310 . Attached to the top edge  312  of the side wall  304  in the supply area  308  is a bottle holding member  316 . The third bowl  300  also has a disbursing portion  318  in the supply area  308  and under the bottle holding member  316  to control the flow of pet food from a supply bottle FB (see e.g.,  FIG. 1 ). The disbursing portion  318  is preferably an inclined surface (and may also be a portion of the bottom  302 ), which directs the pet food from the bottle in the supply area  308  into the eating area  310 . While the disbursing portion  318  is illustrated as a flat inclined surface, it could be concave or have another shape (more funnel-like) that would direct the pet food into the eating area  310 . 
         [0028]    The food bottle FB is illustrated as a tall, thin bottle, but it could be of any shape or size. The opening in the food bottle FB needs to be large enough that the food does not get caught in the opening. For example, the food bottle WB could be a tall slender bottle that may match the water bottle WB, or a much larger diameter and shorter water bottle. The food bottle FB preferably has threads to match to match those in the bottle holding member  316 . 
         [0029]    Attached to the outside of the third bowl  300  at the bottom  302  are two projections  320  that engage and cooperate with the alignment members  216 . See  FIGS. 2 and 8 . When the third bowl  300  is inserted into the water holding portion  206  of second bowl  200 , the projections  320  fit between the alignment members  216  to center the third bowl  300  within the second bowl  200 . This ensures that water from the first bowl  100  that enters the second bowl  200  through conduit  130  (or could alternatively be added directly to the second bowl  200  by the pet owner) completely surrounds the third bowl  300 . In this manner, the pet food in the third bowl  300  is isolated from the pests by the water—since the pests will not be able to cross over the water in the second bowl  200 . As would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, the projections  320  and the alignment members  216  could be reversed with the projections on the second bowl  200  and the alignment members on the third bowl  300 . The alignment members and the projections  216 , 320  could take other forms and still fall within the scope of the present invention as long as they would keep the water around the third bowl  300 . 
         [0030]    The third bowl  300  also preferably has an extended lip  330  that extends radially outward from the side wall  304  in the eating area  310 . In this manner, the extended lip  330  covers the area  332  that is formed between the inside surface  218  of side wall  204  of the second bowl and the outside surface  322  of the side wall  302  of the third bowl  300 . As best illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the lip  330  extends outward beyond the sidewall  204  of the second bowl  200 . The extended lip  330  provides another barrier to pests that may want to get to the food in third bowl  300  and also prevents the pet eating the food from allowing food to drop into the area  332 . If food were to enter the area  332 , it would potentially provide a path from the second bowl  200  to the third bowl  300  as well as fouling the water in the second bowl  200 . The lip  330  provides a space  334  between its self and the top of the side wall  204  so that the pests cannot simply bypass the area  332  by climbing from the sidewall  204  to the lip  330 . As is illustrated in the figures, especially  FIG. 3 , the side wall  104  is higher (wider) than the side wall  204 , but could be the same height or even smaller (taking into account the conduit  130  between the first and second bowls  100 , 200 ) if so desired. 
         [0031]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-9 , the conduit  130  is level between the first bowl  100  and the second bowl  200 . However, as illustrated in an alternative embodiment of a moated pet bowl  10 ′ in  FIG. 10 , the conduit  130 ′ at the first bowl  100 ′ may be slightly higher (and the opening  122 ′ is higher in wall  104 ′) than the opening  222 ′ in the side wall  204 ′ at the second bowl to prevent water from the second bowl  200 ′ from entering the first bowl  100 ′—and perhaps contaminating the water that the pet drinks. However, with this arrangement, the water in the second bowl  200 ′, and the moat, is maintained as long as there is water in the supply bottle. 
         [0032]    A clamp  400  is provided to secure the moated pet bowl  10  to another structure. The clamp  400  may take any form but has an arm  402  that is adjustably attached to the support  14  at one end  404  with a wing nut  410  and is attached to a bar  406  at the second end  408 . The bar  406  and the second end  408  can have inserted therebetween the other structure to prevent the moated pet bowl from be easily moved. 
         [0033]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.