Patent Publication Number: US-2016219832-A1

Title: Pet Food Bowl

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/109,795 filed on Jan. 30, 2015. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bowls. More specifically, the present invention provides a pet food bowl comprising means for preventing insects from gaining access to the food within the bowl. The pet food bowl comprises a bowl in which food can be positioned, wherein the bowl is removably positioned on a dish. The dish can be filled with liquid such that the liquid surrounds the bowl, forming a moat. In this way, crawling insects are prevented from gaining access to the food within the bowl due to their inability to traverse the water within the dish. 
     Many pet owners position their pet&#39;s food bowl and water bowls outside of the home on a patio, porch, or other similar area. This allows a pet that spends time outside to have access to food and water without having to enter the pet owner&#39;s home. However, pet food can attract various types of insects, and insects may gain access to the pet&#39;s food. Crawling insects such as ants or beetles may be attracted to the food and can simply crawl into the pet&#39;s food bowl. If the insects are not detected and removed, additional insects may crawl into the pet&#39;s food bowl. 
     Once the insects are within the food bowl, the insects can begin to consume the pet food, and may contaminate the pet food as many insects carry germs and bacteria. Additionally, the insects may produce waste products that further contaminate the pet&#39;s food bowl. A pet may consume the insects while eating the pet food which can be harmful to the pet. Thus, a pet food bowl that deters or prevents insects from accessing the food therein is desired. 
     Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to pet food bowls. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. Some devices provide food bowls having channels or troughs in which water can be placed to prevent insects from gaining access to the pet food, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,108, U.S. Pat. No. 2,191,811, U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,301, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,905. Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,954, provide pet food bowls with means for deterring insects from entering the same. 
     These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. The devices in the prior art provide channels in which water can be positioned, but fail to provide a bowl removably positionable on a dish, wherein the dish is configured to be filled with water such that the bowl within the dish is surrounded by water. The ability to separate the bowl and dish allows for ease of cleaning and allows the bowl to be removed for filling, emptying, or cleaning without disturbing the liquid within the dish. 
     In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing pet food bowl devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of pet food bowls now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new pet food bowl wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when preventing crawling insects, such as ants and beetles, from gaining access to food within a pet bowl. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pet food bowl device that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a pet food bowl comprising a bowl and a dish, wherein the bowl can be removably positioned within said dish, and wherein the dish can be filled with water such that the bowl and the food therein are surrounded by water held by the dish. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a pet food bowl comprising a bowl removably positionable a dish, wherein the dish includes an interior wall defining a central interior volume adapted to receive the bowl therein. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a pet food bowl comprising a bowl positioned within a dish, wherein the diameter of the bowl is less than that of the dish, and wherein the height of the sidewalls of the bowl is greater than the height of the exterior sidewall of the dish. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a pet food bowl that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the pet food bowl. 
         FIG. 2  shows an overhead view of the pet food bowl. 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the bowl as positioned for insertion into the dish of the pet food bowl. 
         FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional side view of the bowl as positioned for insertion into the dish of the pet food bowl. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the pet food bowl. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for preventing crawling insects from gaining access to the food within a pet&#39;s bowl. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a perspective view of the pet food bowl and an overhead view of the pet food bowl. The pet food bowl  11  comprises a bowl  12  positioned within a dish  15 . The bowl  12  comprises a base, upstanding sidewalls, and an open upper end, defining an interior volume  19  in which food or water can be positioned. The upper end of the sidewalls further includes a lip  20  that is adapted to rest on an interior wall  18  of the dish  15 . In the illustrated embodiment, the bowl  12  comprises a circular configuration. However, in alternate embodiments, the bowl  12  comprises alternate configurations, such as a square or rectangular shape. 
     The dish  15  comprises a base  16 , an exterior upstanding sidewall  17  about the perimeter thereof, and an interior sidewall  18  defining a central interior volume adapted to removably receive the bowl  12  therein. The exterior sidewall  17  and interior sidewall  18  are separated by a space so as to define a channel  22  in which liquid can be positioned so as to surround the central interior volume. Thus, the liquid serves as a moat, preventing crawling insects from entering the pet food bowl. The dish  15  preferably comprises a similar configuration as the bowl  12 . For example, in embodiments wherein the bowl  12  is circular, the dish  15  is also circular. The dish  15  comprises a larger diameter than the bowl  12 , such that the bowl  12  can fit within the dish  15 . 
     Further, the height of the interior sidewall  18  is preferably greater than the height of the exterior sidewall  17  of the dish  15 . In this way, the liquid within the dish  15  is prevented from accidentally spilling or splashing into the food within the bowl  12 . If the interior sidewall  18  was too low, the liquid within the dish  15  may enter the central interior volume in which the bowl  12  and pet food are positioned. Additionally, the liquid within the dish  15  need not be of any specific depth, as the depth of the liquid does not impact an insect&#39;s ability to cross the dish  15  and enter the bowl  12 , as long as the depth is such that an insect cannot walk along the base  16  of the dish  15 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , there is shown a perspective view and a side view of the bowl as positioned for insertion into the dish of the pet food bowl. Preferably, the bowl  12  is removably positionable within the central interior volume of the dish  15 . In this way, the bowl  12  will remain in a desired position relative to the dish  15  when inserted therein. Further, the ability to separate the bowl  12  from the dish  15  facilitates the process of cleaning the pet food bowl  11  and filling the bowl  12 . 
     The interior sidewall  18  of the dish  15  preferably includes a circular configuration. Further, the interior sidewall  18  and the exterior sidewall  17  are preferably concentric circles. The interior sidewall  18  defines a central interior volume  23  in which the food bowl  12  can be positioned. The food bowl  12  is sized to fit within the central interior volume  23  and is adapted to fit snugly therein. The base  14  of the bowl rests flush against the base of the dish  12 , and the sidewalls  13  of the bowl  12  preferably contact the interior surface of the interior wall  18  of the dish  12 . The upper end of the walls  13  of the bowl  12  includes a lip  20  thereon. The lip  20  is adapted to rest on the upper edge of the interior sidewall  18  of the dish  15 , and the lip  20  allows the user to more easily grasp, hold, and remove the bowl  12  as needed. 
     The dish  15  further comprises a non-slip material  21  disposed on the underside thereof. The non-slip material may be a high friction coating, or may include a rubber or silicone pad, among others. In this way, when the dish  15  is positioned on the ground, the dish will not easily slide or move. This helps to prevent the pet food bowl  11  from being moved out of a desired position, and helps to prevent the food or water therein from spilling. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. I claim: