Patent Publication Number: US-2023147652-A1

Title: Interactive slow feeder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Field 
     The disclosures herein relate to animal feeder devices. Specifically, the disclosed invention relates to an interchangeable interactive slow feeder device for large herbivorous animals, particularly horses, which requires ongoing interaction by the animal with interchangeable features of the device to access hay or other feed. 
     State of the Art 
     The natural feeding behavior of horses and many other large herbivorous animals is well-established. Typically, a horse will spend between fifty and sixty percent of its time during a 24-hour day eating. In fact, the natural feeding process is, more-or-less, continuous during daylight hours. Horses and large herbivorous animals feed naturally by grazing. Grazing is an instinctive, established evolutionary process involving differing levels of instinctive and cognitive responses and behavior which culminate in the consumption of food. For example, a grazing animal may consider the distribution of different species of plant in an area, accessibility of the terrain, and the geographical location of forage in relation to water, shade, protection from wind, and bedding sites. Additionally, an animal is guided by its changing physiological needs, such as hunger, thirst, thermal regulation, energy level/fatigue, and the like. Actual food consumption involves sensory investigation (i.e., smell and touch) of the forage, biting off a portion of forage, and then taking one or two steps forward while chewing. 
     In an open pasture, horses, for example for example, directly consume growing forage, such as grasses and soft non-woody plants, feeding with its head down and its nose brushing against the forage very near the ground. Such grazing behavior is a stepwise process wherein the animal may typically spend hours in a head-down position with its nose within inches of the ground as it investigates, bites, and chews the forage while slowly moving step-by-step across the ground. 
     Imbalances in physical and psychological aspects of this system, such caused by feeding from a trough or similar fixed-position open feeder, disrupt a horse&#39;s natural, instinctive grazing behavior and create boredom. This can result in overfeeding or underfeeding. Additionally, placing hay or other forage on the ground increases the risk of “sand colic,” abdominal pain in horses from ingesting sand. This abdominal pain arises from irritation of the colon of horses caused by the accumulation of sand. Colic can also arise from eating too fast, another risk that is increased when using an open feeder. 
     Moreover, existing devices for feeding horses and other grazing animals are problematic with respect to preservation of instinctive and cognitive feeding experiences important for optimal animal health. Feeding troughs and corral fence-mounted feeders do not place the horse in proper maximal “head-down” feeding position to replicate the natural grazing experience. Feeders mounted on the side of a fence can be awkward to load with hay, resulting in spilling hay onto the ground outside of the corral. All open feeders allow the horse to access its food freely with minimal or no interaction, unlike the natural grazing experience. An absence of interactive feeding behaviors may create boredom, overeating, and eating too quickly. 
     For at least the foregoing issues, the use of existing feeders for horses does not encourage the animal to engage in natural, interactive feeding behaviors, deprives the animal of forage interaction similar to grazing, often results in overeating, and may lead to multiple metabolic and psychological stresses that ultimately negatively impact the animal&#39;s health. 
     Because of these and other problems, there is a need for an improved feeder design for use in feeding large, domesticated herbivorous animals, such as horses, that addresses the aforementioned deficiencies. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed herein are embodiments of an interactive slow feeder for feeding domesticated large animals, such as horses. The interactive slow feeder incorporates a relatively simple design. The device rests on the ground, can be easily filled with hay, and incorporates interchangeable features that require animal interaction for a horse or other grazing animal to access hay or other feed. 
     Disclosed is an interactive slow feeder comprising a feed box having an interior defined by at least one side and configured to hold an animal feed; a cover configured to moveably interact with the at least one side to fully enclose the interior and having a feed port in communication with the interior; and a feature operatively coupled to the feed port, wherein the feature is configured to change the feed port between a closed position restricting access to the interior to an open position allowing access to the interior in response to an animal interaction with the feature, wherein the animal may remove the animal feed from the interior. 
     In some embodiments, the interactive slow feeder further comprises a bottom coupled to the at least one side opposite the cover. In some embodiments, the cover has a plurality of feed ports. In some embodiments, the cover is hingedly coupled to the at least one side. In some embodiments, the cover is slidably coupled to the at least one side. In some embodiments, the cover is hingedly coupled to the at least one side. In some embodiments, the cover is slidably coupled to the at least one side. In some embodiments, the cover is removable from the feed box. 
     In some embodiments, the interactive slow feeder has a plurality of features. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of features is operatively coupled to only one of the plurality of feed ports. In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of features is operatively coupled to more than one of the plurality of feed ports. In some embodiments, the plurality of features is operatively coupled to more than one of the plurality of feed ports. 
     In some embodiments, the feature is a flap covering the feed port and formed by a flexible lower element partially overlapping or overlapped by a flexible upper element. In some embodiments, the flap has a substantially linear edge. In some embodiments, the flap has a substantially arcuate edge. 
     In some embodiments, the feature is slidably coupled to the opening. In some embodiments, the feature is hingedly coupled to the opening. 
     In some embodiments, the feature comprises an animal toy. 
     Also disclosed is a method of simulating a grazing experience for a horse. 
     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following more particular description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS.  1 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder; 
         FIG.  2    is a bottom view of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder; 
         FIG.  3    is a rear view of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder; 
         FIG.  4    is a front view of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder; 
         FIG.  5    is an underside perspective view of an embodiment of a cover for an interactive slow feeder; 
         FIGS.  6 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder having cover features in a box-grid configuration; 
         FIGS.  7 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder having ball features; 
         FIGS.  8 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder with a cover having slide features; 
         FIGS.  9 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder with a cover having roller features; and 
         FIG.  10    is a diagram of steps of a method of simulating a grazing experience to fa horse. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various example embodiments of an interactive slow feeder are described in detail herein. The feeder includes a feed-box container having an interior which can be filled with hay or other forage. The feed-box container has a bottom and is placed on the ground or on the floor of a barn or other building structured where horses or livestock are kept. Placement of the feed-box container on the ground requires the grazing animal, such as a horse, to feed with its head in a position proximate to the ground, requiring the animal to assume natural feeding posture, such as when grazing. 
     The container is fitted with a removable cover having at least one feed port. The feed port is completely or partially obstructed by a moveable feature, such as a flap, a slider, or other movable obstruction. To access forage from the interior of the closed container through a feed port, an animal, such as a horse, must determine how to interact with the movable feature obstructing the feed port, opening the feed port to allow access to the forage held in the interior of the feed box. Different types of movable features appear differently to the horse, may have different action mechanisms, and require the horse to determine how to move the feature. The cover may have several feed ports with each feed port bearing similar or different moveable feature types with respect to other feed ports. Furthermore, a cover interchangeable with different covers bearing different feed ports may be exchanged on the feed box, in some embodiments of the interactive slow feeder. 
       FIGS.  1 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder.  FIGS.  1 A-B  show an interactive slow feeder  100 . Feeder  100  includes a feed box  102  formed by at least one side  104  coupled to a bottom  103 . Feed box  102  has an interior  105  defined by side  104  and bottom  103 . Some embodiments, including the example embodiment shown in  FIG.  1 A , form a rectangular-shaped container, although this is not meant to be limiting. Feed box  102  may have four sides  104 , three sides  104 , one side  104  (wherein feed box  102  has an oval or cylindrical shape), or more than four sides  104 , without limitation, in some embodiments. In some embodiments, including the embodiments shown in the several drawing figures discussed herein, bottom  103  is planar and can be described as substantially “flat.” It is recognized that embodiments of feed box  102  having a flat bottom  103  may rest on the ground or the floor, wherein the horse or other domesticated grazing animal may feed from a head-down position, similar to a natural grazing position. In some other embodiments, however, (not shown herein), bottom  103  is multi-planar and formed from a plurality of adjoining surfaces. In some embodiments, bottom  103  is not planar but rather forms a curvilinear, conical, frustrum, or other non-planar shape. Regardless, side  104  coupled to bottom  103 , as shown in the several drawing figures and in some other embodiments not shown, defines and bounds interior  105  such that feed box  102  may hold an animal feed, such as hay or other forage, within interior  105 . 
     The overall dimensions of feed box  102 , in some embodiments, are about twenty-four (24) by about thirty-six (36) inches. In some embodiments, the overall dimensions of feed box  102  are about twenty-four (24) by about forty-eight (48) inches. In some embodiments, the overall dimensions of feed box  102  are about eighteen (18) by about forty-eight (48) inches. In some embodiments, the overall dimensions of feed box  102  are about thirty-six (36) inches square. In some embodiments, the overall dimensions of feed box  102  are about forty-eight (48) inches square. The aforementioned dimensions are given by way of example only. A person of skill will recognize that feeders, for example, horse feeders and other grazing animal feeders, come in many different sizes and relative dimensions. Any combination of dimensions suitable for a feed box containing forage for a horse or other large domestic animal are anticipated for feed box  102 . 
     As shown by  FIG.  1 A , a cover  110  is configured to movably couple to side  104  such that when cover  110  is fitted to side  104  in a closed position (as in  FIG.  1 A ), feed box  102  is closed. In some embodiments, cover  110  is simply removed from side  104 , like removing a lid from a box. In some embodiments, cover  110  and side  104  are fitted with at least one hinge  112 , wherein cover  110  may be movably coupled to side  104 . In some embodiments, hinge  112  does not separate, wherein cover  110  opens to provide access to interior  105  but may not be completely removed from feed box  102 . In some embodiments, hinge  112  separates, wherein cover  110  may be completely removed from feed box  102 . 
     In some embodiments, hinge  112  comprises an opening and a J-shaped feature configured to be received by the opening, wherein cover  110  pivotally moves with respect to side  104  at hinge  112 . An example embodiment having hinge  112  comprising a J-shaped feature is shown in  FIG.  5   .  FIG.  5    is an underside perspective view of an embodiment of cover  110  coupled to a J-shaped component of hinge  112 , wherein hinge  112  comprises separable components and cover  110  has been removed from feed box  102 . In some embodiments of hinge  112 , including those comprising a J-shaped feature and some other embodiments, Cover  110  is removably coupled to side  104 . For example, in some embodiments, hinge  112  may separate by opening cover  110  to a position greater than or equal to about ninety degrees (90°) with respect to side  104 , wherein cover  110  may be lifted from side  104 , separating cover  110  from feed box  102 . A person of skill will recognize that additional configurations of hinge  112  are possible wherein cover  110  may be removably coupled to side  104 . In some embodiments, hinge  112  does not separate, wherein cover  110  remains hingedly coupled to side  104  during opening and closing of feed box  102 . Some embodiments of interactive slow feeder  100  do not comprise a hinge  112 , wherein cover  110  simply is removed from feed box  102  by lifting cover  110  from side  104 . 
       FIG.  2    is a bottom view of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder,  FIG.  3    is a rear view of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder, and  FIG.  4    is a front view of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder.  FIGS.  2 - 4    show various views depicting the interaction of cover  110  fitted onto side  104  to close the interior  105  of feed box  102 . In some embodiments, a latch  111  having components that interact to reversibly secure cover  110  onto feed box  102  in a closed position is coupled to side  104  and cover  110 , as shown in  FIG.  1 B ,  FIG.  2   , and  FIG.  4   . Latch  111  includes a component coupled to side  104  that detachably interacts with a second component coupled to cover  110 . In some embodiments, latch  111  comprises a locking mechanism. In some embodiments, latch  111  receives an external locking mechanism, such as a padlock or a combination lock, for example. Some embodiments of feeder  100  do not comprise latch  111 . 
       FIG.  5    is an underside perspective view of an embodiment of a cover for an interactive slow feeder.  FIG.  5    shows cover  110  having a feed port  106 , similar to the example embodiment shown in  FIGS.  1 A-B . Feed port  106  is an opening in cover  110  through which a horse, or other grazing animal, may retrieve forage from interior  105 . Unlike a traditional horse feeder, however, the forage may not be visible or openly accessible to the horse or other animal. For example, in the embodiment shown in  FIG.  5   , and in some other embodiments, cover  110  is fitted with a feature  120  operatively coupled to feed port  106 . Feature  120  operates to obstruct feed port  106  partially or completely and reversibly. For example,  FIG.  5    shows feature  120  comprising a flap having a lower element  123  and an upper element  124 . Feature  120  is configured as a movable obstruction between the horse and the forage held in interior  105  that the horse must determine how best to overcome. In some embodiments of feature  120  formed as a flap, for example, lower element  123  and upper element  124  are deformable with minimal force. In the example embodiment shown in  FIG.  5   , and in some other embodiments, one or both of lower element  123  and upper element  124  of the flap are formed by overlapping sections of deformable material coupled to or forming all or a portion of cover  110 . Examples of such material include canvas cloth, rubberized fabric, a non-woven textile, or any other easily deformable, non-toxic material, without limitation. To access forage from interior  105 , an animal, such as a horse, for example, must deform the flaps forming feed port  106  by displacing the flaps with its nose or snout. 
     Although this may appear trivial, the horse or other grazing animal must, regardless, consider the obstruction created by feature  120  to access the forage held within interior  105  when feeding. This consideration forms an intellectual engagement wherein the horse or other animal interacts with feeder  100  when feeding. The necessary interaction between the animal and interactive slow feeder  100  may provide benefits to the animal, such as providing intellectual stimulation, slowing down the feeding process to better duplicate grazing, and other benefits. Many other examples of features  120  operatively coupled to feed port  106  to movably and intermittently obstruct feed port  106  that must be overcome by an interaction by the horse or other feeding animal are possible. Some additional examples are discussed further herein below. These examples of features  120 , however, are not meant to be limiting. 
       FIGS.  6 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder having cover features arranged in a box-grid configuration.  FIGS.  6 A-B  show a cover  110  having a plurality of feed ports  106 , wherein each feed port  106  is bounded by an elastic band  128 . Multiple elastic bands  128  form a gridwork and define a plurality of feed ports  106 . Each feed port  106  is partially obstructed by elastic bands  128  that the horse or grazing animal must displace with its snout to access forage held within interior  105  (not shown) of feeder  100 . Feature  120 , in the embodiment shown in  FIGS.  6 A-B , and some other embodiments, is formed from elastic bands  128 . The elastic bands  128  are easily displaced by the animal&#39;s snout when the animal is feeding and rebound into a position partially obstructing access to interior  105  when the animal removes its snout from feed port  106 . Elastic bands  128  may be formed from any soft, elastomeric material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, rubber covered with a woven textile, a woven elastic textile, any combination thereof, or other suitable elastomeric material non-injurious to a horse or other grazing animal. 
     As discussed herein, feed port  106  is partially or completely obstructed by movable feature  120 . In addition to the elastic bands  128  discussed above, Feature  120  can take many forms, as illustrated in the several drawing figures. A variety of illustrative examples of such forms are discussed by way of example below, however this discussion is not intended to be limiting. Persons of skill will recognize, based upon the example embodiments discussed herein, that feature  120  operatively coupled to feed port  106 , wherein feature  120  is configured to change feed port  106  from an open position allowing the animal access to interior  105  in response to the animal interacting with feature  120 , wherein the animal may remove hay, forage, or other feed from interior  105  is suitable for incorporation by embodiments of interactive slow feeder  100 . 
     For example,  FIGS.  7 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder having ball features.  FIGS.  8 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder with a cover having slide features.  FIGS.  9 A-B  are top-side perspective and top views of an embodiment of an interactive slow feeder with a cover having roller features. In these examples shown in  FIGS.  7 A-B ,  8 A-B, and  9 A-B, features  120  shaped like a ball  129 , an animal toy  130 , or a roller  131  respectively are operatively coupled to feed ports  106  such that the feeding animal accesses feed from interior  105  though feed port  106  by moving the coupled feature  120  out of the way. In some embodiments, feature  120  is configured to return to its original position partially or completely obstructing feed port  106  after the animal ceases its physical interaction (i.e., removing its snout from feed port  106 ) with feature  120 . For example, elastic band  128  recoils to its original closed or partially closed position when the animal&#39;s snout is removed from port  105 . Feature  120  comprising ball  129 , slide  113  or roller  131  may comprise an inclined track wherein gravity biases ball  120 , slide  113 , or roller  131  to return to its original closed position when the animal removes its snout from port  106 . In some embodiments, feature  120  does not spontaneously return to its original position, although the horse or other feeding animal may move feature  120  back to its original position. 
       FIG.  10    is a diagram showing steps for a method  200  of simulating a grazing experience for a horse. Specifically, in some embodiments, method  200  simulates a grazing experience for a horse. In some embodiments, method  200  comprises a positioning step  210 , a filling step  220 , a closing step  230 , an interactive step  240 , and a feeding step  240 . 
     Positioning step  210 , in some embodiments, comprises positioning an interactive slow feeder on a low surface. The low surface should be about or of the same elevation as a surface upon which the horse or grazing animal stands when feeding, such as the ground within a corral, pen, ring, or pasture, for example, or the floor of a barn or similar outbuilding. In some embodiments, a user of the interactive slow feeder may seek to mount the feeder in a more elevated position, such as on a fence or other structure, however this is not desirable. Mounting or otherwise positioning the interactive horse feeder above ground-level interferes with the animal assuming a fully “head-down” position, such as when grazing in a pasture. 
     Filling step  220 , in some embodiments, comprises filling the interactive slow feeder with a feed. The feed, in some embodiments, is hay made from grass, alfalfa, or the like. In some embodiments, the feed comprises grain or other feed. Optimally, however, the feed comprises material similar or related to forage obtained by the animal when grazing, such as grass or hay. This is not intended to be limiting. In some embodiments, filling step  220  comprises filling the interactive slow feeder with any suitable food appropriate for the type of animal interacting with the feeder. 
     Closing step  230 , in some embodiments, comprises closing a cover of the interactive slow feeder. Closing step  230  is simple fitting the cover over a feed box to close an interior of the interactive feeder that has been filled with the feed. The cover comprises one or more feed ports. In some embodiments, the cover is hingedly coupled to the feed box and is not completely detachable from the feed box wherein closing step  230  is accomplished by swinging the cover closed over the feed box by pivoting the cover on a hinge coupled to the feed box and the cover. In some embodiments, the cover is completely removable from the feed box, with or without a hinge that may be un-coupled, wherein closing step  230  comprises fitting the cover onto the feed box thus closing off an interior of the feeder. 
     Interacting step  240 , in some embodiments, comprises interacting with a feature at least partially obstructing a feed port. Interacting step is performed by the horse or other animal desiring to feed from the interactive slow feeder, whereas positioning step  210 , filling step  220 , and closing step  230  are performed by a human user of the interactive slow feeder. Interacting step  240  is performed by the horse, for example, examining a feed port within the cover of the feeder fitted with a feature completely or partially obstructing the feed port to determine how to interact with the feature, to overcome the obstruction and access the feed, and then physically overcoming the obstruction. In some embodiments, interacting step  240  comprises the animal determining it is safe to physically interact with the feature. In some embodiments, interacting step  240  comprises the animal determining one or more ways to physically interact with the feature to access the feed through the feed port. In some embodiments, interacting step  240  comprises visual examination by the animal. In some embodiments, interacting step  240  comprises sniffing. In some embodiments, interacting step  240  comprises touching the feature, such as with a snout, a hoof, or the like. 
     In some embodiments, interacting step  240  comprises displacing the feature, wherein the feed port obstruction is relieved sufficient for the animal to access the feed through the feed port. For example, in some embodiments, interacting step  240  comprises displacing a movable flap feature, an elastic band feature, rolling a ball feature, sliding a slider feature, rolling a roller feature, or the like. 
     Feeding step  250 , in some embodiments, comprises the horse or other animal feeding upon the feed through the feed port. 
     Several embodiments of an interactive slow feeder and method of use have been described herein. The interactive feeder allows for intellectual and physical interaction by the animal with the feeder, so as to require a level of intellectual and physical activity by the animal greater than simply eating forage from a feed box or trough. The intellectual and physical interaction may partially re-create certain intellectual and physical experiences of the animal when grazing, for example. 
     The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purpose of illustration and example. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible, in light of the teachings herein above.