Automatic drinking water supply for domestic animals

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DRIKING WATER TO DOMESTIC ANIMALS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A DRINKING BOWL, A VALVE DISPOSED ABOVE, A SPACED FROM AND IN OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID BOWL ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A WATER SUPPLY LINE, SAID VALVE HAVING A LATERAL OUTLET, A TUBE HAVING AN UPPER END POSITIONED AND ADAPTED RELATIVE TO SAID OUTLET TO RECIEVE WATER THEREFROM WHEN THE VALVE IS OPEN, AND VAVLE OPERATING MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAID VALVE AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED UPWARDLY BY THE ANIMAL TO OPEN THE VALVE FOR INJECTING WATER FROM SAID SUPPLY LINE THROUGH SAID LATERAL VALVE OUTLET INTO SAID TUBE, SAID VALVE RETURNING TO NORMAL SHUT-OFF POSITION WHEN THE ACTUATION OF SAID VALVE OPERATIING MEANS IS DISCONTINUED, SAID TUBE HAVING A TUBE OUTLET WITHIN SAID BOWL AND ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID BOWL, THE INTERIOR OF SAID TUBE BEING INACESSIBLE TO THE ANIMAL BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF, THE SPACING BETWEEN THE VALVE OPERATING MEANS AND THE TUBE OUTLET BEING SUCH THAT THE ANIMAL CAN CONSUME WATER AT AND BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID TUBE ONLY IN POSITIONS DEFINITELY PREVENTING THE ANIMAL FROM OPERATING THE VALVE OPERATING MEANS, AND SO THAT THE ANIMAL''S HEAD WHILE ACTUATING THE VALVE OPERATING MEANS IS PREVENTED FROM DRINKING CONTACT WITH THE WATER FROM SAID TUBE.