Animal feed bowls

Claim 1

A pair of animal feed bowls for holding and protecting food for an animal, comprising: (a) a first open end feed bowl, comprising: (i) a base; (ii) a peripheral rim at said open end; and, (iii) a peripheral side wall having an exterior surface extending upwardly from said base to said rim; and, (b) a second open end feed bowl for additionally acting as a cover for said first feed bowl, comprising: (i) a bottom wall; and, (ii) a flexible resilient peripheral side wall having an interior surface extending upwardly from said bottom wall to the open end of said second feed bowl, the bottom wall and interior surface of said second feed bowl being shaped to permit said second feed bowl to be inverted and placed as a closely covering cover over said first feed bowl, such that the bottom wall of said second feed bowl lies substantially flush with the rim of said first feed bowl, and the interior surface of said second feed bowl extends downwardly towards the base of said first feed bowl closely covering a substantial portion of the exterior surface of said first feed bowl; and, (c) cooperating means on said first and second feed bowls for releasably securing said second feed bowl in said inverted position as a closely covering cover over said first feed bowl, said cooperating means comprising: (i) a flange forming an inwardly extending peripheral rim at the open end of said second feed bowl; and, (ii) a plurality of wedge-shaped tabs disposed at spaced intervals on the exterior surface of the peripheral side wall of said first feed bowl, each of said tabs including an upper end and a lower end, the upper end merging with said exterior surface, the lower end extending downwardly from the lower part of said exterior surface for engaging the under side of said flange to releasably secure said second feed bowl to said first bowl in said inverted position as a closely covering cover over said first feed bowl.