Animal feeder

Claim 1

A device for automatically dispensing pet food through a chute to a food bowl on a predetermined schedule comprising: a housing comprising a base having a food dish compartment for holding said food bowl; food delivery means communicating with said chute mounted on a platform above said base, said food delivery means comprising a carousel having a circular periphery, said carousel including wedge-shaped compartments having a curved outer periphery, each of the wedge-shaped compartments further comprising camming surfaces positioned along said curved outer periphery and an end stop at a forward edge of the camming surface, the bottom of each of the wedge-shaped compartments including a hinged door; a wedge-shaped aperture in said platform; means to rotate said carousel in an advance direction; indexing means for positioning each compartment over said aperture at a predetermined time in successive order comprising a timer-actuated solenoid fixidly attached to said housing, said solenoid comprising a timer and a shaft having at one end a friction reducing wheel, said shaft having a normally extended state and an actuated withdrawn state, whereby when the carousel rotates in its advance direction, said shaft is in its extended state and said wheel rides along a said camming surface until said wheel abutts against a said stop and whereby carousel motion is halted at a position wherein a compartment is superimposed above said aperture allowing said hinged door to drop, discharging the food from the compartment through the chute to the food bowl, and upon actuation of said shaft to its withdrawn state at said predetermined time, the wheel disengages from the end stop thus allowing the carousel to rotate to the next successive compartment.

Claim 2

A device for automatically dispensing pet food through a chute to a food bowl on a predetermined schedule comprising: a housing comprising a base having a food dish compartment for holding said food bowl; food delivery means communicating with said chute mounted on a platform above said base, said food delivery means comprising a carousel having a circular periphery, said carousel including wedge-shaped compartments having a curved outer periphery, each of the wedge-shaped compartments further comprising camming surfaces positioned along said curved outer periphery and an end stop at a forward edge of the camming surface, the bottom of each of the wedge-shaped compartments including a hinged door; a wedge-shaped aperture in said platform; means to rotate said carousel in an advance direction; indexing means for positioning each compartment over said aperture at a predetermined time in successive order comprising a timer-actuated solenoid fixidly attached to said housing, said solenoid comprising a timer and a shaft having at one end a friction reducing wheel, said shaft having a normally extended state and an actuated withdrawn state, whereby when the carousel rotates in its advance direction, said shaft is in its extended state and said wheel rides along a said camming surface until said wheel abutts against a said stop and whereby carousel motion is halted at a position wherein a compartment is superimposed above said aperture allowing said hinged door to drop, discharging the food from the compartment through the chute to the food bowl, and upon actuation of said shaft to its withdrawn state at said predetermined time, the wheel disengages from the end stop thus allowing the carousel to rotate to the next successive compartment.