Cage Mounted Watering Device

• US 20140069340A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Pet Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Pet Products LLC
• Inventors: Lipscomb, John M.
• Application Number:
  US13/842,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20140069340A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/74
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0356 Feeding or drinking devices associated with cages for poultry A01K31/005, A01K31/17, A01K39/00; for birds A01K31/06
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 7/00 Watering equipment for stock or game
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 7/02 Automatic devices ; Medication dispensers

Abstract

In one embodiment, a watering assembly includes a basin and a bowl disposed on opposite sides of a cage wall. The basin and the bowl are releasably coupled to one another, for example by a hook-socket combination. The basin includes a pump that moves water along a supply conduit and into the bowl. The bowl has a return conduit that returns water from the bowl to the basin. A reservoir is coupled to and in fluid communication with the basin so that watering assembly may provide a volume of water that is greater than the combined water-holding volume of the bowl and the basin.

Claims

1. A watering assembly comprising:

a bowl;

a basin that is in fluid flow communication with the bowl;

a first path for supplying water from the basin to the bowl;

a second path for returning water from the bowl to the basin; and

a pump that moves fluid along the first path.

2. The watering assembly of claim 1, wherein the bowl and basin are releasably coupled together.

3. The watering assembly of claim 2, wherein the bowl has a hook and the basin has a socket for releasably engaging the hook so as to releasably couple the bowl and the basin together.

4. The watering assembly of claim 1, wherein the first path comprises a tubular conduit with a first end coupled to the pump and a second discharge end that is supported by the bowl.

5. The watering assembly of claim 4, wherein the tubular conduit is supported by the bowl so as to permit relative movement of the tubular conduit with respect to the bowl.

6. The watering assembly of claim 5, wherein the tubular conduit is supported by a seat that permits axial movement of the tubular conduit relative to the bowl.

7. The watering assembly of claim 4, wherein the tubular conduit is generally L-shaped.

8. The watering assembly of claim 1, wherein the second path comprises an arcuate channel that extends over the basin.

9. The watering assembly of claim 8, wherein the arcuate channel has a discharge outlet that is positioned below a top edge of a rear wall of the basin.

10. The watering assembly of claim 1, further comprising a mounting basket that supports the basin.

11. The watering assembly of claim 1, further comprising a reservoir that is removably received by the basin.

12. A watering assembly comprising:

a basin having a rear wall;

a bowl having a rear wall, the bowl being positioned relative to the basin such that an upper edge of the rear wall of the bowl is higher than an upper edge of the rear wall of the basin;

a supply conduit that supplies fluid from the basin to the bowl, the supply conduit being supported by the bowl so as to allow the supply conduit to move relative to the bowl;

a return conduit for returning water from the bowl to the basin, the return conduit extending from the rear wall of the bowl and having a mouth disposed substantially higher than the upper edge of the rear wall of the basin so as to facilitate the flow of fluid from the bowl to the basin along the return conduit under the force of gravity; and

a pump that moves fluid along the supply conduit to provide fluid from the basin to the bowl.

13. The watering assembly of claim 12, further comprising:

a pair of hooks on the rear wall of the bowl;

a pair of sockets on the rear wall of the basin for receiving the pair of hooks;

wherein the bowl and the basin are positioned on opposite sides of a cage wall such that the hooks extend through the cage wall and into the sockets so as to create a cantilever force that helps to secure the basin and the bowl to the cage wall.

14. The watering assembly of claim 13, further comprising:

a reservoir received by the basin that dispenses fluid into the basin, the reservoir, bowl and basin being sized such that the watering assembly can supply a volume of water larger than the combined fluid-holding volume of the basin and the bowl.

15. The watering assembly of claim 14, wherein the reservoir provides fluid to the basin via a generally L-shaped reservoir conduit that extends into the basin.

16. The watering assembly of claim 12, wherein the supply conduit is a generally L-shaped tube that is supported by a clip.

17. The watering assembly of claim 12, wherein the return conduit comprises a channel that is curved along its longitudinal extent so that the discharge outlet of the return conduit is positioned below the upper edge of the rear wall of the basin.

18. The watering assembly of claim 12, further comprising a filter that is disposed upstream of the pump and downstream of the return conduit.

19. The watering assembly of claim 12, wherein the pump is mounted to the basin by at least one elastomeric suction cup.

20. A watering assembly comprising:

a basin having a rear wall;

a bowl having a rear wall, the basin and bowl being releasably coupled to one another along their respective rear walls via a fastener combination;

a supply conduit that provides fluid from the basin to the bowl, the supply conduit extending beyond the rear wall of the basin and over the bowl and being releasably supported by the bowl so as to permit the supply conduit to move relative to the bowl;

a return conduit that returns fluid from the bowl to the basin, the return conduit having a mouth that is disposed substantially above an upper edge of the rear wall of the basin and a discharge end that is disposed substantially below the upper edge of the rear wall of the basin when the basin and bowl are coupled together;

a pump in the basin that moves fluid along the supply conduit;

a reservoir that is removably received by the basin that enables the watering assembly to provide a fluid volume that is greater than the combined fluid-holding volume of the basin and the bowl.