Pet fountain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9510561-B2
Application number	US-201313733660-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2013
Priority date	May 29, 2009
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A pet fountain having a housing of snap together construction formed of a base and cover. The base includes a basin in which an integrally formed filter-holding divider is disposed that separates the basin into a return sump and pumping chamber. The cover includes a water holding bowl, an inlet and a drain overlying the return sump that encloses a pump that provides fluid to the bowl via inlet when attached to the base. The cover includes a downwardly extending tube that fluidly registers with a discharge of the pump when attached to the base. In a preferred embodiment, the cover has upper and lower bowls connected by a spillway that conveys overflow from the upper bowl to the lower bowl where it is return via drain to the return sump. The cover can be configured to mate with the housing to enclose the entire basin, pump, and filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pet fountain comprising:
a fountain base having a bottom wall and a sidewall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, wherein the bottom wall and sidewall define a water holding basin;
a pump removably mounted in the basin, the pump having a discharge port from which water pumped by the pump is discharged;
a fountain cover removably carried by the fountain base, the cover overlying the pump and having an outlet in liquid flow communication with the pump discharge port; and
a flow-directing spout removably attached to the cover, the spout (a) having one portion that is a tubular fluid-communicating portion slidably and telescopically received in the outlet of the cover and in liquid flow communication with the pump discharge port, and (b) having another portion extending outwardly above an outer surface of the cover, the another portion of the spout having a discharge opening formed therein, the discharge opening spaced above and from the outer surface of the cover from which a stream of water is discharged from the discharge opening into the air over part of the outer surface of the cover.

2. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the spout is configured to orient the discharge opening of the spout relative to part of the outer surface of the cover when the spout is removably attached to the cover in a manner that directs the stream of water discharged from the discharge opening into the air and through the air over part of the outer surface of the cover and toward a spillway formed in the outer surface of the cover.

3. The pet fountain of claim 2 wherein the spout is configured to operably cooperate with the cover in orienting the discharge opening of the spout relative to part of the outer surface of the cover when the spout is removably attached to the cover.

4. The pet fountain of claim 3 further comprising an open drinking bowl that receives water flowing downwardly along the spillway of the cover.

5. The pet fountain of claim 4 wherein the open drinking bowl is a recessed concave water-holding bowl that is integrally formed in the cover.

6. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the discharge opening of the another portion of the spout is disposed at an angle relative to the tubular portion of the spout telescopically received in the outlet of the cover such that the discharge opening directs the stream of water discharged from the discharge opening of the spout into the air at an angle relative to (i) the tubular portion of the spout telescopically received in the outlet of the cover, and (ii) the outer surface of the cover.

7. The pet fountain of claim 1 further comprising a liquid-communicating conduit engaged with the discharge port of the pump substantially rigidly coupling the cover to the pump and delivering water pumped out the discharge port of the pump to the outlet in the cover.

8. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the pump discharge port comprises a tube, and further comprising a liquid-communicating conduit having an inlet end that telescopically receives the tube of the discharge port of the pump therein with the inlet end of the liquid-communicating conduit defining a free axial end of the liquid-communicating conduit and having an opening formed therein that is beveled to facilitate telescopic insertion of the tube of the discharge port of the pump into the liquid-communicating conduit.

9. The pet fountain of claim 8 wherein the cover has an integral downwardly extending liquid-communicating tube that telescopically couples with the liquid-communicating conduit.

10. The pet fountain of claim 9 wherein the liquid-communicating conduit comprises a locator tube.

11. The pet fountain of claim 10 wherein a bottom wall of the water holding basin comprises a pump seat in which the pump is removably received, the pump seat providing a desired location of the pump relative to the fountain base when the pump is removably mounted in the basin, and wherein the location of the pump is maintained when the liquid-communicating conduit telescopically receives the tube of the discharge port of the pump.

12. The pet fountain of claim 11 wherein the pump seat comprises a plurality of spaced apart pump cradles integrally formed with the bottom wall of the fountain base, and wherein the pump comprises a generally cubic or block shaped housing having a plurality of bottom corners disposed adjacent the bottom wall of the fountain base when the pump is received in the pump seat and wherein each pump cradle brackets a corresponding one of the bottom corners of the pump housing when the pump is received in the pump seat.

13. The pet fountain of claim 8 wherein the liquid-communicating conduit is integrally formed with the cover.

14. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the cover further comprises a spillway along which water from the pump that is discharged out the discharge opening of the spout flows before the flowing water returns to the pump, and wherein the spillway is integrally formed in the outer surface of the cover.

15. The pet fountain of claim 14 further comprising a bowl that receives the water flowing along the spillway of the cover.

16. The pet fountain of claim 15 wherein the bowl comprises a recessed concave water-holding bowl that is integrally formed in the cover.

17. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of the cover comprises a spillway down which water discharged from the discharge opening of the spout flows, wherein the fountain base further comprises a divider enclosed by the cover that divides the water holding basin into (a) a pumping chamber in which the pump is disposed, the pumping chamber underlying the cover and disposed on one side of the divider, and (b) a return sump disposed on an opposite side of the divider, the return sump receiving water after the water has flowed down the spillway, and wherein the divider comprises a filter holder enclosed by the cover that removably receives a generally planar replaceable water filter that filters water flowing from the return sump to the pumping chamber.

18. The pet fountain of claim 17 wherein the filter holder is configured to simultaneously hold a pair of substantially identical replaceable water filters with one of the water filters disposed upstream of the other one of the water filters.

19. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the spout comprises an elongate tube having an intake end telescopically received in the opening in the cover, the spout having an inner diameter at or adjacent the intake end that is greater than an inner diameter of the spout at or adjacent the discharge opening.

20. The pet fountain of claim 19 wherein the elongate tube of the spout is curved.

21. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the submersible pump has a plurality of suction cups.

22. The pet fountain of claim 1 wherein the spout further comprises an outwardly extending portion that operably cooperates with the cover in orienting the spout relative to part of the cover when the spout is removably attached to the cover.

23. The pet fountain of claim 22 wherein the outwardly extending portion comprises an outwardly extending key received in a slot formed in the outlet in the outer surface of the cover.

24. A pet fountain comprising:
a fountain base having a bottom wall and a sidewall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the sidewall and the bottom wall defining a water holding basin, the bottom wall of the fountain base comprising a pump

Assignees

• Pioneer Pet Products Llc

Inventors

• Lipscomb John M
• Suring Stanley L
• He Qing

Classifications

• A01K7/02 Primary

  Automatic devices · CPC title

• A01K45/002

  Bird baths or showers · CPC title