California Patent of the Month – March 2022
CleverPet, Inc. is dedicated to the creation of puzzles for your pets. They previously developed and released the CleverPet Hub – the world’s first game console for dogs. By engaging your dog in ways other than a walk, you allow them to grow and expand their cognitive abilities, keep them busy, and expend some energy.
Recently, they have developed a new device which aids in these puzzles. Many dogs are food driven which means treats are an effective way to train or engage them. This new device dispenses treats, one at a time, when they get a puzzle right.
A key challenge in designing this device was having it reliably dispense a single kibble at a time. Most kibbles have slight deviations in size which are significant enough to make singular dispensing difficult. CleverPet’s solution required the design of a spiraling frustoconical housing. This means the housing is relatively cone shaped, with a spiraling pathway throughout the center. As the pet gets the puzzle right, it causes the housing to rotate, and the kibble moves through this spiral path, being forced into a singular line so that a single kibble can be dispensed.
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