Animal water dispenser

A device for providing feed material to an animal for consumption thereby, comprising:

• a tray comprising an open trough structure including an accessible interior space suitably configured to hold and present a quantity of contents transferred thereto from a feed material containing reservoir for access by the animal, the tray having a first end region and a second end region, said second end region being spaced apart from the first end region along a device axis, the reservoir being receivable to the tray with at least a portion of the reservoir being accommodated in said interior space of said tray in an at least partially nested condition with an opening in the reservoir being positioned at or proximate to said first end region;
• and
• a base portion being movably mounted to said tray at or proximate said second end region, said base portion being movable between a locked position in which blocking structure carried on said base portion inhibits removal of the reservoir from said at least partially nested condition, and an unlocked position in which interference of said blocking structure with the reservoir is relieved and removal of the reservoir from said at least partially nested condition is permitted and the base portion is located sufficiently clear of said tray to allow animal access to the quantity of the contents of the feed material, at least a portion of said base portion extending beyond an outer boundary of an end of the tray when in said locked position, said base portion being pivotably mounted to said tray to permit pivotable movement of said base portion between said locked and unlocked positions.

A method of providing feed material to an animal for consumption thereby, comprising:

• providing a device comprising a tray including an accessible interior space suitably configured to hold and present a quantity of the feed material transferred thereto from a feed material containing reservoir for access by the animal, the tray having a first end region and a second end region, said second end region being spaced apart from the first end region along a device axis;
• receiving the reservoir to the tray with at least a portion of the reservoir being accommodated in said interior space of said tray in an at least partially nested condition with an opening in the reservoir being positioned at or proximate to said first end region;
• locating a base portion which is pivotably mounted to said tray at or proximate to said second end region to a locked position in which blocking structure carried on said base portion inhibits removal of the reservoir from said at least partially nested condition, at least a portion of said base portion extending beyond an outer boundary of an end of the tray when in said locked position;
• and
• relocating said base portion by pivotable movement to an unlocked position in which interference of said blocking structure with the reservoir is relieved thereby permitting removal of the of the reservoir from said at least partially nested condition and the base portion is located sufficiently clear of said tray to allow animal access to the quantity of the contents of the feed material.

A feed material dispenser for an animal, comprising:

• a tray including an accessible interior space suitably configured to hold and present a quantity of the feed material transferred thereto from a reservoir for access by the animal, the tray having a first end region and a second end region, said second end region being spaced apart from the first end region along a dispenser axis, the reservoir having an opening and being receivable to the tray with at least a portion of the reservoir being accommodated in said interior space of said tray when in a non-use condition, with the opening of the reservoir being positioned at or proximate to said first end region;
• and
• a base portion being pivotably mounted to said tray at or proximate said second end region so as to allow pivotable movement of said base portion between a locked position in which blocking structure carried on said base portion inhibits reorientation of the reservoir from said non-use condition, and an unlocked position in which interference of said blocking structure with the reservoir is relieved and reorientation of the reservoir from said non-use condition is permitted so as to locate the base portion sufficiently clear of said tray to allow animal access to the quantity of the feed material, at least a portion of said base portion being located at an axial position outside of an outer boundary of an end of the tray at said second end region which is farther from said first end region along said dispenser axis than said end of the tray when in said locked position.