Pet food dispenser

Abstract

A storage and dispensing apparatus for dry or liquid pet food of the type including a serving tray and a generally cylindrical storage container detachably secured to the tray so as to extend axially thereabove. The tray is provided with a generally circular opening for receiving the bottom of the storage container, and a flange projects radially into the opening. The flange is interrupted over a predetermined circumferential arc. The bottom of the storage container has a skirt portion that flairs downwardly and outwardly and has an outside diameter which is larger than the inside diameter of the interrupted flange. On the flaired skirt, a pair of diametrically opposed lugs project radially outwardly and each lug has a circumferential dimension which is smaller than the circumferential extent of the interruption in the tray flange. Immediately above the flaired skirt there is provided a downwardly facing annular seat. In order to mount the storage container to the tray, one of the lugs is aligned with the interruption in the tray flange and the storage container is tilted so that the other lug extends under the tray flange. The storage container is then pressed towards the tray so that the flaired skirt portion snaps past the tray flange, so that the flange is captured between the skirt portion and the storage container annular seat. Rotating the storage container with respect to the tray so as to place both lugs under the tray flange will then lock the storage container against withdrawal from the serving tray.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.