Pet water dispenser with a low water level condition indicator

A pet water dispenser having an outer cylindrical housing having a top lid and an inner cylindrical water container essentially concentric with and inverted in the outer cylindrical housing for storing and automatically dispensing water to a pet into a trough to maintain a predetermined water level in said trough wherein said inner cylindrical water container has a base wall which is in close proximity to said top lid, the improvement comprising:

• a magnetically responsive means for switching coupled to the interior surface of said top lid of said outer cylindrical housing and having an open state and a closed state;
• a low water level condition indicator externally coupled to said top lid and electrically coupled to said magnetically responsive switching means;
• a guide member fixedly coupled in a center of said base wall wherein said guide member is suspended in said inner cylindrical water container along a longitudinal axis thereof;
• and,
• a magnetic float slidable coupled to said guide member and having a magnetic force of influence wherein the force exerted on said magnetically responsive switching means by said magnetic force of influence is inversely proportional to a distance between said magnet float and said magnetically responsive switching means wherein, said magnetic force of influence maintains said magnetically responsive switching means in said open state when said distance is less than a predetermined amount and when said distance is greater than said predetermined amount said force of said magnetic force of influence is diminished to a point which allows said magnetically responsive switching means to automatically transition to said closed state to automatically actuate said low water level condition indicator.

A pet water dispenser comprising:

• an outer cylindrical housing having a top lid;
• an inner cylindrical water container essentially concentric with and inverted in the outer cylindrical housing for storing and automatically dispensing water to into a trough to maintain a predetermined water level in said trough wherein said inner cylindrical water container has a length and has a base wall which is in close proximity to said top lid when inverted;
• a magnetically responsive means for switching coupled to the interior surface of said top lid of said outer cylindrical housing and having an open state and a closed state;
• a low water level condition indicator externally coupled to said top lid and electrically coupled to said magnetically responsive switching means;
• a guide member fixedly coupled in a center of said base wall wherein said guide member has a first predetermined length and is suspended in said inner cylindrical water container along a longitudinal axis thereof;
• and,
• a magnetic float slidable coupled to said guide member and having a second predetermined length and a magnetic force of influence wherein the force exerted on said magnetically responsive switching means by said magnetic force of influence is inversely proportional to a distance between said magnet float and said magnetically responsive switching means wherein, said magnetic force of influence maintains said magnetically responsive switching means in said open state when said distance is less than a predetermined amount and when said distance is greater than said predetermined amount said force of said magnetic force of influence is diminished to a point which allows said magnetically responsive switching means to automatically transition to said closed state to automatically actuate said low water level condition indicator;
• and, wherein the sum of said first predetermined length and said second predetermined length is greater than said length of the cylindrical wall of said inner cylindrical water container to prevent said magnetic float from completely sliding off of said guide member when said inner cylindrical water container is inverted and empty and, alternately, non-inverted.