Week 1: Feeding Intervals

The only factor that determines the constraints of the proposed apparatus is the consumer's needs. It needed to be decided for whom exactly this apparatus would be designed for.
Would it be for the busy pet-owner that needed help with daily feedings? Or the frequent traveler who would need a week's worth of feedings and daily appropriation?
Furthermore, would this consumer be a cat-owner or a dog-owner? Maybe even a rodent or bird-owner?

So, how much to pets eat anyway?
Pet	Age/Size	Amount/meal	Meals/day
Kittens	2 months	3 Tbsp.	four
	3 months	3-5 Tbsp.	four
	4-5 months	0.25 Cups	four
	6-12 months	0.25 Cups	three
Cats	5-9 lbs.	.25-.5 Cups	two
	10-14 lbs.	.5-1 Cups	two
Puppies	Varies with breed. Can be read on back of food container
Dogs	3-20 lbs	.75-1.5 Cups	two
	21-50 lbs	2.3-3.25 Cups
	51-100 lbs	3.5-5 Cups
	100+ lbs	5-7.5 Cups
Rodents/Birds	All day, every day

Dials could potentially be used to customize feeding intervals. One dial could determine the amount of food per feeding (in ounces or cups) while another determines the time interval of feeding (in hours).

Programming to intake button responses is also an options.

Now, the machine would need to be able to tell how much food is in the bowl --in other words, when to stop feeding. This can be completed in a number of ways:

• Scale: Using weight measurements as input, the machine would know how much kibble would for example equal one ounce and would multiple that amount by the preference of the owner.  Heavy programming would be required.
• The owner would need to be able to rare the scale as necessary
• The owner may also be able to use a set and rare button to input desired weights, in lieu of a dial





Possible design of a infrared gates.
Cross-sectional view.
• Infrared: Using pairs of gates on either side of the bowl at certain marks (say 1/4cup, 1/2cup, 1cup & 2 cups), the interruption of a gate would mean that the mark has been met. This option would require light programming and could be completed in two ways:
• Programming based on consumer input via the dial would determine which gate was used.
• Each pair of gates could have its own circuit completed by the dial (optimal).
• Measured output: This option is purely mechanical and is ideal for this group's skill sets.
• This option has a multitude of execution possibilities. For example, a small scooper or fan (for a lack of a better word) could revolve allowing only a certain amount of kibble to pass per revolution. The kibble output (in ounces) per revolution could be measured and used as the factor which determined the number or revolutions needed to reach the consumer input (via dial).



Depiction of a a trap door

• This would be completed in a similar manner as option 2 of infrared option: mechanically, with different sized gears.
• Regardless of the complexity of this machine's user input, the output (the kibble) should trickle out rather than be dumped or fall.
• This is to keep the feeding area clear of stray kibble and to ensure that the amount put out is as close to the user input as possible

Another important feature would be a bell that would indicate to the owner that the feeder needed to be refilled.