JP6715804B2 - Small animal water dispenser - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water dispenser for small animals.

Conventionally, water dispensers for small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs are equipped with a water dispenser main body having a downwardly inclined water pipe with the mouth of a water bottle attached, and a metal ball for stopping water inside the water pipe. And a leak-preventing O-ring are known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Registered utility model No. 3098579

In the conventional water dispenser described above, a small animal can drink water by licking it with its tongue and rotating it or pushing up the metal ball in the water pipe, but such an action is unnatural for small animals. It was how to drink, which caused stress.
Furthermore, when the inside of the water intake pipe is soiled by water stains or when foreign substances such as dust are mixed in the water intake pipe, the metal ball does not move and water cannot be supplied. There was a problem that water would leak without returning to the position.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a water supply device for small animals, which allows a small animal to easily drink water in a natural posture without stress, and which is free from the risk of unexpected water supply stoppage or water leakage.

The water supply device for small animals of the present invention has a receptacle having a female screw portion to which a male screw mouth portion of a water bottle is screwed and an upper opening dish type drinking mouth portion, and a cage arranged outside the breeding cage. A holder attached to the fence portion, wherein the holder is a back wall portion arranged facing the outer surface of the cage fence portion, and a lower wall portion supporting the receiving member from below. And an opening formed through the lower portion of the back wall, wherein the mouth of the receiver is the opening of the holder and the gap between the horizontal rod and the horizontal rod of the cage fence. And, and is configured to be inserted into the breeding cage from the outside of the breeding cage.
Further, the horizontal dimension of the drinking portion is set to be not less than 2 times and not more than 4 times the depth dimension of the drinking portion.

Further, the holder has a male screw rod projecting from the back wall portion to the inside of the breeding cage, and a hand-turning disc that can be screwed onto the male screw rod, from the inside of the breeding cage. The holder is screwed to the male screw rod portion so that the holder can be detachably attached to the cage fence portion.
In addition, the retainer has a vertical plane-shaped cage abutting surface on the back wall, and the vertical dimension of the cage abutting surface is 1.5 times or more the horizontal width dimension of the cage abutting surface. It is set to 3 times or less.

According to the present invention, a small animal can instinctively drink water in a natural posture close to a wild environment without feeling stress. The structure is simple, there is no risk of failure such as sudden water supply stop, and there is no risk of water leakage. The water exchange work of the water bottle can be performed easily and quickly. It is possible to prevent small animals from coming into contact with the water bottle and falling.

It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a section side view showing a use state. It is a perspective view showing an example of water exchange work. It is an exploded perspective view. It is a figure which shows an example of a holding|maintenance tool, (a) is sectional side view, (b) is a rear view. It is a figure which shows an example of a receiving tool, (a) is a top view, (b) is a cross-sectional side view.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.
As shown in FIG. 1, the water supply device for small animals according to the present invention is for supplying water to pets (small animals) such as rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas in a rearing cage, and is provided on the outside of the rearing cage. The holder 3 attached to the cage fence K and the receiver 2 having the upper opening dish-shaped drinking portion 22 for storing the water (beverage) flowing from the water bottle 1. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the holder 3 supports the back wall portion 30 that is disposed face-to-face with the outer surface (the surface on the outer side) of the cage fence K and the receiving tool 2 from below. Lower wall portion 31, an opening portion 32 formed through the lower portion of the back wall portion 30 in the front-rear direction, and the movement of the receiving tool 2 in the left-right direction is restricted, and the back wall portion 30 and the lower wall portion 31 are separated from each other. A pair of left and right side wall portions 33, 33 to be connected, a male screw rod portion 35 protruding from the back wall portion 30 to the inside (rear) side of the rearing cage, and a belt member 39 for holding the water bottle 1 in a hugging shape. (Not shown in FIG. 5). The back wall portion 30 has a vertical plane-shaped cage contact surface 30d on the back surface.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6, the receiver 2 has a female screw portion 21 at a proximal end portion (front portion) to which the male screw opening portion 11 of the water bottle 1 can be screwed and has an upper opening. It has a dish-shaped drinking portion 22 at its tip (rear portion), and further has a flow path portion 23 that connects the female screw portion 21 and the drinking portion 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the holder 3, the back wall portion 30 (the cage contact surface 30d thereof) is brought into contact with the outer surface of the cage fence portion K, and the male screw rod portion 35 is fixed to the cage fence portion. It is arranged inside the breeding cage from between the horizontal rods S of the section K and inside the breeding cage, and the opening 32 is made to correspond to the gap Z between the horizontal rods S of the cage fence K and the horizontal rod S. It is arranged outside the breeding cage in the closed state.
The cage 3 is clamped by the back wall portion 30 and the turntable 4 by screwing the hand-turning turntable 4 having a screw hole into the male screw rod 35 from the inside of the breeding cage. Then, it is detachably attached to the cage fence K. When the holder 3 is attached to the cage fence K, the opening 32 is in communication with the gap Z.

Then, when the receiving tool 2 in which the water bottle 1 is screwed to the female screw portion 21 in the inverted posture is brought close to the holding tool 3 from the outside of the cage, the drinking mouth portion 22 of the receiving tool 2 becomes The opening 32 and the gap Z of the cage fence K are inserted into the cage so that the cage is inserted from the outside of the cage to the inside of the cage.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the holder 3 holds (fixes) the water bottle 1 by the belt member 39 in a wrapping manner, and the lower wall portion 31 has the water bottle 1 and the receiver 2 and the load of water. The left and right side wall portions 33, 33 prevent the water bottle 1 from collapsing and the receiver 2 from moving in the left-right direction.

At the time of water exchange work of the water supply bottle 1, after releasing the holding of the belt member 39, as shown in FIG. 3, if the water supply bottle 1 is grasped and pulled to the outside (front side) of the breeding cage, the holder 3 Therefore, the water bottle 1 and the receiver 2 can be removed together.
As described above, the water exchange operator (breeder) does not need to open and close the door of the breeding cage and put his/her hand in the breeding cage (there is a risk that small animals may escape or the worker's hands may become dirty). No), water exchange work can be performed. Further, since the water bottle 1 can be held, it is easy to hold and the risk of spilling water is reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, with the water bottle 1 attached to the receiving member 2 held by the holding member 3 by the belt member 39 (when the rotating disk 4 is operated), the holding member 3 and the receiving member 2 and the water bottle 1 can be integrally attached to and detached from the breeding cage. For example, it is possible to easily examine and determine the positioning so that the drinking portion 22 is located at a position suitable for the size of the small animal or a position where the breeder can easily perform the water exchange work.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the receiver 2, the horizontal width dimension W22 of the upper edge portion of the drinking portion 22 is set to be not less than 2 times and not more than 4 times the depth dimension D22 of the drinking portion 22. For example, it is set to 38 mm or more and 76 mm or less. If it is less than twice, the small animal cannot bring its face close to the water surface, and it becomes difficult to drink water. If it exceeds 4 times, the drinking part 22 becomes too wide, the inside of the breeding cage may be narrowed, and small animals may be inadvertently contacted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the vertical dimension H22 of the mouth 22 of the receiver 2 is set to be smaller than the vertical dimension of the horizontal rod S of the cage fence K and the gap Z of the horizontal rod S. ing. For example, it is set to 15 mm or more and 30 mm or less. If it is less than the lower limit, the water becomes too shallow, the amount of water stored decreases, and it becomes difficult for small animals to drink water. On the other hand, when the value exceeds the upper limit, it becomes impossible to deal with various types of cages and the versatility deteriorates.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the receiving tool 2 has a stopper portion 29 for preventing the drinking portion 22 from protruding beyond the predetermined size from the opening 32. The stopper portion 29 abuts on the front surface of the back wall portion 30 of the holder 3 and defines the protruding size of the drinking portion 22.

Further, the receiver 2 abuts the opening edge 11a of the male screw opening 11 of the water bottle 1 between the female screw portion 21 and the bottom surface 25 to prevent the water bottle 1 from being screwed, and There is a contact portion 28 for forming a water inflow gap between the bottom surface 25 and the male screw mouth portion 11 (opening edge 11a). Even if the water exchange operator changes, the position of the opening edge 11a of the water supply bottle 1 is always the same position, and the water level can be stabilized (regardless of the skill of the water exchange operator, the water level is always set to a proper predetermined value). Height can be).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the receiving device 2 includes a left and right opening upper end edges that are parallel to each other in a plan view in the mouthpiece 22, and a tip end side of the mouthpiece 22 in an arcuate shape (when viewed from a small animal). The upper end edge of the opening on the front side) is formed of metal.

More specifically, the receiver 2 includes a female screw portion 21, a contact portion 28, a flow path portion 23, a stopper portion 29, a bottom wall portion of the drinking mouth portion 22, and a peripheral wall of the drinking mouth portion 22. A resin receiving main body 60 having a lower portion and an upper and lower intermediate portion, and further forming an opening upper edge portion on the left and right sides of the drinking portion 22 and an opening upper edge portion on the front end side of the drinking portion 22. For this purpose, a U-shaped metal reinforcing member 61 is provided.
The receiving body 60 has a U-shaped insertion groove 60d in plan view into which the reinforcing member 61 is inserted. The receiving body 60 and the reinforcing member 61 can be fixed (integrated) freely with an adhesive or insert molding.
In this manner, the metal reinforcing member 61 allows the left and right side openings of the drinking mouth portion 22 (which is a portion disposed inside the breeding gauge in the used state) to be opened at the upper end edge portion and the opening at the tip end side of the drinking mouth portion 22. By forming the upper edge portion, it is possible to prevent damage caused by shaving (bite) of small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the back surface 30 of the holder 3 has a vertical cage-shaped surface 30d for hitting the cage, and the vertical dimension H30 of the surface 30d for hitting the cage is determined by the surface 30d for hitting the cage. The width W30 is set to 1.5 times or more and 3 times or less. If it is less than the lower limit value, the contact area of the cage fence K with the horizontal rod S becomes small, and the posture of the holder 3 becomes unstable. If the upper limit is exceeded, the range that can be attached to the breeding cage is limited, and the cage fence K is closed to impair ventilation and aesthetics. 4 and 5, the boundary line between the cage contact surface 30d on the back surface of the back wall portion 30 and the rounded portion (curved portion) on the side edge is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the holder 3 includes a resin holding body 51 having a back wall portion 30, a pair of left and right side wall portions 33, 33, a lower wall portion 31, and an opening portion 32. A metal bolt member (52) which is inserted into the back wall portion (30) and is held horizontally to form the male screw rod portion (35) and a belt member (39) which is detachable from the holding body (51) are provided.

The holding body 51 has vertical shaft portions 34, 34 on both the left and right sides of the upper and lower intermediate portions.
The belt member 39 is attached to an elastic rubber belt-shaped elastic body 55 and one end of the belt-shaped elastic body 55 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the resin connecting member 57 having the grip portion 57a that can be attached to one side to the outside and the other end of the band-shaped elastic body 55 are attached and the holding body 51 is attached. And a hook member 56 made of resin having a locking claw portion 56a that can be engaged and disengaged with the other of the left and right shaft portions 34, 34.

In FIG. 3, the grip portion 57 a of the connecting member 57 is externally attached to the shaft portion 34 of the holding body 51 so that the connecting member 57 can swing around the shaft center of the shaft portion 34. That is, the grip portion 57a and the shaft portion 34 form a pivotal connection portion between the belt member 39 and the holding body 51.
The grip portion 57a is elastically deformable, and is provided so as to be detachable from the shaft portion 34 by applying a predetermined operating force to the connecting member 57.

In this way, by providing the belt member 39 as a fixing means for fixing the water bottle 1 to the holder 3, the water bottle 1 having various shapes and sizes (unevenness and thickness) due to the expansion and contraction of the belt-shaped elastic body 55. Can be easily fixed. Due to the contracting force of the band-shaped elastic body 55, the hook member 56 can always be hooked and locked by the shaft portion 34 of the holding body 51 with a strong force.

Further, in the holding body 51, one of the left and right shaft portions 34 and the other of the left and right shaft portions 34 are formed in the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the connecting member 57 can be attached to both the left and right shaft portions 34, 34, and is selectively attached. Similarly, the hook member 56 can be locked to both the left and right shaft portions 34, 34. Therefore, the water exchange worker (breeder) uses the belt member 39 according to his or her preference and the surrounding environment in the right open release use state (see FIGS. 3 and 4) and the left open release use state (not shown). Can be used by switching to.

In the water bottle 1, water is introduced in a standing posture in which the male screw mouth portion 11 has an upward opening shape, and the receiving tool 2 is provided in a lid-like manner on the male screw mouth portion 11 of the water bottle 1 in the standing posture. Then, the female screw portion 21 is screwed on, and the receiver 2 is attached to the water bottle 1. After that, the receiver 2 is turned upside down (turned over) together with the water bottle 1 to be in the use posture as shown in the figure. As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2, the water in the water bottle 1 flows downward from the male screw mouth portion 11 and is poured into the drinking mouth portion 22 through the flow path portion 23 to receive the receiving member 2 Water is stored in the (flow path portion 23 and the drinking portion 22) up to the opening edge 11a of the male screw opening portion 11. The water dispenser having such a structure is sometimes called (in the pet industry) a siphon type dish water dispenser.

Further, the water supply bottle 1 is not limited to the dedicated product with scale as shown in the figure, and may be an existing PET bottle or other drinking water container as long as it has the male screw opening 11. That is, the female screw portion 21 of the receiving tool 2 is provided so as to be screwed into an existing drinking water container. Further, it is preferable that the holder 3 and the receiver 2 be provided so as to be compatible with an existing drinking water container (commercial PET bottle) of 300 to 600 ml.
Further, since the belt member 39 is provided as the fixing means, it is possible to use an existing drinking water container (commercial PET bottle) having various shapes and sizes (unevenness and thickness) as the water supply bottle 1. There is.

In the present invention, the design can be changed, and in the holder 3, the bolt body 52 may not be used, and the male screw rod portion 35 may be integrally provided on the holding body 51 by resin molding. Further, as the fixing means, a clamp member of a C-shaped resin molded product or an elastically deformable claw piece integrally provided on the holding main body 51 by resin molding may be provided, but it is durable and has various shapes and sizes. The belt member 39 described above is preferable in terms of versatility for using an existing drinking water container (commercial PET bottle) as the water bottle 1.

Further, the present invention is particularly suitable for use in small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, etc., which are kept in a raising cage.

As described above, the water supply device for small animals of the present invention includes the receptacle 2 having the female screw portion 21 to which the male screw mouth portion 11 of the water bottle 1 is screwed and the upper opening dish type drinking mouth portion 22. A holder 3 that is arranged on the outside of the breeding cage and attached to the cage fence K, and the holder 3 is a back wall portion that is arranged face-to-face on the outer surface of the cage fence K. 30 and a lower wall portion 31 that supports the receiver 2 from below, and an opening portion 32 that is provided through the lower portion of the back wall portion 30, and the drinking portion 22 of the receiver 2 is Since the opening 32 of the holder 3 and the horizontal rod S of the cage fence K and the gap Z of the horizontal rod S are inserted, the cage 32 is inserted from the outside of the breeding cage into the inside of the breeding cage. , Small animals can instinctively drink water in a natural posture close to the wild environment without feeling stress. The structure is simple, there is no risk of failure such as sudden water supply stop, and there is no risk of water leakage. The water exchange work of the water supply bottle can be performed easily and quickly. It is possible to prevent small animals from falling into contact with the water bottle. Water exchange operators (breeders) do not need to open and close the doors of the breeding cage and put their hands in the breeding cage (there is no risk of small animals escaping or the worker's hands becoming dirty). The replacement work can be performed easily and quickly. Water can be exchanged safely and hygienically.

Further, since the horizontal width W22 of the drinking portion 22 is set to be not less than 2 times and not more than 4 times the depth dimension D22 of the drinking portion 22, a small animal can bring its face close to the water surface, Is easier to drink. It is possible to obtain the drinking portion 22 that is easy for small animals to drink while reducing the risk of narrowing the inside of the cage and the risk of unexpected contact with small animals.

Further, the holder 3 has a male screw rod portion 35 projecting from the back wall portion 30 toward the inside of the breeding cage, and a hand-turning turntable 4 that can be screwed to the male screw rod portion 35 is raised. Since the holder 3 is configured to be detachably attached to the cage fence K by screwing the male screw rod portion 35 from the inside of the cage, the holder 3 can be easily and quickly fed to the cage. Can be attached to and detached from. The holder 3 can be attached to and detached from various breeding cages.

Further, the holder 3 has a vertical surface-shaped cage contact surface 30d on the back wall portion 30, and the vertical dimension H30 of the cage contact surface 30d is the horizontal width dimension of the cage contact surface 30d. Since it is set to be 1.5 times or more and 3 times or less of W30, the contact area of the cage fence K with the horizontal rod S is widened, and the posture of the holder 3 is stabilized. Although it can be attached to various places of the breeding cage, it does not block the cage fence K, does not interfere with ventilation, and does not impair aesthetics.

1 Water bottle 2 Receiving device 3 Retaining device 4 Turning disc for hand rotation
11 Male screw mouth
21 Female thread
22 Drinking part
30 Back wall
30d cage surface
31 Lower wall
32 openings
35 Male screw rod K Cage fence S Horizontal rod
D22 Depth dimension H22 Vertical dimension W22 Horizontal width dimension H30 Vertical dimension W30 Horizontal width dimension Z Gap

Claims (4)

A receptacle (2) having a female screw portion (21) to which a male screw mouth portion (11) of a water bottle (1) is screwed and a dish mouth (22) having an upper opening plate, and a cage outside. And a holder (3) arranged on the side and attached to the cage fence (K),
The retainer (3) includes a back wall portion (30) which is disposed face-to-face with the outer surface of the cage fence portion (K), and a lower wall portion (31) which supports the receiver (2) from below. And an opening (32) penetrating the lower part of the back wall (30),
The mouth part (22) of the receiving tool (2) is connected to the opening (32) of the holder (3), the horizontal rod (S) and the horizontal rod (S) of the cage fence (K). A water supply device for small animals, characterized in that it is configured to be inserted from the outside of the breeding cage into the inside of the breeding cage by inserting the gap (Z). The water supply device for small animals according to claim 1, wherein the lateral width dimension (W22) of the drinking mouth portion (22) is set to be not less than 2 times and not more than 4 times the depth dimension (D22) of the drinking mouth portion (22). The holder (3) has a male screw rod (35) protruding from the back wall (30) to the inside of the breeding cage,
A hand-turning turntable (4) that can be screwed onto the male screw rod (35) is screwed onto the male screw rod (35) from the inside of the breeding cage, and the holder (3) is the cage. The water supply device for small animals according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water supply device is detachably attached to the fence portion (K). The retainer (3) has a vertical plane-shaped cage contact surface (30d) on the back wall portion (30),
The vertical dimension (H30) of the cage contact surface (30d) is set to be not less than 1.5 times and not more than 3 times the lateral width dimension (W30) of the cage contact surface (30d). Water supply for small animals as described.

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