Automated Feeder That Lifts, Mixes, and Serves

Home & Lifestyle

Feeding pets, especially from heavy 20+ pound bags, can be awkward, messy, and even physically challenging for some owners. Many pets also need different types of food mixed together, or their food milled into smaller pieces for easier digestion. Current bowls and dispensers generally don’t handle these tasks automatically, leaving owners to lift heavy bags, measure mixes, and prepare food manually.

Core Features

This invention is a powered animal feeder that stores a large amount of dry food, mills ingredients if needed, adds supplements, and then delivers a ready-to-eat mix into a feeding container. Two main designs are described:

  • First version: Uses a movable tray to lift and tilt heavy food bags into a hopper, where food is directed into containers.
  • Second version: Stores the bag or loose food inside a chamber, then moves it through a flexible auger tube to the feeding point.

Both versions have

  • A hopper module for holding the main food.
  • A milling module to grind ingredients.
  • A supplement module to add extra nutrients, flavor, or liquid.
  • An integrated controller for automated operation.

Inventive Step

Unlike standard feeders, this system combines food lifting, milling, supplement mixing, and portion delivery into one automated unit. The movable tray and tilt mechanism, or the flexible auger delivery system, allow heavy food handling without manual lifting.

Benefits

  • Reduces strain from lifting and pouring heavy bags.
  • Automatically mixes and mills food to the right size.
  • Adds supplements accurately and consistently.
  • Can serve multiple containers in sequence.

Broader Impact

This feeder can improve convenience for pet owners, especially those with mobility issues. It could also support veterinary diets, specialty feeds, and large-scale feeding in shelters or farms—reducing waste, improving portion control, and ensuring animals get a balanced, digestible meal. Over time, it may set a new standard for automated, health-focused pet feeding.

Disclaimer

The image and video are AI-generated based on the description of the invention in its patent application and are intended for illustrative purposes only.

It explains the concept and is not the actual product as it still needs to be developed.

Market need

  • Pet ownership keeps rising, with ~66% of U.S. households owning pets in 2024–2025, signaling resilient spend on pet care convenience.
  • Today’s “smart” feeders mainly portion pre-made kibble; they don’t help owners handle 20+ lb bags, mix multiple diets, or mill size-appropriate food—pain points your design targets explicitly.

What the product actually does (from the patent)

  • Integrates a movable lifting/tilt tray that raises heavy bags and empties them into a hopper for portioning.
  • Adds a milling module to grind a second food type and a supplement module for solids or liquids before dispensing.
  • Second embodiment uses a flexible auger delivery tube to move food directly to the container, reducing manual handling.

Technical feasibility

  • All subsystems (powered lift/tilt, hopper metering, small-form milling, auger transport, controller) are proven in adjacent appliances; integration risk is moderate. Key engineering challenges: jam/clog prevention (fats/oily soft foods), cleaning/hygiene (dishwasher-safe, tool-less disassembly), noise from milling, and dosing accuracy for supplements. None are show-stoppers but require robust design-for-cleaning and safety interlocks.

Potential applications

  1. Household pets (dogs/cats): convenience, special-diet mixing, senior/disabled owners who struggle with heavy bags.
  2. Shelters/boarding/daycare: batch prep + consistent supplementation.
  3. Vet/therapeutic diets: controlled milling and add-ins.
  4. Edge extension: small-animal barns/kennels (separate SKU).

Market size (TAM/SAM)

  • Automatic & smart pet feeders: ~$1.5–$2.6B in 2024–2025, growing ~8–11%+ CAGR to ~$3.3–6.9B by 2030–2034.
  • Broader pet tech: ~$12.7B in 2024, forecast $41B+ by 2032 (context for premium connected versions).
  • Pet food: $126–133B in 2024–2025, showing the scale of feeding workflows your device plugs into.
    Rough unit lens: If 2024 smart feeder revenues ≈$1.4–$1.5B and average ASP ≈$120–$200, that implies ~7–12M units/year globally—room for a higher-priced, higher-function niche (estimate).

Uniqueness & IP angle

  • Differentiator is the end-to-end workflow: heavy-bag lift/tilt → hopper → onboard milling + supplement dosing → multi-container dispensing or flexible auger output. Typical feeders lack lifting and milling/mixing.
  • This positions you above commodity dispensers and closer to “pet kitchen appliance” territory.

Risks & mitigations

  • Cost/price sensitivity: Premium BOM; mitigate via modular SKUs (base feeder; add-on mill/supplement kit).
  • Cleaning complexity: Make food path quick-release, dishwasher-safe; smooth, low-crevice polymers.
  • Noise/perception: Enclose mill, schedule quiet hours.
  • Regulatory/claims: Avoid medical claims; focus on convenience and consistency.

Commercial verdict

High-potential niche within a growing category. The product addresses unmet jobs-to-be-done (heavy-bag handling, custom mixing, milling) that mainstream feeders ignore, with clear value for seniors, multi-pet homes, and professional settings. With thoughtful industrial design and a tiered lineup (household vs. pro/shelter), this could command premium pricing and achieve healthy share within a multi-billion-dollar feeder/tech market. Overall commercial viability: promising to strong, contingent on excellent UX (cleanability), reliability, and crisp positioning as the “all-in-one pet meal station.”