Liquid container with hingedly attached funneled dish
View Patent ↗The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a container and dish. In certain embodiments, the container and dish includes a container portion having a plurality of sides defining a cavity in the container portion. A mouth on one of the plurality of sides is in communication with the cavity in the container portion. In particular implementations, the container and dish includes a funnel on at least one of the plurality of sides of the dish portion. In further implementations, the dish portion and the container portion are movable from a nested, storage configuration to an open configuration for dispensing and/or refilling where the container portion and the dish portion are at least substantially co-planar. In yet further implementations, the dish portion is movable with respect to the container portion and may be nested within a depression formed in the container portion.
1. A container and dish comprising:
a container portion having a plurality of sides, the plurality of sides defining a cavity in the container portion;
a mouth on one of the plurality of sides of the container portion and in communication with the cavity in the container portion;
a dish portion having a plurality of sides and a bottom wall that defines an open cavity in the dish portion; and
a funnel on at least one of the plurality of sides of the dish portion that is in communication with the cavity in the dish portion;
the container portion and dish portion being hingedly coupled with one another whereby the dish portion may be selectively moved between a storage configuration and a dispensing configuration; the bottom wall of the dish portion and at least one side of the container portion being in a facing, confronting relationship with one another in the storage configuration; the funnel of the dish portion being adjacent and in open fluid communication with the mouth of the container portion in the dispensing configuration;
wherein the funnel speeds up transfer and/or reduces spillage during refilling of the container portion from the dish portion through the mouth of the container portion.
2. The container and dish of claim 1 , wherein the funnel comprises a lip affixed to the dish portion.
3. The container and dish of claim 2 , the plurality of sides of the dish portion comprising a plurality of longitudinal sides and a transverse side proximate the mouth, the lip extending from at least a portion of the longitudinal sides to at least a portion of the transverse side of the dish portion.
4. The container and dish of claim 3 , wherein the lip is tapered and becomes wider proximate the transverse side of the dish portion.
5. The container and dish of claim 2 , wherein the funnel is permanently affixed to the dish portion.
6. The container and dish of claim 1 , further comprising a well formed in a transverse side of the dish portion.
7. The container and dish of claim 6 , wherein the well defines an aperture in the transverse side of the dish portion.
8. The container and dish of claim 6 , wherein the well comprises a shelf configured to abut the mouth of the container portion when the container and dish is in an open, refilling configuration.
9. The container and dish of claim 1 , wherein the dish portion is removably coupled to the container portion.
10. The container and dish of claim 9 , wherein the dish portion comprises a mounting fork and the container portion defines plural receptacles, wherein the receptacles may releasably receive the mounting fork.
11. The container and dish of claim 9 , wherein the dish portion comprises a pair of mounting arms each comprising clamp arms defining an aperture, wherein the container comprises a plurality of mounting pins, and wherein the clamp arms for each of the mounting arms are configured to removably engage a corresponding one of the mounting pins.
12. The container and dish of claim 1 , wherein the dish portion is coupled to, movable with respect to, and configured to at least partially fit within a depression in, the container portion.
13. The container and dish of claim 12 , wherein, in a closed, storage configuration, one or more of the plurality of sides of the dish portion abut one or more of the plurality of sides of the container portion within the depression, and a lip of the dish portion abuts one or more of the plurality of sides of the container portion above the depression.
14. The container and dish of claim 12 , wherein the depression defines a first bowl of a bowl shape and the dish portion defines a second bowl of the bowl shape, the second bowl being smaller than the first bowl.
15. The container and dish of claim 1 , wherein the dish portion is coupled to the container portion such that the dish portion and container portion are nested in a closed, storage configuration and at least substantially co-planar in an open configuration.