FOOD CONTAINER COMPATIBLE WITH AUTOMATIC FEEDING ASSEMBLY

1 . (canceled)

2 . A container suitable for storing a food for an animal therein, the container comprising:

a) a container base defining a food cavity configured to retain food therein, wherein the container base includes:

i) a storage portion having a bottom wall and one or more side cavity;

ii) one or more flanges; and

iii) one or more lid access features formed as one or more indentations in the one or more flanges;

b) a lid removably affixed to the container base, wherein the lid includes a handling portion which includes a bottom surface of the lid which is exposed from the one or more flanges at the one or more indentations such that a leading edge is accessible, wherein the leading edge is an edge of the lid which is configured to be peeled or otherwise removed from the container first and wherein a trailing edge is an edge of the lid which is peeled last; and

c) one or more seal members which removably affix the lid to the container base, wherein the one or more seal members include two or more stress rise features which area portion of the one or more seal members formed as a tapered point wherein at lest stress rise feature is located adjacent to and/or at the leading edge and at lest another stress feature is located to and/or at the trailing edge.

3 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the two or more stress rise features allow for a less pulling force to initiate peeling of the lid off the container base and/or finalize peeling of the lid than without the presence of the two or more stress rise features.

9 . (canceled)

10 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the two or more stress rise features are one or more vertices of the one or more seal members at opposing axial ends of the one or more seal members.

11 - 12 . (canceled)

13 . The container of claim 10 , wherein the one or more seal members has a cross-sectional or plan shape which is substantially lemon-shaped, diamond-shaped, or both.

14 . The container of claim 10 , wherein the one or more seal members is an adhesive separate from the lid and the container base, a formed joint between the lid and the container base, or both.

15 - 16 . (canceled)

17 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the one or more side walls taper away from the bottom wall such that a width of the food cavity toward the bottom wall is narrower than a width of the food cavity toward a rim.

18 . The container of claim 17 , wherein the one or more side walls are angled related to the bottom wall such that they form an angle which is obtuse relative to the bottom wall; and wherein the angle is about 95 degrees or greater to about 120 degrees or less.

19 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . The container of claim 17 , wherein a height of the container base is determined as a distance from the bottom wall to the rim of the one or more side walls, the lid, or both; and

wherein the height of the container base is about 2 cm or greater to about 7 cm or less.

22 - 23 . (canceled)

24 . The container of a claim 17 , wherein there is a radius of curvature where the one or more side walls join the bottom wall; and

wherein the radius of curvature is about 5 mm or greater to about 15 mm or less.

25 - 28 . (canceled)

29 . The container of a claim 2 , wherein the one or more side walls of the container base have a cross-section or a plan shape which is substantially reciprocal with that of the bottom wall of the container base.

30 - 32 . (canceled)

33 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the one or more flanges are about the one or more side walls and project substantially laterally away from the one or more side walls.

34 - 39 . (canceled)

40 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the one or more flanges have a cross-sectional or a plan shape dissimilar to that of the one or more seal members, the bottom wall; and the one or more side walls.

41 . (canceled)

42 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the one or more flanges include one or more lid reinforcing features:

wherein the one or more lid reinforcing features include a portion of the one or more flanges adhered to the lid; and

wherein the one or more lid reinforcing features are a portion of the one or more flanges which provide for an extension which projects away from the storage portion further than a remainder of the one or more flanges.

43 - 53 . (canceled)

54 . The container of wherein the container base is comprised of one or more food grade materials.

55 . The container of claim 54 , wherein the container base is comprised of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), or a combination thereof.

56 . (canceled)

57 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the lid does not extend beyond a majority of the one or more flanges of the container.

58 . The container of claim 57 , wherein the lid has a cross-sectional or plan shape dissimilar to that of the one or more seal members, the bottom wall, and the one or more side walls.

59 - 61 . (canceled)

62 . The container of claim 57 , wherein the lid has a rounded shaped which comes to a blunt surface at the leading edge of the lid.

63 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the container is symmetrical only about one plane of symmetry.

64 . The container of claim 63 , wherein the container is symmetrical about a longitudinal plane which extends through the leading edge of the lid to the trailing edge of the lid and intersects both the lid and the container base.

65 . (canceled)

66 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the container includes one or more keying features.

wherein the one or more keying features are configured to aid in correct placement of the container within a feeding assembly, container magazine, or both;

wherein the one or more keying features are associated with a unique geometry of an exterior of the container; and

wherein the one or more keying features are one or more portions of the container base.

67 - 69 . (canceled)

70 . The container of claim 66 , wherein the one or more keying features include one or more concave portions, convex portions, protrusions, indentations, flat surface, straight edges, or any combination thereof, and

wherein the one or more keying features refer to an overall shape of the one or more flanges, a two dimensional shape of the one or more flanges, or both.

71 - 85 . (canceled)

86 . The container claim 2 , wherein the container includes one or more identifiers which are configured to identify one or more parameters related to the container, the food, or both;

wherein the identifier includes one or more visual identifiers, signal identifiers, or both;

wherein the one or more visual identifiers include one or more quick response (“OR”) codes, bar codes, colored patterns text: surface reflectivity patterns, or a combination thereof and

wherein the one or more signal identifiers include one or more radio frequency identification tags (“RFID”), near-field communication (“NFC”) tags, or a combination thereof.

87 - 89 . (canceled)

90 . The container of as claim 86 , wherein the one or more identifiers are located on and/or in the lid, the container base, or both ;.

91 - 92 . (canceled)