Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Sanitary handler for pet droppings
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2001-08-28
Kramer, Dean J. (Department: 2167)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Sanitary handler for pet droppings
C294S001400, C015S257100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279975
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention concerns portable devices for picking up, collecting and removing or disposing of droppings of a pet animal such as a dog or the like, and more particularly to a dropping picking up and removing implement and method adapted to collect pet excrement from the ground in a neat and convenient way without contaminating the implement itself or the hands.
BACKGROUND ART
Disposal of feces of pets is an unpleasant task and a variety of gadgets in the prior art are aimed at handling, scrubbing, scooping up, grabbing, collecting, removing, disposing and even intercepting the extrata by some catching means before any dung is deposited on the ground. However, catching means are impractical with the often undisciplined pets. Scrubbing means and pooper scoopers pose the problem of keeping them uncontaminated. There is also the issue of collecting and carrying the waste and all of these problems need to be solved through the use of compact and portable means that may be comfortably used by a person mastering or escorting a pet animal in the street or a public place.
Therefore, objects of this invention are to provide a device for collecting pet ordure that meets the above mentioned requirements, that is compact, portable, adapted to collect and carry for disposal pet refuse from the ground—particularly flat surfaces such as the floor of a sidewalk, in a neat and convenient manner without contaminating the device itself, easy to use or to handle in a public place, non complex in construction and low in production costs.
These and other objectives are provided by the invention described below.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
There is thus provided according to the present invention a novel implement for picking up and removing pet excrement from a surface, comprising a support member having two securing ends, a tension member removably stretched at two spaced apart points thereof to the two securing ends, and a disposable flexible sheet for isolating the pet excrement from the surface by sliding the sheet between the pet excrement and the surface, the sheet being permanently attached to the tension member at leading edge of the sheet, the sheet and the tension member being removable from the support member, wherein the securing ends provide for close contact of the tension member with the surface, while the implement is held by the hand of the user and moved about.
The sheet may be coupled to the tension member by thermal welding of the sheet to the tension member or adhering the sheet to the tension member, and the sheet may comprise a polymer, wherein the polymer is a thermoplastic material, or be self-clinging wrapping nylon sheet. The tension member may comprise a polymer, or a metallic wire, wherein the polymer is a thermoplastic material,. The sheet may be apportioned into detachable portions, each such portion comprises two plies, a first section of which plies comprises three connected edges to form a bag like section, the plies being disjoined at their second section to form a mouth section, wherein one ply of the two disjoined plies in the mouth section provides for its enfolding about the bag like section, and the other of the two disjoined plies is attached to the tension member.
According to one preferable embodiment, the support member comprises an arcuate member across the tips of which the tension member is removably stretched, and optionally a member comprises a handle portion coupled thereto, that may also be removable. The arcuate member may comprise a flexible elongated bar being substantially straight when in a non-operative mode, the bar providing for its bending by the user to form a bowed bar and so retained in its operative mode by means of attaching the tension member to the tips of the bowed bar, wherein the arcuate member in its operative mode continuously stretches the tension member when the tension member is attached to the arcuate member. The arcuate member may also comprise a flexible bowed bar, wherein the bar comprises a contraction handle extending from the inner side portion of the bar to the upper portion of the bar toward the intermediate portion of the bar, the handle being sized for its forcing by at least one finger of the user gripping the bar toward the upper portion of the bar, thereby temporarily contracting the bar by nearing the tips of the bar so long the handle is forced toward the bar.
Optionally, the arcuate member may also comprise at least one laterally protruding hook element mounted at each of its tips, the tension member comprises mating openings at its ends providing for the loose assembling of the tension member on the arcuate member, when the arcuate member is temporarily forced to contract, the arcuate member stretches the tension member so assembled, when the contraction ceases.
According to another embodiment, the support member comprises bipod like casing members across the free ends of which the tension member may be stretched, the casing members being hingedly connected to each other and to an elongated handle, the casing members and the elongated handle are collapsible to be aligned side by side in the stored position of the support member, the casing members extend to one direction and the elongated handle to the opposite direction when the support member is deployed in its operative mode, the casing members further comprise spacing means for keeping them apart when deployed in their operative mode.
Preferably, the tension member comprises two tabs at the ends thereof, the support member comprises mating notches at the securing ends, allowing removable snap-fit nesting of the tabs in the notches. Each tab may comprise a tapered portion attached to an end of the tension member, the tapered portion protruding downwardly from the support member and touching the surface when the implement is held in an operational position.
According to a further embodiment, the implement comprises the disposable flexible sheet, the grip means in the form of an elongated hollow tubular body having an apertured end being so sized to be comfortably held by a human hand, the tubular body being adapted for containing a roll of the sheet wherein an end of the sheet may be unrolled and drawn out through the apertured end, and a support member comprising two forwardly extending securing arms, coupled to the tubular body and along which the sheet may be expanded, the securing arms comprise spikes, which spikes being spaced apart at a distance corresponding to the width of the sheet, and a tension member stretched between distal ends of the securing arms at a distance from the spikes adequate for containing pet excrement, wherein a drawn out portion of the sheet may be pierced once at its sides by the spikes, stretched from the spikes to the tension member, folded about the tension member, stretched back toward the spikes and pierced again by the spikes to form a two ply extension of the sheet stretched between the spikes and the tension member, and wherein the securing arms provide for close contact of the tension member with the surface, while the implement is held by the hand of the user, and moved about.
Preferably, the support member comprises two forwardly extending securing arms, the securing arms being distanced from each other at a distance corresponding to the width of the sheet, the spikes being mounted in registration on the securing arms adjacent to the apertured end of the tubular body and the tension member being stretched between the free ends of the securing arms. The support member may comprise a rigid strap curving around the tubular body so as to snugly engage the tubular body in a friction tight engagement, and wherein the securing arms are firmly attached to the strap.
The apertured end of the tubular body may also comprise a lid having a threaded sleeve adapted to its screwing in a mating threaded end portion of the tubular body, the lid further comprises a centrally apertured extension through which the sheet may be passed in a contracted manner, the extension being externally threaded and adapted t
Kramer Dean J.
Saltamar Innovations
Wertsberger Shalom
LandOfFree
Implement and method for picking up and removing pet excrement does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Implement and method for picking up and removing pet excrement, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Implement and method for picking up and removing pet excrement will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2545140