Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Sanitary handler for pet droppings
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-10
2001-11-06
Kramer, Dean J. (Department: 2167)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Sanitary handler for pet droppings
C294S055500, C209S418000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312029
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to pet supplies and, more particularly, to implements for cleaning animal waste from litter.
2. Description of Related Art
When animals such as cats are kept indoors for long periods of time, it is necessary to provide a place for them to leave waste (i.e., urinate or defecate), lest they may do so on the floor or the furniture within the residence. For this reason, many people train their pets to leave their waste in a box full of litter (i.e., a litter box). To keep litter boxes from emanating an unpleasant odor, it is necessary either to remove the animal waste from the used litter, or to discard the used litter having the animal waste therein and replace it with a new batch of litter. Many pets are even reluctant to use a litter box that is not cleaned regularly. Because it could become quite expensive to replace litter each time a pet uses a litter box, most people choose to use a so-called “litter scoop” to selectively separate the animal waste from the litter, thereby leaving the litter fresh and ready for another use by the pet.
A typical prior art litter scoop includes a receptacle adapted to receive a quantity of litter and a handle attached to the receptacle that may be grasped by a user to insert the receptacle into the litter underneath the animal waste. Generally, the receptacle in such a prior art device includes a screen that permits the litter to exit the receptacle yet retains the animal waste therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Because animal waste is typically strewn throughout the litter in a litter box, it is generally necessary for the user of a litter scoop to take multiple passes with the scoop through the litter in order to remove all of the animal waste therefrom. In using a prior art litter scoop such as that described above, the user must empty the waste from the receptacle after each pass through the litter. Otherwise, the waste left in the receptacle may fall out of the receptacle each time the user tilts the receptacle to pass through another section of the litter. This inability of a litter scoop to retain animal waste in its receptacle portion during multiple passes through the litter increases the time required for a pet owner to clean a litter box.
According to one aspect of the invention, a litter scoop is provided that permits a user to take multiple passes with the scoop through used litter, without having to empty animal waste from the litter scoop after each pass.
In one embodiment, a litter scoop includes a rake portion, a receptacle portion, and a handle. The receptacle portion has openings therein that are large enough to enable litter to exit the receptacle yet are small enough to retain clumps of animal waste in the receptacle. The handle is attached to the receptacle portion to permit a user grasp the handle and insert the litter scoop into litter. The rake portion and the receptacle portion are separated by a lip arranged to retain the clumps of animal waste in the receptacle portion during reuse of the litter scoop.
In another embodiment, a litter scoop includes a receptacle and a handle. The handle is attached to a proximal end of the receptacle to permit a user grasp the handle and insert a distal end of the receptacle into litter. The receptacle has openings therein that are large enough to enable litter to exit the receptacle yet are small enough to retain clumps of animal waste in the receptacle. A top edge of the receptacle is located generally in a plane, and at least a portion of an inner surface of the receptacle that faces the proximal end of the receptacle is arranged such that a line normal to the portion of the inner surface of the receptacle is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the plane that is less than forty-five degrees.
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patent: 6095340 (2000-08-01), Dedrick
Aspen Pet Products, Inc.
Kramer Dean J.
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks P.C.
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