Animal husbandry – Waste toilet or related device – Walled receptacle; e.g. – litter box – etc. – containing...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2002-07-09
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Waste toilet or related device
Walled receptacle; e.g., litter box, etc., containing...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06415738
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an enclosure for an animal litter box and particularly to an enclosure for a litter box that minimizes odors and contains stray litter and stains.
Pet ownership provides a great deal of joy to many people, however dealing with litter boxes is hardly a joyous experience. Litter boxes cause pet owners a number of problems, particularly when the litter box is placed indoors. Among the problems are odors, as well as the tracking of stains and loose litter by the animal when exiting the box. Furthermore, the space used by the litter box is effectively lost as storage space. While a number of new litter box designs have become available in the past few years, these boxes have not completely overcome the problems of odors and litter tracking. These problems lead many pet owners to keep the litter box outdoors, which leads to other problems such as the need to provide a way for the pet to enter the house, a solution which is not feasible for apartment dwellers.
The prior art litter boxes are exemplified by the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No.
Inventor
Issue Date
5,572,950
O'Rourke et al
November 12, 1996
5,590,623
Toole et al.
January 7, 1997
5,195,464
Mutter
March 23, 1993
5,218,930
Casmira
June 15, 1993
4,838,202
Nen
June 13, 1989
4,858,561
Springer
August 22, 1989
5,471,950
White
December 5, 1995
5,092,277
Baillie et al.
March 3, 1992
4,813,376
Kaufman et al.
March 21, 1989
4,766,845
Bavas
August 30, 1988
4,548,160
Feitelson
October 22, 1985
4,972,800
Bennett et al.
November 27, 1990
4,926,794
Yamamoto
May 22, 1990
5,220,885
Goetz
June 22, 1993
4,646,684
Embry
March 3, 1987
5,367,984
Purnell
November 29, 1994
The present invention is directed to a sanitary enclosure for an animal litter box that provides numerous benefits over the prior art, these benefits include:
1) Undesirable odors are greatly minimized as any odors emanating from the soiled litter will predominately remain within the enclosure and will not escape into the home or apartment where the enclosure is located.
2) The enclosure contains space suitable for the placement of a pad for cleaning the animal's paws as it exits the litter box, but before it exits the enclosure, so that stains and the tracking of loose litter by the animal are greatly reduced.
3) Storage or working space in the house or apartment will not be lost as items can be placed on top of the enclosure without concern for potential contact and contamination by soiled litter.
4) As the vast majority of litter particles tracked out of the litter box are contained within the enclosure, clean up time is minimized and the area around the enclosure remains more sanitary.
5) As odors and stains are greatly reduced, indoor placement of the litter box becomes feasible in many situations where it was not previously feasible.
6) Litter boxes of almost all current types may be used with the present sanitary enclosure, which minimizes additional costs by eliminating the need to purchase a new litter box.
To these ends, the present invention is directed to a sanitary enclosure for an animal litter box that includes a top wall, a bottom wall and peripheral walls forming an enclosed space for accommodating a variety of standard litter boxes or trays. An aperture is located in one of the peripheral walls to permit an animal to enter and exit the enclosed space. Space adequate for the placement of a pad for cleaning the animal's paws is located between the aperture and the litter box. A removable or openable wall is provide to enable the litter box to be readily removed and replaced. The sanitary enclosure facilitates clean up and litter replacement while greatly reducing odors and stains caused by the tracking of litter out of the litter box.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3618568 (1971-11-01), Breeden
patent: 4548160 (1985-10-01), Feitelson
patent: 4646684 (1987-03-01), Embry
patent: 4766845 (1988-08-01), Bavas
patent: 4838202 (1989-06-01), Neu
patent: 4858561 (1989-08-01), Springer
patent: 4926794 (1990-05-01), Yamamoto
patent: 4972800 (1990-11-01), Bennett et al.
patent: 5092277 (1992-03-01), Baillie et al.
patent: 5195464 (1993-03-01), Mutter
patent: 5218930 (1993-06-01), Casmira
patent: 5220885 (1993-06-01), Goetz
patent: 5367984 (1994-11-01), Purnell
patent: 5471950 (1995-12-01), White
patent: 5572950 (1996-11-01), O'Rourke et al.
patent: 5590623 (1997-01-01), Toole et al.
patent: D383262 (1997-09-01), Benwell
patent: 5676090 (1997-10-01), Cannady, Jr.
patent: 5769026 (1998-06-01), Kohn
patent: 5806461 (1998-09-01), Kiera
patent: 5887546 (1999-03-01), Gruel
patent: 6109211 (2000-08-01), Tomlinson
patent: 6176201 (2001-01-01), Fields
US 4,813,276, 03/1989, Kaufman et al. (withdrawn)
Drs. Foster & Smith Litter Box Benches, date unknown.
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