Animal husbandry – Waste toilet or related device – Walled receptacle; e.g. – litter box – etc. – containing...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-17
2001-09-18
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Waste toilet or related device
Walled receptacle; e.g., litter box, etc., containing...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289847
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to the transfer and storage of solid animal waste, and particularly as an attachment to a self-cleaning kitty litter box.
BACKGROUND ART
With cats now becoming the most popular type of domestic pet, the use of kitty litter boxes continues to increase proportionally. Kitty litter boxes are normally made of plastic or similar material so that the cat's urine will not leak through the box. The box has placed in it one of any number of particulate kitty litter material meant to absorb moisture and odor from the cat's waste, as well as provide clumping agents so that the cat's liquid waste may solidify. These particulate materials are generally referred to as kitty litter. Cats also tend to bury their solid waste in the kitty litter.
General practice for most cat owners is to discard the kitty litter after an extended period of time. However, before the kitty litter has reached a state where it needs to be totally dumped, it is often necessary to periodically remove the cat's solid waste in order to prevent it from being kicked out of the litter box by the cat upon subsequent visits to the litter box, so that the cat or other animals do not step on the solid waste, thereby transferring it to other areas and causing a potential mess.
Many cat owners find the task of manually searching the kitty litter for solid waste to be obnoxious and burdensome. Thus, inventors have sought to devise ways of cleaning the solid waste automatically from kitty litter boxes. Patents showing devices for cleaning litter boxes include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,096,827; 4,180,804; 4,190,525; 4,325,325; and 4,325,822. More recently, the inventor's licensee has commercialized a self-cleaning litter box, covered by U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,465 and issued to the inventor of the present invention, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,812, which discloses a self-cleaning litter box. While such litter box is self-cleaning, the solid waste holder, when full, must be slid out of the housing so that the solid waste may be dumped.
When a cat owner is away for a significant period of time or is otherwise unable to dump the tray, the cat's solid waste may collect and overflow the tray, which is unsightly and potentially messy due to the cats kicking it from box, etc. In other embodiments of the self-cleaning cat tray, a sensor provided in cooperation with the lid may cause the unit to cease operating when the tray becomes filled to a pre-determined limit, such as when the lid is oriented away from its rest position.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device which is capable of accommodating a cat owner's absence or inability to dump solid waste from kitty litter boxes at intervals required by typical litter boxes. Such device should also be compatible with current self-cleaning kitty litter box designs, should be easy to operate, easy to clean, easy to assemble, and easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is an object according to the present invention to provide a device adaptable to a kitty litter box for transferring waste from the kitty litter box.
It is another object according to the present invention to provide a device compatible with current self-cleaning kitty litter boxes for receiving and transferring waste therefrom.
It is still another object according to the present invention to provide a self-cleaning kitty litter box which is adapted to remove the waste from the main kitty litter tray, receive the waste, and transfer the waste to a storage apparatus.
It is yet another object according to the present invention to provide a device for transferring waste from a litter box which is simple to operate, clean and assemble.
It is still another object according to the present invention to provide a device for transferring waste from a litter box which is inexpensive to manufacture.
It is still a further object according to the present invention to provide a device for transferring waste from a kitty litter box and storing such waste under circumstances under which the cat owner is unavailable or unable to clean or remove the wasted from kitty litter at suggested or predetermined intervals.
In carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a device for transporting solid animal waste is provided. The device includes a collection member, a drive mechanism, and a storage/disposal member. The collection member is orientable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position, the collection member receives the waste therein. The drive mechanism is mounted to the collection member for moving the collection member between the first position and the second position. The storage/disposal member receives the waste from the collection member and stores the waste therein. In the second orientation, the collection member is disposed adjacent the disposal member and transfers the waste to the disposal member for storage therein.
The device preferably includes a housing for substantially enclosing the drive mechanism. The housing may include a front surface having a front opening through which a portion of the drive mechanism projects for mounting to the collection member. In one embodiment, the collection member is pivotably mounted to the housing allowing the collection member to pivot relative for housing during movement between the first position and the second position. In an alternate embodiment, the collection member is pivotably mounted to the drive mechanism, allowing the collection member to pivot relative to the drive mechanism during movement between the first position and the second position.
In one embodiment, the device also has a sensor acting in cooperation with the collection member for detecting the pressure of the waste in the collection member and energizing the motor when the pressure has reached a predetermined threshold. In another embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a motor and at least one lifting member cooperating with the motor for moving the collection member between the first position and the second position. In the alternate embodiment, the drive mechanism has a motor and at least one drive chain which moves along a predetermined path, preferably defined by a track, such that the collection member is mounted to the drive chain so that the collection member travels on the drive chain for movement between the first position and the second position. In some embodiments, the storage/disposal member has a lid which covers an opening to the disposal member when the collection member is in the first position, and which provides access to the opening of the disposal member when the collection member is in the second position.
Another embodiment of the device according to the present invention is a waste removal assembly adapted for use with a self-cleaning litter box and includes a housing and a drive mechanism which is mounted to the housing. Further provided is an electric motor which is disposed within the housing for operating the drive mechanism. Further included is a collection member which is mounted to the drive mechanism and which is movable on the drive mechanism between a rest position and a dumping position. Whereupon, in the rest position, the collection member receives any solid waste collected by the tines as they pass through the tray, and wherein in the dumping position the collection member transfers the solid waste to a storage member for storage therein.
In yet another embodiment according to the present invention, provided is a self-cleaning litter box assembly which includes a tray for holding kitty litter. The tray has at one end an arcuate upwardly extending portion and lip. Also included is a rake member which is movable laterally along the tray. The rake member has a plurality of pivotable tines which rotate so that the tines may pass through the arcuate upwardly extending portion of the tray. Also included in the self-cleaning litter box is a collection member which is orientable between a first position and a second position. The collection memb
Abbott Yvonne R.
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
Jordan Charles T.
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