Claims
- 1. A disposable toiletry system for pets comprising:
- a flexible collapsible tubular container closed at its ends and formed of biodegradable material for shipping and storing cat litter and for independent use as a semi-rigid self-supportive cat litter pan;
- absorbent cat litter enclosed in said container;
- said container including opposed side walls and end walls, a bottom wall and a top wall, opposed ones of said sidewalls being foldable from upright positions to positions folded over the cat litter to allow said top wall to collapse about the cat litter toward said bottom wall so that the cat litter bears the weight of objects resting on the container during shipment and storage of the container and its contents;
- said top wall defining separation means for opening said top wall to form an open top container with at least one flap that is foldable to a position extending about a side and beneath the container;
- said separation means comprising a line of perforations around three edges of the perimeter of the top wall;
- said side walls and end walls being unfoldable to upright positions to erect the container and to contain the cat litter and to form a semi-rigid self-supporting cat litter pan,
- so that when the top wall of the container is opened and the at least one flap is folded about the container and the side walls and end walls are unfolded to rigidify the container, the container functions as a semi-rigid cat litter pan.
- 2. The invention of claim 1, and wherein the bio-degradable material is selected from the group consisting of kraft paper, fiber board, cardboard, molded cellulose, paper stock, and other natural cellulosic materials.
- 3. The invention of claim 1, wherein the separation means for opening the top wall and forming an open top container further includes at least one tab for aiding in the separation of sections of the top wall of the container.
- 4. The invention of claim 1, wherein said separation means for opening said top wall and forming an open top container further includes adhesive means for closing the top wall after the system has been used.
- 5. The invention of claim 1, wherein a pull string is connected to the underside of the top wall in line with the line of perforations and wherein one end of the pull string extends through the top wall so that the extending end can be grasped and pulled so as to create a clean line of separation along the line of perforations.
- 6. The invention of claim 1, wherein said container comprises more than one ply of biodegradable material.
- 7. The invention of claim 1, further comprising a plastic lining for making the container sufficiently leak resistant so as to safely contain liquid excrement.
- 8. The invention of claim 1, further comprising a water resistance coating applied to said container for making the container sufficiently leak resistance so as to safely contain liquid excrement.
- 9. The invention of claim 1, and further comprising a locking fill valve for partially filling the container with absorbent cat litter and then locking the valve to prevent the spillage of cat litter from the container.
- 10. A disposable toiletry system for pets comprising:
- a flexible collapsible tubular container closed at its ends and formed of biodegradable material for shipping and storing cat litter and for independent use as a semi-rigid self-supportive cat lifter pan;
- absorbent cat litter enclosed in said container;
- said container including opposed side walls and end walls, a bottom wall and a top wall, opposed ones of said sidewalls being foldable from upright positions to positions folded over the cat litter to allow said top wall to collapse about the cat litter toward said bottom wall so that the cat litter bears the weight of objects resting on the container during shipment and storage of the container and its contents;
- said top wall defining separation means for opening said top wall to form an open top container with at least one flap that is foldable to a position extending about a side and beneath the container;
- said side walls and end Walls being unfoldable to upright positions to erect the container and to contain the cat litter and to form a semi-rigid sell-supporting cat litter pan; and
- a locking fill valve for partially filling the container with absorbent cat litter and then locking the valve to prevent the spillage of cat litter from the container;
- so that when the top wall of the container is opened and the at least one flap is folded about the container and the side walls and end walls are unfolded to rigidify the container, the container functions as a semi-rigid cat litter pan.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/129,784, filed Sep. 29, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,834.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
624701 |
Aug 1961 |
CAX |
2593670 |
Aug 1987 |
FRX |
8600191 |
Jan 1986 |
WOX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
129784 |
Sep 1993 |
|