Patent Application
20100275853
The present invention relates to a pet litter receptacle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a receptacle that is utilized by a dog or other house pet for relieving himself or herself indoors.
Many domestic animals, such as dogs, spend much of their day indoors. Dogs are typically trained to go outside to relieve themselves. However, due to the time demands on a dog's owner and/or family, there are many instances when a dog must remain indoors without an opportunity to relieve himself or herself outside. While pet owners understand that a dog must urinate and defecate, typical methods and devices that are utilized to allow a dog to relieve himself or herself within a housing unit have not eliminated the unsanitary conditions associated with the dog urinating and defecating within the housing unit.
One method includes confining a dog to an area having a non-permeable floor, where the dog can urinate and defecate without damaging the rest of the living area. However, upon returning home, the dog owner must clean and sanitize the floor.
Another method includes training the dog to relieve himself or herself on a newspaper spread out on the floor. While the owner dispose of the newspaper once the owner returns home, the owner also may have to clean the underlying floor to remove any seepage through the newspaper.
Another alternative method includes training the dog to utilize a pan containing absorbent material such as cat litter for the dog to urinate and defecate within. However, the dog's paws tend to entrap absorbent material within the pads. In many instances, when the pet uses a litter box containing the absorbent material, some of the absorbent material is wedged between the pet's pads and as the pet moves around the living area, the pads spread apart releasing absorbent material in unwanted areas within the housing unit. The unwanted deposit of the absorbent material causes the owner to have to clean up the absorbent material that is spread throughout the housing unit.
The present invention includes a pet litter receptacle having a tray with a plurality of side walls which form an internal cavity. A grate is positioned within the cavity such that a top surface of the grate is recessed below a top surface of the tray. Fabric, such as an artificial grass, can be placed on the grate, where the fabric extends above the top edge of the tray while the top portion of the sidewalls retains the fabric in a selected position.
A pet litter receptacle is generally depicted at 10 in
Referring to
The grates 22 and 24 can be covered with a fabric 26 such as artificial grass. The fabric 26 has sufficient porosity to allow urine or any other liquid to pass through the fabric where the liquid is retained within the cavity 18 while the solid waste is retained on top of the fabric 26.
The cavities 18 in left and right tray halves 12, 14 are each sized to accept a folded piece of newspaper or to accept an unfolded sheet of newspaper when the halves 12, 14 are joined together. Therefore, the trays 12, 14 allow the pet owner to utilize are readily available liquid absorbing material such as a newspaper within one tray 12 or 14 or both trays 12 or 14, by simply unfolding the newspaper or folding the newspaper. The cavity is typically about twelve inches by about twelve inches which accommodates most folded newspapers. However, other dimensions of the cavity are also contemplated. Alternatively, an absorbent pad or other absorbent material can also be positioned in the cavity 18 and below the grates 22 in the tray halves 12, 14.
Referring to
The tray 12 includes cut out portions 38 that accept handle portions 40 of the grate. The handle portions 40 provide a gripping surface for easily removing the grate 22 from the tray 12 for removing solid waste on top of the tray 12 or fabric 26 and also to remove liquid waste from the cavity 18.
The handle portions 40 typically include a design or some other indicia 42 that enhance the appearance of the receptacle. However, the design or indicia 42 is not required.
The grate 22 includes a plurality of extensions 46 extending from the bottom surface 23 and proximate each of the corners of the grate 22. A substantially centrally located extension 48 is extended from the bottom surface 23 of the grate 22. Bottom surfaces of the extensions 46 and 48 contact a bottom surface of the cavity 18 such that the grate 22 is rigidly secured to the tray 12.
The extensions 46 and 48 provide rigidity to the grate 22 such that the weight of the dog, or other animal, does not cause bowing or bending of the grate 22 over time. The extensions 46, 48 also maintain the bottom surface 23 of the grate 22 a distance from the bottom of the cavity 18 such that urine or other liquid does not contact the bottom surface 23 such that the grate 22 does not have to be cleaned as frequently as a grate that contacts a bottom surface of the cavity.
Referring to
Referring to
The side walls 20 of the tray halves 12, 14 typically include a lower portion 60 which is about the length of the extensions 46, 48 extending from the grate 22. The side walls also includes an upper portion 62 having a top end 64 that extends above the top end 13 of the tray halves 12 and also such that a top portion 62 which engages the fabric 26. With the fabric 26 engaging the top portion 62, the fabric 26 is retained in position and does not slide when the dog steps onto the tray 10 or steps off of the tray 10.
The tray halves 12 and 14 are typically constructed from a polymeric material through a molding process such that each half 12 and 14 is of a unitary or monolithic structure. The tray halves include ribs 70 between the outer rim 72 and the sidewalls 20 to provide rigidity to the tray halves 12 and 14. The grate 22 is also typically constructed from a polymeric material through a molding process such that each grate is also of a unitary or monolithic structure.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
