Patent Grant
11970331
The present invention relates generally to a pet waste containment and disposal system.
There is a well know saying that “a dog is man's best friend”. In the United States, there are approximately 100 million dogs kept as pets, which equates to one dog for nearly every 3 to 4 people in the country. The population of this country, and the population in the rest of the world, is becoming more and more concentrated in large urban areas, and as such, the concentration of dogs and other pets in urban areas is rapidly increasing as well.
As a result of this influx of people, dogs and other pets, many urban municipalities now have laws which require pet owners, and in particular, dog owners, to pick up after their pets when they relieve themselves in public places, for example, on our streets, sidewalks, and tree lawns. To assist pet owners in complying with this requirement, waste disposal receptacles specifically designated for the disposal of pet waste are now strategically stationed along sidewalks throughout our cities and suburbs, as well as in designated areas commonly referred to as “dog parks.”
Presently, it is common to see men, women, and children, often nicely dressed such as for work or perhaps an evening out, walking one or more dogs in a public or private space with what has now become the ubiquitous green plastic bag in their hand. It is also common to see these same people bending down and picking up the fresh droppings from their pet or pets with a green plastic bag, and then depositing the pet waste into one of the designated waste disposal receptacles or into a garbage can in the vicinity of the private land on which a pet relieved itself. As a result, millions upon millions of the ubiquitous green plastic bags and tons and tons of pet feces are now being thrown into the specifically designated pet waste receptacles which, for the most part, consists of nothing more than an open waste container, as well as in residential garbage cans around the country, and around the world, on a daily basis.
As anyone who has ever walked past one of the numerous designated pet waste receptacles now located throughout our communities and park areas can attest, the little green plastic bags in which pet waste is collected for disposal are essentially ineffective in curbing the release of noxious odors and potentially dangerous vapors emanating from the pet waste contained therein. As a result, the offensive noxious odors emanating from the designated waste disposal receptacles or garbage cans often serve as a beacon for a variety of scavengers including various flying and crawling insects, birds and rodents, who rummage through the pet waste, leading to a spread of the pet waste, and the potentially dangerous pathogens which may be present therein, throughout our communities.
Even if access by the various scavengers noted above is prevented, the pet waste disposed of in the specifically designated pet waste receptacles or the residential or commercial garbage cans is subsequently collected by municipal or private sanitation personnel who risk, often unwittingly, exposure to the potentially dangerous pathogens which may be present in the pet waste disposed of therein.
Furthermore, and again, assuming the pet waste disposed of in the specifically designated pet waste receptacles or the residential or commercial garbage cans is undisturbed or at least relatively undisturbed, in most cases it is simply disposed of in a municipal landfill where it, once again, serves as a beacon for the variety of scavengers who rummage through the pet waste, spreading it and the potentially dangerous pathogens therein throughout our communities.
Another method proposed to facilitate proper and sanitary disposal of pet waste consists of an elaborate and expensive system which involves retrofitting an existing plumbing system of a building, whether residential or commercial, to incorporate an external tie in to a wastewater discharge pipe from the building, leading to a private or municipal wastewater transmission network, or into a septic tank located on or near the site. More in particular, a toilet like structure is installed at ground level adjacent the property and in fluid communication with the wastewater discharge line, which is typically buried many feet below grade. A toilet seat like structure is lifted and the collected pet waste is dropped into the basis, and a separate bucket of water is poured into the basis to “flush” the pet waste into the wastewater discharge line.
Accordingly, there is an established need for a solution to one for more of the aforementioned shortcomings in currently known devices, systems and methods for the containment, collection, transport and disposal of pet waste.
The present invention is generally directed to a pet waste containment and disposal system.
In a first implementation of the invention, a pet waste containment and disposal system provides sanitary storage of an amount of pet waste prior to collection, transport and proper disposal thereof and reduces a release of pet waste odors to a surrounding environment, the system comprising: a pet waste receptacle assembly having a waste receptacle to contain the amount of pet waste having an open top, a closed bottom and a sidewall disposed thereinbetween, the closed bottom and the sidewall cooperatively defining an internal volume of the waste receptacle; a cover assembly comprising a cover member having a closed top and an outer sidewall disposed therearound, the cover member dimensioned and configured for disposition into an overlying relation to the open top of the waste receptacle and at least partially defining a sealing orientation therewith to reduce the release of pet waste odors from the amount of pet waste contained in the waste receptacle to the surrounding environment; and a partition assembly having at least one partition member disposable into the internal volume of the waste receptacle separating the internal volume into a plurality of waste compartments, wherein each of the plurality of waste compartments is dimensioned and configured to receive a portion of the amount of pet waste therein.
In a second aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system can include a pet waste receptacle assembly having a handle connected to the waste receptacle to facilitate maneuvering the waste receptacle during collection, transport and proper disposal of the pet waste contained therein, and further, a handle interconnect to connect the handle to the waste receptacle.
In another aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system may have a waste receptacle further comprising an upper rim disposed around an uppermost periphery of a sidewall.
In a further aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system can include a cover member having a channel disposed between an outer sidewall and a closed top, the channel dimensioned and configured to operatively engage an upper rim of a waste receptacle in a sealing engagement, wherein the sealing orientation is at least partially defined by the channel of the cover member operatively engaging the upper rim of the waste receptacle.
In one other aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system may have a waste receptacle comprising a seal seat disposed around at least a portion of an upper end of a sidewall, and a cover assembly further comprising a seal member operatively positioned in the seal seat on the waste receptacle.
In yet another aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system can include a cover member wherein a sealing orientation is at least partially defined by an outer sidewall of the cover member disposed in an abutting relation to a seal member while the cover member is disposed in an overlying relation to an open top of a waste receptacle.
In still one further aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system may have a cover member comprising an access port disposed through a portion of a closed top, the access port aligned with at least one of a plurality of waste compartments to allow disposal of a portion of an amount of pet waste thereinto while the cover member remains disposed in an overlying relation to an open top of a waste receptacle.
In even one other aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system can include a cover member positionable relative to an open top of a waste receptacle such that an access port may be aligned with a different one of each of a plurality of waste compartments to allow disposal of a portion of an amount of pet waste into a different selected one of each of the plurality of waste compartments.
In still another aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system may have a cover member including an access hatch disposable between an open orientation and a closed orientation relative to an access port, the open orientation at least partially defined by permitting access into and out of a corresponding one of a plurality of waste compartments over which the access port is aligned, and the closed orientation at least partially defined by preventing access into or out of a corresponding one of the plurality of waste compartments over which the access port is aligned.
In even a further aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system can include a partition assembly having a plurality of partition members disposable into an internal volume of a waste receptacle and separating the internal volume into a plurality of waste compartments, and further, it may have a plurality of partition members separating the internal volume into a total of eight waste compartments such that all but one of the plurality of waste compartments is utilized to contain the amount of pet waste accumulated in a single day.
In yet one other aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system may have a plurality of partition members each comprising an upper end, a lower end, an outer edge and an interface, wherein a partition wall is at least partially defined between corresponding ones of the upper end, the lower end, the outer edge and the interface of each of the plurality of partition members.
In still another aspect, the pet waste containment and disposal system can include a plurality of partition members being tapered in a downward direction from an upper end to a lower end along an outer edge thereof, and further, a waste receptacle has a tapered configuration extending downward along a sidewall from an upper rim to a closed bottom, wherein the waste receptacle comprises a tapered configuration which corresponds to the tapering of the plurality of partition members.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.
The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”. “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “rear”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is generally directed to pet waste containment and disposal system.
Referring initially to
A pet waste containment and disposal system 100 comprises a pet waste receptacle assembly 110. With reference again to the illustrative embodiment of
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a waste receptacle 111 comprises a handle 118 interconnected thereto, as shown throughout the figures, to facilitate maneuvering the waste receptacle 111 during collection, transport and proper disposal of the pet waste contained therein. In at least one further embodiment, a waste receptacle 111 comprises a handle interconnect 119 to connect the handle 118 to the waste receptacle 111, such as is shown by way of example, in the illustrative embodiment of
As before, a pet waste receptacle assembly 110 includes a waste receptacle 111. With reference to the illustrative embodiment of
A pet waste containment and disposal system 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention further comprises a cover assembly 120. Looking once again to the illustrative embodiment of
In at least one further embodiment, a cover member 122 is dimensioned and configured for disposition into an overlying relation to an open top 112 of a waste receptacle 111 and at least partially defining a sealing orientation between the cover member 122 and the waste receptacle 111 so to reduce, and in some embodiments minimize if not eliminate, a release of pet waste odors from the amount of pet waste contained in the waste receptacle 111 to the surrounding environment. More in particular, a sealing orientation between a cover member 122 and a waste receptacle 111 reduces a release of pet waste odors from the amount of pet waste contained in the waste receptacle 111 to the surrounding environment both prior to and during the collection, transport and proper disposal of the amount of pet waste contained in the waste receptacle 111. As will be appreciated, such a sealing orientation will reduce the exposure of persons who are depositing pet waste into a waste receptacle 111 in accordance with the present invention, as well as those persons responsible for the collection, transport and proper disposal of the pet waste contained in the waste receptacle 111. In at least one embodiment, a sealing orientation comprises a hermetical seal.
In at least one embodiment of a pet waste containment and disposal system 100 in accordance with the present invention, a cover member 122 of a cover assembly 120 further comprises a channel 125 disposed between an outer sidewall 124 and a closed top 123, wherein the channel 125 is dimensioned and configured to operatively engage an upper rim 113 of a waste receptacle 111 in a sealing engagement. A sealing orientation between a cover member 122 of a cover assembly 120 and a waste receptacle 111 of a pet waste receptacle assembly 110 is at least partially defined in at least one embodiment by a channel 125 of the cover member 122 operatively engaging the upper rim 113 of the sidewall of the waste receptacle 111, such as is shown by way of example in
With reference once again to the illustrative embodiment of
In accordance with at least one embodiment of a pet waste containment and disposal system 100, a sealing orientation is at least partially defined by an outer sidewall 124 of a cover member 122 disposed in an abutting relation to a seal member 126 operatively positioned and disposed in a seal seat 117 of a waste receptacle 111, while the cover member 122 is disposed in an overlying relation to an open top 112 of the waste receptacle 111, such as is shown best in
A seal member 126 in accordance with at least one embodiment of a pet waste containment and disposal system 100 of the present invention comprises a resilient material of construction, such as, by way of example, natural or synthetic rubber, thereby allowing the seal member 126 to expand for positioning into a seal seat 117 of a waste receptacle 111, as well as to compress to permit an outer sidewall 124 of a cover member 122 to be disposed into an overlying and abutting relation thereto. In at least one further embodiment, a seal member 126 comprises a vapor resistant or vapor impermeable material of constructions, once again, such that when disposed into an abutting relation to an outer sidewall 125 of a cover member 122, a release of pet waste odors from the pet waste contained in the waste receptacle 111 to the surrounding environment is reduced, if not minimized or eliminated altogether.
A cover member 122 of a cover assembly 120 in at least one embodiment of the present pet waste containment and disposal system 100 comprises an access port 127 disposed through a portion of a closed top 123. More in particular, an access port 127 disposed through a closed top 123 of a cover member 122 is aligned with at least one of a plurality of waste compartments 138 so as to allow disposal of a portion of the amount of pet waste directly into a selected one of the plurality of waste compartments 138, importantly, while the cover member 122 remains disposed on and in a sealing orientation with an open top 112 of a waste receptacle 111, once again, so as to reduce, if not minimize or eliminate altogether, a release of pet waste odors from pet waste contained in the waste receptacle 111 to the surrounding environment.
In at least one further embodiment, a cover assembly 120 of a pet waste containment and disposal system 100 further comprises an access hatch 128. In accordance with one embodiment, an access hatch 128 is dimensioned and configured so as to be disposable between an open orientation and a closed orientation relative to an access port 127. An open orientation of an access hatch 128 in at least one embodiment is at least partially defined by the access hatch 128 disposed in a retracted relation relative to an access port 127, thereby at least partially exposing the access port 127 through the closed top 123 of the cover member 122 so as to permit access into and out of a corresponding one of a plurality of waste compartments 138 in the internal volume 116 of the waste receptacle 111 over which an access port 127 is aligned. As may be seen best from the illustrative embodiment of
In at least one further embodiment, a closed orientation of an access hatch 128 relative to an access port 127 is at least partially defined by the access hatch 128 disposed in an overlying relation relative to the access port 127 thereby preventing access into or out of a corresponding one of the plurality of waste compartments 138 over which the access port 127 is aligned, as well as to prevent the release of pet waste odors from pet waste contained in the waste receptacle through the access port 127. The illustrative embodiment of
In at least one further embodiment, a closed orientation of an access hatch 128 relative to an access port 127 is further defined by a vapor tight seal (not shown) disposed between an access port 127 and an access hatch 128, such that pet waste odors from the pet waste contained in a waste receptacle 111 are not released through the access port 127 when the access hatch 128 is disposed in a closed orientation relative to the access port 127. As with seal member 126, such a vapor tight seal may comprise a resilient material of construction to facilitate disposition into a sealing engagement between the access hatch 128 and the access port 127, once again, such that pet waste odors are not released to the surrounding environment.
As before, in at least one embodiment, a pet waste containment and disposal system 100 in accordance with the present invention includes a partition assembly 130. A partition assembly 130 in at least one embodiment has at least one partition member 132 disposable into an internal volume 116 of a waste receptacle 111 to separate the internal volume 116 into a plurality of waste compartments 138, such as may be seen best in
Each partition member 132 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises an upper end 134, a lower end 135, an outer edge 136 and an interface 137. A partition wall 133 is at least partially defined between corresponding ones of an upper end 134, a lower end 135, an outer edge 136 and an interface 137 of each of a plurality of partition members 132. As may be seen best in
It is to be appreciated that each of a plurality of partition members 132 may be individually manufactured units joined to one another along corresponding interfaces 137 by an appropriate mechanical attachment means. Alternatively, in at least one embodiment, the plurality of partition members 132 are integrally formed and attached to one another along common interface 137, such as is shown, by way of example, in the illustrative embodiments of
In at least one embodiment, each of a plurality of waste compartments 138 is dimensioned and configured to receive an amount of pet waste accumulated in a single day therein. In yet one further embodiment, a plurality of partition members 132 are disposable into an internal volume 116 of a waste receptacle 111 to separate an internal volume 116 into a total of eight waste compartments 138, such that all but one of the plurality of waste compartments 138 is intended to contain the amount of pet waste accumulated in a single day therein.
It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, once again, that a waste receptacle 111 of a pet waste receptacle assembly 110 in accordance with the present invention may be dimensioned so as to accommodate containment of the amount of pet waste accumulated in a single day from a small pet, a medium size pet, a large pet, or multiple pets, in each of a plurality of waste compartments 138. More in particular, a pet waste receptacle 111 of a pet waste receptacle assembly 110 may comprise any of a number of nominal internal volumes 116, such as, by way of example, one gallon, three gallons, five gallons, fifteen gallons, etc.
In use, the present pet waste containment and disposal system 100 may be staged in the vicinity of garbage collection cans, recycle bins, etc., at a home, apartment or other facility. To begin, a cover member 122 of a cover assembly 120 is rotated into a first position, for example, such as is shown in
The pet waste accumulated on a particular day of the week is placed into a waste compartment 138 of a waste receptacle 111 corresponding to the day of the week by opening the access hatch 128 while the access port 127 is aligned over the waste compartment 138 for the corresponding day of the week, after which, the access hatch 128 is returned to a closed orientation relative to the access port 127 so as to prevent a release of pet waste odors from pet waste contained in the waste receptacle 111 to the surrounding environment. With reference next to
At the end of a week, the waste receptacle 111 containing the pet waste accumulated during the preceding week and having the cover member 122 disposed in a sealing orientation thereto is collected and transported to a disposal facility for proper disposal of the pet waste, and a clean pet waste receptacle assembly 110 having a cover assembly 120 disposed in a sealing orientation thereto and a partition assembly 130 disposed therein is positioned in its place ready for use in the upcoming week. Importantly, by placing pet waste into a pet waste receptacle 111 having a cover member 122 disposed in a sealing orientation in accordance with the present invention, the pet owner, neighbors, as well as collection, transport and disposal personnel are protected from the noxious and potentially dangerous pet waste odors emanating from the pet waste contained in a pet waste receptacle 111 in accordance with the present invention.
Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it is understood that any of the features presented in the embodiments may be integrated into any of the other embodiments unless explicitly stated otherwise. The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/112,012 filed on Nov. 10, 2020, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3720346 | Cypher | Mar 1973 | A |
| 4874111 | Heller | Oct 1989 | A |
| 4978018 | Wood | Dec 1990 | A |
| 5033641 | Martin | Jul 1991 | A |
| 5078297 | Howard et al. | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5096086 | Crema | Mar 1992 | A |
| 5101997 | Bagwell et al. | Apr 1992 | A |
| 5119957 | Joyce-Middaugh | Jun 1992 | A |
| 5150809 | Leigh | Sep 1992 | A |
| 5190183 | McNaughton et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5277328 | Tocco | Jan 1994 | A |
| 6792628 | Humphrey | Sep 2004 | B1 |
| 7290674 | Ledford | Nov 2007 | B1 |
| 20110283474 | McCoy | Nov 2011 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2260689 | Apr 1993 | GB |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63112012 | Nov 2020 | US |
