Abstrict An apparatus and method for more efficiently and hygienically managing
and disposing waste that is otherwise stored in the holder or tray
of a self-cleaning cat litter box is presented. It enables waste
to channel into a garbage bag instead of accumulating in a relatively
smaller and expensive tray, thereby, reducing the frequency of disposal
and maintenance and minimizing unhygienic conditions that occur
when waste exceeds tray capacity. It can be shaped in the form of
a table, for positioning below said litter box, with it's intake
hole positioned below said tray, so that waste falling from a hole
in said tray enters and channels into a garbage bag/container positioned
across the outflow opening of the apparatus. It may also be shaped
to substitute for said holder or tray, with the added element of
an outflow opening to which a plastic garbage bag can positioned
to receive and store waste.
Claims I claim:
1. An apparatus and method for use with a self-cleaning or self-raking
cat litter box having a component waste holder or tray, comprising:
(a) A body frame that is substantially in the shape and form of
a platform or table, that it can be positioned and fit wholly or
partially beneath said litter box and said waste holder or tray,
or that is substantially in the shape and form of said holder or
tray so that it may be positioned or substituted in the place and
stead of said holder or tray and, (b) An intake opening means to
receive waste deposited or falling into said intake opening and
(c) An outflow opening means to for any waste received by said apparatus
to exit from said apparatus and, (d) A channel or path between said
intake opening and said outflow opening means for waste entering
said intake opening to flow through said apparatus to said outflow
opening.
2. The invention in claim said 1 that includes a clamping or suspension
or coupling or attaching mechanism or frame member means to clamp
or hang or couple or attach a container such as a plastic garbage
bag across said outflow opening.
3. The invention in claim said 1 that when substantially in the
shape and form of a platform or table also includes an interface
collar or gasket type seal above said intake opening, means for
creating a sealed or partially sealed passage way between said intake
opening and any opening made in the holder or tray of said litter
box.
4. The invention in claim said 1 that when substantially in the
shape and form of a platform or table also includes vertical supports
or legs, or the ability to attach said vertical supports or legs,
means for the apparatus to support said litter box at a height distance
above a surface, floor or ground level.
5. The invention in claim said 1 that when substantially in the
shape and form of a platform or table also includes a walkway or
climb means for the cat to walk or climb between ground or floor
level and a height level of accessibility to the litter box.
6. The invention in claim said 1 when substantially in the shape
and form of a platform or table also includes a functional enclosure
around any container or bag attached or positioned below said outflow
opening, means to conceal and/or contain said container or bag.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the storage and disposal
of waste from cat litter boxes, and particularly to an apparatus
and method for efficiently and hygienically managing and disposing
of waste intended for storage in the waste storage holder or disposable
tray of a self-cleaning cat litter box.
[0002] Prior art includes various devices, methods and systems
that reduce the work associated with cleaning cat litter boxes.
One system comprises a hand held scoop shovel and a plastic bag
holder to hold garbage bags into which scooped up waste may be deposited
for later disposal. Still other prior art includes self-cleaning
litter boxes that self-rake and scoop waste from the litter bed
and transfer it to a component waste holder or tray. One such self-cleaning
litter box, presently in wide popular use, stores waste in a single
disposable tray held in a bottomless cavity on one side of the box's
litter area.
[0003] Because self-cleaning or self-raking litter boxes of the
type described use clumping cat litter that adheres to both solid
and liquid waste, the volume of combined cat and litter waste entering
said canister is significantly greater the volume of fecal/urine
waste produced by the cat.
[0004] The mentioned self-cleaning box presently in wide popular
use holds waste in a single disposable tray that is approximately
only 0.12 cubic feet in volume. Consequently the tray can fill and
overflow in as little as three days, or even less if used by more
than one cat. Also its replacement trays sell for as much $1.20
each--a significant cost compared to $0.05 cost of larger commonly
available plastic garbage bags.
[0005] Said tray is also made of flexible plastic and has a lip
edge that inserts behind tabs on the surrounding box frame. Should
waste fill or overflow the tray before the user realizes it is full,
waste can become compacted around the tray's lip edge and surrounding
tab area. Then unlocking and flexing the tray for disposal could
cause its edge to snap and catapult said waste into the immediate
environment, including the face of the person removing the tray.
The process of cleaning such compacted waste with a small supplied
brush can also catapult waste into the surrounding environment.
Waste can also stick to the brush. Thereby the person doing the
cleaning can a face undersireable contact with waste material and
unanticipated back bending work, as said box is typically kept on
the floor.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is the object of the present invention to solve the several
described problems associated with prior art and some popular self-cleaning
litter boxes having component waste holders or trays, by providing
an apparatus and method to easily channel waste directly into a
larger container such as an ordinary plastic garbage bag instead
of the relatively small capacity holder or tray and methods used
by said boxes and prior art.
[0007] It is the further object of the invention to solve said
problems by providing an easy to use accessory apparatus and method,
for use with suitable self-cleaning litter boxes and those as are
presently is wide popular use, that facilitates more efficient and
hygienic management and disposal of waste and does so in a manner:
[0008] (1) That significantly decreases the frequency of necessary
waste disposal, thereby significantly saving work, time and cost
in the maintenance and waste disposal process;
[0009] (2) That practically eliminates the chance or likelihood
of waste overflowing said holder or tray and becoming compacted
in crevices around said holder or tray, thereby saving the pet owner
from having to bend over to brush clean the waste and likely incur
unhygienic physical contact with waste material;
[0010] (3) That completely eliminates all need to physically remove
and consequently touch the edge opening of said holder or tray,
which may be contaminated with waste, thereby increasing health
and hygiene in the disposal process;
[0011] (4) That significantly reduces the cost of maintenance by
allowing the use of commonly available and relatively inexpensive
plastic garbage bags to contain the waste instead of specialty holders
or trays that typically cost over ten times as much as, thereby
saving money; and;
[0012] (5) That establishes or motivates the establishment of an
elevated litter box, thereby eliminating stress on and potential
to the back, from bending, of the person maintaining the cat litter
box.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The drawings in FIGS. 1-6 are for purposes of illustrating
the process in a preferred embodiment and should not be construed
as a limitation on the invention itself.
[0014] FIG. 1 depicts a `Top View` of the invention in the form
of a platform or table with an intake opening designated as 12.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a `Bottom View` of the invention depicted in FIG.
1 with an outflow opening designated as 14. Also shown are vertical
support elements or legs 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d.
[0016] FIG. 3 shows a `Side View` of the invention depicted in
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 with a clamping or attaching mechanism, designated
as 18 for attaching a garbage bag across said outflow opening 14.
[0017] FIG. 4 shows a collar or gasket 20 which may be positioned
around said intake opening 12 so as to form a channel between said
intake opening 12 and the bottom of said holder or tray.
[0018] FIG. 5 shows a `Side and Top View` the invention substantially
shaped in a form that can be substituted and positioned in the place
and stead of said waste holder or tray. The intake opening apparatus
is designated as 12 and the outflow opening is designated as 14.
A clamping or attaching mechanism, designated as 18 for attaching
a garbage bag across said outflow opening 14 is also shown.
[0019] FIG. 6 shows a `Side and Bottom View` the invention substantially
shaped in a form that can be substituted and positioned in the place
and stead of said waste holder or tray. The intake opening apparatus
is designated as 12 and the outflow opening is designated as 14.
A clamping or attaching mechanism, designated as 18 for attaching
a garbage bag across said outflow opening 14 is also shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The drawings in FIGS. 1-6 are for purposes of illustrating
the process and should not be construed as a limitation on the invention
itself.
[0021] FIG. 1 depicts a `Top View` of the invention in the form
of a substantially rigid frame of suitable material shaped in the
form of a platform or table that can be positioned wholly or partially
beneath said litter box and said waste holder or tray. An intake
opening is designated as 12.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a `Bottom View` of the invention depicted in FIG.
1 with an outflow opening designated as 14. Also shown are vertical
support elements or legs 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d that allow the platform
area of the apparatus to maintain a height distance above the floor
or ground level.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a `Side View` of the invention depicted in
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 with a clamping or attaching mechanism, designated
as 18 for attaching a garbage bag across said outflow opening 14.
[0024] Said intake opening 12 is shown as a hole in the top of
said platform or table that through to the bottom of said platform
or table and said outflow opening 14. Said intake opening is intended
to be position below said waste holder or tray so as to receive
any waste passing out of a hole made in said holder or tray. The
tray of one popular self-cleaning litter box presently in wide use
is made from a thin plastic and, thereby, a hole may be easily cut
into the bottom of said tray using common scissors. Also, the tray
is held on a side of said litter box in a cavity that is has no
bottom. Thereby any waste falling from a hole made in the bottom
of said tray will fall freely from said tray into said intake opening
12 when said intake opening is positioned beneath said tray.
[0025] Attached to or following the outflow opening 14 is a clamping
mechanism 18. It can be any clamping or suspension or coupling or
attaching mechanism, as well as a portion frame member of said platform
or table, that enables a container or plastic garbage bag to be
clamped or hung or coupled or attached across said outflow opening.
The clamping mechanism as depicted in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3 and
FIG. 5 through FIG. 6 inclusive employs a collar like extension
of the frame of the apparatus, around which the opening of a plastic
garbage bag can be wrapped and coupled, and a rubber band or locking
strap to clamp said bag to said collar.
[0026] When the apparatus is shaped in the form of a platform or
table shape without any vertical supports or legs, the litter box
must be placed upon a small table and the apparatus sandwiched between
said litter box and said tabletop. The apparatus and litter box
is then positioned slightly off the edge of the tabletop so that
the outflow opening is clear of the surface of said tabletop, which
placement also accomodates a garbage container or bag to be positioned
or attached across said opening.
[0027] FIG. 4 shows a collar or gasket 20 which may be positioned
around said intake opening 12 so as to form a channel between said
intake opening 12 and the bottom of said holder or tray. Said collar
or gasket need not be airtight and may be made from any suitable
material including the same material as the platform or table frame
of the apparatus. Said collar may be a separate unattached component
or it may be an attached member or part of said platform or table.
[0028] FIG. 5 depicts a `Side and Top View` of the invention substantially
shaped in a form that can be substituted and positioned in the place
and stead of the said waste holder or tray. The intake opening apparatus
is designated as 12 and the outflow opening is designated as 14.
A clamping or attaching mechanism, designated as 18 for attaching
a garbage bag across said outflow opening 14 is also shown.
[0029] FIG. 6 shows a `Side and Bottom View` the invention as depicted
in FIG. 5. The intake opening of the apparatus is designated as
12 and the outflow opening is designated as 14. A clamping or attaching
mechanism, designated as 18 for attaching a garbage bag across
said outflow opening 14 is also shown.
[0030] When the invention or frame of the apparatus is substantially
shaped in a form that can be substituted and positioned in the place
and stead of said waste holder or tray, said intake opening 12 functions
similarly to the open end of the said holder or tray. However, unlike
said holder or tray, said invention and apparatus includes an outflow
opening 14 that may be formed to extend downward below the frame
of said litter box. A disposable garbage container, such as a plastic
garbage bag, can then be positioned across said outflow opening
14.
[0031] Attached to or following said outflow opening 14 as is depicted
in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is a clamping mechanism 18. It can be any clamping
or suspension or coupling or attaching mechanism, as well as a portion
of the frame member of said apparatus, that enables a container
or plastic garbage bag to be clamped or hung or coupled or attached
across said outflow opening. The clamping mechanism as embodied
in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 through FIG. 6 inclusive employs
a collar like frame extension, around which the opening of a plastic
garbage bag can be wrapped and coupled, and a rubber band or locking
strap to clamp said bag to said collar.
[0032] When the frame of the apparatus is substantially shaped
in a form that can be substituted and positioned in the place and
stead of said waste holder or tray, as depicted in FIG. 5 and FIG.
6 the litter box is placed atop a small table and positioned slightly
off the edge of said table so that said outflow opening 14 is clear
of the surface of said tabletop, and, so that a garbage container
or bag may be positioned or attached across said opening.
[0033] A walk way or climb for the cat to ascend to the level of
the litter box can be easily improvised, as cats are excellent natural
climbers. In one embodiment of the invention includes such walk
way or climb. |