Abstrict A bag sifting system, for use with a cat litter box in separating
waste products and clumped litter from uncontaminated litter, using
a plurality of bags which are extended over the litter box before
the litter box is filled with litter. As the litter becomes partially
soiled, an uppermost of the bags is lifted from the litter box.
Each bag has a sifting region having a plurality of sifting holes
which allow uncontaminated litter to fall onto the remaining bags
in the litter box below. The waste products and clumped litter,
being too large to fall through the sifting holes, remains in the
bag. The bag has a non-sifting region without holes, such that the
bag is then tilted and rotated so that the waste products and clumped
litter fall into the non-sifting region, and are contained therein
for disposal.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A sifting bag method, for use with a litter box having a bottom,
a top, a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides which extend
upward from the bottom to the top, for use in separating waste and
used litter from uncontaminated litter, using a bag having a front
panel and a rear panel substantially rectangular in shape and equal
in size, the front panel and rear panel having a bottom edge joined
together with a bottom seam, side edges joined together with side
folds, and having a top edge defining a top opening, the front panel
and rear panel having a sifting region having a plurality of sifting
holes, the sifting holes aligned when the front panel and rear panel
are folded flat against each other, the front panel and rear panel
having non-sifting regions toward the sides thereof where no sifting
holes are present, comprising the steps of: a) covering the litter
box with one of the bags by opening the bags and extending the bag
over the litter box, substantially covering the bottom of the litter
box, and extending the top edge of the front panel and rear panel
over the top of the litter box; b) filling the litter box with uncontaminated
litter; c) allowing waste and used litter to accumulate in the litter
box; d) lifting the bag upwards from the litter box by grasping
the top edges of the front and rear panels near the side folds;
e) collecting the waste and used litter within the bag by sifting
the uncontaminated litter through the sifting holes; f) transferring
the waste and used litter to one of the non-sifting regions by tilting
and rotating the bag so that the waste and used litter falls toward
one of the side edges; g) containing the waste and used litter between
the non-sifting regions of the front and rear panels by securing
the bag adjacent to said non-sifting regions; and h) disposing of
the bag.
2. The sifting bag method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step
of covering the bottom of the litter box further comprises the step
of extending the bottom seam across the bottom of the litter box
substantially equidistant from and parallel to the long sides of
the litter box.
3. The sifting bag method as recited in claim 2 wherein the step
of covering the litter box with the bag further comprises creating
a stack of bags by repeatedly covering the litter box by extending
several bags over the litter box before the step of filling the
litter box with litter; and wherein the step of lifting the bag
upward from the litter box further comprises lifting the uppermost
bag of the stack from the litter box to leave a remaining stack
of bags therebelow.
4. The sifting bag method as recited in claim 3 wherein the step
of collecting the waste and used litter within the bag by sifting
the uncontaminated litter through the sifting holes further comprises
allowing the litter to fall onto the remaining stack of litter bags;
and wherein the step of disposing of the bag is followed by the
step of waiting for the uncontaminated litter to becomes soiled
and then repeating steps (d) through (h) until the entire stack
of bags has been removed from the litter box.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a sifting liner bags system. More particularly,
the invention relates to liner bags which are positioned at the
bottom of a cat litter box, and are periodically lifted, whereupon
uncontaminated litter is allowed to sift through the bag back into
the litter box, while waste remains in the bag for disposal.
Keeping a domesticated cat usually involves maintaining a litter
box for the cat to eliminate waste. The litter box is filled with
cat litter which has a tendency to clump up when it contacts liquid
waste such as cat urine, coats solid waste, and deodorizes the litter
box.
After the litter box has been used for a few days, the litter box
will contain a mixture of cat waste, clumped litter, and uncontaminated
litter. Most cat owners recognize that at this point, it is not
necessary to fully dispose of the entire contents of the litter
box if the cat waste and clumped (used) litter can be removed.
Accordingly, many have proposed systems which attempt to remove
the waste products while avoiding prematurely disposing of unused
litter. Such systems generally involve scoops, and trays which give
the owner the unpleasant task of manually digging through the litter
to search for cat waste products. Generally these systems often
result in breaking up the clumps of used litter into smaller pieces
which undesirably remain behind with the uncontaminated litter.
Several United States Patents illustrate various attempts to provide
a liner which may be lifted to sift the waste products from the
litter. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5207772 to Lauretta et al.;
U.S. Pat. No. 5158042 to Hammerslag et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5551376
to Lundeen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5062392 to Lavash; U.S. Pat.
No. 4308825 to Stepanian; U.S. Pat. No. 4312295 to Harrington;
and U.S. Pat. No. 5983832 to Seo, illustrate various attempts.
Most typically, these devices fail to disclose a device which could
realistically be manufactured, and fit into a litter box. That is,
they are either illustrated as a flat sheet which somehow fits within
the three-dimensional rectangular prism hollow of the litter box,
or they are a bag which is drawn to "conveniently" fit
within the box, without illustrating seams, pleats, or other adaptations
which would actually allow the same to take place in the real world.
In addition, by providing an open sieve, they require a separate
disposal vessel for disposing of the collected waste and used litter.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed,
or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes
of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a litter sifting bag
which lines a litter box and allows waste products and used litter
to be collected while leaving uncontaminated litter behind. Accordingly,
the bag has a plurality of sifting openings which allow the relatively
smaller particles of uncontaminated litter to pass easily therethrough,
while collecting the larger clumps of used litter or waste products.
It is another object of the invention to provide a litter sifting
bag which is capable of being inexpensively and realistically manufactured,
while fitting over the edges of a conventional litter box. Accordingly,
the sifting bag is configured with front and rear rectangular panels,
connected by a bottom seam and side folds. The front and rear panels
have a plurality of substantially uniformly spaced sifting holes.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a litter sifting
bag which allows the litter box to be used for an extended period
of time without the need to prematurely remove and discard uncontaminated
litter. Accordingly, a plurality of bags are fitted onto the litter
box in a stacked configuration prior to filling the litter box with
cat litter on top of the stack of bags. Periodically, when the litter
is partially soiled, a single bag is lifted from its edges, causing
all uncontaminated litter to sift through the bag, while retaining
used litter and waste products. The uncontaminated litter is thereby
aerated in the process. Additional bags in the stack remain at the
bottom of the litter box for subsequent sifting.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a litter
sifting bag which can itself be used for litter disposal. Accordingly,
after all uncontaminated litter has been effectively sifted through
the sifting holes, the bag is tilted toward one of the side folds
such that waste products and used litter are contained within the
non-sifting areas of the bag, and the bag may be bound for safe
and hygienic disposal.
The invention is a bag sifting system, for use with a cat litter
box in separating waste products and clumped litter from uncontaminated
litter, using a plurality of bags which are extended over the litter
box before the litter box is filled with litter. As the litter becomes
partially soiled, an uppermost of the bags is lifted from the litter
box. Each bag has a sifting region having a plurality of sifting
holes which allow uncontaminated litter to fall onto the remaining
bags in the litter box below. The waste products and clumped litter,
being too large to fall through the sifting holes, remains in the
bag. The bag has a non-sifting region without holes, such that the
bag is then tilted and rotated so that the waste products and clumped
litter fall into the non-sifting region, and are contained therein
for disposal.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention
may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are
illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of
the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals.
The drawings are briefly described as follows.
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the bag, illustrating the
front panel, and the sifting holes extending therethrough.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the bag, slightly opened
to illustrate the top opening between the front panel and rear panel,
the rear panel also having the sifting holes aligned with those
on the front panel, the front and rear panels connected along the
bottom seam and continuous across the side folds.
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating one of
the bags about to be opened and extended over a standard litter
box.
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating a stack
of the bags fitted over the top edges of the litter box and extending
across the bottom of the litter box.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating an uppermost
one of the bags being separated from the stack and being lifted
to collect used litter and waste, while allowing uncontaminated
litter to sift into the litter box above the remaining bags in the
stack.
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating how following
the sifting operation, the bag is rotated and tilted to allow the
used litter and waste to fall into one of the non-sifting side areas
for containment.
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating how the
bag has been bound for disposal while the waste is contained within
one of the non-sifting side areas. The uncontaminated litter remains
in the litter box for continued use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a sifting bag 10 laid flat, having a rectangular
front panel 12 a top edge 14 a bottom edge 16 and two side edges
18. The front panel 12 has a sifting region 20 comprising a plurality
of sifting holes 22 spaced substantially uniformly within the sifting
region 20. The sifting region 20 is located substantially centered
between the side edges 18 and offset toward the bottom edge 16.
The front panel 12 also has a pair of non-sifting regions 24 near
the side edges 18. The non-sifting regions 24 do not contain sifting
holes and are therefore capable of containing waste products thereat.
In FIG. 2 the sifting bag 10 has been partially opened to reveal
a rear panel 13 which is substantially the same in size as the
front panel, which extends substantially parallel to the front panel
12 prior to use, which is connected to the front panel along the
bottom edge 16 with a bottom seam 16S, along the side edges 18 with
side folds 18F, and creates a top opening 15. The rear panel 13
contains the sifting region 20 and associated sifting holes 22 in
a substantially parallel and equivalent location as the front panel
12. Accordingly, between the front panel 12 and rear panel 13 a
interior volume is created, accessible at the top opening 15.
Accordingly, in contrast to several prior art attempts, the present
invention is capable of being realistically and inexpensively manufactured
using technology commonly used for manufacturing plastic garbage
bags. For example, a tube of thin plastic of considerable length
is extruded, and then is folded flat, creating the front panel 12
and rear panel 13 of multiple bags 10 connected by the side folds
18F which form the side edges 18. The flattened tube is then heat
sealed and perforated to create the bottom seam 16S at the bottom
edge 16 such that when the bottom seam 16S is torn from an adjacent
portion of the flattened tube, the top opening 15 is created in
an adjacent bag. However, before they are separated, the sifting
holes 22 are die stamped through both the front panel 12 and rear
panel 13 thus their location is substantially identical. Accordingly,
the bag 10 of the present invention is clearly manufacturable, and
manufacturable efficiently using widely used technology and processes,
in contrast to the devices vaguely described in prior art attempts.
FIG. 3 illustrates a standard litter box 40 having a bottom 40B,
a top lip 40T, a pair of parallel short interior sides 42 and a
pair of parallel long interior sides 44 which extend from the bottom
40B to the top lip 40T. The litter box 40 is open at the top 40T
with a substantially rectangular prism shaped interior volume defined
within the litter box between the bottom and top. As illustrated
in FIG. 3 one of the bags 10 according to the present invention
is being opened for installation over the top lip 40T of the litter
box 40.
Concerning practicalities which make the invention suitable for
use with typical litter boxes, the bag 10 is preferably substantially
36 inches along the top edge, 18 inches along the side edges, the
sifting region 20 makes up approximately one third to one half of
the width of the bag as measured along the top or bottom edge, leaving
non-sifting regions of approximately one quarter to one third the
width each. In addition, the sifting holes are preferably one quarter
to three quarter inches in diameter, and are located one to four
inches apart within the sifting region. Most preferably, the holes
are substantially 7/16 inches in diameter to properly catch the
litter clumps and solid waste products.
FIG. 4 illustrates a stack 10M of bags 10 suitably installed onto
the litter box 40. Each bag 10 has been opened wide, wherein the
top edges 14 of the front panel 12 and rear panel 13 extend over
the parallel long interior sides 44 and over the top lip 46 thereat.
They extend over the short interior sides 42 as well, as the side
folds 18F open up. The bottom seam 16S extends along the bottom
of the litter box 40 substantially equidistant between the parallel
long interior sides 44 of the litter box 40. The bags 10 of the
stack 10M are individually loaded onto the litter box 40 and then
the litter box 40 is filled with litter.
FIG. 5 illustrates how, after a period of usage of the litter box
such that the litter has become somewhat soiled, an uppermost one
of the bags 10 has been removed from the stack 10M by lifting the
bag upwards at the top edge 14 near the side folds 18F, with two
hands. While lifting the bag upwards, the weight of the litter causes
the bag 10 to gather in the center, directing uncontaminated cat
litter 50 toward the sifting region 20 where the uncontaminated
cat litter 50 easily travels through the sifting holes 22 and falls
back into the litter box 40 above the stack 10M. However, waste
products 52 and clumped litter 54 are too large to travel through
the sifting holes 22 and remain within the interior volume of the
bag 10. If necessary, the bag 10 is shaken by the user to ensure
that all uncontaminated litter falls through the holes.
Following the complete sifting of the uncontaminated litter 50
back into the litter box 40 a relatively small mass of waste 52
and clumped litter 54 should remain within the interior volume of
the bag 10. However, while centered within the bag 10 in the sifting
region 20 a considerable chance remains that smaller particles
of the clumped litter 54 will break free and fall onto the floor.
Accordingly, while still holding the bag 10 over the litter box
40 the bag 10 should be rotated and tilted as shown in FIG. 6.
Rotating and tilting the bag 10 causes the waste products 52 and
clumped litter 54 to transfer into the non-sifting region 24 where
no sifting holes 22 are present. When the waste products 52 and
clumped litter 54 are contained between the non-sifting regions
24 of the front 12 and rear panels 13 there is no danger that small
pieces might break loose and travel through the sifting holes 22
onto the floor. Accordingly, referring to FIG. 7 the bag 10 is
then bound, either with a tying device, or by simply tying the bag
into a knot, so that the sifting region 20 remains on one side of
the knot or tie, to confine the waste products 52 and clumped litter
54 in the non-sifting region 24. The bag 10 can be easily disposed
without requiring an additional disposal bag.
Also illustrated in FIG. 7 since the litter box 40 is now filled
with uncontaminated cat litter 50 above the remaining bag stack
10M, the litter box 40 may be continually used, until significantly
soiled. Once significantly soiled, another bag is removed from the
stack, and the litter sifted, which is repeated periodically until
no more bags remain on the litter box 40.
In conclusion, herein is presented a litter box sifting bag system
which allows waste products and used litter to be easily and repeatedly
removed from a litter box, while allowing uncontaminated litter
to be separated therefrom and continually used. Accordingly, the
invention is illustrated by example in the foregoing description
and in the accompanying drawing figures. Numerous variations are
possible while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations
are contemplated as being a part of the present invention. |