Abstrict A cat litter storage and dispensing system that will allow cat
owners to easily change and refill a litter box including a housing
having a closed upper end, an open lower end, a front wall, a back
wall, opposed side walls, and a hollow interior. The closed upper
end has an opening therein exposing the hollow interior. The housing
receives a quantity of cat litter within the hollow interior. A
funnel member is coupled with the open lower end of the housing.
The funnel member has an open wide upper end and an open narrow
lower end. The open wide upper end is secured to the open lower
end of the housing. The funnel member includes a slotted opening
therethrough upwardly of the open narrow lower end. The funnel member
includes a stop plate slidably received within the slotted opening
for covering the open narrow lower end. A plurality of wall-mountable
brackets are adapted for being secured to a wall area and coupled
with the housing whereby the housing is elevated over a litter box.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A cat litter storage and dispensing system that will allow cat
owners to easily change and refill a litter box, comprising, in
combination: a housing having a closed upper end, an open lower
end, a front wall, a back wall, opposed side walls, and a hollow
interior, the closed upper end having an opening therein exposing
the hollow interior, the opening having a door removably coupled
thereto, the front wall having a window therein extending between
the closed upper end and the open lower end, the front wall having
a slotted opening therein upwardly of the open lower end, the slotted
opening removably receiving a grate plate therein, the grate plate
being dimensioned for completely covering the open lower end, the
back wall having a plurality of protrusions extending outwardly
therefrom, the opposed side walls each having an indented handle
formed therein, the housing receiving a quantity of cat litter within
the hollow interior; a funnel member coupled with the open lower
end of the housing, the funnel member having an open wide upper
end and an open narrow lower end, the open wide upper end being
secured to the open lower end of the housing, the funnel member
including a slotted opening therethrough upwardly of the open narrow
lower end, the funnel member including a stop plate slidably received
within the slotted opening for covering the open narrow lower end;
a plurality of wall-mountable brackets adapted for being secured
to a wall area, the brackets each having slots formed therein for
receiving the protrusions of the back wall of the housing therein
whereby the housing is elevated over a litter box; and a supplemental
support bar extending downwardly from the housing, the support bar
having a lower end positionable on a floor surface when the housing
is secured within the wall-mountable brackets.
2. A cat litter storage and dispensing system that will allow cat
owners to easily change and refill a litter box, comprising, in
combination: a housing having a closed upper end, an open lower
end, a front wall, a back wall, opposed side walls, and a hollow
interior, the closed upper end having an opening therein exposing
the hollow interior, the front wall having a slotted opening therein
upwardly of the open lower end, the slotted opening removably receiving
a grate plate therein, the grate plate being dimensioned for completely
covering the open lower end, the housing receiving a quantity of
cat litter within the hollow interior; a funnel member coupled with
the open lower end of the housing, the funnel member having an open
wide upper end and an open narrow lower end, the open wide upper
end being secured to the open lower end of the housing, the funnel
member including a slotted opening therethrough upwardly of the
open narrow lower end, the funnel member including a stop plate
slidably received within the slotted opening for covering the open
narrow lower end; and a plurality of wall-mountable brackets adapted
for being secured to a wall area for coupling with the housing whereby
the housing is elevated over a litter box.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a cat litter storage and dispensing system
that will allow cat owners to easily change and refill a litter
box.
Typical cat owners change their cat's litter boxes once or twice
a week. This is often a messy and generally unpleasant task requiring
the emptying of the soiled litter from the litter box and the adding
of fresh litter to the litter box. In particular, the adding of
new litter to the litter box can be extremely messy because it requires
the cat owner to hold a heavy bag of the cat litter while pouring
it into the much small litter box. The result, frequently, is amounts
of the litter spilling over the sides of the litter box requiring
extra clean up by the cat owner. What is needed is a device that
will allow cat litter to be easily and cleanly added to a cat litter
box.
The present invention attempts to solve the abovementioned problem
by providing a cat litter storage and dispensing system that will
allow cat owners to easily change and refill a litter box.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to produce a cat litter storage
and dispensing system that will allow cat owners to easily change
and refill a litter box including a housing having a closed upper
end, an open lower end, a front wall, a back wall, opposed side
walls, and a hollow interior. The closed upper end has an opening
therein exposing the hollow interior. The opening has a door removably
coupled thereto. The front wall has a window therein extending between
the closed upper end and the open lower end. The front wall has
a slotted opening therein upwardly of the open lower end. The slotted
opening removably receives a grate plate therein. The grate plate
is dimensioned for completely covering the open lower end. The back
wall has a plurality of protrusions extending outwardly therefrom.
The opposed side walls each have an indented handle formed therein.
The housing receives a quantity of cat litter within the hollow
interior. A funnel member is coupled with the open lower end of
the housing. The funnel member has an open wide upper end and an
open narrow lower end. The open wide upper end is secured to the
open lower end of the housing. The funnel member includes a slotted
opening therethrough upwardly of the open narrow lower end. The
funnel member includes a stop plate slidably received within the
slotted opening for covering the open narrow lower end. A plurality
of wall-mountable brackets are adapted for being secured to a wall
area. The brackets each have slots formed therein for receiving
the protrusions of the back wall of the housing therein whereby
the housing is elevated over a litter box. A supplemental support
bar extends downwardly from the housing. The support bar has a lower
end positionable on a floor surface when the housing is secured
within the wall-mountable brackets.
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 perspective view of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wall-mountable brackets of
the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the present invention illustrating
the coupling of the housing to the wall-mountable brackets.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It will be noted in the various figures that the device relates
to a cat litter storage and dispensing system that will allow cat
owners to easily change and refill a litter box. In its broadest
context, the device consists of a housing, a funnel member, a plurality
of wall-mountable brackets, and a supplemental support bar. Such
components are individually configured and correlated with respect
to each other so as to attain the desired objective.
The housing 12 has a closed upper end 14 an open lower end 16
a front wall 18 a back wall 20 opposed side walls 22 and a hollow
interior. The closed upper end 14 has an opening 26 therein exposing
the hollow interior. The opening 26 has a door 28 removably coupled
thereto. The opening 26 allows fresh cat litter to be added into
the housing 12. The front wall 18 has a window 30 therein extending
between the closed upper end 14 and the open lower end 16. The window
30 allows a cat owner to easily see how much cat litter remains
within the housing 12. The front wall 18 has a slotted opening 32
therein upwardly of the open lower end 16. The slotted opening 32
removably receives a grate plate 34 therein. The grate plate 34
is dimensioned for completely covering the open lower end 16. The
grate plate 34 when in place, will slow the flow of cat litter
through the open lower end 16. Additionally, the grate plate 34
is provided with a finger notch 36 to allow for its removal from
the slotted opening 32. The back wall 20 has a plurality of protrusions
38 extending outwardly therefrom. The opposed side walls 22 each
have an indented handle 40 formed therein. The housing 12 receives
a quantity of cat litter within the hollow interior.
The funnel member 42 is coupled with the open lower end 16 of the
housing 12. The funnel member 42 has an open wide upper end 44 and
an open narrow lower end 46. The open wide upper end 44 is secured
to the open lower end 16 of the housing 12. The funnel member 42
includes a slotted opening 48 therethrough upwardly of the open
narrow lower end 46. The funnel member 42 includes a stop plate
50 slidably received within the slotted opening 48 for covering
the open narrow lower end 46. The stop plate 50 when in position,
will prevent the cat litter from flowing outwardly through the open
narrow lower end 46.
The plurality of wall-mountable brackets 52 are adapted for being
secured to a wall area. The brackets 52 each have slots 54 formed
therein for receiving the protrusions 38 of the back wall 20 of
the housing 12 therein whereby the housing 12 is elevated over a
litter box 56.
The supplemental support bar 58 extends downwardly from the housing
12. The support bar 58 has a lower end positionable on a floor surface
when the housing 12 is secured within the wall-mountable brackets
52. The supplemental support bar 58 will help to keep the housing
12 in an upright orientation when secured to the wall area. |