Abstrict A cat litter container includes a base and a retaining side wall
extending from the base in a manner to form a partial enclosure
and having an access surface provided. The access surface includes
a ramp interconnecting the retaining side wall and base which together
with the base and retaining wall serve as a primary container for
cat litter. A cavity is formed between the ramp, base and retaining
side wall. The ramp further includes a plurality of opening surfaces
to permit cat litter pass therethrough. A removable tray is disposed
in the cavity beneath the ramp to catch cat litter as it passes
through the open surfaces of the ramp. A tread surface is also formed
on the ramp.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A cat litter container for containing cat litter and absorbing
material therein which includes:
a base;
a retaining side wall extending from the base in a manner to form
a partial enclosure having an access surface;
a ramp interconnecting said retaining wall and said base which
together with said base and said retaining wall serve as a primary
container for cat litter and absorbing material, wherein said ramp
includes an open surface to permit cat litter and absorbing material
pass there through; and
a tray removably disposed beneath the ramp to serve as a secondary
container to catch cat litter and absorbing material as it passes
through said open surfaces of said ramp, wherein said ramp includes
an inclined ingress, inclined egress and a plateau interconnecting
said ingress and egress, and which is further characterized to include
a plurality of longitudinally extending open surfaces which permit
cat litter and absorbing material to pass therethrough.
2. The cat litter container of claim 1 wherein said ramp further
includes a tread surface disposed about said open surfaces.
3. The cat litter container of claim 2 wherein said tread provokes
a cat to rub its paws thereacross as the cat passes over said ramp.
4. The cat litter container of claim 1 which further includes
a wall open surface in a portion of said side retaining wall and
which extends between a connection of said ramp, said base and said
retaining side wall such that said tray is removably disposable
onto said base and beneath said ramp through said wall open surface.
5. The cat litter container of claim 4 wherein said tray includes
a gripping tab on an end of said tray to aid in disposal and removal
thereof.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pet litter containers. More particularly,
the invention relates to a cat litter container with improved features
for ingress and egress.
2. Related Art
There exist a number of litter boxes in the art. Litter boxes are
commonly used indoors to retain cat waste. A waste and order absorbing
material are commonly employed into the litter box. The litter box
usually includes a base and side walls, wherein the side walls are
sufficiently high enough to prevent the waste and absorbing material
from being easily kicked out of the litter box by the pet, such
as a cat.
The wall height presents problems for young, aging and ill cats
which cannot climb over the side walls. Accordingly, there is a
need to accommodate cats suffering from these characteristics. One
way to solve the problem has been to lower the height or remove
part of the wall. This defeats the retaining purpose of the wall
and is not desirable. Also, providing a mere ramp for ingress and
egress into the litter box still suffers from the problem of permitting
litter and absorbing material to be displaced by the pet from the
box upon entry and exit.
There remains a need for an improved cat litter container which
accommodates these types of pets. The present invention solves these
problems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object to improve litter containers.
It is another object to ease ingress and egress of cat litter containers
while maintaining cleanliness about the same.
It is another object to provide a container which can also serve
as a bed.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a cat litter
container having an improved ingress and egress. The cat litter
container includes a base and a retaining side wall extending from
the base in a manner to form a partial enclosure and having an access
surface is provided.
The access surface includes a ramp interconnecting the retaining
wall and base and has a raised portion which together with the base
and retaining wall serve as a primary container for cat litter.
The ramp further includes a plurality of opening surfaces to permit
cat litter pass therethrough. A cavity is formed beneath the ramp.
A removable tray is disposed in the cavity beneath the ramp to catch
cat litter as it passes through the open surfaces of the ramp, thus
serving as a secondary container. A tread is also formed on the
ramp.
Other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art upon viewing the drawings and reading the detailed
description hereafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an end view of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is another perspective view of another use of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, the present invention is generally
represented by the numeral 10. The cat litter container 10 can be
made of plastic or metal, for example, and is preferably molded
in two parts as will be apparent hereinafter. The invention refers
to cats herein, but has application to other pets as well.
The cat litter container 10 includes a base 12 which is generally
planar and having an arcuate end 16 and a straight end 18. The shape
of the base 10 is set forth by example and it is understood that
other configurations lend themselves to application in the present
invention.
A retaining side wall 14 extends upwardly from the base 12 and
is continuously connected to the end 16 and edges 20 of the base
12. Together, the retaining side wall 14 and base 12 form a partial
enclosure having an access surface 22 provided.
The access surface 22 includes a ramp 24 interconnecting the retaining
side wall 14 and base 12. The ramp 24 includes a raised plateau
portion 26 interconnecting side wall portions 21 of wall 14. The
ramp 24 includes an inclined ingress portion 28 interconnecting
with the raised plateau portion 26 base 12 and retaining side wall
14 and a declined egress portion 30 interconnecting with the raised
plateau portion 26 base 12 and retaining side wall 14. Together,
the base 16 the ramp 24 and the retaining side wall 14 serve as
a primary container for cat litter and absorbing material 50.
The ramp 24 includes a plurality of longitudinally extending opening
surfaces 27 to permit cat litter and absorbing material 50 to pass
therethrough. The ramp 24 further includes a tread surface 29 adjacent
the open surfaces 27 which provide the cat a gripping surface. The
tread surface 29 is preferably formed of a material which provokes
the cat to cause it to rub its paws upon crossing the ramp 24 thereby
removing litter and absorbing material 50 from its feet. The tread
surface 29 can be integrally formed or be a material, such as carpet
or rope, with a self adhesive-back material. This type of tread
surface 29 will provoke the cat to interact with the surface 29
using its paws and claws, which is particularly useful as an aid
to divert the cat from clawing other furniture in the dwelling.
Beneath the ramp 24 is a cavity 31 which is formed between the ramp
24 side wall portions 21 and base 12.
One of the side wall portions 21 includes an open surface 23 to
receive a tray 40 therethrough. The open surface 23 defines an opening
generally within the connections defined by the ramp 24 base 12
and the side wall portions 21.
The tray 40 is slidably disposed onto the base 12 and into the
cavity 31 by passing the tray through the opening 23. The tray 40
includes a base 42 sides 44 and ends 46 which are integrally connected.
One of the ends 46 is formed with a gripping tab 48 for aiding removal
from the cavity 31. Once the tray 40 is disposed beneath the ramp
24 cat litter and absorbing material 50 which passes through the
open surfaces 27 of the ramp 24 will be caught therein.
The invention may further serve as a bed as depicted in FIG. 5.
In this situation, the treads 29 serve as a surface which the cat
may use to claw. Additionally, the tray 40 may be used to house
air fresheners and other pet hygiene products.
The above described embodiment is set forth by way of example and
is not for the purpose of limiting the present invention. It will
be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that obvious modifications,
derivations and variations can be made to the embodiments without
departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims
appended hereto should be read in their full scope including any
such modifications, derivations and variations. |