Abstrict An automatic or semiautomatic cat litter box and cleaning mechanism
which is compact and simple in design is provided. The device has
an enclosed housing with a pivotable top lid which can be opened
to allow periodic cleaning when needed. A sifting screen is rotated
by a crankshaft mechanism so as to traverse a 360.degree. radial
arc through the interior portion of the housing, passing through
the soiled litter and removing the waste. When the sifting screen
has completed its cycle, it stops on top of a storage container
upside down so as to drop any sifted cat waste into the storage
container which can be removed from the housing and the waste can
be periodically disposed of. Guide tracks are also provided to direct
the sifting screen as it traverses its cleaning cycle with a pair
of torsion spring members which provide an energizing force to the
sifting screen as it is guided along the tracks to subsequently
be released with an impact force against the top portion of the
storage container in order to dislodge any waste material caught
in the perforations of the sifting screen.
Claims What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent
of the United States is:
1. An apparatus for a pet to eliminate in, comprising:
a housing adapted to hold granular pet litter;
a sifting screen for passage through said litter;
a storage container mounted to said housing for disposal of said
waste material into said storage container; and
a means mounted to said housing for moving said sifting screen
through the litter and to the storage container;
wherein said means for moving comprises a crank mechanism mounted
to said housing and including a crankshaft which is movable along
an arcuate path to cause said sifting screen to pass through said
litter and dispose of any waste material which has been collected
in said sifting screen into said storage container.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said storage container
is detachably fixed to said housing by a latching mechanism.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said housing has
top and bottom portions which are pivotally attached to each other
so as to allow an interior portion of said housing to be exposed
by the opening of said top portion of said housing.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said crank mechanism
further includes at least one attaching member, said attaching member
being fixedly connected to said sifting screen.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4 including said crank mechanism
further includes a U-shaped member which moves in synchronization
with said crankshaft and is operatively connected with said at least
one attaching member.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 including a torsion spring
member having first and second ends, said first end being secured
to said U-shaped member and said second end being secured to said
at least one attaching member.
7. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said U-shaped member
and said at least one attaching member are pivotally attached at
a point whereby said U-shaped member and said at least one attaching
member can pivot away from each other.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising at least
one braking pad integral with an interior top portion of said housing
for braking an excess force of said sifting screen as said sifting
screen is forced downwardly against said storage container.
9. An apparatus for a pet to eliminate in, comprising:
a housing adapted to hold granular pet litter;
a shifting screen for passage through said litter;
a storage container mounted to said housing for disposal of said
waste material into said storage container; and
a means mounted to said housing for moving said sifting screen
through the litter and to the storage container
wherein said sifting screen has a flexible member fixedly attached
thereto, said flexible member providing a sealing function of a
region above said storage container so as to seal said region from
an interior portion of said housing to thereby prevent odor from
escaping said region.
10. An apparatus for a pet to eliminate, comprising:
a housing adapted to hold granular pet litter;
a sittig screen for passage through said litter;
a storage container mounted to said housing for disposal of said
waste material into said storage container; and
a means mounted to said housing for moving said sifting screen
through the litter and to the storage container wherein said housing
includes track means formed integral with a portion of said housing,
said track means serving to guide said sifting screen as said sifting
screen traverses an interior portion of said housing.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said track means
are molded into a top portion of said housing.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said track means
is formed so as to cause said sifting screen to gain momentum as
it nears an end of a circular path which said sifting screen traverses
in an interior perimeter of said housing.
13. A cat litter box comprising:
a housing having an opening for a cat to gain access into said
housing said housing including an at least partially enclosed top;
a waste removal scoop mounted within said housing for removing
cat waste material from a layer of litter disposed on a bottom side
of said housing;
a storage container for storing said cat waste material; and
a transport device for transporting said waste removal scoop with
respect to said housing and along a path within said housing, wherein
said path traverses a low portion of said housing to cause said
waste removal scoop to remove waste and to hold said waste upon
said scoop as said waste removal scoop passes through a supply of
litter located in the bottom side of the housing, and wherein downstream
of said lower portion of said housing said path traverses an upper
portion of said housing adjacent the at least partially enclosed
top and toward said storage container for depositing the waste removed
by said waste removal scoop with said waste removal scoop retaining
the waste as it moves along said upper portion and toward said storage
container means.
14. The cat litter box according to claim 13 further including
at least one torsion spring for facilitating movement of said waste
removal means along said path.
15. The cat litter box according to claim 13 including means for
detachably mounting said storage container to said housing.
16. The cat litter box according to claim 15 further comprising
a member to seal in an odor emanating from said storage container
when said storage container contains cat waste material.
17. The cat litter box according to claim 13 wherein said opening
comprises a pivotally attached door means which facilitates a sealing
o odor inside said housing from escaping to outside air.
18. The apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said transport
device comprises a crank means for imparting a rotational force
to move said waste removal scoop through said litter to thereby
remove cat waste material from said litter and dispose of said waste
material into said storage container.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said crank means
includes a ratchet handle.
20. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said crank means
includes a gear motor.
21. The apparatus according to claim 18 further comprising at least
one braking pad integrally attached to an inner top portion of said
housing for braking an excess force of said waste removal means
as said sifting screen is forced downwardly against said storage
container.
22. The cat litter box of claim 13 wherein said at least partially
enclosed top includes a guide for guiding said waste removal means
along a portion of said path extending along the upper portion of
said housing.
23. The cat litter box of claim 13 wherein said waste removal
scoop includes a sifting screen.
24. A litter box comprising:
a housing for holding pet litter;
a waste removal member for passing through said litter and removing
waste therefrom;
a storage container mounted to said housing for retaining waste
removed from said housing by said waste removal member; and
a transport mechanism for moving said waste removal member through
said litter and to a location for depositing waste removed by said
waste removal member into said storage container, and wherein said
transport mechanism subjects the waste removal member to an impact
force when said waste removal member is adjacent said storage container,
thereby assisting removal of waste from said waste removal member
for depositing into the storage container.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved and efficient method
of cleaning a cat litter box having a manually or power driven crankshaft
which imparts a movement force to a perforated sifting screen which
scrapes along the bottom of the litter box and through the cat litter
to remove cat waste from the litter and then dispose of the waste
in a container which is integral with the litter box.
2. Discussion of Background
In the prior art, various cat litter box cleaning devices are known
which facilitate the removal of cat waste from the litter box. One
such apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4190525 to MenZel.
Such an apparatus is shown in FIG. 16 of the instant application.
In this device, a trough shaped container 104 is provided with a
curved bottom surface and an open top. In operation and in order
to remove cat waste from the litter, a screen member 122 is provided
which scrapes along the bottom curved surface of the litter box
and sifts through the litter while retaining the larger waste particulate
matter. The means for providing movement of the screen member 122
through the litter is a crank mechanism 112 mounted on a container
104 which includes a crankshaft 114 and crank handle 118. The crank
mechanism is rotatable through a full 360.degree. radius and when
the cat's waste has been sifted out by screen member 122 the screen
member 122 can be removed from the crank mechanism 112 and carried
to a disposal, such as a waste basket or toilet.
The prior art litter box cleaning device described above has significant
disadvantages. As is apparent, the screen member 122 has to be manually
detached and carried by the cat owner each time the litter box is
sifted clean. This is an unpleasant task for the owner who is not
inclined to touch the screen member 122 after such has been passed
through the soiled litter, due to germs or waste matter on the screen
member. The owner would be required to wear gloves or use paper
towels in order to avoid his/her fingers from contacting with a
dirty screen member, thus giving rise to an inconvenience.
Another main drawback of the device is that the litter box has
an open top portion which can lead to an unpleasant odor and nuisance
to the cat owner. Also, the open surface of the litter box may lead
to a portion of the litter being strewn outside of the box by the
cat when it paws the litter over the waste after eliminating.
A second cat litter disposal device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
4787334 and illustrated in prior art FIG. 17 of the instant application,
which shows an elongated base 110 for the cat to eliminate on, which
base 110 supports a sheath 116 covered with a layer of litter 142.
After the cat has soiled the litter, a crank 130 located on a receiver
144 is rotated to carry the soiled litter into the receiver and
to feed an additional length of sheath 116 covered by a layer of
litter 142 out onto base 110.
This device suffers a similar disadvantage as the previously described
one in that it has an open top surface. More significantly and problematic,
the device requires a large amount of space which may limit the
number of places where it can be stored.
A third device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4854267 has the general
drawback that it is quite complex in structure and this results
in the problem of a more costly product.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an automatic or semiautomatic
cat litter box with a cleaning mechanism which can remove cat waste
from the box with a relatively easy-to-use apparatus which is simple
in design and less costly to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel
automatic or semiautomatic cleaning cat litter box which overcomes
the problems associated with the prior art devices.
Another object of the present invention to provide the device with
an enclosed housing which has a pivotable door entrance so that
a cat may gain entry into the litter box.
It is another object to provide a novel crank mechanism which is
leverage assisted by a torsion spring mechanism.
Another object is to provide a mechanism whereby the sifting screen
is guided along a track formed in an upper portion of the enclosed
housing so that the sifting screen is guided away from the door
entrance while carrying the fecal matter and is eventually released
from the track at the end of the cycle to thereby allow the speed
of the crank mechanism to increase and project the waste into a
detachable storage container.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel litter
box cleaning device that is both compact and simplistic in design.
The device of the present invention is provided with an enclosed
housing having attached thereto a storage container which can store
cat waste that has been separated from the cat litter during each
cleaning cycle. The device also has a crank mechanism which serves
to direct a sifting screen through the soiled litter, removing the
waste and then dumping the waste into an attached storage container.
The inventive cleaning mechanism has torsion spring members which
urge the sifting screen along the interior of the housing as a manual
or automatic force is applied to the crank mechanism in a 360.degree.
radial arc. The present invention also employs a specially shaped
housing which guides the sifting screen as it traverses the rear,
bottom, front and top sides of the enclosed housing to thereby maintain
a close contact with the inner sides of the housing to thoroughly
scrape any and all contaminated matter from the lower interior of
the housing. Tracks are molded into the upper portion of the housing
to guide the sifting screen and release it from engagement with
the tracks toward the end of the cleaning cycle to thereby allow
the force of the torsion spring members to forcefully urge the sifting
screen in a downward arc against the top of the storage container,
dislodging any excess litter or waste from the screen. A flexible
member is also provided above the sifting screen which serves to
provide a sealing mechanism to prevent odor from the storage container
from reaching the interior of the litter box housing where the animal
will be located. The enclosed housing has a pivotable top portion
which can be lifted up after a latching mechanism is released. The
latching mechanism also holds the storage container in firm engagement
with the litter box housing. A door opening is also provided for
the cat to gain entry into the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant
advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes
better understood by reference to the following detailed description
when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the exterior of the device
of the present invention showing the main housing with detachable
storage container.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention which shows the
pivotal door and protruding sides of the housing.
FIG. 3 shows the device of the present invention with the top portion
opened to expose the sifting screen and flexible member inside the
housing.
FIG. 4 also shows the interior structure of the device of the present
invention, along with a view of the cranking mechanism and torsion
spring members.
FIG. 5 shows a top view of the inventive device of FIG. 4 where
the torsion spring members are shown for the structure of the attachment
means between the crankshaft and the sifting screen is shown.
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view showing the internal structure
of the device in dashed lines with the sifting screen and crank
mechanism in their respective initial positions.
FIG. 7 shows the feature of the pivoting points whereby the sifting
screen is pulled away from the storage container in direction B
to begin its cleaning cycle.
FIG. 8 shows the sifting screen during its cleaning cycle as it
begins to scrape the bottom portion of the housing and litter.
FIG. 9 shows the sifting screen in its intermediate position within
the litter.
FIG. 10 shows the sifting screen as it begins to be guided along
the guide tracks.
FIG. 11 shows the sifting screen in its position where it is about
to be discharged from the engagement with the guide tracks.
FIG. 12 shows the sifting screen in its final position after it
has dislodged the waste material into the storage container.
FIG. 13 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention
where the cranking mechanism consists of a ratchet handle member.
FIG. 14 is another embodiment of the present invention where the
cranking mechanism is performed by means of a gear motor fixedly
attached to a side of the housing.
FIG. 15 is a view showing the interior of top portion of the housing
in order to show braking pads which make up another part of the
present invention.
FIG. 16 shows a conventional cat cleaning mechanism with a sifting
screen and cranking shaft.
FIG. 17 shows a second conventional cleaning device which has an
elongated base member which holds a layer of cat litter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals
designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several
views, the inventive device, shown generally in FIG. 1 has top and
bottom portions 2 and 3 respectively, which fit together and are
hingedly attached at one end by hinges 17 17' as can best be seen
in FIG. 2. A detachable waste storage container 6 is integrally
connected to the top and bottom portions by means of elongated latch
member 14 attached to top portion 2 of the housing 1 and hook 13
attached to the storage container 6. It should also be noted that
the relative positions of the hook 13 and the latch member 14 can
be reversed. By way of this latching mechanism 21 the storage container
6 can be readily removed from the housing 1 so that a plastic bag
insert can be easily disposed of and replaced with a clean bag.
In this manner, a sifting screen 7 which is passed through soiled
litter 4 does not have to be touched by the cat owner after each
use as was the case in the previously discussed prior art device
to Menzel (U.S. Pat. No. 4190525). The present invention also
has incorporated a flexible member 8 which serves to seal the area
above storage container 6 so that odor is trapped in this area and
prevented from reaching the rest of housing 1 where the cat enters
in order to eliminate. This provides a more pleasant and sanitary
environment for the animal. It can be seen from FIG. 3 that the
release of latching mechanism 21 also allows the pivoting action
of top portion 2 so as to expose the interior of housing 1 in order
to change the litter 4 when such replacement is necessary. FIG.
6 shows track 9 which guides the sifting screen 7 along as it traverses
the upper portion of its 360.degree. radial arc. The interaction
of the track 9 and sifting screen 7 will be described in greater
detail later. FIG. 2 shows in a front view of the inventive device,
protruding portions 18 and 19 which make the central portion of
the litter box housing 1 wider, decreasing the possibility of the
cat's fur contacting the side walls of the housing 1 and being soiled
by excess litter 4 or waste 5 which may accumulate on the lower
interior portion of the housing 1. In this manner, the overall cleanliness
of the cat is enhanced. FIG. 2 also shows pivotal door 16 through
which the animal can enter the housing 1. The door 16 is att ached
at the top and pivots upward when pushed in by the cat.
The crank mechanism 100 for imparting force manually or automatically
to the sifting screen 7 consists of a crankshaft 11 pivotally attached
to the exterior of the housing 1 having a crank handle 10 which
an operator rotates in the direction A shown in FIG. 6. Inside housing
1 is an intermediate U-shaped member 30 which rotates together with
crankshaft 11 as crankshaft 11 turns in direction A. As can be seen
from FIG. 4 attaching member 15 is fixedly attached to sifting
screen 7 and is attached to U-shaped member 30. Torsion spring members
31 are wrapped around U-shaped member 30 and also secured to attaching
member 15 so that when torsion spring members 31 urge against U-shaped
member 30 by the rotation of crankshaft 11 in the direction A, attaching
member 15 is pulled along and trails behind crankshaft 11. As can
be seen from FIG. 7 torsion spring members 31 which are connected
to the sides of U-shaped member 30 and attaching member 15 have
sufficient length to cause attaching member 15 and sifting screen
7 to follow behind crankshaft 11 and be pulled in a 360.degree.
radial arc. FIG. 6 also shows one of the tracks 9 which will serve
as a guide for sifting screen 7 to slide along and maintain close
contact with the upper portion of the interior of housing 1.
The operation of the device will now be described with reference
to FIGS. 6-12. In FIG. 6 the sifting screen 7 and crank handle
10 are in their respective initial positions in relation to housing
1. When an operator begins to rotate crank handle 10 in the direction
A, crankshaft 11 and U-shaped member 30 rotate together a short
distance until torsion spring members 31 cause attaching member
15 to be pulled downward away from storage container 6 along with
sifting screen 7. At this moment, U-shaped member 30 pivots away
from attaching member 15 about pivot point 20. Torsion spring members
31 continue to urge attaching member 15 and sifting screen 7 in
direction B as shown in FIG. 7 away from contact with storage container
6. The rotation of crankshaft 11 is continued as the sifting screen
7 is pulled along behind crankshaft 11 and U-shaped member 30. Torsion
spring members 31 maintain a steady engagement between U-shaped
member 30 and attaching member 15. As the sifting screen is urged
along the rear side, bottom, and front side of housing 1 the torsion
spring members 31 maintain a close pressure contact of the sifting
screen 7 with the interior portions of housing 1 to thoroughly scrape
the bottom and lower side portions of the housing 1. The shape of
housing 1 serves to guide the sifting screen along the bottom of
the housing so as to scoop and sift the entire layer of litter 4.
At the point of engagement between the sifting screen 7 and tracks
9 which are located on the upper portion 2 of the housing 1 there
is a high tension force imparted on the crankshaft 11 as the tracks
9 provide a resistance against the rotation of crankshaft 11 by
means of strong frictional contact on sifting screen 7. When the
sifting screen 7 reaches the point shown in FIG. 11 it is released
from frictional sliding engagement with the tracks 9 and the sifting
screen 7 and attaching member 15 freely rotate around to the final
position shown in FIG. 12 with the sifting screen 7 coming down
forcefully against the top of storage container 6 thus releasing
the cat waste 5 which has been sifted out of the litter 4. It should
be noted that the use of the torsion spring members 31 provides
a leveraged force against the flat bottom of housing 1 and molded
guide tracks 9. The molded guide tracks 9 also allow sifting screen
7 to follow a different path from the upper perimeter shape of the
housing 1. This allows the sifting screen 7 to be pulled along a
path away from the cat door 16 preventing unwanted litter escape.
The tracks 9 also allow the torsion spring members 31 to release
energy at the end of the cleaning cycle, which energy release increases
the impact force of the sifting screen 7 against the top of storage
container 6 to facilitate the dislodging of trapped solid waste
material 5. The flexible member 8 can also be seen from FIG. 12
to provide a sealing action above sifting screen 7 to keep in odor
which may emanate from storage container 6. The owner can also periodically
remove storage container 6 by unlatching latch mechanism 21 and
disposing of a plastic bag insert. The housing 1 also has a protruding
front portion 32 which provides easy access for the cat and keeps
excess litter 4 away from pivotal door 16.
In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 13 a ratchet handle 40 is
attached to the side protruding portion 18 in place of crankshaft
11 and crank handle 10. The provision of this elongated ratchet
handle 40 allows a much easier rotation of the inner components
which can be performed by an operator while standing up. An operator
rotates ratchet handle 40 in direction A which causes the sifting
screen 7 to begin its clockwise cleaning cycle, and then pulls handle
40 back until it contacts stop 45 and then repeats the steps until
the sifting screen 7 traverses the entire cycle.
In yet another embodiment, an automatic cleaning cycle is provided
as manually rotated handle cranks are replaced with a gear motor
50 as shown in FIG. 14. When an operator pushes start button 51
light 52 goes on while the sifting screen 7 is rotated through its
entire 360.degree. cycle. When the sifting screen reaches the end
point in the cycle, a well known mechanical type sensor cuts off
the power to gear motor 50 and the driving of sifting screen 7 is
stopped. In one embodiment, a 2 to 3 rpm gear motor 50 is provided
along with a cam operated microswitch. The gear motor cover 51 is
provided with a momentary contact switch to provide energy for the
start of the operation with a 1 amp fuse.
In any of the above described embodiments, braking pads 42 may
be provided on either side of the housing 1 at the position shown
in FIG. 15. The function of these braking pads 42 is to slow the
impact force at which sifting screen 7 contacts the storage container
6. The braking pads 42 dissipate excess energy beyond that which
is required to dislodge the cat waste matter 5 from the perforated
sifting screen 7. In other words, the tension force required to
keep the sifting screen 7 in constant contact with the bottom of
housing 1 is much greater than that needed to provide the dislodging
impact. Thus a need for the braking pads 42 exists in order to provide
a quieter operation. The braking pads 42 are made from a plastic
or foam material and are molded into the inner top portion 2 of
housing 1 or are inserted at a later time by means of fastening
screws or the like.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the above described semiautomatic
or automatic cat litter box is designed to make cleaning the box
a quick and easy matter, taking only about 10 seconds a day. This
litter box will work most effectively with the newer style "clumping"
litter, which causes cat urine to form clumps which can be removed
by sifting screen 7 along with any solid waster matter 5.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore
to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the
invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described
herein. |