Abstrict A method of making pellets of coconut coir pith used as cat litter.
The coconut coir pith is nontoxic, lightweight and creates very
little dust when compared to other cat litter products. Also, the
coir pith pore structure absorbs all of the cat urine and doesn't
release any of the typical cat urine smell to the atmosphere. In
the method of making cat litter pellets from powdered coir pith,
the first step includes crushing coconut husks and mixing the residual
powdered coconut coir pith with water. The coir pith and water mixture
is then compressed through a die having a plurality of 1/8.sup.th
inch diameter holes therein for creating spaghetti like strings
of coir pith. The strings of coir pith are then cut to a length
of 1/2 inches or less. The pellets are heated in an oven for removing
moisture and hardening them. The harden pellets are then packaged
for shipment to customers.
Claims The embodiments of the invention for which as exclusive privilege
and property right is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A method of making coconut coir pith pellets for cat litter
from powdered coconut coir pith, the steps comprising: crushing
coconut husks and removing residual powdered coir pith; screening
the residual powdered coir pith and removing foreign particles and
coconut fibers; mixing the powdered coir pith with water; compressing
the mixture of powdered coir pith and water into strings of coir
pith; cutting the strings of coir pith into coir pith pellets to
a length of V.sub.2 inches and less; drying moisture from the coir
pith pellets; and packaging the dried coir pith pellets for shipment
to a customer.
2. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
1 wherein the step of compressing the mixture of powdered coir pith
includes compressing the mixture through a cylindrical die having
a plurality of 1/8.sup.th inch diameter holes therein, the cylindrical
die with holes creating elongated spaghetti like strings of coir
pith.
3. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
2 wherein the plurality of holes in the cylindrical die have a 1/8
inch diameter for creating the strings of coir pith.
4. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
1 wherein the step of cutting the strings of coir pith into pellets
includes cutting the strings using a saw.
5. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
1 wherein the step of drying the coir pith pellets includes drying
the coir pith pellets in an oven.
6. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
5 wherein the step of drying the coir pith pellets in the oven includes
hardening the pellets in the oven and then cooling the pellets prior
to the step of packaging.
7. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
1 wherein dried and hardened pellets are packaged in plastic and
paper bags for shipment to customer.
8. A method of making coconut coir pith pellets for cat litter
from the steps comprising: crushing coconut husks and removing residual
powdered coir pith; screening the residual powdered coir pith and
removing foreign particles and coconut fibers; mixing the powdered
coir pith with water; compressing the mixture of powdered coir pith
and water into strings of coir pith; cutting the strings of coir
pith into coir pith cubes; drying moisture from the coir pith cubes;
and packaging the dried coir pith cubes for shipment to a customer.
9. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
8 wherein the step of compressing the mixture of powdered coir pith
includes compressing the mixture through a square die having a plurality
of square holes therein, the square die with holes creating elongated
spaghetti like strings of coir pith.
10. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
9 wherein sides of the plurality of square holes in the square die
are 1/8 inch for creating square strings of coir pith.
11. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
8 wherein the step of cutting the strings of coir pith into cubes
includes cutting the strings using a saw.
12. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
8 wherein the step of drying the coir pith cubes includes drying
the coir pith cubes in an oven.
13. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
12 wherein the step of drying the coir pith cubes in the oven includes
hardening the cubes in the oven and then cooling the cubes prior
to the step of packaging.
14. The method of making coir pith pellets as described in claim
8 wherein dried and hardened cubes are packaged in plastic and paper
bags for shipment to customer.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention This invention relates to the coir pith
cat litter and more particularly, but not by way of limitation,
to a method of making powder, granules and pellets of coconut coir
pith cat litter from residual powder created from crushing coconut
husks.
(b) Discussion of Prior Art
Heretofore, long fibers from crushed coconut shells have been a
residual byproduct for making fiber ropes, mats, mattresses, brushes,
filters and other products. Also, coconut coir pith is used for
absorbing oil spills on land and water. Further, coir pith is used
as an absorbent for holding moisture in soils used in landscaping
and gardens.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5860391 to Maxwell et al., various types of
absorbent materials are disclosed and used in conjunction with activated
carbon. One of these types of absorbent materials uses reactivated
coconut carbon. The coconut carbon provides an odor absorbing material.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5819688 to Walker, an odor adsorbing and liquid
absorbing mat is described. The mat is used with pets. The mat can
be made of different types of fibers including the use of fiber
from coconut shells. In U.S. Pat. No. 6189260 to Kusey et al.,
coconut coir pith is disclosed for mixing with peat moss. The mixture
is used for retaining moisture in soil during plant growth. In U.S.
Pat. No. 5458662 to Toyone, a process is disclosed for compressing
raw coconut outer husks. The compressed coconut husks are used as
a planting material in flowerpots. In U.S. Pat. No. 3703464 to
Ferm, the use of coconut husks to treat oil spills is described.
None of the above mentioned prior art patents specifically disclose
the unique features, structure and method of making coconut coir
pith cat litter from powder created from crushed coconut shells.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is a primary objective of the subject
invention to provide a method of making powder, granules and pellets
of coconut coir pith cat litter, which is nontoxic, lightweight
and creates very little dust when compared to other cat litter products.
Also, the new cat litter is more effective when compared to other
cat litter products, such as clay granules.
A key object of the new coconut coir pith cat litter product is
by the nature of the coir pith pore structure, the cat litter absorbs
all of the cat urine and doesn't release any of the typical cat
urine smell to the atmosphere. Therefore, the new cat litter prevents
an unpleasant smell inside a home or office where a cat or cats
reside.
Another object of the coir pith cat litter is it quickly absorbs
urine and other moisture preventing evaporation into the surrounding
atmosphere. The cat litter is packaged as a powder, granules and
pellets for giving a customer a choice in application.
In a method of making coconut coir pith cat litter pellets from
powdered coir pith, the first step includes crushing coconut husks
and mixing the residual powdered coconut coir pith with water. The
coir pith and water mixture is then compressed through a cylindrical
or square die having a plurality of 1/8.sup.th inch diameter round
or square holes therein. The die with round or square holes creates
elongated spaghetti like strings of coir pith. The strings of coir
pith are then cut to a length of 1/2 inches or less for creating
pellets or cubes. The coir pith pellets or cubes are then conveyed
through an oven for removing moisture and hardening them. The harden
pellets or cubes are then cooled and packaged in plastic or paper
bags for shipment to wholesale and retail customers.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent
to those familiar with various types of cat litter and methods of
making cat litter when reviewing the following detailed description,
showing novel construction, combination, and method steps as herein
described, and more particularly defined by the claims, it being
understood that changes in the embodiments disclosed invention are
meant to be included as coming within the scope of the claims, except
insofar as they may be precluded by the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings illustrate complete preferred embodiments
in the present invention according to the best modes presently devised
for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in
which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of powdered coconut coir
pith being poured into a mixing bowl or tank and mixed with water
from a water tap. The coir pith and water mixture are compressed
through a cylindrical or square die with 1/8.sup.th inch round or
square die holes. The die is shown creating spaghetti like strings
of coconut coir pith received on a conveyor belt.
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the strings of coir pith
being cut by a slow moving saw into pellet lengths of less than
1/2 inch. Also, the saw can be used for cutting the strings of coir
pith into cubes. The dried pellets or cubes are conveyed through
an oven for removing moisture and hardening the pellets or cubes.
In this drawing, pellets are shown being dropped from the end of
the conveyor belt into a package for shipment to wholesale and retail
customers.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a pair of rollers compressing
powdered coconut coir pith into coir pith sheets. The sheets are
conveyed on a conveyor belt through an oven to remove any moisture
in the sheets. The dried sheets are then transported through a pair
of crushers, which crush the coir pair sheets into granules of 1/8.sup.th
inch and less.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1 a method of making pellets of coconut coir pith cat
litter is illustrated. In this drawing, a perspective view of powdered
coconut coir pith 10 is shown being poured from a container 12 into
a mixing bowl 14 and mixed with water 16 from a water tap 18. The
coir pith and water mixture are discharged into the top of a cylindrical
die 20 with 1/8.sup.th inch round diameter die holes 22. Using a
piston 24 mounted in one end of the cylindrical die 20 the mixture
is pushed through the die holes 22 creating spaghetti like strings
26 of coconut coir pith, which is received on one end of a first
conveyor belt 28. The die 20 can also be a square die with square
holes 22 for creating coir pith cubes.
In FIG. 2 a perspective view of the strings 26 of coir pith are
shown being cut by a slow moving saw 30. The saw 30 cuts the strings
26 into pellets 32 having lengths of 1/2 inch and less. While not
shown in the drawings, square strings 26 of coir pith from a square
die can be cut using the saw for creating coir pit cubes. The pellets
32 or cubes are now conveyed through a first oven 34 for removing
moisture and hardening. The pellets or cubes are then transported
to the end of the first conveyor belt 28 and dropped into a package
36 transported on a second conveyor belt 38. The second conveyor
belt 38 is shown transporting a plurality of packages 36 for receipt
on a wooden pallet 40. The wooden pallet 40 is used for shipment
of the packages 36 of the coconut coir pith pellets 34 or cubes
to wholesale and retail customers.
In FIG. 3 a method of making granules of coconut coir pith cat
litter is illustrated. In this drawing, a perspective view of a
third conveyor belt 42 is shown for receiving powdered coir pith
10 from the container 12 and transporting the coir pith 10 into
a pair of rollers 46. The rollers 46 are used to compress the powdered
coconut coir pith 10 into coir pith sheets 48. The sheets 48 are
then conveyed on a fourth conveyor belt 50 through a second oven
52 to remove any moisture and hardened the sheets. The coir pith
sheets 48 are now transported to the end of the fourth conveyor
belt 50 and feed into a pair of crushers 54. The crushers 54 crush
the coir pair sheets 48 into granules 56 of 1/8.sup.th inch and
less. The granules 56 are now dropped into a package 36 received
on the second conveyor belt 38. The package 36 is conveyed to the
end of the conveyor belt 38 where it is discharged onto a wooden
pallet 40 similar to the pellet packages 36 on the pallet 40 shown
in FIG. 2.
In a third method of making coconut coir pith cat letter, the coir
pith powder 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by crushing the
coconut husks 44 and removing the residual powdered coir pith. The
coir pith powder 10 is then screened to removing any foreign particles
and coconut fibers. The powder 10 is then dried in an oven similar
to the ovens shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. After the powder is dried,
it then placed in the package 36 for shipment.
While the invention has been particularly shown, described and
illustrated in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments
and modifications thereof, it should be understood by those skilled
in the art that equivalent changes in form and detail may be made
therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the
invention as claimed except as precluded by the prior art. |