Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present is concerned with an improvement to the in-
vention disclosed and claimed in Canadian patent application
No. 479,602 filed on April 19, 1985 in the name of the same in-
ventor.
More particularly, the present invention related to
an improved litter for cats or the like small domestic animals,
such as guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, small dogs or any other
small animal of the same type.
In the present specification as well as in the appen-
ded claims, what is to be understood by the term "litter" is
the box or the container which is usually used by owners of small
domestic animals to allow them to satisfy their natural needs.
As everyone knows, it is necessary, for the sake of
elementary sanitation, to regularly change and clean litters
used for cats or other domestic animals, in which litters are,
in the very large majority of cases, constituted by a simple
rigid container into which the owner of the animal pours a layer
of sand, of sawdust, of wood chips or granules of absorbing ma-
terials usually sold in bags of ten pounds or more in most shop-
ping centers with or without perfume or other deodorizing agents.
The work of cleaning the litter implies not only throwing awaythe soiled absorbed material but also scouring and cleaning the
container before depositing a new clean layer of absorbent mate-
rial. This is not a very interesting nor hygienic work for the
person having to do it.
An object of the present invention is to provide an
improved litter for cats or other domestic animals which makes
it possible to avoid the unpleasant cleaning work mentioned abo-
ve which must be done regularly in the case of litters of the
conventional type.
More specifically, the object of the present invention
is an improved litter for cats or other animals which, by its
construction, forms an assembly that the owner of the cat or
domestic animal may throw away in the refuse container and imme-
diately replace it by a new litter of the same type without having
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to do any cleaning work.
The improved, disposable litter for cats or other do-
mestic animals, according to the invention as claimed hereinafter
basically comprises:
- a generally rectangular, open-top shallow container
made of a low cost material selected from the group consisting
of semi rigid plastic materials and cardboards of medium thickness
waterproofed on at least one face thereof, said container com-
prising a flat bottom surrounded by lateral walls provided with
a plurality of folds and ribs to ensure adequate stiffness, said
lateral walls forming, all around said flat bottom, a slight
rabbet defining an annular shoulder of small height, said shoulder
having an upper surface extending over all of the periphery of
said flat bottom;
- a layer of absorbent material disposed at the bottom
of the container up to essentially the height of the shoulder,
said absorbent material being selected from the group consisting
of sawdust, woodchips, paper pellets, sand, cork granules and
other similar material; and
- a membrance of paper or plastic material secured
directly onto the upper surface of the annular shoulder of the
container all around the same, for holding the layer of absorbent
material in position at the bottom of said container as long
as desired, said membrane, once removed, giving access to said
layer of absorbent material and transforming said layer of absor-
bent material and said container into which it is disposed, intoa litter that may be discarded once the layer of absorbent mate-
rial is soiIed.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention,
the container is made of semi-rigid plastic material and the
membrane is heat sealed onto the upper surface of the annular
shoulder of the container.
According to another preferred embodiment of the inven-
tion, the litter is provided with a handle to facilitate grasping
it and transporting it. This handle may form integral part of
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the container or it may be associated with a cover to serve as
a grippiny means as well as to facilitate removal of the cover
whenever desired.
The litter according to the invention may have, of
course, any form or dimension determined by the needs or taste
of owners of cats or the like small animals. The littèr for cats
according to the invention may thus be of different sizes and
shapes according to the size of the domestic animal for which
it is intended. The litter according to the invention may also
be conceived in such a manner as to adapt itself to other boxes,
kennels, or the bottom of cages, namely bird cages.
- Advantageously, the shape and size of the litters ac-
cording to the invention can be conceived in such a manner as
to allow nesting of containers one into the other to facilitate
their storage in a restricted space on distributors shelves.
The litter according to the invention may also be presented in
groups of two or more boxes, having respect to their dimension
and needs.
Besides, the cover, if there is one, may be moulded
in such a way as to provide one or more disposable feeding-troughs,
usable by the buyers of the litter for feeding or watering their
domestic animals.
The invention will be better understood from the non-
limitative description that follows of a preferred embodiment
thereof, having reference to the appended drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a litter for cats
or other domestic animals, as disclosed and claimed in copending
Canadian patent application No. 479,602, whose membrane is cons-
tituted by the cover shown in raised position;
Figure 2 is a cxoss-sectional view of one end of the
litter illustrated in Figure 1, where the handle is located,
and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a litter for cats
or other domestic animals made according to the invention as
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claimed hereinafter, which litter is shown with a membrane and
a cover moulded in such a way as to provide two feeding troughs.
The litter for cats and other domestic animals illus-
trated in Figures 1 and 2 of the appended drawings is identical
to the one disclosed and claimed in Canadian patent application
No. 479,602. This litter comprises a shallow container 3, having
a small height provided with a flat bottom and having an open
top. By "flat" bottom is not to be understood a bottom of which
the surface is entirely level but rather a bottom which, generally,
may be disposed and stably rest upon the ground.
As shown, the container 3 may have a generally rectan-
gular shape with rounded edges and be made of semi rigid plastic
material of the PVC type, although this container may likewise
be made out of cardboard or any low-cost similar material. In
order to provide the container 3 with sufficient stiffness, bosses
5 may be provided at the bottom. Likewise, reinforcing ribs 7
may be provided along the lateral walls. Finally, in order to
reinforce the upper periphery of the walls, a fold 9 terminating
into a peripheral moulding 11 may be provided. Of course, the
bosses 5, the ribs 7 and the folds 9 of which the use is merely
to give the container an adequate stiffness for a minimum of
plastic material used, may vary in accordance with the needs
or specification of the mould manufacture for the plastic used
in the making of the containers 3 or else vary according to the
needs or specifications of the merchants responsible for the
marketing of the litter.
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Whatever.be the selection of the material used
for the making of the container, it is necessary that the
latter be either waterproof or be made waterproof on the
inside to avoid that the urine of the animals for which
the litter is intended, seep through and come to damage
the surface upon which the litter is disposed.
The litter 1 illustrated in the arawings also
comprises a thick layer ~f an absorbent material laid
over the bottom of the container. As indicated at the
preamble to the present specification, this absorbent
material 13 may be of any known type..
The shown litter 1 additionally comprises a
membrane intended to hold the absorbent-material in
position. Presently, this membrane is constituted by
a cover 15 which may, advantageously, be-made of the same
plastic material as the container 3. As illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2,-the cover15.is advantageously dep~d at 17
so as to form a flat central bottom of which the surface
- is essentially identical to the inner surface of the
container close to its upper periphery. Because of this
structure, once the cover is inserted over the container,
it partially nests in the latter and such a nesting pro-
vides,-in turn, a general further reinforcement of the
litter as long as the latter is not opened. Advantageously,
the sunk wall 17 of the cover 15 is selected such as to
reach, once the cover is nested on the container,
essentially the level of the thick layer of absorbent
material in order to firmly hold the latter flat against
the bottom of the container thereby avoiding any movement
or packing of the said absorbent material in case where
~` a void would be left.
In practice, the cover 15 is intended to be
tight sealed over the top of the container to hold the
thick layer of absorbent material as long as desired in
position at the bottom of the container 3. When the
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cover 15 and ~h~ container 3 ar~ mad~ of plastic mat~rial, th~
mounting of the cover 15 in the container 3 may be carri~d out
by heat sealing over all of the periphery 19 of the upper part
of the container. Advantageously, sealing may be carried out
under vacuum to thus ensure a perfect nesting of the cover inthe
container up to the level of the thick layer of absorbent material
13. In practice, the owner of a domestic animal may buy the above-
described litter in sealed condition. Once at home, he will sim-
ply have to pull out the cover 15 and place the container 3 with
its absorbent material 13 in it at the usual corner. Once the
absorbent material has been soiled, all that the owner of the
animal need do is to take the container and throw the whole in
a garbage can without having to be bothered with any cleaning.
Of course, a new litter of the same type must immediately be
installed where the discarded one was located.
In order to facilitate handling and transportation
of the litter when the latter is closed, as well as facilitating
removing or pulling out of the membrane-forming cover 15, a handle
21 may be integrated to one of the ends of the cover 15, as clear-
ly shown in Figures 1 and 2.
The litter 1' for dogs or other domestic animals asshown in Figure 3 of the appended drawings, is a different impro-
ved embodiment of the litter 1 previously described. For that
reason, the same elements illustrated in Figure 3 are identified
by the same reference numerals with an added prime ~ n mark.
As in the case of the litter 1, the litter 1' which
forms the subject matter of the appended claims, comprises a
container 3' provided with a flat bottom and an open top. This
container 3' is advantageously of rectangular form with rounded
angles and is provided with stiffening ribs 7' as well as folds
9' of which the sole use is to ensure an adequate stiffness.
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The walls of the container 3' form, all around
the bottom of the latter, a slight rabbet defining an
annular shoulder 23' of which the use is explained herein-
after.
The litter 1' also comprises a layer of
absorbent material 13' disposed at the bottom of the
container up to essentially the height of the shoulder
23'.
Finally,'the litter 1' comprises a membrane 25'
which may be a simple sheet of oiled paper or a sheet of
plastic material glued or heat sealed immediately on the
surface of the shouIder 23'. The purpose of this membrane
25' is essentially to hold the layer of absorbent
material 13' as long as desired in firm position at the
bottom of the container'3'.
:~ The membrane 25' may be provided with a pull-
tab or any other appropriate means-making it possible
to remove it from the surface of the shoulder 23'. This
membrane 25'' may also be used for labelling the product.
As can easily be gathered, the arrangement of
the absorbent material 13'at the bottom of the container
3' makes it possible for another like container 3' to
nest within the former, this nesting reducing to a minimum
'the volume occupied by litters when the latter are moved
about.
As a promotional feature, a cover 15' may be
provided further to the membrane 25'. This cover 15'
may be heat sealed to the very upper periphery of the
container'3', may be provided with a handle 21' and may
be moulded such as to create one or two disposable
feeding-troughs 27 and 27` that can easily be cut out by
the buyer of the litter to be used for feeding or watering
his domestic animalu
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It is obvious that the invention is not restricted
to the particular embodiment shown in Figure 3, which embodiment
has just been described as wèll with respèct to shape as with
respect to construction. Thus, by way of example, it is possible
to foresee litters of the same type which are round in shape
so as to come to directly nest at the bottom of a bird cage.
It is also possible toforesee a litter of this same type which
would be made of thick cardboard in which case the cover 15 would
be glued rather than hot sealed to the container 3.
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