Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
`- 2044815
MANUAL COLLECTION APPARATUS
Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention.
This device is intended for, though not
limited to, the collection and subsequent disposal of
small domestic animal solid refuse, and is related to
those devices employing a long handled scoop or
shovel, with or without a fixed or removable
receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art.
A wide variety of methods and devices have
long been employed for the unpleasant task of
collecting and disposing of domestic animal solid
wastes. With more and more communities passing
ordinances and levying fines for failure of pet owners
to adequately collect and dispose of their pet's
excrement, the need for a simple, clean, and efficient
method of compliance is clearly demonstrated.
Current methods in general use involve
collection with paper towels, plastic bags, rubber
gloves, trowels, long handled scoops, shovels, or
almost any combination of the above.- Disadvantages
are present with all of the aforementioned. The
direct (or hands-on) approach brings the pet owner
into tactile and olfactory contact with the offending
matter, a prospect deemed unpleasant by many as
evidenced by the vast number of scoop-type devices
sold in pet stores. These scoops only postpone the
unpleasantness, for the scoop itself comes in contact
with the waste and then requires careful handling and
subsequent cleaning.
An example of a typical prior art solution
to the problem may be found in the refuse retrieval
device of United States patent 4,248,468. While this
device makes the pet waste pick up task more
convenient by enabling it to be performed remotely,
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without stooping, it is still subject to the
disadvantage of the scoops described above, in that it
must be carefully cleaned of the residue of collected
waste before it is stored until further use, or it
will result in the offensive odors and dirt being
brought inside from outdoors. Like all of the other
known prior arrangements, this device does not provide
for collection in a disposable container, which is
really the only completely satisfactory solution to
the problem.
None of the currently available devices or
methods which are known is as satisfactory in use as
the invention disclosed herein. This device fills a
long-felt need, for it eliminates contact with the
waste on the part of both the operator pet owner and
the reusable portion of the collection device, all the
while collecting and packaging the waste in a sealable
container for convenient disposal.
Summary of the Invention
In brief, arrangements in accordance with
the present invention provide for the collection and
packaging for subsequent disposal of solid pet wastes
by way of a remotely and manually operated, reusable
pair of jaws mounted at the end of a shaft. At the
end opposite the jaws are a pair of handles, providing
the means of carrying the device and of operating the
jaws. The jaws are specially shaped to hold and
manipulate a sealable, disposable container formed of
styrofoam or some similar material. The jaws
manipulate the container by means of a protrusion in
the form of a ridge, running along the outer surface
of the inside of each jaw and angled slightly inward
(much like a row of teeth), which fits into a
corresponding recessed groove along the top and bottom
of the container.
The container is similar in construction to
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those widely used in the fast-food hamburger industry.
It can be sealed by employing two "tab into slot"
locking assemblies molded into its sides. Once sealed
as such, the container can be easily removed from the
rest of the device by squeezing the handles together
to open the jaws. With the locking assemblies now
holding the container closed, the motion of opening
the jaws serves to disengage the jaws "teeth" from the
grooves on the container, allowing the container to be
simply dropped into a proper waste receptacle.
Latching the used container and positioning a new
container in the jaws is the closest the user need
come to the waste materials.
Embodiments of the invention permit the user
to open the waste container, thus readying it for
collection, by squeezing the two handles together.
This action depresses a rod located inside the length
of the shaft and connected at the other end to the
hinge mechanism of the jaws. Each jaw is held in
place by one side of a surrounding, fixed, Y-shaped
armature, mounted orthogonally to the jaws hinge, and
a rigid link member pivotably connected between the
end of the armature and the outer side of the jaw.
Pressure on the hinge forces the jaws forward, while
the armature and its attached members combine to
translate the motion to open the jaws. The container
held by the jaws also opens. The operator is now able
to use the open container to collect pet waste.
When pressure on the handle grips is
released, a spring inside the shaft withdraws the rod
and closes the jaws and the container until needed
again. The collected waste is held securely and
safely inside the container. The pet owner has to
only secure the locking assemblies on either side of
the container, open the jaws, and drop it in a
convenient waste receptacle.
Ease of installation and ejection of the
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disposable container in the implement of the present
invention is facilitated by a particular structural
configuration of the preferred embodiment of the
container disclosed herein. The rearward face of the
recess or pocket of the container which is formed to
receive the protrusion extending from each jaw of the
implement is relieved slightly at points cross the
surface, leaving a thin, irregular zig-zag or
"washboard" appearance. Since the container is
fabricated of foamed polyurethane or similar crushable
material, installing a fresh container in the jaws of
the collection implement results in a slight crushing
of the outer portions of the relieved surface of the
pockets. Very little force is required to produce
this deformation, which advantageously compensates for
manufacturing tolerances of the dimensions of the
mating portions of the container and the jaws of the
implement. The result is a snug fit of the container
into the jaws with very easy release thereof when the
container is closed for ejection from the implement.
Brief Description of the Drawing
A better understanding of the present
invention may be realized from a consideration of the
following detailed description, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view, partially
broken away, of one particular arrangement in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view, partially
broken away, of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the
collector portion in the closed and, in phantom, the
open positions;
FIG. 3 is a top view, partially broken away,
of the jaw assembly of the apparatus of FIG. l;
FIG. 4 is a view depicting disposition of a
filled container by ejection from the apparatus of
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FIG. l;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of one particular
arrangement of a disposable container for use with the
arrangement of FIG. l;
FIG. 6 is a side view, seen in cross-
section, of the container of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a partial view showing one closure
of the container of FIGS. 5 and 6;
FIG. 8 is a partial view showing an
alternative closure for the container of FIGS. 7 and
8;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an
alternative arrangement of the disposable container
for use with the implement of FIG l;
FIG. 10 is a view of a portion of the
container of FIG. 9, showing the arrangement prior to
installation in the implement of FIG. l; and
FIG. 11 is a view similar to that of FIG. 10
showing the same portion of the container after it has
once been installed in the implement of FIG. 1.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments
In FIGS. 1 and 2, an implement 10 embodying
the present invention is shown, comprising a pair of
handles 12, one of which is attached to a plunger rod
14 running down the center of the main shaft 16.
Contained inside the shaft 16 is a spring assembly 17
comprised of a spring 18 and a pair of spring stops 20
and 21, designed to return the handles 12 to the
position shown in FIG. 1. The spring stop 20 is
attached to the main shaft 16, while spring stop 21 is
affixed to the plunger rod 14. An end cap 22 limits
the return travel of the plunger rod.
At the opposite end of the rod 14 is
attached a hinge 23 for a pair of jaws 24. A rigid,
Y-shaped armature 26 and rigid bifurcated link members
28 support and align the jaws. The link members 28
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are pivotably mounted at both ends, where attached to
the end of the fixed armature 26 and where attached to
the outside of the jaws 24. Each jaw 24 has an
outwardly protruding element for connecting to an
associated link member 28. Each jaw 24 has along its
outer edge a ridge 32 angled inward to hold a
disposable container 40 in place for manipulation.
The size and angle of the ridges 32 have been
exaggerated for detail.
FIG. 2 shows the operative elements of the
implement 10 with the disposable container 40 in place
in both the closed position (solid outline) and open
position (broken line outline). The armature 26 and
link members 28 have been omitted for clarity. The
container 40 has, molded into its top and bottom
surfaces, grooves 42 corresponding in shape to the
angled ridges 32 on the inner faces of the jaws 24.
These ridges 32 and grooves 42 interlock to allow the
jaws 24 a grip sufficiently tenacious to open and
close the container 40 easily while still permitting
the release of the container from the jaws under
appropriate circumstances.
FIG. 3 shows one possible configuration of
the implement 10 for the attachment of the armature
26, link member 28, and jaw 24. It also shows, in
breakaway, a possible positioning of the location of
the angled ridge 32 inside the jaws 24. Ridges 25 are
molded along the outer surface of the jaws 24 for
reinforcement.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the
disposition of a container after it has been used in
the implement 10 for picking up various residues.
Following the collection mode, the edges of the
container 40 are secured together in a manner which
will be described hereinafter. The combination of
implement 10 and container 40 is then strategically
positioned over a garbage can and/or some other waste
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receptacle, here designated by the reference numeral
60 with the lid 62 open, and the handles 12 are
squeezed together. This extends the internal shaft 14
and attached hinge member 23. The interconnection of
the fixed armature 26, link members 28 and jaws 24
forces the jaws to their open position. Since the
container 40 is sealed closed, the ridges 32 withdraw
from the grooves in the container 40, and the
container is released to drop in the trash container
60. Thus, the generally disagreeable task of
collecting animal residues and disposing of them
properly is rendered less unpleasant by the use of
arrangements in accordance with the use of the present
invention. There is now no need to touch any residue
being collected, and the collection container can also
be disposed of in a neat and sanitary manner without
any handling of the collected residues. The entire
process from pick up to disposal is conducted at arms'
length distance.
FIG. 5 shows a possible configuration for
the construction of the disposable container 40. Tabs
44 and corresponding slots 46 have been designed into
the molded lips 48 constituting the boundary of the
container halves, permitting the container 40 to be
latched closed after use. In a preferred embodiment,
the container 40 is molded of a foamed polyurethane
which renders the container cheap to manufacture,
lightweight, and stackable to facilitate shipping and
storage in bulk, and sufficiently rigid for the
purpose here intended. Such a container very closely
resembles the containers used for packaging hamburgers
and other sandwiches in the fast food industry. Also
shown is a possible location of the grooves 42 in the
surfaces of the container 40.
FIG. 6 shows, in cross section, one possible
configuration of the grooves 42 in the surfaces of the
container 40. The shape of these grooves 42 is
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designed to correspond in mating relationship with the
shape of the ridges 32 on the inside of the jaws 24
(FIGS. 1 and 2). The size and angle of these grooves
42 has been exaggerated for detail.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate particular details
of two alternative arrangements for sealing the
container 40 when it is ready for disposal. The
arrangement depicted in FIG. 7 corresponds to the
container shown in FIG. 5, wherein the two halves of
the container 40 are latched together by inserting the
tongue 44 through the slit 46 in the edge 48. FIG. 5
shows a pair of these latching arrangements on
opposite sides of the container 40; if need be for
added security, additional pairs of interlocking
members may be provided about the periphery of the two
halves of the container 40.
FIG. 8 shows a container 40A having boundary
edges 40A arranged to be sealed together by adhesive.
An adhesive layer 50 is affixed along the lower
boundary edge 48A covered with a release liner in the
form of a protective strip or tape 52. This release
tape 52 is removed by peeling away from the adhesive
layer 50 when the container is ready to be sealed
closed in preparation for disposal. The adhesive
layer 50 then adheres to both the edges 48A and
secures them together. The adhesive layer 50 and
release liner 52 may be positioned substantially about
the periphery of the container 40 or, if desired, it
may be positioned as a series of individual strips,
approximately one to two inches in length, spaced
about the periphery of the container.
The alternative embodiment of a container 60
which is depicted in FIGS. 9-11 presents a particular
structural feature which improves the operation of the
device and the facility with which the disposable
container may be installed and ejected. Like the
container depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, container 60 is
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formed with pockets 62 for receiving the projecting
ridges 32 on the inner sides of the jaws 24 (FIGS. 1
and 2). Each pocket 62 has a region 64 (best seen in
FIG. 10) along its rearward face 66 which is relieved
at intervals 68 to form a series of corrugations 70
(the rearward face of the pocket 62 is that which is
nearest the hinge 23 of the jaws 24).
For the combination of the present invention
to perform effectively, a close fit is required
between that portion of each half of the container
extending between a pocket 42 or 62 and the container
hinge and the mating portion of the jaws 24 extending
between a ridge 32 and the jaw hinge 23. The fit must
be tight enough that the container halves are held by
the jaws to open and close therewith but not so tight
that the container does not release readily when its
edges have been latched together in preparation for
ejection and disposal. It has been found that the
necessary tolerance limits required for the variations
in dimensions of the implement jaws and the container,
both of which are manufactured in different factories
by different vendors, are rather extreme and sometimes
result in an interference fit between the mounting
ridges of the jaws and the pockets of the disposable
containers. This makes it difficult both to install
the container in the implement and to eject the
container from the implement after it has been filled
with picked-up wastes.
The container 60 of FIGS. 9-11 alleviates
these problems by the inclusion of the corrugations 70
along the rearward face of the pockets 62. FIG. 11
shows how the corrugations 70 between the relieved
sections 67 are deformed from the container 60 having
been installed in an implement in which the dimension
between the mounting ridge and the jaw hinge is
slightly less than the corresponding dimension of the
container 60 as fabricated. The corrugations of the
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foamed plastic material are crushed and deformed to
the extent necessary to permit the container 60 to be
installed. The result is a sufficiently tight fit to
maintain the container operable between opened and
closed positions as the jaws are opened and closed,
while still enabling the container when latched closed
to be ejected readily from the implement.
The container 60 is provided with opposed
latching tongues 76 and ears 80 with slits 82. When
ready for disposal, the closed container is merely
squeezed inwardly on the sides bearing the tongues 76
until they clear the ears 80 so that upon release they
enter the slits 82, thus latching the container
closed. Actuating the implement 10 to open the jaws
24 then releases the latched container in the manner
illustrated in FIG. 4.
Although there have been described
hereinabove specific arrangements of a manual
collection apparatus in accordance with the invention
for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which
the invention may be used, it will be appreciated that
the invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly,
any and all modifications, variations or equivalent
arrangements which may occur to those skilled in the
art should be considered within the scope of the
invention as defined in the appended claims.
