Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2069~17
Cat Litter Disposal Svstem
Technical Field
This invention relates to a litter disposal system to provide the cat
owner with an effective and e~ficient way of handling and disposing of cat
S litter without physical contac~ with the litter.
Background Art
There are many containment systems for cat litter which allow for
disposal of cat litter. The ease and convenience of disposal is, however,
minimized when the used material must be further handled during
disposal. Handling of the litter occurs when the litter must be physically
transferred from one container to another for disposal or from the natural
actions of the cat which disperse the litter from its intended place of
containment during use or during the cat's entry or exit to the container.
The physical handling of cat litter is potentially dangerous to the
health of humans and especially pregnant women when the microorganism
Toxoplasmosis Gondii is present in the feces of cats. This protozoan can
be transmitted either through direct or indirect handling of cat feces, and
while hand washing can greatly reduce the risk of infection, it remains
highly contagious. Containers and disposal systems currently available do
not include features which adequately reduce the risk of handling the used
20S~517
highly contagious. Containers and disposal systems currently available do
not include features which adequately reduce the risk of handling the used
litter during the disposal process. Therefore, despite a great need for this
form of container and disposal system heretofore, no container or disposal
system has been available that reduces the risk of handling cat litter that
this invention does.
Summarv of the Invention
It is the object of the invention to provide a litter disposal system
which results in easier, safer and less unpleasant handling of cat litter.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a litter disposal
system comprising both disposable and non-disposable components where
the disposable elements are biodegradable in order to promote more rapid
breakdown of the discarded waste.
It is a further object of the invention to eliminate the risk
associated with physical handling of used cat litter by the cat owner.
It is a further object of the invention to provide leak proof
components.
It is a further object of the invention to reduce the risk of spilling
the used contents of the litter disposal system by both the cat during use
and the owner during disposal.
It is a further object of the invention to require no cleaning of the
litter and the disposable and non-disposable elements of the invention.
20~517
In accordance with the present invention, a litter disposal system is
provided comprising a means of containment of animal litter where said
means has a bottom, sides and an open top, a flexible and removable
means of lining the inside surface of said containment means, said lining
means having an opening large enough to surround said containment
means and having a drawstring around said opening, and a means of
locking said drawstring, said locking means being adapted to selectively
secure said drawstring in a fixed position firmly around the outer surface
of the containment means adjacent the open top thereof, or to release said
0 drawstring to permit removal of said lining means from the containment means.
Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the containment means of the
preferred embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the lining means of the invention.
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of the
containment means with sloping sides of the invention.
Fig. 4 is an isometric view of a wire frame embodiment of the
invention.
Fig. S is an exploded cross-sectional view of the locking device of
the preferred embodiment of the invention.
2069~17
Detailed Description of the Invention
Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of the containment means of the
system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a
side view of the lining means of the invention.
The litter disposal system 10 comprises a containment means 12,
preferably made of durable plastic, with a bottom 14, sides 16 and an open
top 18. An outwardly projecting continuous lip 20 is around the perimeter
of the upper edge 22 of the box sides 16. A lining means 24, preferably
constructed of flexible and biodegradable plastic and having an opening 26
and a drawstring 28 is placed over the containment means 12 such that the
opening 26 and drawstring 28 surround the outer edge of the lip 20 and
are below said lip 20. The -drawstring 28 surrounds the opening 26 at its
edge contained within a hem 30 at the opening 26 projecting through an
opening 32 in the hem 30. A locking means 34 is placed on said drawstring
28, the locking means 34 being such that tightening the drawstring 28
around opening 26 surrounding the outer edge of the lip 20 as described
above, and securing the locking means 34 in place on the drawstring
immediately adjacent the drawstring opening 32 restricts the perimeter
length of the opening 26 below that of the perimeter length of the lip 20
thereby preventing it from rising above the lip 20. The locking means 34 is
preferably constructed of inexpensive plastic material.
In another embodiment (Figure 3), the containment means 12 has
2~9~17
-- 6 --
outwardly projecting sides 16 such that tightening the drawstring 28 as
described above around the sides 16 of the containment means below the
upper edge of the sides 16 and securing the locking means 34 in place on
the drawstring immediately adjacent the drawstring opening 32 restricts the
perimeter length of the opening 26 below that of the perimeter length of
the upper edge of the sides 16, thereby preventing it from rising above the
upper edge of said sides 16.
In still another embodiment, the structural components of the
containment means 12 are constructed of a wire frame (Figure 4)
0 comprising vertical and horizontal supports to define the outer edges of
the containment means 12 in a form as described above, thereby
permitting tightening of the drawstring 28 as described above.
The locking means 34 will be further described below, with
reference to Fig. S which shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the
locking means 34.
The locking means comprises a hollow cup 40 having a pair of
opposed holes 42 in facing relationship to one another formed in the
surrounding sidewall thereof, a bottom 44, and an open top 48, a plunger
member 46 positioned in said cup 40 and sized for relative axial movement
through the open top 48 in close fitting engagement with said cup 40, with
said plunger member 46 having a bore S0 extending transversely
therethrough positioned to move into and out of alignment with said holes
42 in a direction normal to the axis of said cup 40 and plunger member 46
206~17
-- 7 --
as said plunger member is moved axially in said sleeve between a first
position wherein said hole 50 and holes 42 are aligned and a second
position wherein said bore 50 and holes 42 are not aligned, said plunger 46
having an outwardly projecting shoulder 52 located on the first end portion
54 thereof positioned externally of said cup 40 and sized to cover the open
end 48 of said cup 40 and prevent said plunger 46 from entering into said
cup 40 beyond said first position, and a bias means 54 in said cup 40 for
urging said cup 40 and said plunger member 46 into said second position.
Separation of plunger member 46 from said cup 40 is prevented by
lo insertion of the drawstring 28 through said holes 42 and bore 50 when in
said first position.
Normal assembly and operation of the system would proceed
according to the following general guidelines. The cat owner would place
the lining means 24 within the containment means 12 and tighten the
drawstring 28 around the sides 16 or lip 20 of the containment means 12
as described above. The locking means 34 would be secured against the
drawstring 28 also as described. The cat owner would place an
appropriate amount of clean litter within the lining means 24 for use by
the cat. At the time for disposal, the owner would release the locking
means 34, thereby enabling the perimeter length of the opening 26 to
become greater than the perimeter length of the lip 20. The cat owner
would grasp the hemmed region of the lining means 24 and move it
upwards and away from the containment means 12. Grasping the
20~517
-- 8 --
drawstring 28 outside the drawstring opening 32 and lifting upwards causes
the lining means opening 26 to constrict as a greater proportion of the
drawstring 28 is pulled from within the hem 30 of the lining means 24. At
the point of maximum constriction the locking means 34 is secured
s immediately adjacent the drawstring opening 32 to prevent re-opening of
the lining means opening 26. The lining means 24 containing the used
litter and locking means 34 is ready for clean and efficient disposal in
conventional receptacles.
A new lining means 24 and locking means 34 would then be
0 assembled on the containment means 12 to repeat the process.
The above guidelines are intended to provide an indication as to
normal operation of the system and not to limit the scope of the invention.
