# US 10,117,960 B2 · Air treating apparatus for pet sanitary station and methods of mounting and dosing said apparatus

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- Number: US 10,117,960 B2
- Document ID: US10117960B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/330,416
- Filed: 2016-09-19
- Published: 2018-03-22
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-09-19
- Applicants: Wallace Noonan
- Inventors: Wallace Noonan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10117960B2

## CPC

- A61L 9/12: Apparatus, e.g. holders, therefor
- A01K 1/0107: {Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets}
- A61L 9/014: containing sorbent material, e.g. activated carbon
- A61L 2209/133: Replaceable cartridges, refills
- A61L 2209/15: Supporting means, e.g. stands, hooks, holes for hanging
- A61L 2209/21: Use of chemical compounds for treating air or the like
- A61L: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES (preservation of bodies or disinfecting characterised by the agents employed A01N; preserving, e.g. sterilising, food or foodstuffs A23; preparations for medical, dental or toiletry purposes A61K)
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS

## Abstract

An air treating apparatus for a pet sanitary station, preferably an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box, and methods of liquid dosing and mounting said apparatus to an upper wall member integral or attached to the top of a vertical wall of the cat litter box. The apparatus comprises a moisture resistant, preferably paperboard blank folded approximately in-half forming a matchbook like folded apparatus having a top cover, bottom cover, opposing open sides, a convertible open and closing means, absorbent material attached to the bottom cover inside surface, three embodiments for liquid dosing the absorbent material whose fragrance or aroma permeates out said apparatus to treat the air above the cat litter and four embodiments for mounting said apparatus to the upper wall member. The invention includes methods to introduce the pet to a new fragrance, extend the useful life of used cat litter, mount, liquid dose the absorbent material, and open and close the apparatus.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box comprising:
(a) a one-piece, predetermined sized, flat blank of foldable, material;
(b) said blank having a transverse fold-line across the approximate center of the blank, whereby said blank is folded approximately in-half along said fold-line into a matchbook like folded apparatus with a folded end and an open end;
(c) said matchbook like folded apparatus having a top horizontal cover and a bottom horizontal cover with the closed end at the folded end and the open end at an opposite end;
(d) said matchbook like folded apparatus having a predetermined sized absorbent material secured to a predetermined section of an inside surface of the horizontal bottom cover;
(e) said absorbent material is capable of holding liquid doses;
(f) said matchbook like folded apparatus is mounted tangent to the top of a horizontal or approximately horizontal upper wall member that is integral or attached to the top of a vertical wall of the open, non-enclosed cat litter box;
(g) said matchbook like folded apparatus mounted parallel and tangent to the top of the horizontal or approximately horizontal upper wall member comprises a convertible opening and dosing means having an interlocking securing slot in said top cover adapted to interlock with interlocking securing tabs in the bottom cover to both open and close said apparatus at the open end of the apparatus, whereby the apparatus when unlocked and opened allows the absorbent material to be dosed with a liquid product and when closed prevents a pet from coming in contact with the absorbent material;
(h) said matchbook like folded and closed apparatus mounted parallel and tangent to the top of the upper wall member comprises opposing open sides, whereby room air passing through the open sides transports an evaporating fragrance or aroma from the liquid dosed absorbent material out over the cat litter to treat the air above the cat litter.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein the matchbook like folded and closed apparatus is mounted to the top of the upper wall member by an adhering adhesive attached to a predetermined underside surface of said bottom cover.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein the matchbook like folded and closed apparatus is mounted to the top of the upper wall member by an adhering adhesive attached to a predetermined section of the upper wall member surface that is tangent to a predetermined section of an underside surface of the apparatus bottom cover.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein the matchbook like folded and closed apparatus is mounted to the top of the upper wall member by a hook-and-loop male/female fastening tape attached to a predetermined section of the upper wall member surface and adapted to interlock with an opposing hook-and-loop male/female fastening tape attached to an underside surface of the apparatus bottom cover.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein said matchbook like folded apparatus is mounted to the top of the upper wall member by one or more predetermined sized interlocking securing slot devices in a predetermined section of the bottom cover adapted to interlock with one or more integral predetermined sized interlocking securing tab device of the upper wall member when said matchbook like folded apparatus is open.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 5, wherein, when open, said matchbook like folded apparatus comprises predetermined sized interlocking securing slot devices, wherein the slots further comprise predetermined sized shapes configured to enable two fingers to grasp the interlocking securing tab devices at the interlocking securing shaped slot devices to aid in the insertion of the interlocking securing tab devices within an inside surface of the open apparatus bottom cover.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein a predetermined section of said horizontal top cover comprises a predetermined sized removable section of the top cover, whereby when said matchbook like folded apparatus is closed the removed section allows an access opening in the top cover to dose the absorbent material with a liquid without having to open the matchbook like folded apparatus.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein a predetermined section of said horizontal top cover comprises a predetermined sized opening installed during manufacture, whereby when said matchbook like folded apparatus is closed the opening allows access to dose the absorbent material with a liquid without having to open the matchbook like folded apparatus.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, further comprising one or more horizontal bottom cover members having an extended length and height and connected along longitudinal fold-line creases to said horizontal bottom cover, whereby when said bottom cover members are folded approximately vertically to said horizontal bottom cover along said fold-line crease, the folded vertical bottom cover members act as a barrier wall bordering the absorbent material to contain doses of the liquid product within the absorbent material.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein said horizontal or approximately horizontal upper wall member includes a plurality of upper wall members that extend inwardly for an extended length over the open, non-enclosed cat litter box.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein when said matchbook-like folded apparatus is closed it is less than one inch high, whereby the closed apparatus does not interfere with the pet's entering or exiting the cat litter box.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The air treating apparatus for an open, non-enclosed disposable cat litter box of claim 1, wherein the matchbook-like folded apparatus comprises a paperboard material and a moisture resistant surface tangent to the absorbent material.