# US 10,368,527 B2 · Animal litter

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- Number: US 10,368,527 B2
- Document ID: US10368527B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/050,108
- Filed: 2016-02-22
- Published: 2016-06-16
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-09-11
- Assignees: Pioneer Pet Products, LLC
- Applicants: Pioneer Pet Products, LLC
- Inventors: John M. Lipscomb; Scott Repinski
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10368527B2

## CPC

- A01K 1/0155: {comprising organic material}
- A01K 1/0107: {Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets}
- A01K 1/0154: {comprising inorganic material}
- B01J 20/12: Naturally occurring clays or bleaching earth
- B01J 20/24: Naturally occurring macromolecular compounds, e.g. humic acids or their derivatives
- B01J 20/3007: {Moulding, shaping or extruding}
- B01J 20/3042: {Use of binding agents; addition of materials ameliorating the mechanical properties of the produced sorbent}
- B01J 20/3212: {consisting of a polymer obtained by reactions otherwise than involving only carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds}
- B01J 20/3236: {containing metal, other than zeolites, e.g. oxides, hydroxides, sulphides or salts}
- B29B 9/06: in the form of filamentary material, e.g. combined with extrusion
- B29B 9/12: characterised by structure or composition
- B29B 9/16: Auxiliary treatment of granules
- B29C 37/0025: {Applying surface layers, e.g. coatings, decorative layers, printed layers, to articles during shaping, e.g. in-mould printing (moulding on preformed layers as inserts B29C70/68; applying fluent material to surfaces in general B05)}
- B29C 48/0022: {combined with cutting}
- B29C 48/022: {characterised by the choice of material}
- B29C 48/06: Rod-shaped
- A01K 1/0152: {Litter}
- B29B 2009/166: {Deforming granules to give a special form, e.g. spheroidizing, rounding}
- B29K 2001/00: Use of cellulose, modified cellulose or cellulose derivatives, e.g. viscose, as moulding material
- B29K 2003/00: Use of starch or derivatives as moulding material
- B29K 2995/0068: Permeability to liquids; Adsorption
- B29L 2031/769: {Sanitary equipment (diapers B29L2031/4878)}
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B29B: PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES

## Abstract

A litter and litter making method producing cat litter from a carbohydrate starch-containing cereal grain, e.g., corn, based admixture extruded from a single screw or twin screw extruder forming pellets having a clumping agent formed during extrusion composed at least in part of carbohydrate polymer binder. Each pellet is extruded under conditions that cause formation of carbohydrate polymer binder clumping agent at least some of which is water soluble. One preferred method of extruding cat litter causes starch dextrinization to occur such that at least some of the carbohydrate polymer binder clumping agent in each pellet is formed of dextrin. Each pellet can be coated such as with a smectite that preferably is bentonite. During use, pellet extrusion formed clumping agent in a pellet wetted with urine dissolves and flows in between and along adjacent pellets causing them to clump together without the presence of any clumping agent additive.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Animal litter comprised of a plurality of pairs of absorbent litter pellets extruded from a starch-containing mixture with each absorbent litter pellet comprising an exposed porous outer surface, the exposed porous outer surface including a binder formed from starch converted during pellet extrusion, wherein the binder is sufficient to clump absorbent litter pellets together when subsequently wetted after extrusion with water absorbed by the absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, further comprising an outer coating applied to each absorbent litter pellet that is adhered to by binder in the exposed porous outer surface of the absorbent litter pellet after extrusion of the extrusion of the absorbent litter pellet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The animal litter of claim 2, where the outer coating applied to each absorbent litter pellet is comprised of smectite.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, where the outer coating applied to each absorbent litter pellet is comprised of bentonite, a zeolite, bicarbonate, and silica.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, wherein the binder in each absorbent litter pellet is comprised of dextrinized starch.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The animal litter of claim 5, wherein the binder in each absorbent litter pellet is comprised of binder that solubilizes in water.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The animal litter of claim 6, wherein each absorbent litter pellet has at least 5% binder by pellet weight.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The animal litter of claim 7, wherein each absorbent litter pellet has between 5% and 15% binder by pellet weight.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The animal litter of claim 7, wherein the exposed porous outer surface of each absorbent litter pellet included pores formed of the binder.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The animal litter of claim 9, further comprising an outer coating applied to each absorbent litter pellet that is adhered to by binder in the exposed porous outer surface of the absorbent litter pellet after extrusion of the extrusion of the absorbent litter pellet.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, wherein binder between adjacent absorbent litter pellets strengthens the bond therebetween as water evaporates more firmly clumping absorbent litter pellets together producing a clump of the absorbent litter pellets that is removable from unbound absorbent litter pellets in a litter box.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, wherein the binder in each absorbent litter pellet comprises water solubilized binder that flows with water from absorbent litter pellets wetted with water in between adjacent absorbent litter pellets forming a clump of the absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The animal litter of claim 12, wherein the water solubilized binder between adjacent absorbent litter pellets strengthens the bond therebetween as water evaporates more firmly clumping the clump of absorbent litter pellets together enabling the clump of the absorbent litter pellets that can be removed from unbound absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, wherein each absorbent litter pellet is water expulsive evaporating absorbed water.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The animal litter of claim 14, wherein each absorbent litter pellet comprises a biological filter that adsorbs organic material.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, wherein the water absorbed by the absorbent litter pellets comprises urine, and wherein each absorbent litter pellet comprises a water expulsive biological filter that adsorbs urea and evaporates water keeping water away from the adsorbed urea.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, wherein each absorbent litter pellet has an oil absorbency of at least 1.25 grams of oil per gram of the absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The animal litter of claim 1, wherein each absorbent litter pellet has an outer coating comprised of smectite and an oil absorbency of at least 2.0 grams of oil per gram of the coated absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 19

Animal litter comprised of a plurality of pairs of absorbent litter pellets extruded from a starch-containing mixture with each absorbent litter pellet comprising an exposed porous outer surface and a volume defined within the exposed porous outer surface that is substantially devoid of clay, the exposed porous outer surface including a binder formed from starch converted during pellet extrusion, wherein the binder solubilizes in liquid in an amount sufficient to clump absorbent litter pellets together when subsequently wetted after extrusion with urine absorbed by the absorbent litter pellets with each one of the absorbent litter pellets adsorbing urea.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The animal litter of claim 19, wherein each absorbent litter pellet has at least 5% binder by pellet weight.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The animal litter of claim 19, wherein each absorbent litter pellet has an oil absorbency of at least 1.25 grams of oil per gram of the absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The animal litter of claim 19, wherein the binder in each absorbent litter pellet comprises water solubilized binder that flows with water from absorbent litter pellets wetted with urine in between adjacent absorbent litter pellets forming a clump of the absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The animal litter of claim 22, wherein the water solubilized binder between adjacent absorbent litter pellets strengthens the bond therebetween as water evaporates more firmly clumping the clump of absorbent litter pellets together enabling the clump of the absorbent litter pellets that can be removed from unbound absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 24 (depends on 19)

The animal litter of claim 19, further comprising an outer coating applied to each absorbent litter pellet with binder in the exposed porous outer surface of the absorbent litter pellet facilitating adherence of the outer coating thereto after extrusion of the extrusion of the absorbent litter pellet.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The animal litter of claim 24, wherein the outer coating is comprised of powdered bentonite.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The animal litter of claim 25, where the outer coating is further comprised of a zeolite, bicarbonate, and silica.

### Claim 27 (depends on 19)

The animal litter of claim 19, wherein each absorbent litter pellet has an outer coating comprised of bentonite and an oil absorbency of at least 2.0 grams of oil per gram of the coated absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 28

Animal litter comprised of a plurality of pairs of absorbent litter pellets extruded from a starch-containing mixture with each absorbent litter pellet comprising an exposed porous outer surface, the exposed porous outer surface including a binder formed from starch converted during pellet extrusion, the pellets having at least 5% binder by pellet weight that solubilizes in water clumping absorbent litter pellets together when subsequently wetted after extrusion with water with each one of the absorbent litter pellets having an oil absorbency of at least 1.25 grams of oil per gram of the oil absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The animal litter of claim 28, wherein the binder in each absorbent litter pellet comprises water solubilized binder that flows with water from absorbent litter pellets wetted with urine in between adjacent absorbent litter pellets forming a clump of the absorbent litter pellets.

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

The animal litter of claim 28, wherein the water absorbed by the absorbent litter pellets comprises urine, and wherein each absorbent litter pellet comprises a water expulsive biological filter that adsorbs urea and evaporates water keeping water away from the adsorbed urea.

### Claim 31 (depends on 28)

The animal litter of claim 28, further comprising an outer coating applied to the exposed porous outer surface of each absorbent litter pellet that is adhered to by binder from the absorbent litter pellet after extrusion of the extruded litter pellet.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The animal litter of claim 31, wherein the outer coating is comprised of smectite.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The animal litter of claim 32, wherein the outer coating is further comprised of a zeolite, bicarbonate, and silica.

### Claim 34 (depends on 32)

The animal litter of claim 32, wherein each coated absorbent litter pellet has an oil absorbency of at least 2.0 grams of oil per gram of the coated absorbent litter pellets.