# US 11,304,400 B2 · Two story foldable animal litter containing apparatus

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- Number: US 11,304,400 B2
- Document ID: US11304400B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/839,375
- Filed: 2020-04-03
- Published: 2020-10-08
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-05
- Assignees: Vermont Juvenile Furniture Mfg., Inc.
- Applicants: Vermont Juvenile Furniture, Mfg., Inc.
- Inventors: Todd Jakubowski; Chris Jakubowski; Kristen Jakubowski
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11304400B2

## CPC

- A01K 1/0125: {Foldable or collapsible litter boxes}
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS

## Abstract

A Cat Litter Box System with a litter box or other indoor cat bathroom media and a collapsible, two level animal litter containing apparatus having a ground level with an enclosed bathroom area compartment and a second level with an entrance and exit compartment that is easy for a cat or other pet to access is provided. Preferably a recloseable side opening is provided on the ground level of the containing apparatus for ease of cleaning.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A collapsible, two level animal litter containing apparatus, comprising:
a foldable cover having a first cover side, a second cover side, a third cover side, a fourth cover side, a cover top, and an open bottom, with an entrance defined in one of the cover sides;
a foldable frame assembly that supports the foldable cover, the foldable frame assembly is movable from a collapsed position to a use position and includes:
a top frame having first and second sets of opposing parallel sides that are adapted to be in a horizontal plane in the use position;
first and second side frames, attached to the top frame for pivoting movement about axes parallel to the first set of parallel sides of the top frame, the first and second side frames each including parallel sides, adapted to be vertical in the use position, and a bottom;
cross member sections pivotally connected to each of the parallel sides of the first and second side frames at a medial location, the cross member sections being pivotable from a position adjacent to a respective one of the parallel sides of the first and second side frames in the collapsed position toward an opposite one of the first and second side frames to a horizontal orientation in the use position with free ends of opposing ones of the cross member sections being connected to one another to form medial cross members that extend between the first and second side frames in the use position;
bottom member sections pivotally connected to each of the parallel sides of the first and second side frames at a bottom location, the bottom member sections being pivotable from a position adjacent to a respective one of the parallel sides of the first and second side frames in the collapsed position toward an opposite one of the first and second side frames to a horizontal orientation in the use position, with free ends of opposing ones of the bottom member sections being connected to one another to form bottom cross members that extend between the first and second side frames in the use position to form a bottom of the foldable frame assembly;
a medial divider connected to the medial cross members, the medial divider extends horizontally in the use position;
the foldable frame assembly supports the foldable cover;
the medial divider defines upper and lower compartments within the foldable cover in the use position and an internal pet opening between the two internal compartments; and
the entrance is defined in the one of the cover sides into the upper compartment.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medial divider is removably attached to at least one of the at least two medial cross members.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second side frames are wire frames and at least one of the first or second side frames includes an intermediate frame member arranged at a level of the medial cross members, and the medial divider is attached to the intermediate frame member in the use position.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the medial divider is attached to the medial cross members using at least one of sleeves that slide over the medial cross members or a hook and loop textile fastener flaps that engage over the medial cross members, and is attached to the intermediate frame member using a hook and loop textile fastener flap.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medial divider extends partially across a distance between the first and second side frames in the use position to define the internal pet opening.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the internal pet opening is opposite to the entrance in the foldable cover.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medial divider is formed of a mesh material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A cat litter box system comprising the apparatus of claim 1 and a litter box located in the lower compartment.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a zippered panel located in at least one of the first cover side, the second cover side, the third cover side, or the fourth cover side.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foldable cover is attachable to the foldable frame assembly.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foldable cover has a mesh portion.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The collapsible, two level animal litter containing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collapsible, two level animal litter containing apparatus is foldable with the free ends of the cross member sections being unconnected and the free ends of the bottom member sections being disconnected with the foldable cover attached to the foldable frame.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

A method of assembling the collapsible, two level animal litter containing apparatus of claim 1, the method comprising:
pivoting the first and second side frames from a position adjacent to the top frame to a position normal to the top frame by pivoting the first and second side frames about the axes parallel to the first set of parallel sides of the top frame;
pivoting the cross member sections attached to the first and second side frames toward one another and connecting the free ends of the opposing ones of the cross member sections to one another to form the medial cross members that extend between the first and second side frames;
attaching the medial divider to the medial cross members;
pivoting the bottom member sections attached to the first and second side frames toward one another and connecting the free ends of the opposing ones of the bottom member sections to one another to form the bottom cross members that extend between the first and second side frames.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising installing the foldable cover on the frame assembly.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the medial divider includes sleeves on opposite sides, and the method further includes sliding the sleeves onto the cross members sections that are attached to the first side frame prior to connecting the free ends of the opposing ones of the cross member sections to the cross members sections that are attached to the first side frame.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein a hook-and-loop textile fastener flap is provided on the medial divider on a side that extends between the sleeves, and the first side frame includes an intermediate frame member arranged at a level of the medial cross members in the use position, and the method further comprises attaching the medial divider to the intermediate frame member using the hook-and-loop textile fastener flap.