US 12,538,895 B2Granted

Apparatus and method for maintaining pet waste

OwnerChristopher Romanoinventor

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus and method for maintaining pet waste in a fully-encapsulated environment whereby waste may be removed and litter may be added/replaced in a substantially sealed, dust-free, and clean manner. In one aspect, the pet waste management system comprises a sealed means by which litter may added and/or removed and/or exchange with fresh litter without the substantial release of contaminated dust and materials from the litter system. The invention also provides a vessel or container for receiving spent litter and/or for housing fresh litter where said vessel or container comprises a connection means for sealably connecting the vessel or container to an enclosed pet management system so that litter may be added and/or exchanged therewith. Further, the invention provides a continuous bagging dispenser fitted to a pet management system which allows for continuous removal of pet waste from the pet management system.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A self-cleaning litter box/pet waste encapsulation device comprising:

a housing defining an interior chamber to receive and retain litter, wherein said housing comprises a front, back, top, bottom and sides;
an aperture disposed in the front of said housing, said aperture allows a pet to enter, exit and use the litter box and litter to be deposited within and removed from the interior chamber;
a door attached to said aperture, said door being sized to correspond with a shape of said aperture to thereby keep odors and dust within the interior chamber;
a sifter disposed in a fixed position within the interior chamber for sifting contents of the litter box and separating clean litter from waste solids, wherein said sifter is oriented within said interior such that when said housing is rotated 90 degrees about a rotational axis said sifter separates the waste solids from the clean litter;
a waste opening disposed on the top of the housing and connected to said sifter, said waste opening being adapted to receive said waste solids, wherein said sifter and said waste opening are further oriented within said interior such that when said housing is rotated 180 degrees about said rotational axis, said waste solids are deposited within a waste bag;
a removable, disposable waste bag comprising an elongated plastic tube compressed into a toroid for receiving and disposing of said waste solids without releasing odors or dust from the interior chamber;
a reservoir disposed about said waste opening for receiving and retaining said toroid;
a slotted cover adapted to cover said reservoir and keep said toroid in place while allowing a portion of said plastic tube to be drawn through a slot in said cover;
and
a litter container for holding litter, said litter container comprising;
a housing defining an interior chamber to receive and retain litter, wherein said housing comprises a front, back, top, bottom and sides;
an aperture disposed in the top of said housing sized to attach to the aperture of said housing of said litter box;
means for joining said litter container to said litter box so as to be able to transfer litter back and forth between said litter container and said litter box within an enclosed environment to prevent the spread of dust and odor;
and a release flange for alternatively locking said litter container in place and releasing said litter container.

11 more elements

A self-cleaning litter box/pet waste encapsulation device comprising:

a housing defining an interior chamber to receive and retain litter, wherein said housing comprises a front, back, top, bottom and sides;
an aperture disposed in the front of said housing, said aperture allows a pet to enter, exit and use the litter box and litter to be deposited within and removed from the interior chamber;
a door attached to said aperture, said door being sized to correspond with a shape of said aperture to thereby keep odors and dust within the interior chamber;
a sifter disposed in a fixed position within the interior chamber for sifting contents of the litter box and separating clean litter from waste solids, wherein said sifter is oriented within said interior such that when said housing is rotated 90 degrees about a rotational axis said sifter separates the waste solids from the clean litter;
a waste opening disposed on the top of the housing and connected to said sifter, said waste opening being adapted to receive said waste solids, wherein said sifter and said waste opening are further oriented within said interior such that when said housing is rotated 180 degrees about said rotational axis, said waste solids are deposited within a waste bag;
a removable, disposable waste bag comprising an elongated plastic tube compressed into a toroid for receiving and disposing of said waste solids without releasing odors or dust from the interior chamber;
a reservoir disposed about said waste opening for receiving and retaining said toroid;
a slotted cover adapted to cover said reservoir and keep said toroid in place while allowing a portion of said plastic tube to be drawn through a slot in said cover;
a support frame, wherein said housing is rotatably attached to said support frame by two pivots disposed on either side of said housing, said pivots defining said rotational axis;
and
a litter container for holding litter, said litter container comprising;
a housing defining an interior chamber to receive and retain litter, wherein said housing comprises a front, back, top, bottom and sides;
an aperture disposed in the top of said housing sized to attach to the aperture of said housing of said litter box;
means for joining said litter container to said litter box so as to be able to transfer litter back and forth between said litter container and said litter box within an enclosed environment to prevent the spread of dust and odor;
and a release flange for alternatively locking said litter container in place and releasing said litter container.

12 more elements

A self-cleaning litter box/pet waste encapsulation device comprising:

a housing defining an interior chamber to receive and retain litter, wherein said housing comprises a front, back, top, bottom and sides;
an aperture disposed in the front of said housing, said aperture allows a pet to enter, exit and use the litter box and litter to be deposited within and removed from the interior chamber;
a door attached to said aperture, said door being sized to correspond with a shape of said aperture to thereby keep odors and dust within the interior chamber;
a sifter disposed in a fixed position within the interior chamber for sifting contents of the litter box and separating clean litter from waste solids, wherein said sifter is oriented within said interior such that when said housing is rotated 90 degrees about a rotational axis said sifter separates the waste solids from the clean litter;
a waste opening disposed on the top of the housing and connected to said sifter, said waste opening being adapted to receive said waste solids, wherein said sifter and said waste opening are further oriented within said interior such that when said housing is rotated 180 degrees about said rotational axis, said waste solids are deposited within a waste bag;
a removable, disposable waste bag comprising an elongated plastic tube compressed into a toroid for receiving and disposing of said waste solids without releasing odors or dust from the interior chamber;
a reservoir disposed about said waste opening for receiving and retaining said toroid;
a slotted cover adapted to cover said reservoir and keep said toroid in place while allowing a portion of said plastic tube to be drawn through a slot in said cover;
a support frame, wherein said housing is rotatably attached to said support frame by two pivots disposed on either side of said housing, said pivots defining said rotational axis;
at least one handle disposed on a surface of said housing adapted to allow a user to rotate the housing about said two pivots;
and
a litter container for holding litter, said litter container comprising;
a housing defining an interior chamber to receive and retain litter, wherein said housing comprises a front, back, top, bottom and sides;
an aperture disposed in the top of said housing sized to attach to the aperture of said housing of said litter box;
means for joining said litter container to said litter box so as to be able to transfer litter back and forth between said litter container and said litter box within an enclosed environment to prevent the spread of dust and odor;
and a release flange for alternatively locking said litter container in place and releasing said litter container.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/257,351Filed 6 Sep 2016 · division
Priority: 19 Jul 2011
Published: US 2016/0374306 A129 Dec 2016
Granted: 3 Feb 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

A01K 1/0114
Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets: litter boxes with screens for separating excrement from litter
A01K 1/011
Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets: with means for removing excrement
A01K 1/0151
Floor coverings, e.g. bedding-down sheets ; Stable floors: grids; Gratings; Slatted floors
A01K
Animal husbandry

Family

Application61/509,380Us provisional application · filed 19 Jul 2011
Application13/553,313Parent of this division · filed 19 Jul 2012
US 9,433,186 B2Parent of this division · filed 6 Sep 2016
US 2016/0374306 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 Dec 2016
US 2013/0019810 A1Published application
US 9,167,798 B2Related patent
US 12,538,895 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.