Disposable container for solid animal wastes
OwnerRuth M. Wootteninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A disposable container for solid animal waste products comprising a waterproof flexible bag, a locking support structure, a closure strip, and a removable spatula. The support structure has a locking mechanism consisting of a center stay located opposite a pair of hinged support arms that maintain the bag mouth in an open configuration when the bag is in use. The locking support structure provides for accurate placement of solid animal waste into the bag during use, and the convenient collapsibility after use. The disposable container is economical to manufacture, and is also disposable, portable, sanitary, collapsible, and sealable. The disposable container also may be reopened several consecutive times without destroying the integrity of the locking support structure.
Claims12
A disposable container for solid animal wastes having a maximal open position during use, and which easily collapses after use, comprising:
- a flexible bag having a plurality of bag sidewalls and a bag mouth;
- and
- a locking support structure to selectively maintain said mouth of said bag in a maximal open position during use and readily collapse said mouth to a closed position thereafter comprising:
- a center stay affixed to a first bag sidewall near said bag mouth and between a second and a third bag sidewall located adjacent thereto, said center stay being of such longitudinal dimension and position as to define a pair of spaces between ends of said center stay and said second and third bag sidewalls;
- and
- a hinged linear strip affixed to a fourth bag sidewall opposite said center stay, said hinged strip comprising a center linear strip spanning said fourth bag sidewall, and a pair of hinged linear arms attached to said center linear strip, which in a collapsed configuration for said flexible bag fold to overlap the top surface of said center linear strip and when extended, each of said pair of hinged arms extends at an angle less than perpendicular from said center strip to span said second and third bag sidewalls in a manner such that each of said hinged arms rests against and is retained by surface contact with a corresponding lateral end of said center stay and an adjacent portion of said first bag sidewall.
A disposable container having a releasable bag-mouth locking mechanism, said disposable container comprising:
- a flexible storage bag;
- a first linear member attached to a first interior surface adjacent a mouth of said flexible storage bag;
- a second linear member attached to a second interior surface of said flexible storage bag, said second interior surface disposed opposite of said first interior surface and said second linear member disposed opposite said first linear member;
- and
- a pair of linear support arms attached to said first linear member in a manner providing a first angular position between each of said pair of linear support arms and said first linear member, said first angular position being acute from perpendicular with respect to said first linear member, and a second angular position between each of said pair of linear support arms and said first linear member, wherein each said linear support arm has a tip, said pair of linear support arms selectively extending to and interengageable with a support arm receiving surface at each lateral end of said second linear member, and each tip abuttingly contacting said second interior surface at said first angular position, and said pair of linear support arms overlapping and located substantially parallel to said first linear member at said second angular position,
- whereby the maintenance of the bag mouth in a maximal open position may be readily accomplished by extending the support arms to their selective interengagement with the opposing, second linear member in said first angular position and the bag mouth is readily collapsed thereafter by slidably positioning the support arms in said second angular position.
An improved disposable waste container of the type consisting of a flexible bag having sealing means for selectively maintaining the bag in a sealed configuration, and having a selectively releasable support means located adjacent a mouth of the bag to temporarily prop the bag-mouth in a maximal open position to simplify the placement of waste into the bag, wherein the improvement in said selectively releasable support means comprises:
- a locking support structure attached to said flexible bag adjacent to said mouth, said support structure further comprising:
- a hinged strip having a pair of linear lateral support arms, said hinged strip attached to a first interior surface of said flexible bag, and
- a linear center stay attached to an opposing, second interior surface of said flexible bag, said center stay being of such dimension and position so as to define spaces between the ends thereof and a pair of sidewalls of said flexible bag, said pair of linear lateral support arms selectively interengageable with said center stay at a support arm receiving surface at each lateral end thereof when said pair of linear lateral support arms extend at an angle less than normal from said first interior surface of slideably abut against said opposing, second interior surface at said spaces,
- whereby the pair of lateral support arms and the center stay cooperate to maintain the bag-mouth in a maximal open configuration and, thereafter, providing rapid collapsibility of the bag-mouth by releasing the lateral support arms from said center stay when said first and second interior surfaces are moved apart.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.