AU2017272189A1 - A Glove for collecting animal or pet waste - Google Patents

Abstract

A GLOVE FOR COLLECTING ANIMAL OR PET WASTE Abstract A pet waste collection and disposal device for collecting pet waste from a foot path like surface comprising: a glove-like member fabricated from biodegradable material, said glove-like member having outer and inner surfaces; four fingers, a thumb, and a palm area formed as a first end of said glove-like member; webbing between the four fingers and the thumb, whereby pet waste may be grasped without leaking out between the fingers while dexterity of a user's fingers is maintained; an elongated arm portion formed as a second end of said glove-like member, said elongated arm portion having an opening therein; and ribs like protrusions formed along the thumb portion of the glove and ribs like protrusions formed on other fingers in a crosswise manner, the ribs like protrusions being capable of scraping any residue from a surface. A GLOVE FOR COLLECTING ANIMAL OR PET WASTE /1/I ~ \I ~1~ /

Description

A GLOVE FOR COLLECTING ANIMAL OR PET WASTE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a glove especially designed to collect and dispose of pet and animal waste in an environmentally friendly way. 2. Description of the Related Art

It is very common to see pet waste on streets and walkways in our cities causing a health hazard and an aesthetic problem. In some cities, it is a requirement that pet owners collect and dispose of pet waste in an environmentally friendly way.

There are several prior art devices that assist in collecting pet waste. Among these devices are glove-like structures as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,251 (Jacobs), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,818 (Kolic). U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,708 (Jacovitz) discloses a webbed finger glove and an oversized collection pad attached by hook and loop fasteners, for collecting and disposing waste. The bulky pad and webbing between the finger portions greatly restrict movement of the fingers, thumb and hand in collecting waste. U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,670 (Surplus) teaches a glove and bag combination for collecting waste; after use, the glove part is inverted into the bag. U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,167 (Gilley) discloses a glove and bag combination for waste collection, including an absorbent layer. The device permits only limited finger and hand motion for the process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,322 (Harreld et al) teaches an extended-length sponge retrieval glove, used by physicians to collect and count surgical sponges.

Mitt and bag combinations for collecting waste are known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,781 (Strickland et al) discloses an invertible hand mitt for collecting contaminated materials. U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,283 (Rojko et al) teaches an invertible mitt for wiping babies, which allows the user to avoid contact with baby waste, but does not allow manipulation of the hand and fingers to pick up waste efficiently. UK Published Patent Application No. 2 237 973A simply discloses another bag-mitt structure for collecting pet waste, with either a pull-tie or hook and loop closure for sealing the bag after use.

None of the above patents, addresses the issue of scraping the waste material from the ground or walking paths. Due very flimsy nature of the plastic material used in gloves, it is not easy to scrape the surface clean and remove all of the waste material from the surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses this issue by introducing ribs like protrusions along and across the fingers of the glove. A single or multiple ribs like protrusions are incorporated along the thumb region of the glove and a single or multiple ribs like protrusions are introduced across the other fingers. The present invention comprises a pet waste collection and disposable device in the form of a disposable glove-like member made of thin, preferably biodegradable material (polyethylene, vinyl, latex, polypropylene, cellophane etc.). The glove is of a length to extend substantially up a user's forearm, and may be manufactured in many widths and lengths to fit a variety of users.

Webbing is provided between the fingers and thumb portion of the glove, for two essential purposes: first, to prevent uncomfortable dribbling or leakage of wet waste about the fingers to the back of the glove, and second, to still permit acceptable dexterity of the user's thumb and fingers in collecting the waste. The webbing can extend either all the way to the end of the fingers or part way. A single or multiple rib protrusions are built into the thumb region of the glove in a longitudinal direction. A single or multiple rib protrusions are built into all other fingers in a crosswise direction. The main purpose of these rib like protrusions is to scrape all of the waste material from the surface without leaving behind any residue waste material.

The webbing permits full dexterity in collecting the waste, yet prevents liquid waste from leaking around the fingers and thumb of the user to the back of the hand. The glove's length improves the user's manipulative ability when the glove is to be removed and the waste confined therein as will be further explained below. Although, in its preferred embodiment, the instant invention is utilized for pet waste collection and disposal, the invention could obviously be utilized for retrieval and disposal of waste from all types of animals including livestock, wild and domestic.

After the glove is used, it may be conveniently inverted by the user so that the device now becomes a disposal bag. Two integral ties are formed at the open end of the extended cuff of the glove, which are then tied together to seal the glove. Then, the glove with its enclosed waste may be disposed of in a safe and sanitary manner.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a simple and efficient device for collection and disposal of pet waste.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device for retrieving pet waste wherein a user's hand is protected from direct contact with the pet waste.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for collecting pet waste including a glovelike structure with webbing between the fingers and thumb, which allows full use of the fingers and hands to pick up the waste, while preventing the waste from leaking around and onto the back of the hand and fingers of the user.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device for retrieving pet waste wherein the device is able to scrape all of the waste material from the surface or ground without leaving any residual materilal on the ground or the surface from which the waste is removed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for retrieving pet waste wherein the device also functions as a disposal bag.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective and elevation view of a pet waste collection and disposal glove according to the present invention looking from back. FIG. 2 is a perspective and elevation view of the pet waste collection and disposal glove looking from the front.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated in FIG 1 and 2, the present invention comprises a pet waste collection and disposal glove provided with four fingers and thumb. As stated earlier, the glove is fabricated from thin, biodegradable material so that it will conform to the disposal standards that may exist in most jurisdictions. A feature of the invention is the provision of webbing between the fingers and thumb of the glove. Webbing allows the user to manipulate his or her fingers with full dexterity in collecting the pet waste. This webbing can extend all the way to the end of the fingers or stop part way. The purpose of the webbing is to prevent any semi liquid waste material escaping around the user's fingers and onto the back of the glove.

Another key feature of this invention is the presence of rib like protrusions on the thumb and other fingers. As shown in fig 2, these ribs like protrusions are placed longitudinally along the thumb portion of the glove and cross wise on all other fingers. The cross wise rib like protrusions are placed towards the top of each finger. While only one rib like protrusion is shown in Fig 2 on each finger and thumb, according to this invention, several ribs like protrusions can be incorporated into each of the fingers and the thumb. The distance between each rib like protrusion can be around 5mm to 10 mm. The purpose of the ribs like protrusions is to scrape all of the waste material from the surface without leaving any residue.

As best seen in FIG 1 and 2, the glove is elongated so as to extend approximately midway the forearm of a user. In addition to providing protection for the user's arm, the extra length makes manipulation easier when removing the glove. A pair of ties is provided at the end of glove. These ties are structured and function much in the same way as ties formed on trash bags. After the glove is used, it may be conveniently inverted by the user so that the device now becomes a disposal bag. Two integral ties are formed at the open end of the extended cuff of the glove, which are then tied together to seal the glove. Then, the glove with its enclosed waste may be disposed of in a safe and sanitary manner.

The glove can be made of any flexible material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, Polyethylene terephthalate or any other suitable plastic material including bio degradable plastics.

Claims (7)

1. A GLOVE FOR COLLECTING ANIMAL OR PET WASTE The claim defining the invention are:

   1. A pet waste collection and disposal device for collecting pet waste from a foot path like surface comprising: a glove-like member fabricated from biodegradable material, said glove-like member having outer and inner surfaces; four fingers, a thumb, and a palm area formed as a first end of said glove-like member; webbing between the four fingers and the thumb, whereby pet waste may be grasped without leaking out between the fingers while dexterity of a user's fingers is maintained; an elongated arm portion formed as a second end of said glove-like member, said elongated arm portion having an opening therein; and ribs like protrusions formed along the thumb portion of the glove and ribs like protrusions formed on other fingers in a crosswise manner, the ribs like protrusions being capable of scraping any residue from a surface.
2. 2. The pet waste collection and disposal device as defined in claim 1, wherein said glove-like member extends to about hallway of the users' arm and has an opening to insert the fingers.
3. 3. The pet waste collection and disposal device as defined in claim 2, wherein integral tie members are formed on said elongated arm portion at said opening.
4. 4. The pet waste collection and disposal device as claimed in claim 3 that has a multiple of ribs like protrusions positioned along the thumb portion and a number of rib like protrusions positioned on other fingers in a crosswise manner across all other fingers.
5. 5. The pet waste collection and disposal device as claimed in claim 4, where the distance between multiple ribs is about 5 mm to 10 mm.
6. 6. The pet waste collection device as claimed in claim 1 and with reference to figures 1 and 2.
7. 7. The pet waste collection device as claimed in any of the above claims, where the device is made of any flexible material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, Polyethylene terephthalate or any other suitable plastic material including bio degradable plastics.