GB2172781A - Litter scoop - Google Patents
Litter scoop Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2172781A GB2172781A GB08524438A GB8524438A GB2172781A GB 2172781 A GB2172781 A GB 2172781A GB 08524438 A GB08524438 A GB 08524438A GB 8524438 A GB8524438 A GB 8524438A GB 2172781 A GB2172781 A GB 2172781A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- scoop
- base
- litter
- apertures
- trailing portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 241001465754 Metazoa Species 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920000915 polyvinyl chloride Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004800 polyvinyl chloride Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920001155 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 229910000286 fullers earth Inorganic materials 0.000 abstract description 5
- 241000282326 Felis catus Species 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000012216 screening Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000003190 augmentative effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000006185 dispersion Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007493 shaping process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000002700 urine Anatomy 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01H—STREET CLEANING; CLEANING OF PERMANENT WAYS; CLEANING BEACHES; DISPERSING OR PREVENTING FOG IN GENERAL CLEANING STREET OR RAILWAY FURNITURE OR TUNNEL WALLS
- E01H1/00—Removing undesirable matter from roads or like surfaces, with or without moistening of the surface
- E01H1/12—Hand implements, e.g. litter pickers
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
- A01K1/01—Removal of dung or urine, e.g. from stables
- A01K1/0107—Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
- A01K1/01—Removal of dung or urine, e.g. from stables
- A01K1/0107—Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets
- A01K1/0114—Litter boxes with screens for separating excrement from litter
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07B—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL
- B07B1/00—Sieving, screening, sifting, or sorting solid materials using networks, gratings, grids, or the like
- B07B1/02—Hand screens
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Zoology (AREA)
- Animal Husbandry (AREA)
- Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Housing For Livestock And Birds (AREA)
Abstract
A scoop comprising a base having a leading edge, sides and a back attached thereto and a handle attached thereto, the base having a plurality of apertures having a smallest diameter greater than 0.5 cm and less than 1.5 cm. Preferably the base comprises a leading portion and a trailing portion set at an obtuse angle thereto measured from inside the scoop. The scoop may be moulded from a thermoplastic polymeric material. A particular use is in relation to fullers earth pet litter.
Description
SPECIFICATION
Litter scoop
This invention reiates to a scoop suitable for use as a small animal litter scoop, for example, a cat litter scoop.
It is the practice of many small domestic animal owners, particularly cat owners, to train the animal to use a litter box. Industry has provided materials for use as litter having properties such as high liquid absorbency and a resistance to attrition. One commonly available type of litter is based on fullers earth, particularly English greyfullers earth, which in particulate form is found to be particularly satisfactory in use as a cat litter. One problem of many available cat litters is a high wastage rate due to the dispersion of urine throughout the bulk of the litter. Fullers earth has a potentially low wastage rate due to a tendency to form clumps at the points of use which clumps may be removed individually leaving the bulk of the litter, augmented as necessary, for further use.The removal of individual clumps may be distasteful to some animal owners and it would be beneficial to them to provide means for easing that task.
According to one aspect thereof the present invention provides a litter scoop comprising a base having a leading edge, sides and a back attached thereto and a handle attached thereto characterised in that the base has a plurality of apertures having a smallest diameter greater than 0.5 cm and less than 1.5 cm. Preferably the said smallest diameter is from 0.75 cm to 1.25 cm particularly preferably about 1 cm.
According to a second aspect thereof the present invention provides a scoop as last aforesaid further characterised in that the base comprises two portions one of which is a leading portion shaped to conform in use to a litter box bottom and the second of which is a trailing portion set at an obtuse angle to the leading portion, measured inside the scoop, at least the trailing portion having the said apertures. Since most litter boxes have a flat bottom at least the leading portion of the base of the scoop may often suitably be planar.
According to yet a third aspect thereof the present invention provides a scoop as last aforesaid further characterised in that the smallest diameter of the apertures at least in the trailing portion of the base is transverse to the intended direction of travel of the scoop in use, normally parallel to the leading edge, and in that the said apertures have a larger diameter longitudinally of the intended direction of travel of the scoop in use, so that the projection of the apertures in the trailing portion of the base in a direction parallel to the leading portion, and therefore parallel to the intended direction of travel of the scoop in use is from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm, preferably from 0.75 cm to 1.25 cm particularly preferably about 1 cm in height.
The scoop according to the invention is particularly suitable for use with fullers earth litter.
The apertured base acts as a screen and has the effect of retaining clumps of litter or solid masses of waste matter which have been deposited on the litter in the scoop while allowing the remainder of the litter particles to fall through thereby easing the problem of separation of the clumps from the remainder of the litter. The setting of the trailing portion of the base at an angle to the leading portion allows the scoop to function as a screen when it is placed in the litter box with its leading portion of the base flat upon the bottom of the box and slid forward. If the leading portion of the base also has apertures the screening effect is completed on lifting the scoop vertically from the litter box thereby giving a particularly effective double screening action.The shaping of the apertures in the trailing portion of the base to provide a longer dimension longitudinally of the intended direction of use enhances the screening effect while the scoop is being slid along the base of the litter box since it avoids an unduly small effective height of the apertures which might impede the discharge of the litter particles through the apertures.
Preferably at least the trailing portion, particularly preferably the whole, of the base is in the form of a grid in which the apertures are defined by a matrix of relatively narrower structural members. Such members are preferably no more than 0.5 cm in width and may be of unitary construction.
It is convenient for the scoop to be formed as a moulding from a thermoplastic polymeric material such as, for example polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene or polypropylene. Suitable designs of scoop may be fabricated as a single moulding.
Alternatively, the scoop may be constructed of a plurality of members at the option of the manufacturer.
In use, as is apparent from the above description, the scoop may be placed into a box of used fullers earth litter, the leading edge of the scoop foremost, and moved foward until the leading portion of the base is lying on the base of the box. The scoop may then be slid forward until filled with litter clumps, lifted and held above the litter box to allow residual litter particles to fall back into the box, suitably aided by shaking the scoop, and the clumps discharged into waste disposal means. This action may be repeated until the litter box has been cleared of clumps of litter. The residue of litter in the box may then be replenished.The angled construction of the base is found to have an additional advantage in that when the leading portion of the base is lying on the base of the litter box the handle of the scoop, if it is attached to the back of the scoop, is well clear of the litter surface thereby reducing the possibility for the hand of the user to contact the litter surface. This effect is enhanced if the handle is mounted on a raised portion of the back of the scoop.
One example of a litter scoop according to the invention will now be described.
The scoop is a one piece moulding of polyvinyl chloride comprising a base, raised sides and a raised back attached to the base and a handle attached to the back. The base is of two part conformation with a leading portion 9.6 cm in overall width and 5.1 cm in overall depth and a trailing portion of the same overall width and 4.3 cm in overall depth angled at 1500 to the leading portion measured inside of the scoop. The sides and back of the scoop are raised walls of 1.4 cm in height. The centre of the back of the scoop is of an increased height of 2.8 cm and a handle of U-cross section closed at the back projects backwardlyfrom the back of the scoop supported on and attached to this increased height portion. The leading and trailing portions of the base each contain 2 transversely arranged rows of apertures giving the appearance of a grid. Each aperture is 1 cm transversely and 1.7 cm longitudinally, in internal diameter, those in the trailing portion giving a vertical projection, viewed parallel to the upper surface of the leading portion of the base, of about 1 cm in height. The extra depth of the leading portion of the base provides an unperforated leading edge approximately 1 cm in depth to give structural firmness. The thickness of the molding is 0.2 mm.
Claims (11)
1. A scoop suitable for use as a small animal litter scoop comprising a base having a leading edge, sides and a back attached thereto and a handle attached thereto characterised in that the base has a plurality of apertures having a smallest diameter greater than 0.5 cm and less than 1.5 cm.
2. A scoop as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said smallest diameter is from 0.75 cm to 1.25 cm.
3. A scoop as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the base comprises a leading portion and a trailing portion said trailing portion being set at an obtuse angle, measured inside the scoop, to the leading portion and at least the trailing portion having the said apertures.
4. A scoop as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the said smallest diameter is transverse to the intended direction of travel of the scoop in use.
5. A scoop as claimed in claim 3 or 4 wherein the apertures in the trailing portion of the scoop are so shaped that the projection of the said apertures in a direction parallel to the plane of the leading portion of the base, is from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm in height.
6. A scoop as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base is in the form of a grid defined by a matrix of structural members having a width no more than 0.5 cm.
7. A scoop as claimed in any preceding claim of unitary construction.
8. A scoop as claimed in any preceding claim made from a thermoplastic polymeric material.
9. A scoop as claimed in claim 8, wherein the polymeric material is or comprises polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene or polypropylene.
10. A scoop suitable for use as a small animal litter scoop and substantially as described herein.
11. A process for making a scoop as claimed in claim 8 or 9 by molding the same from a quantity of the thermoplastic polymeric material.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8524438A GB2172781B (en) | 1985-10-03 | 1985-10-03 | Litter scoop |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8524438A GB2172781B (en) | 1985-10-03 | 1985-10-03 | Litter scoop |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB8524438D0 GB8524438D0 (en) | 1985-11-06 |
| GB2172781A true GB2172781A (en) | 1986-10-01 |
| GB2172781B GB2172781B (en) | 1989-10-11 |
Family
ID=10586145
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8524438A Expired GB2172781B (en) | 1985-10-03 | 1985-10-03 | Litter scoop |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2172781B (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5503111A (en) * | 1989-01-13 | 1996-04-02 | American Colloid Company | Animal dross absorbent and method |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB296538A (en) * | 1927-08-10 | 1928-09-06 | James Major | Improved shovel and sifting appliance |
| GB611369A (en) * | 1946-04-30 | 1948-10-28 | Alfred Ernest Marsh Hunn | Improvements in or relating to spades, shovels and the like |
| GB1024334A (en) * | 1963-12-13 | 1966-03-30 | Douglas Frederic Stanhope Gile | Improvements in or relating to hand implements which are useful for gardening |
-
1985
- 1985-10-03 GB GB8524438A patent/GB2172781B/en not_active Expired
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB296538A (en) * | 1927-08-10 | 1928-09-06 | James Major | Improved shovel and sifting appliance |
| GB611369A (en) * | 1946-04-30 | 1948-10-28 | Alfred Ernest Marsh Hunn | Improvements in or relating to spades, shovels and the like |
| GB1024334A (en) * | 1963-12-13 | 1966-03-30 | Douglas Frederic Stanhope Gile | Improvements in or relating to hand implements which are useful for gardening |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5503111A (en) * | 1989-01-13 | 1996-04-02 | American Colloid Company | Animal dross absorbent and method |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2172781B (en) | 1989-10-11 |
| GB8524438D0 (en) | 1985-11-06 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 19931003 |