GB2227645A - Domestic animal faeces collector - Google Patents

Abstract

A faeces collector comprises a pair of tongs 10, 11 that holds open a bag 21 enabling faeces to be picked up without the collectors' hands being soiled. On removing the bag by the handles 16 on the bag, the faeces is cleanly picked up and the bag can then be disposed of. The area that was contaminated by the faeces can then be sprayed with disinfectant from a reservoir in handle 13. <IMAGE>

Description

DOMESTIC ANIMAL FAECES COLLECTOR This invention relates to a scoop for collecting dog or other animal faeces. Animal faeces found on paths, playing fields and other public places constitute a health hazard and a nuisance. Some Local Authorities have Bye-Laws that require faeces to be removed by the owner of domestic animal.

Various collectors are known. In one type of collector a pair of jaw-like collecting members extend downwardly from a handle and are closed around the faeces, so as to trap the faeces between them.

Collectors of this general type are described in, for instance, GB, 1,532,373 and US 4,225,174.

In another type, one collecting member slides underneath the faeces while another can be pivoted down onto it to hold them on the lower member. Often, the upper member is designed to pull the faeces onto the lower member. A collector of this general type is described in GB 2,172,496.

It is known to position a releasable and disposable bag between the collecting members so as to minimise contamination of the collector with faeces and to permit disposal of the faeces without handling them. However none of the systems are very suitable and in practice the collectors all tend to he rather complicated mechanically and, in particular, to result in contamination of the collecting members or the hands or both.

It has been our object to provide a very simple way of ensuring that neither the collector nor the hands of the operative are contaminated by faeces, and to provide this in a very simple and easily constructed collector.

A faeces collector according to the invention comprises: collecting members that are movable relative to one another for collecting faeces between them and that each extend from a front end to a rear end, a handle that includes means for causing the said relative movement of the members, a disposable bag that is open at one end and closed at its other end and that is arranged with its closed end adjacent the rear end of the collecting members and with its open end folded as a cuff back over the collecting members, and means for releasably holding the closed end of the bag adjacent the rear end of the collecting members.

The invention includes also a collector separated from the bag, together with a supply of bags for fitting on the collector.

As a result of the bag, in use, being folded as a cuff back around the collecting members, it is ensured that there will be no contamination of the collecting members during the collection of faeces. The cuff should, of course, extend sufficiently far back along the collecting members to protect all of their outer surfaces that are at risk from contamination during collection. As a result of the closed end of the bag being releasably held in the collector, it is easily possible to pull the open end of the bag off the collecting members, while the bag is still trapped within the collector, thereby allowing the faeces, and any parts of the bag contaminated with them, to be securely located within the back while exposing only clean surfaces of the bag to the hands.Preferably handles are provided on the sides of the bag to facilitate pulling the open end over the collecting members without the hands having to touch any parts of the bag that might be contaminated.

Further pulling of the open end of the bag, or the handles, then causes the closed end of the hag to be released from the collector. The open end of the bag can be sealed in conventional manner, for instance with a wire twist, before or after being released from the collector, and it can then be disposed of in conventional manner.

The means for releasahly holding the closed end of the bag adjacent the rear end of the collecting members can be any means that will hold the closed end in position during use and during initial unfolding of the cuff but will then release the bag. The means can involve a clip mechanism but preferably a tag or other extension extends from the bag and is held over a hook or other retaining system during use but then tears to allow release. Naturally the tearing should not result in tearing of the bag.

The bag can be of plastics material, which is preferably environmentally degradable, or can be of paper or other material provided that this is sufficienlty impermeable to retain the faeces without leakage.

The collector can have a pair of naw-like members as described in GB 1,532,373 or US 4,225,174 but the mechanisms for operating these tend to be undesirably complicated. Preferably therefore the collector has a lower most collecting member that is a blade that slides under the faeces and an upper member that can be moved to hold the faeces on the lower member. This upper member may be arranged to move longitudinally back towards the lower member, as in GB 2,172,496, in which even the bag must be sufficiently large to ensure sufficient freedom of movement of the upper member relative to the lower member.However these mechanisms tend to be unnecessarily complicated and we find that if the lower blade is of a very flexible plastics material we find that satisfactory results are obtained merely by having an upper collecting member that can be pivoted down onto it, without the need for any longitudinal collecting movement of the upper member.

Thus the preferred collector comprises a lower collecting blade of flexible plastics material extending from the handle and an upper collecting blade pivoted to the handle for pivoting down onto the lower member. The upper member may be substantially coextensive with the lower member although it is often preferred for the front end of the lower member to extend the short distance in front of the upper member.

A reservoir of disinfectant may be included in collector, generally in the handle, and means may be provided for spraying disinfectant from the reservoir onto the soiled area once the faeces are removed.

This specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows the tongs without the bag fitted.

Fig. 2 shows the disposable bag with handles, partially turned inside out.

Fig. 3 shows the bag partially turned inside out - which is disposable - fitted to the tongs in the collecting position.

Fig. 4 shows the bag on the tongs partially removed from the tongs, after collecting the faeces.

Referring to the drawing the collector is in the form of tongs that consist of a flexible bottom blade (10) with a top blade (11) hinged at (12) at their rear ends and a handle (13) that contains a reservoir and suitable to hold disinfectant that can be sprayed through nozzle (14) with trigger (15).

In order to remove faeces without soiling the operators' hands an open bag (20), which could be made from paper or plastic, has handles (16) at its open end and a tag (17) at its closed end is fitted over the tongs as in Fig. 3. The open end is folded back as a cuff (21) around the blades. The faeces are picked up by sliding the bottom blade under the faeces while the top blade holds the bag open by pushing on the lever (18). The bag is releasably held in position by tag (17) on clip (19).

When the faeces are inside the bag it is removed as Fig. 4 by pulling on the handles (16). The bag is initially held in position by the tag (17) fitted over the clip (19). When completely pulled into the fully extended position, perforations on tag (17) will allow the tag to tear and the bag to be removed. The bag can then be disposed of.

The area where the faeces were, can then be sprayed with disinfectant from reservoir (13).

Claims (9)

1. A faeces collector comprising: collecting members that are movable relative to one another for collecting faeces between them and that each extend from a front end to a rear end, a handle that includes means for causing the said relative movement of the members a disposable bag that is open at one end and closed at its other end and that is arranged with its closed end adjacent the rear end of the collecting members and with its open end folded as a cuff back over the collecting members, and means for releasably holding the closed end of the bag adjacent to the rear end of the collecting members.

2. A collector according to claim 1 in which the means for releasably holding the closed end of the bag comprise a hook on the collector and a tearable tag on the bag and which can be held on the hook.

3. A collector according to claim 1 in which there are handles on the bag at the open end of the bag.

4. A collector according to any preceding claim in which the collecting members comprise a lower collection blade of flexible plastics material extending from the handle and that can be slid under the faeces and an upper collecting blade pivoted to the handle for pivoting down onto the lower member.

5. A collector according to claim 4 in which the upper and lower blades are substantially coextensive.

6. A collector according to claim 4 or claim 5 in which the front end of the lower blade extends a short distance in front of the front end of the upper blade.

7. A collector according to any preceding claim including a reservoir for disinfectant and means for spraying disinfectant from the reservoir.

8. An assembly comprising a faeces collector according to any preceding claim separated from the disposable bag, and at least one disposable bag for fitting onto the faeces collector.

9. A faeces collector according to claim 1 or claim 8 substantially as herein described with reference to figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.