GB2305354A - Scoop device for clearing animal faeces - Google Patents

Abstract

A scoop mainly for clearing animal faeces is formed from a flat flexible sheet 1 by folding the side edges 2,3 over about respective crease lines 6,8 to join together (optionally via adhesive tab 4). Construction is such that once assembled from the sheet the scoop is initially flat, applying pressure to the side edges 6,8 causes the scoop to open into a tubular shape. One end of the sheet has a profile (optionally sinuate or S-shaped) which forms an entrance lip I, the other end has an integral part forming a closure A-F (optionally through folding and using adhesive) which may also be used as a handle. The profiled end may be attached via perforations (104) to a separable portion of sheet which can be used as a spatula (S).

Description

TITLE SCOOD Device for Facilitatina Disposal of Waste Matter.

This invention is concerned with a scoop device for facilitating disposal of waste matter from accidental spillages or breakages of glass, or of dog or other domesticated animal faeces. Means are known for disposal of faeces such as plastic gloves or paper bags which are placed over the hand and then turned inside-out but such means assume the faeces can be adequately grasped. A rigid scoop is also known but this is of expensive construction and is intended to be reusable as well as being bulky to carry.

One of the main and preferred objects of this invention is to provide a device into which faeces may be scooped and collected and which is of low cost and disposable and of which a number may be carried in flat form in the pocket, for example.

According to this invention there is provided a scoop device formed from a flat flexible sheet of material, opposed side edges of the sheet each having been folded over about a respective crease line and joined together forming a flat pack, one end of the folded sheet having a profile, whereby pressure applied to the folded side edges of the flat pack formed cause same to open up to a tubular shape forming a container with said one end having a lower protruding entrance lip formed by the profile, the other opposed end having an integral part forming a closure.

In accordance with this invention there is also provided a device, primarily for disposal of animal faeces, comprising a scoop formed from a sheet of a thin flexible material of which two opposed sides have been joined to define a tubular structure having a front end with a mouth forming an entrance to the scoop, and a rear end of which a side of the sheet is infolded to form a dart or tuck defining an end closure and forming a reinforced portion to be gripped between the thumb and forefinger during use.

In a preferred construction the sheet is folded into flat form with two infolded reinforcing dart portions.

The front end will preferably be profiled to form a lower protruding lip.

In a further advantageous embodiment the sheet is folded in the flat and includes longitudinally extending crease lines to facilitate opening up into tubular shape.

The infolded dart may have adjacent surfaces connected together by adhesive.

In an embodiment the device comprises a sheet with a first side which is folded in half and including and end portion which is infolded between the two halves to form a tuck, an end of said tuck being itself reverse folded to form a second tuck therein of which two adjacent sides are secured by adhesive, a second side of the sheet being folded over and of which an edge is secured to an edge of the said first side.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided a device, primarily for disposal of animal faeces, comprising a scoop formed from a sheet of a thin flexible material of which two opposed edges have or are adapted to be joined to define a tubular structure having a front end with a mouth forming an entrance to the scoop, and a rear end of which areas of opposed inside surfaces of each side of the sheet are connected or adapted to be connected to form a reinforced end closure portion to be gripped during use.

This construction according to the second aspect of the invention is simpler to manufacture and the scoop could be provided in flat form using pressure or self adhesive glue protected by a releasable foil if required.

Thus this construction enables the scoop to be formed into shape for use by a person thus providing for easy manufacture and transport of the blanks in flat form.

The rear end which is connected may comprise a substantial portion of the rear and lower side edge joined by a diagonal. The connection could be made during manufacture by applying glue or other adhesive simultaneously with application of glue to the two opposed edges which are joined so as to form the tubular scoop structure.

With such an arrangement the surfaces which are glued together form a more rigid reinforced portion which may be provided with an aperture serving as a hand hold.

In a preferred embodiment there is provided a scoop device formed from a flat flexible sheet of material, opposed side edges of the sheet each having been folded over about a respective crease line and joined together forming a flat pack, one end of the folded sheet having a profile, whereby pressure applied to the folded side edges of the flat pack formed cause same to open up to a tubular shape forming a container with said one end having a lower protruding entrance lip formed by the profile, the other opposed end having an integral part forming a closure.

Preferred embodiments according to this invention are described hereinafter with reference to the drawings and wherein Figure 1 shows in plan view the configuration of a sheet of material prior to folding to form a scoop device according to a first embodiment of this invention, Figure 2 shows the sheet of Figure 1 after folding to form a scoop, Figure 3 illustrates the mode of use of the scoop shown in Figure 2, Figures 4a, 4b and 4c show the arrangement of the folded darts or tucks at the back end of the scoop which allow some vertical flexibility, Figure 5 shows the extent of lateral flexibility, Figure 6 shows the second aspect of this invention in plan view and prior to folding, Figure 7 shows the sheet of Figure 6 after folding and in flattened form, Figure 8 shows the sheet partially opened up to form a tubular scoop structure, Figure 9 shows the way in which the opened up scoop is used, Figure 10 shows in plan view the configuration of a sheet of material prior to folding to form a scoop device according to a third embodiment of this invention, Figure 11 shows the sheet of Figure 10 folded to form a scoop and from one side, Figure 12 shows the folded sheet of Figure 11 from the opposite side, Figures 13 and 14 show the way in which the scoop may be further folded to fit the pocket, Figure 15 shows the scoop device opened up ready for use, Figure 16 shows the end portion of the scoop which has been removed to form a spatula, Figure 17 shows in plan view the configuration of a sheet of material prior to folding to form a scoop device according to a fourth embodiment of this invention, Figure 18 shows the scoop device of Figure 17 when folded and in use, and Figure 19 illustrates the way in which the rear portion of the scoop device is folded.

Referring firstly to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 of the drawings this shows a sheet of thick paper or thin card 1 having a longitudinal side 2 and an opposed longitudinal side 3 with a tab 4 defined by a crease or kiss-cut line 5. The width of the sheet 1, between the side 2 and the crease line 5 is divided into four portions by longitudinal crease lines 6,7 and 8. There is also provided a transverse medial crease line 9. Two chevron configured crease lines 10 define portions A and B to form a dart or tuck in conjunction with crease line 8. Two further chevron configured crease lines 11 define portions E,C and F,D to form another dart or tuck in conjunction with the crease line 8. The crease lines 12, after the sheet has been folded and when in flat form lie in juxtaposed parallel relationship to longitudinal crease lines 5 and 7.

To form the scoop device the following initial folding actions are carried out simultaneously; side 3 is folded upwards about crease line 8 and over whilst portions E,C and F,D, by raising the crease 8a and folding about crease lines 11, are caused to form an internal tuck. At the same time the crease line part 8b is moved down such that surfaces A and B are brought into face-to face contact which is permitted by virtue of the crease lines 10. The surfaces A and B are secured by adhesive.

In the final position line 5 now lies against line 7 with the right hand portion of the sheet folded in two about line 8; F lies adjacent H; E lies adjacent G; A lies adjacent C; and, B lies adjacent D. Finally, the side 2 is folded about line 6 and secured to tab 4 by means of adhesive. The flat form now achieved may be folded in half transversely about line 9, if required, to form an easily portable device.

In use the device is first unfolded about line 9, if necessary, and lines 6 and 8 gently squeezed together to open the device into the form of a tubular scoop of which the portion I forms a lower protruding lip of the scoop and the portion L forms an upper cut-away part. In this process the portions A,B,C,D,E,F form an end wall structure.

Figure 2 shows the device opened-up for use wherein a generally tubular shape is formed contained by an imaginary cylinder 20. Figure 3 shows the scoop in use and the device becomes rigid as soon as a user grips the rear end sections J,K which are on opposite sides. This gripping action is responsible for keeping parts A,B and C,D and J,K in s static position. This force exerted by the natural grip of the thumb and forefinger presses the infolded darts or tucks firmly together resulting in inhibited movement both vertically and laterally. Thus as shown in Fig 5 deformation from a generally circular or ellipsoid shape is inhibited. As shown in Figure 4a the device is in flat form and in Figure 4b the device has been squeezed together at top and bottom to open the scoop resulting in the infolded darts being displaced.

Gripping the end now holds the darts in the displaced position as shown in Figure 4c giving stability to the scoop structure.

Thus an important feature of this construction is the infolded darts or tuck portions at the rear providing a degree of stability and strength, notwithstanding the thinness of material used, and acting to hold the mouth of the scoop open as well as providing a "handle" raised from the ground. These parts also perform the important function of closing off the end of the scoop.

Referring now to Figures 6 to 9 of the drawings, these illustrate a second embodiment which generally is similar to that described but wherein the way in which the end of the scoop is closed and the reinforcement for the hand hold is effected in a different manner.

Referring to Figure 6, like reference numerals indicate parts of like function as previously described in connection with Figure 1 and the method of folding to form the scoop in flat form and as illustrated in Figure 7, is similar. The difference in this embodiment is that areas 60 and 61 are brought into face to face contact and glued or otherwise connected together, thereby forming the closure for the rear end of the scoop and also providing a double thickness hand hold part. A cut out 62 may be provided in each part of the sheet, thereby to form a suitable aperture to accommodate the fingers of a user. This is illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings.

The glued area is bounded by the closed end 63, the lower side edge 64 and the diagonal 65.

In use and when the scoop is opened out into the platform illustrated in Figure 7, the thumb may be placed upon the top ridge 6 with the fingers curled through the cut out area 62 and on squeezing gently the construction is caused to open up into the form of a scoop as illustrated in Figure 9. The double thickness part 60, 61 will tend to bend to one side about the crease lines 65 to fit the scoop better to the shape of the hand and to provide stability.

This second embodiment of the invention has less waste by virtue of the curved S-shaped end of the scoop being able to fit in with the complementary shape of an adjacent scoop cut from the same card. In addition, the rear end of the scoop is formed by a linear edge requiring no cutting.

The gluing and assembly of the flat pack scoop in the form shown in Figure 7 may be made during manufacture using applied glue or double sided adhesive tape strips.

Alternatively, the card may be supplied in the form shown in Figure 6 with pressure sensitive adhesive covered by releasable paper or the like with the scoop being assembled by user from this form.

A spatula may be provided (not shown) of thick rigid card and this may be placed inside the folded flattened scoop.

A thin plastic bag may be included with the device and into which the scoop and spatula may be placed for disposal.

Referring now to Figures 10 to 16 of the drawings, these illustrate a third embodiment which is generally similar to the embodiments described but wherein the way in which the ends of the scoop are closed is different.

Accordingly in Figures 10 to 16 like reference numerals indicate parts of like function to those of the previous embodiments with features of difference being more particularly described.

Referring to Figure 10, the flat sheet of card is folded about the crease lines 8 and 6 with the tab 4 being overlapped and glued to the side 2. This embodiment also includes end tabs 100 and 101 which are subsequently folded over and glued to the edges 102 and 103 respectively. There will thus be formed a rectangular elongate flat envelope which is closed by the tabs along both the longitudinal side and the two ends, this being illustrated in Figures 11 and 12.

A sinuous line of perforations 104 is provided or alternatively kiss-cutting may be used so that the end portion marked S can be detached from the main body by tearing. When the part S has been torn away, pressure applied to the longitudinal sides 6 and 8 causes the tubular member to be opened up to form a scoop, the function then being similar to that of the previously described embodiment. The part S which has been removed may then be used as a spatula to assist pushing waste matter into the scoop formed. This is illustrated in Figure 15 showing the scoop and Figure 16 showing the part S forming the spatula.

The device of this embodiment may also be folded in half about the line 7 and thereafter folded about the line 9 in order to provide a very small "package" which can easily put into the pocket. Additional crease lines 105 are provided which facilitate the opening up of the device to form the scoop and tubular end for receiving waste matter.

This embodiment, as in the previous embodiments, may include in combination a thin plastic bag which may be attached to the scoop device is required. In use, a hand is placed into the plastic bag and thereafter used to grip the scoop such that after waste matter has been received in the scoop the plastic bag may be pulled back from over the hand to enclose the scoop for disposal.

A fourth embodiment is now described with reference to Figures 17 and 19 of the drawings. This embodiment is similar in concept to that of the first embodiment and here again like reference numerals have been used to indicate parts having a like function. The construction here is folded and glued in a manner very similar to that of the first embodiment, thereby forming a scoop with a portion which may be used as a hand hold. The top part of the scoop which forms the handle H includes two wing portions 170 and 171 which, after the part H has been folded about the crease line 6, turn down and inwards to be contained within the handle H and thereby forming a reinforcement.The rear of the scoop is closed off by an end wall comprising a rectangular part W which includes a perforated cut crease line 172 and which a tab W2 is overlapped and glued when the scoop part is folded about the line 8. This is illustrated more clearly in Figure 19. Figure 19 shows the glued up construction in a flat form but by squeezing together the sides 6 and 8 the parts W,W2 are caused to bend around line 172 and the part W is caused to become flattened and to form a door closing off the end of the scoop. The wings 170 and 171 may then be turned inwardly and pressed into the handle H forming an abutment which retains the part W in position.

This fourth embodiment is mainly intended to be used to clean animal litter trays and cages. The device is made from very much stiffer card and is folded and glued in such a way that it can be packed in a flat form but nevertheless has excellent rigidity when opened up for use. When opened up for use by squeezing together the sides 6 and 8, the wings are turned inwards, the smaller wing 171 first, which thereby forces the end closure W into a vertical position where it is retained. This fourth embodiment is preferably constructed of a card having some in thickness. The first, second and third embodiments may be constructed from card having a thickness of approximately 0.3mm.

Although constructional features present in the four embodiments differ, nevertheless they all utilise a similar concept which is the construction of a tubular scoop-like member from a thin card with one end thereof being cut in a preferably sinusoidal manner in order to provide a lower portion onto which waste matter may be collected to be thereafter introduced into the body of the device for disposal. All the embodiments include some means for closing-off the ends of the scoop.

Claims (16)

1. A scoop device formed from a flat flexible sheet of material, opposed side edges of the sheet each having been folded over about a respective crease line and joined together forming a flat pack, one end of the folded sheet having a profile, whereby pressure applied to the folded side edges of the flat pack formed cause same to open up to a tubular shape forming a container with said one end having a lower protruding entrance lip formed by the profile, the other opposed end having an integral part forming a closure.

2. A scoop according to Claim 1, wherein the opposed side edges or the opposed folded side edges, or both, are parallel.

3. A scoop according to Claims 1 or 2, wherein said one end of the folded sheet is profiled with one folded side edge having a length greater than the other folded side edge.

4. A scoop according to any preceding claim, wherein said one end of the folded sheet has a curved profile, preferably.

of sinuate or of S-shaped form.

5. A scoop according to any preceding claim, wherein said one end of the folded sheet has the said profile defined by a perforated, kiss-cut or other delineation forming a readily separable portion of the sheet, which separable portion may be used as a spatula.

6. A scoop according to any preceding claim, wherein said other opposed end has a part defined by crease lines about which the sheet may be deformed to form said closure, said end being preferably closed by adhesive connection.

7. A scoop according to any preceding claim, wherein said sheet is divided longitudinally by crease-lines into four parts, one side edge of the sheet having a tab for overlapping adhesive connection to the opposed side edge when both said edges are inwardly folded.

8. A scoop according to any preceding claim, wherein said other opposed end is formed by folding about crease-line to provide a hand-hold.

9. A scoop device primarily for disposal of animal faeces, comprising a scoop formed from a sheet of a thin flexible material of which two opposed sides have been joined to define a tubular structure having a front end with a mouth forming an entrance to the scoop, and a rear end of which a side of the sheet is infolded to form a dart or tuck defining an end closure and forming a reinforced portion to be gripped between the thumb and forefinger during use.

10. A device in accordance with Claim 9, wherein the sheet is folded into flat form with two infolded reinforcing dart portions, the front end being preferably profiled to form a lower protruding lip.

11. A device in accordance with Claim 9 or 10, wherein the sheet is folded in the flat and includes longitudinally extending crease lines to facilitate opening up into tubular shape.

12. A scoop device in accordance with any one of Claims 9 to 11, wherein the device comprises a sheet with a first side which is folded in half and including and end portion which'is infolded between the two halves to form a tuck, an end of said tuck being itself reverse folded to form a second tuck therein of which two adjacent sides are secured by adhesive, a second side of the sheet being folded over and of which an edge is secured to an edge of the said first side.

13. A scoop device primarily for disposal of animal faeces, comprising a scoop formed from a sheet of a thin flexible material of which two opposed edges have or are adapted to be joined to define a tubular structure having a front end with a mouth forming an entrance to the scoop, and a rear end of which areas of opposed inside surfaces of each side of the sheet are connected or adapted to be connected to form a reinforced end closure portion to be gripped during use.

14. A scoop device according to any preceding claim, wherein said other opposed end is closed by a tab adhesively connecting the ends of the folded sheet.

15. A scoop device formed from a flat flexible rectangular sheet of material, opposed side edges of the sheet each having been folded over and joined by overlapping in a central area, the ends of the folded sheet being closed by tabs or the like to form an envelope, a profiled sinuate line of separation being provided towards one end of the envelope wherein said end may be torn away, whereby pressure applied to the folded side edges of the flat pack formed cause same to open up to a tubular shape forming a container with said one end having a lower protruding entrance lip formed by the profile, the closed end of the container formed including crease-lines to facilitate flexural deformation.

16. A scoop device and a method of forming same as disclosed herein and exemplified with reference to either Figures 1 to 5 or Figures 6 to 9 or Figures 10 to 16 or Figures 17 to 19 of the drawings.