GB2433873A

GB2433873A - A device for picking up solid material within a flexible bag

Info

Publication number: GB2433873A
Application number: GB0621290A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Maurice Joseph Glynn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-01-10
Filing date: 2006-10-26
Publication date: 2007-07-11
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-26
Also published as: GB0621290D0; GB2433873B; GB0600367D0

Abstract

An open ended container comprises an inner body (12) having an edge margin protruding, preferably under spring bias, from the open end of an outer body (10). In use a ligature, such as an elastic band (30), is placed around the protruding edge margin, which preferably has outwardly projecting spacer ribs (20), then guided between guide lugs (26) at the outside of the outer body (10) and stretched up to be looped around a second guide (28) so as to be held in tension. A flexible bag (40) is then fitted over the open end of the container. The assembly is then placed over a solid (50), such as dog faeces, and the outer body (10) pressed down to dislodge the band (30) from the edge of the inner body (12). This drags the bag (40) below the solid (50) to collect it into the bag (40), which is then held by the contracted band (30) still attached to the guides (26,28). The bag (40) can be lifted into the interior of the container, by way of a notch (24) in the edge of the inner body (12), for temporary storage above a lid (16, Figure 1) closing the open end. It can be removed for disposal by detachment of the band (30) from the device. The container can have multiple sets of guides and notches for successive use with further bands and bags while the earlier one(s) are still attached and containing collected solid.

Description

A DEVICE FOR PICKING UP SOLID MATERIAL WITHIN A FLEXIBLE BAG

This invention relates to picking up solid material within a flexible bag.

The invention is primarily aimed at solving the problem of hygienically and efficiently picking up unpleasant material e.g. dog faeces, from surfaces. Several types of scoop device are known but they tend to be bulky and awkward to use. Accordingly, most pet owners simply place their hand in a plastic bag and collect the faeces using their fingers.

GB 2355389 and US 2004/0100108 disclose devices for picking up dog faeces within a bag of the type which comprise a substantially rigid container for use with an elastic ligature. In both cases the container has an open end, over which the flexible bag, in use, is fitted, and comprise an inner tubular body slidably retained within an outer tubular body, the inner body having an edge margin which, in a condition ready for use of the device, protrudes from the open end of the outer body with the elastic ligature stretched around said protruding edge margin, the outer body being capable of being pushed over said protruding edge margin of the inner body to dislodge the ligature so that when a flexible bag is fitted over the open end of the container and is deformed inwardly of the container, for example by being placed over solid material lying on a surface, dislodgement of the ligature serves to close the flexible bag around the solid material.

However, neither of these prior proposals is believed to be practical. In particular, the contraction of the elastic ligature as it is dislodged is not likely to be sufficient to fully close the flexible bag. There may also be problems in reliably dislodging the ligature from the protruding edge margin of the inner body, more so if the ligature is tightly stretched around said edge margin.

An object of the present invention is to provide an alternative device of this type which is more effective in closing the bag around the solid material, yet is of relatively simple structure and cost-effective to manufacture.

The device of the invention is of the above described type but characterised in that first and second guide means for the ligature are provided on the outer body of the container, the first guide means being provided at or adjacent the open end of the container and the second guide means projecting from the outer body at a spacing from the open end, these guide means being so configured and arranged that the ligature can be guided by way of the first guide means and around the second guide means for the purpose of additional tensioning of the ligature prior to its dislodgement and also so as to keep the flexible bag, and any solid material enclosed thereby, after closure of the bag by the ligature, connected to the container.

The first guide means for the ligature preferably comprises a pair of guide Jugs projecting from the outer body and defining a guide slot therebetween.

The second guide means for the ligature may be in the form of a button, stud, lug, hook or clip secured to or formed on the exterior of the outer body.

Preferably a notch is provided in the edge of the inner body, at the open end thereof, in the vicinity of the first guide means on the outer body. The purpose of this notch is to hold the flexible bag containing the solid material, once closed off by the ligature, which is still entrained around the guide means, towards the inside of the container.

More elaborate versions of the device of the invention may include plural sets of associated first and second guide means on the outer body to provide for tensioning and attachment to the container of several successive ligatures and flexible bags closed thereby. This allows for picking up several successive mounds of faeces and keeping the respective bags connected to the container until they can all be disposed of. This may be useful, particularly if a user is walking more than one dog.

Spacer means are advantageously provided on the inner body, or at least the protruding edge margin thereof, in order to reduce contact between the ligature and the inner body.

This has been found to facilitate dislodgement of the ligature from the inner body margin by the relative movement of the outer body and to prevent the ligature being trapped between the outer and inner bodies.

The most effective spacer means comprises a series of radially (longitudinally) extending ribs, preferably with radiused outer surfaces, spaced apart at intervals around the exterior of the tubular inner body. A series of spaced apart longitudinal grooves on the inner body would serve the purpose of assisting release of the ligature, but would be less effective in preventing trapping of the ligature between the inner and outer bodies.

As in the previously proposed devices, spring means are preferably provided between the inner and outer tubular bodies of the container to urge the inner body to protrude by its edge margin out of the open end of the outer body.

A handle may be provided on the outer body. Also, a lid for closing the open end of the container may be provided. This is useful for storing elastic ligatures and bags therein prior to use. Also it allows a bag into which solid material has been gathered and which is still connected to the container by the contracted ligature to be temporarily stowed into the interior of the container and held in by the lid.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the device of the invention with the lid shown separated and a ligature fitted; Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section through the device shown in figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of a portion of the open end of the device with the lid removed and a ligature fitted; Figures 4 to 6 are reduced scale cross-sections, comparable to Figure 2, but showing the sequence of operation in use of the device.

With reference to figures 1 and 2, a preferred practical embodiment of the device of the invention comprises four parts, namely an outer body 10, an inner body 12, a spring 14 and a lid 16. Together, the inner and outer bodies 10, 12, and the spring 14, which is mounted between them, define an open ended container.

The outer body 10 is in the form of a substantially rigid housing of generally tubular form, being open at one end and being provided with a handle 18 at its other, closed end. The inner body 12 is also of cup-tike tubular form, having an open end and a base wall 15. It is of shorter length than the housing 10 and is mounted inside the housing 10 in a spring loaded manner, as shown in figure 2, so that its open end margin protrudes from the open end of the housing 10. More specifically, the base wall 15 of the inner body 12 is retained on an axial spigot 13 in the interior of the housing 10. The spring 14 is of helical form and is mounted around the spigot 13 to act between the interior of the housing 10 and the base wall 15 of the inner body 12.

When the open end of the container formed by the inner and outer bodies 10, 12 is placed against a surface and downward pressure applied on the outer body 10, the inner body 12 wilt slide upwardly inside the housing 10 against the force of the spring 14 for a distance corresponding to the original protruding edge margin of the inner body 12.

The inner body 12 is not a close fit inside the housing 10. A small annular gap remains there between and the inner body 12 is provided, around its protruding edge margin, with a series of spacers in the form of spaced apart longitudinally extending ribs 20 having radiused outer surfaces. The extreme outer edge of the inner body 12 is also provided with a chamfer 22. The purpose of these ribs 20 and the chamfer 22 is to facilitate removal of a ligature 30 in use of the device, as will be explained shortly.

Two notches, which may also be termed longitudinal slots, 24 are also provided at opposing locations in the edge of the inner body 12.

The outer housing 10 has two sets of guide means formed on its outer surface. Each set comprises first guide means 26 adjacent the open end of the housing 10 and second guide means 28 at a distance apart from the first guide means 26, in this case formed on the side of the handle 18. The position of the first guide means 26 in each case corresponds with the position of one of the notches 24 in the inner housing 12. The first guide means 26 in each case comprises a pair of facing hook-like lugs. The second guide means 28, in this embodiment, also comprise, in each case a pair of similar facing hook-like lugs but arranged in a manner perpendicular to the tugs forming the first guide means 26.

In use of the device, a ligature 30 in the form of a large, strong elastic band is placed around the spacer ribs 20 at the protruding edge margin of the inner body 12 and guided between the lugs of one of the first guide means 26, and then stretched up to be looped around one of the lugs of the associated second guide means 28, as is apparent in figure 1. In this way the band 30 is held in tension.

With reference to figure 4, a flexible bag 40, such as a conventional polythene bag, is then fitted over the open end of the container 10, 12. The entire assembly is then placed over solid material, such as dog faeces 50, to be collected into the bag 40. The solid material deforms the bag 40 inwardly of the inner body 12.

Pressure is then applied downwards onto the top of the outer housing 10 by way of the handle 18. This causes the outer housing 10 to slide down over the inner body 12 as the latter is retracted into the housing 10 against the action of the spring 14. In so doing, the edge of the outer housing 10 at the same time dislodges the elastic band 30 from around the previously protruding edge margin of the inner body 12. As this band 30 is released from tension it drags the flexible bag 40 under the solid material 50 thereby collecting the solids 50 within the bag 40, as shown in figure 5. The bag 40 containing the solids 50 is, however, still attached to the container 10,12 by the ligature 30, which is still entrained around the first and second guides 26,28, albeit under reduced tension.

As the device is lifted from the ground, the bag 40 containing the solids 50 is connected to it at a position suspended from the first guide means 26. The edge of the inner body 12 protrudes again under the action of the spring 14 and a neck portion of the bag 40 can be engaged through the adjacent notch 24 in the protruding edge margin so that the bag 40 and the solids 50 within are held inside the container, as shown in figure 6. The bag containing the solids can be temporarily stored in the interior of the inner body 12 in this manner and the lid 16 can be applied, as shown in figure 2, to close this off.

At any convenient time the bag containing the solidslfaeces can be removed from the device by unhooking the elastic band 30 from the first and second guide means 26, 28 and disposed of. The elastic band 30 may or may not be reused.

The device of the invention, as exemplified by the illustrated device, is more effective than previously proposed devices owing to the additional tensioning of the ligature 30 by virtue of the provision of the first and second guide means 26,28.

The provision of a second set of first and second guide means 26, 28 and a second associated notch 24 in the edge margin of the inner body 12 at a different location to the first set allows the device to be used consecutively with a second elastic band and second flexible bag while the first band and first bag containing a previously collected mass of faeces are still connected to the container. Both bags can then be disposed of at the same time. This option is likely to be particularly useful where a dog owner needs to pick up more than one mass of faeces during an outing, for example if more than one dog is being walked.

The foregoing its illustrative and not limitative of the scope of the invention. Many variations in detail are possible in other embodiments. In particular, the form of the guide means may vary. The second guide means may take the form of a single hook, or a button or clip or any other suitable formation about which the elastic band can be guided for tensioning purposes.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A device for picking up solid material within a flexible bag, the device comprising a substantially rigid container for use with an elastic ligature and a flexible bag, the container having an open end, over which the flexible bag, in use, is fitted, and comprising an inner tubular body slidably retained within an outer tubular body, the inner body having an edge margin which, in a condition ready for use of the device, protrudes from the open end of the outer body with the elastic ligature stretched around said protruding edge margin, the outer body being capable of being pushed over said protruding edge margin of the inner body to dislodge the ligature so that when a flexible bag is fitted over the open end of the container and is deformed inwardly of the container, as by being placed over solid material lying on a surface, dislodgement of the ligature serves to close the flexible bag around the solid material, characterised in that first and second guide means for the ligature are provided on the outer body of the container, the first guide means being provided at or adjacent the open end of the container and the second guide means projecting from the outer body at a spacing from the open end, these guide means being so configured and arranged that the ligature can be guided by way of the first guide means and around the second guide means for the purpose of additional tensioning of the ligature prior to its dislodgement and also so as to keep the flexible bag, and any solid material enclosed thereby, after closure of the bag by the ligature, connected to the container.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the first guide means comprises a pair of guide lugs defining a guide slot therebetween.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the second guide means is in the form of a button, stud, lug, hook or clip secured to or formed on the exterior of the outer body.

4. A device according to any preceding claim including plural sets of associated first and second guide means on the outer body to provide for tensioning and attachment to the container of several successive ligatures and flexible bags closed thereby.

5. A device according to any preceding claim wherein a notch is provided in the edge of the inner body, at the open end thereof, in the vicinity of the first guide means on the outer body.

6. A device according to claim 4 including a plurality of notches in the edge of the inner body, at the open end thereof, a respective notch being provided in the vicinity of each of the first guide means on the outer body.

7. A device according to any preceding claim wherein spacer means are provided on the inner body in order to reduce contact between the ligature and the inner body.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein the spacer means comprise longitudinally extending ribs which are spaced apart around the exterior of the inner body.

9. A device according to any preceding claim wherein spring means are provided between the inner and outer tubular bodies of the container to urge the inner body to protrude by its edge margin out of the open end of the outer body.

10. A device according to any preceding claim wherein a handle is provided on the outer body.

11. A device according to any preceding claim further including a lid for closing the open end of the container.

12. A device for picking up and containing solid material within a flexible bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.