GB2549115A

GB2549115A - Excreta collection device

Info

Publication number: GB2549115A
Application number: GB1605802.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joseph Pass Timothy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-04-05
Filing date: 2016-04-05
Publication date: 2017-10-11

Abstract

A portable device 10 for collecting animal excreta. The device comprise an elongate member 12 having a bag support 22 at its distal end 14. A manually operable actuator 26 is carried at or adjacent the proximal end of the elongate member and is operable by the user whilst holding the elongate member at or near its proximal end. An operative coupling 24 extends through the elongate member from the manually operable actuator to the bag support allowing the bag support to be moved between a first configuration in which it serves to spread a bag carried on the bag support, providing a surface area for receiving excreta, and a second configuration in which it closes the bag. Whilst holding the proximal end of the elongate member, the user is able to spread the bag and position it beneath the hind quarters of an animal to collect excreted material without that material contacting the ground, and then to close the bag to capture the faecal material and enable it to be carried to a point of disposal.

Description

DEVICE FOR COLLECTION OF EXCRETA

The present invention is concerned with collection of animal excreta, especially (although not necessarily exclusively) dog excreta.

Dog excreta on pavements and in other public spaces poses a considerable risk to human health. It can for example carry the roundworm parasite which causes toxocariasis in humans, a cause of serious illness and even blindness in, particularly of young children. It can also be a concentrated source of a range of other pathogens, parasites and disease vectors including coliform bacteria, known to cause intestinal disease and serious kidney disorders, as well as parvovirus, whipworms, hookworms, threadworms, and coccidia. Some of these can be transmitted directly through the skin as well as by accidental ingestion. Contaminated footwear can carry the material into homes. Crawling babies and young children are especially vulnerable to infection due to contaminated floor and ground surfaces.

Many countries and localities have laws requiring dog owners to clean up after their pet in public places. Responsible dog owners often carry a plastic bag and use it to collect faeces from the ground manually whilst walking their dog, but this process is unsatisfactory in several ways: it involves smells and tactile sensations which are highly distasteful to many owners and can cause feelings of nausea and discomfort, it is a source of social embarrassment, it requires the owner to bend down to ground level, which can be problematic for many owners and may be impossible for some due to disability, it takes time to do a thorough job, as a result of the above factors, the owner may rush the process of collecting the faeces and so leave material behind, or may be discouraged from collecting the material at all and so leave it behind, and perhaps most importantly, merely picking up the main part of the faeces from the ground typically does not remove all of the material. A contaminated area of ground remains which is in fact rendered less noticeable to fellow pedestrians who will inevitably walk over that area and so carry the contamination on their footwear around the community. It is believed that a potential for transmission of dangerous pathogens can persist for many days after fouling takes place.

Various devices have been proposed and marketed which allow the dog owner to collect the faeces from the ground. An example is provided in US6637791, which describes an apparatus having a container pivotally mounted on an elongate handle, and a lever mechanism to turn the container in a scooping motion to collect animal faeces. Such devices do not avoid the problem that fouling can persist even after the main part of the excreta has been collected.

According to the present invention there is a portable excreta collection device comprising an elongate member which has proximal and distal ends and is able to be held at or near the proximal end by a user, a bag support carried by the elongate member at its distal end, a manually operable actuator carried by the elongate member at or adjacent its proximal end and operable by the user whilst holding the elongate member at or near its proximal end, and a coupling extending through the elongate member from the manually operable actuator to the bag support arrangement, so that by means of the manually operable actuator, acting through the coupling, the bag support arrangement can be reconfigured between a first configuration in which it serves to spread a bag carried on the bag support, providing a surface area for receiving excreta, and a second configuration in which it closes the bag, enabling the user, whilst holding the proximal end of the elongate member, to spread the bag and position it beneath the hind quarters of an animal to collect excreted material without that material contacting the ground, and then to close the bag to capture the faecal material and enable it to be carried to a point of disposal.

The invention provides a means of collecting the faces without allowing them to come into contact with the ground, thereby avoiding the problem of enduring contamination after collection. It avoids any need for the user to stoop or to come into proximity or contact with the faecal material, and facilitates carrying of the faecal material to a point of disposal.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 shows a portable excreta collection device embodying the present invention in a first configuration and viewed from above;

Figure 2 shows the same device in a second configuration, viewed from above;

Figure 3 shows the device, viewed from one side, being used to position and spread a bag upon the ground;

Figure 4 shows the device viewed from one side with a bag fitted and spread;

Figure 5 shows the device viewed from one side with a bag which is filled and closed; and

Figure 6 shows the device coupled to a dog lead.

The portable excreta collection device 10 seen in the drawings is sufficiently light and portable to be easily carried by a user when walking a dog. It is easily deployed by the user to catch dog excreta before it impinges on the ground, to collect the excreta, and to carry it to a point of disposal.

The device comprises an elongate member 12 having a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16. The proximal end of the elongate member 12 serves as a handle. It may be provided with a grip 18, to be held in the hand of the user. In the present embodiment the elongate member 12 is tubular. Any suitable material may be used for the elongate member 12. In the present embodiment it comprises a carbon fibre tube, for strength and lightness. The elongate member 12 needs to be sufficiently stiff to enable the user, holding it by the proximal end 14, to position the distal end 16 in a required location to collect faeces, but commensurate with this requirement it may be rigid or it may have a degree of flexibility.

The elongate member 12 carries at its distal end 16 a bag support 20, which is shown in a first configuration in Figure 1 and a second configuration in Figure 2. In the first configuration the bag support 20 serves to spread a bag 21 carried upon it over a relatively wide area, to provide a surface for collection of the faeces. In its second configuration the bag support 20 adopts a compact form in which it serves to close a neck of the bag and so contain the faeces in it. The bag is omitted from Figures 1 and 2 but shown in Figures 3 to 5.

The bag support may take a range of different forms but in the present embodiment it comprises a flexible loop 22 of resilient material projecting from the distal end 16 of the elongate member 12. The resilient material is elongate and thin enough to be drawn into the member 12. It is able to curve and bend resiliently but tends, when released, to straighten to form the largest radius of curvature it can, so that when doubled back on itself in a loop, as in the present device, it naturally adopts a roughly round or teardrop shape. It may for example comprise a suitable elastomer such as rubber. It may be stiffened by internal members or by an external covering or sheath. In the present embodiment it comprises a sheath incorporating helically wound metal wire which contributes30 to its stiffness and resilience. A coupling extends through the elongate member 12 to operably link the bag support 20 to a manually operable actuator. In the present embodiment the coupling is formed by a part 24 of the resilient loop 22 passing through the elongate member 12, and the manually operable actuator takes the form of a handle 26 connected to it where it emerges from the proximal end 14 of the elongate member 12. Pulling the handle 26 causes the resilient loop 22 to be drawn through the elongate member 12 in the direction toward its proximal end 14, thus reducing the length of the loop projecting from the distal end 16 and causing it to constrict and so to close a mouth of the bag 21.

The perimeter of the bag's mouth is connected to the bag support 20. This may be achieved in a variety of ways. For instance small self-adhesive tabs (not shown) may be provided at intervals about the bag's mouth, to be passed around the bag support 20 and adhered to themselves or to the bag itself. Once filled and closed the bag can be released from the device 10 by a tug which snaps the self-adhesive tabs.

The device 10 is to be carried by a user when walking a dog. A dog's behaviour typically provides clear signals of when it is about to defecate. Upon observing these signals, the user can quickly and easily deploy the device 10 to collect the faeces. The device 10 is held by the proximal end 14 of the elongate member and the manually operable actuator 26 is pushed into the elongate member 12 to place the bag support in its first configuration, spreading the bag 21 on the ground 28 (see Figure 3) so that it provides a relatively large surface. The user positions the bag 21 beneath the dog's hind quarters. Because of the length of the elongate member this can be done without the user's hand being in the vicinity of the dog's hind quarters. The faeces are collected upon the bag, and then by pulling the handle 26 the elastomer loop 22 is constricted, closing the bag 21 as seen in Figure 5 to prevent loss of faecal material and to contain odours. In this configuration the device 10 can be used to carry the faecal material to a suitable point of disposal without risk of contamination, without a need to stoop to ground level and without any need to the user to handle the faecal material. Contact of the animal's faeces with the ground is prevented and no contamination need be left behind.

Provision can be made for easy carrying of the elongate member 12 in a variety of different ways. In one embodiment, depicted in Figure 6, it is attachable to a dog lead 30. In the illustrated example the lead is releasably attached to the elongate member 12 at two or more points along its length. This may be achieved through mechanical clips, magnetic clips, or any other suitable releasable attachment device. The dog walker can hold both the lead 30 and the collection device 10 through the grip 18.

When the collection device 10 is required, it can rapidly by detached from the lead 30 (e.g. by means of a sharp tug which separates the releasable attachments).

Additionally or alternatively the elongate member 12 may be a telescopic item able to be collapsed when not in use, to enable it to be conveniently carried.

The bag support may take other forms. It may for example comprise a pair of jaws pivotally mounted to the elongate member 12. In such a case the manually operable actuator and the coupling serve to move the jaws pivotally away from and toward one another to spread the bag and then to close it.

The manually operable actuator may take other forms. It could for example simply be formed by a portion of the resilient loop 22 projecting from the proximal end of the elongate member 12 to enable it to be grasped.

Although the device has been described in relation to collection of dog excreta, it could be used and/or adapted for use in relation to other animals. For example a version of the device could be used in relation to horses, being for example carried upon the saddle.

Claims

1. A portable excreta collection device comprising an elongate member which has proximal and distal ends and is able to be held at or near the proximal end by a user, a bag support carried by the elongate member at its distal end, a manually operable actuator carried by the elongate member at or adjacent its proximal end and operable by the user whilst holding the elongate member at or near its proximal end, and a coupling extending through the elongate member from the manually operable actuator to the bag support arrangement, so that by means of the manually operable actuator, acting through the coupling, the bag support arrangement can be reconfigured between a first configuration in which it serves to spread a bag carried on the bag support, providing a surface area for receiving excreta, and a second configuration in which it closes the bag, enabling the user, whilst holding the proximal end of the elongate member, to spread the bag and position it beneath the hind quarters of an animal to collect excreted material without that material contacting the ground, and then to close the bag to capture the faecal material and enable it to be carried to a point of disposal.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the bag support comprises a loop of resilient material and the manually operable actuator serves to draw the loop into the elongate member to reconfigure the bag support from the first configuration to the second configuration.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the coupling is formed by a portion of the said loop passing through the elongate member.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which the manually operable actuator comprises a handle attached to a portion of the loop projecting from the proximal end of the elongate member.

5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the elongate member 12 is adapted to be attached to a dog lead to enable the device and the lead to be carried as a unit.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the elongate member is telescopically collapsible for carrying.