JP3448258B2 - Animal bedding and animal bedding supply system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a litter used for animals and a system for supplying litter for animals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Bed coverings for animals are intended to facilitate the treatment of excrement, clean the environment, or be used as a bed. for that reason,
The following conditions are desired for animal litter. First, it is desirable that excrement does not become unsanitary even if adhering and mixed, that the bed is comfortable for the animal, and that it is safe for the animal.

Straw has often been used as a bedding material for animals which satisfies such conditions. Since straw has a straw-like hollow structure, it has excellent breathability. Therefore, decay of excrement can be prevented, and appropriate cushioning and heat retaining properties can be obtained. In addition, since it can be composted after use, its utility value is extremely high. However, straw is currently supplied from overseas,
It has a problem that supply amount and price are not stable. In addition, since it is delivered in a block shape when it is imported, it has a problem that even if you try to exterminate pathogenic bacteria, it is difficult to completely remove the bacteria inside.

Therefore, there have been proposed several floor coverings that can substitute for straw and can be stably and hygienically supplied. For example, sawdust and rice husks are known as the same natural materials, and newspaper paper and corrugated cardboard pieces are known as paper materials.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned sawdust, rice husks, newspapers, and corrugated cardboard have their respective disadvantages, and there is a problem in that a litter having a sufficient function is not obtained in place of straw. is there.

First, the breathability will be described. If the breathability is good, even if the excrement and the veneer for animals are mixed, rot does not proceed and there is no fear of deteriorating hygiene. However, the cut pieces of newspaper are crushed by animals, even if they have appropriate breathability and heat retention at the beginning of deposition,
When it absorbs humidity and moisture from excrement, it tends to flatten and adhere, and also tends to form lumps. Therefore, the air layer disappears, and it is difficult to maintain not only breathability but also cushioning properties and heat retaining properties.

[0007] Next, the safety of eating by animals will be described. Since the animal bedding material is used by being deposited around the animal, there is a good possibility that it will be eaten by mistake. Therefore, it is desirable that the material is a material that does not cause a health problem even if the animal eats it. Regarding cardboard, it is designed to be used for normal packaging. Therefore, a petroleum-based adhesive or the like having a large adhesive force is used for bonding the corrugated cardboard member and the plate-shaped members on both sides thereof, or the surface thereof is subjected to a water-repellent treatment. Further, the surface may be printed. On the other hand, a large amount of oil-based ink is used on the surface of newspapers. Therefore, in the case of corrugated cardboard or newspaper, there is a concern that the animals may accidentally eat them, which may impair their health.

Next, the safety in terms of animal injury will be described. Considering that the animals step on the litter,
A safe bedding material that does not slip or get caught is desirable. With respect to corrugated cardboard, the water-repellent treatment applied to the plate-shaped member on the surface makes the animal slippery when stepping on the surface. Also, since the breaking strength is high, it is difficult to tear even if the animal is caught. On the other hand, newspapers tend to be caught by animals when they become wet and clumpy. Therefore, cardboard and newspaper are also concerned about the safety of animal injuries.

Next, the reusability used as compost after use will be described. Since animal bed coverings are used in large quantities on a daily basis, it is not easy to dispose of them as they are. If it can be composted and reused by farmers,
It is useful both in terms of cost and ecology. Therefore, it is desirable that the animal bedding material be compostable. However, sawdust and rice husks are not fully decomposed even when attempting composting,
Since it cannot be returned to the soil, it cannot be used as compost. On the other hand, corrugated cardboard and newspaper are concerned about environmental pollution from the viewpoints of the water-repellent treatment, adhesive, and oil-based ink described above. Therefore, sawdust, rice husk, corrugated cardboard and newspaper are problematic in that they are composted and reused.

As described above, even under the laying material proposed as a substitute for straw, there is currently no laying material that satisfies all the desired conditions for the laying material. Therefore, the present invention solves the conventional problems, at a low cost, can be stably supplied, and is also excellent in safety, breathability and cushioning property, and can be re-composted and reused for animals, and for animals. The purpose is to provide a floor covering supply system.

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, the animal litter of the present invention employs the following means.

That is, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a base material made of a paper material, and an uneven portion made of a paper material and fixed to the base portion so as to form an unevenness. And, the concave portion and the convex portion of the concave-convex portion are continuously arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the base portion, and a ventilation path having an open end in the lateral direction of the base portion is formed between the convex portion and the base portion, The concave portion has a groove shape opened in the lateral direction of the base portion, the base portion and the concave-convex portion are fixed to each other with a natural adhesive, and the paper material forming the base portion and the concave-convex portion is not subjected to water repellent treatment. It is characterized by

In this means, the ventilation is formed by the ventilation portion formed between the convex portion and the base portion and the groove shape of the concave portion, and the air layer also has the cushioning property and the heat retaining property. In addition, since the base and the uneven parts are made of paper material that has not been subjected to water repellent treatment, and a natural adhesive is used for fixing, safety is provided even if the animal accidentally eats or steps on it. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the animal bedding material is made of a compostable material.

By this means, the compost is completely decomposed to form compost, so that it can be effectively utilized even after being used as a bedding material for animals.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the natural adhesive is cornstarch.

This means is provided with safety when eaten by an animal, decomposability during composting, and safety as compost.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the animal flooring material is flexible and forms a non-contact space during deposition.

[0019] In this means, due to the flexibility, they are entangled while flexing appropriately at the time of deposition, so that the adjacent animal flooring materials do not completely adhere to each other, and a non-adhesive space is created. As a result, not only the air permeability of the uneven portion but also the air permeability of the whole deposit is ensured, and the heat retention and hygiene are improved.

Further, the following means is adopted in the animal bedding material supply system of the present invention.

That is, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a base sheet made of a paper material and an uneven sheet made of a paper material fixed to a base sheet, and the base material sheet are cut to provide the animal base material of the first aspect. And a cutting device to be manufactured.

By this means, there is provided a system capable of simply and stably supplying animal litter.

In the sixth aspect, the floor sheet is
It is characterized by being made from a compostable material.

By this means, it is possible to provide a system in which the used animal bed covering can be effectively utilized as compost.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A basic embodiment of an animal floor covering of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of the embodiment (1), FIG. 2 is a model diagram showing a usage state of the embodiment (1), and FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing other shapes of the embodiment (1). Is.

The animal floor material 10 comprises a base 11 made of paper material.
And a concavo-convex portion 12 made of a paper material and fixed to the base portion 11 so as to form concavo-convex portions, and has a thin strip shape as a whole.

The concave-convex portion 12 includes a convex portion 13 and a concave portion 14.
And are continuously arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the base 11.
Further, between the convex portion 13 and the base portion 11, a ventilation passage 15 having open ends 16 and 16 in the lateral direction of the base portion 11 is formed. The recess 14 has a groove shape opened in the lateral direction of the base 11. Therefore, the convex portion 13 causes the arrow A
Since the air permeability as shown in (1) is obtained and the air permeability as shown by the arrow B is obtained by the concave portion 14, it has a structure in which extremely high air permeability is obtained as a whole.

The base 11 and the uneven portion 12 are fixed to each other by an adhesive layer 17 provided between the recess 14 and the base 11. A natural adhesive is previously used for the adhesive layer 17 in consideration of safety for animals, decomposability during composting, and safety as compost. Specifically, it is desirable to be selected from starch-based adhesives such as corn starch.

As the paper material forming the base portion 11 and the concave-convex portion 12, a water-repellent treatment is applied. Since the water-repellent treatment is not applied, the safety is improved because there is no concern that the animal will slip and be injured or that it will eat and damage the health. In addition, since water such as urine can be quickly absorbed without unevenness, it can be used hygienically. Also, there is no concern about environmental pollution when composting. It should be noted that the paper material forming the base portion 11 and the concave-convex portion 12 is not subjected to not only the water-repellent treatment but also the treatment which may cause the above-mentioned problems, for example, the water-absorption treatment or the printing treatment. Is desirable.

Further, as the paper material used for the base portion 11 and the concave-convex portion 12, a paper material having flexibility and strength enough to be torn by an appropriate force is applied. This is to prevent injury or injury to the animal's body. For example, as the thickness of the paper material used, the basis weight is 5
0 to 200 g, more preferably 100 g to 1
Although 40 g is used, it is not limited to this range. In addition, used paper may be used as the paper material.

Next, the animal bedding material 1 thus constructed
The usage state of 0 will be described with reference to FIG. A suitable number of the animal bedding materials 10 are deposited and used in animal nests, sheds, stables, beds, and the like. At that time, since they are randomly stacked in multiple directions, a large number of non-adhesive spaces 18 are created between the adjacent animal flooring materials 10, and the multidirectional air permeability as shown by arrows C to F is obtained. can get. Even if pressure is applied by the animal stepping on or sleeping, the convex portion 13a,
As shown in 13b, the convex portion is deformed according to the pressure. Further, since it has flexibility, it bends or bends in response to pressure, as shown by the convex portions 13c and 13d. Further, since the shape of the uneven portion 12 causes entanglement,
As shown in the convex portions 13e, 13f, and 13g, even if the adjacent portions are overlapped with each other, they are not completely in close contact with each other. As described above, when the animal litter 10 is appropriately bent, deformed, or entangled at the time of deposition, not only the breathability produced by a single body but also the entire deposit can be produced with high breathability. . As a result, it is possible to prevent decay of excrement and further improve heat retention, cushioning and safety, and to provide a comfortable floor covering.

The animal bedding material 10 of the present invention may be mixed with straw at the time of deposition. At that time, the mixing ratio of the animal litter 10 to the total amount is preferably 20 to 80%,
A more preferable range is 30 to 70%. In this way, by using it by mixing it with straw, it is possible not only to make up for the shortage of supply of straw, but also the air permeability of straw in the form of a straw, that is, the air permeability in the longitudinal direction of the straw and the litter for animals. The air permeability in the lateral direction of 10 is integrated, and a higher air permeability can be obtained by a synergistic effect.

The animal bedding material 10 of the present invention is used for race horses, livestock, pets, etc., and can be used for large animals such as horses, cows, pigs, or small animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. Is.

The length, width, height, and other dimensions of the animal bedding material 10 are appropriately determined according to the application, and a comfortable bedding material is provided for each animal. For example, the width dimension is 5 to 2
About 0 mm is desirable, but it is not limited to this range.

Next, another example of the shape of the animal litter 10 of the embodiment (1) will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Figure 3
Is an example in which the concavo-convex portions 12 are fixed to both surfaces of the base material 11, and the aperture ratio can be improved. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the base material 11 having an uneven shape is fixed to the uneven portion 12, and the aperture ratio can be improved with a small number of paper material layers. Both have the same function as that of the animal litter 10 shown in FIG. In addition, in each of the uneven portions 12 illustrated in the embodiment (1), the ventilation passage 15 is provided in the direction orthogonal to the long side of the base 11, but the shape is not limited to this shape, and the long side is not limited. Alternatively, the ventilation path 15 may be arranged obliquely.

Next, as an embodiment (2), an animal bedding material supply system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment (2), FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the cutting device of the embodiment (2), and FIG. 7 is a diagram of the embodiment (2).
It is an explanatory view of a distribution system using. The same description as that of the embodiment (1) is given the same reference numeral, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the animal litter supply system 20 of the embodiment (2), a litter sheet 23 having a base sheet 21 made of a paper material and an uneven sheet 22 made of a paper material fixed to each other is cut by a cutting device 24. , Is constructed to produce the animal litter 10.

Then, the laying material sheet 23 supplied in the form of, for example, a roll is put on a cutting device 24,
A large number of strip-shaped animal flooring materials 10 can be manufactured. Thereby, the required amount of the animal litter 10 can be easily supplied.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the structure of the cutting device 24.
The set roll-shaped sheet material 23 is sent to the cutting device 42 by the constant-size feeding device 41 and cut into an intermediate shape having a desired length dimension. Then, it is sent to the slitter device 44 by the board feeding device 43, and is slit into the animal flooring material 10 having a desired width dimension. In the discharge unit 45, the animal flooring material 10 cut into a desired length and width is packed in a bag 46 or the like while removing paper dust. The length and width of the animal litter 10 can be easily adjusted by changing the feed amount of the constant size feeding device 41 and the width of the blade of the slitter device 44.

In the cutting device 24 shown in FIG. 6, the roll shape is cut into an intermediate shape of an appropriate size in the first step, and then in the second step, a thin strip-shaped animal flooring 10 is formed.
The cutting process is not limited to this. For example, user convenience,
Depending on the device, the strip-shaped animal flooring 10 may be directly manufactured from the roll shape.

As described above, the cutting device 24 has an extremely simple structure and can be easily miniaturized. Therefore, install the cutting device 24 near the stable that is the supply destination,
Then, the cutting work can be performed. Therefore, the transportation cost can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where the animal litter 10 is collectively manufactured at a remote factory and then transported to a stable or the like. This is because it can be transported compactly in a roll shape instead of in a bulky flooring.

A distribution system using the animal litter supply system 20 thus constructed will be described with reference to FIG. Here, as a use, a stable such as a racehorse will be described as an example, but the use is not limited to this.

Since the animal litter supply system 20 can be manufactured by using the small cutting device 24 as described above,
It is provided near the stables 30 and the like. First, the floor sheet 23
However, it is manufactured by adhering a compostable material, specifically a paper material, with cornstarch in advance. In order to manufacture the flooring sheet 23, a step of passing steam is often used, and the flooring sheet 23 is simultaneously sterilized. Then, up to the installation place of the animal bedding material supply system 20, it is transported from the manufacturer's factory 31 in an easily transportable form, for example, in a roll shape. Next, stable 3
The necessary amount of the animal bedding material 10 required at 0 is produced by the animal bedding material supply system 20 in a required amount at a necessary time. Although the animal litter 10 is bulky like straw, it can be stored in the form of the roll-shaped litter sheet 23 until it is manufactured, and thus does not require a large storage space. Next, the animal bedding 10 is used in the stable 30 to provide a bedding that is hygienic to horses and the like and is excellent in safety and comfort. Moreover, since it has a strip shape, it can be easily removed during cleaning and is excellent in workability. Next, the animal bedding material 10 mixed with the used excrement is sent to the composting facility 32. Since it does not contain materials that hinder composting, it is fully decomposed and excellent compost can be obtained. Finally, the compost is transported to the farmer 33 or the like and used for agricultural crops and effectively utilized.

As described above, the animal bedding material supply system 20 of the present invention can easily and stably supply the animal bedding material 10 and can reduce the transportation cost. And in the distribution system using this animal bedding material supply system 20,
Since the laying sheet 23 is made of only paper and cornstarch, it can be effectively used as compost even after being used as the animal laying material 10, waste cost can be reduced, and an environment-friendly distribution system can be obtained. Is obtained.

[0045]

As described above, the animal flooring material of the present invention is
Even by itself, it has a structure with high air permeability, and can create a non-adhesive space even during deposition. This allows
It has excellent breathability, can be used hygienically, and has excellent cushioning and heat retaining properties.

Further, the paper material forming the base and the uneven portion is not water-repellent treated, a natural adhesive is used for fixing, and it has flexibility, so that the animal is mistakenly It has extremely high safety even when eating or trampling.

Furthermore, since it is made of paper material and natural adhesive, it is not only completely decomposed even when it is composted after use, but there is no concern about environmental pollution. It is also excellent in terms of resource reuse as well as reduction of resources.

Further, the animal bedding material supply system of the present invention has an excellent effect that it can be stably supplied at a low cost because the animal bedding material can be produced very easily and in a required amount when needed. Demonstrate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an animal flooring material of an embodiment (1).

FIG. 2 is a model diagram showing a usage state of the embodiment (1).

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another shape of the embodiment (1).

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another shape of the embodiment (1).

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an animal floor covering supply system according to the embodiment (2).

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a cutting device according to an embodiment (2).

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a distribution system using the embodiment (2).

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Animal flooring 11 base 12 uneven part 13 convex 14 recess 15 air passage 16 Open end 17 Adhesive layer 18 Non-contact space 20 Animal bedding supply system 21 base sheet 22 Uneven sheet 23 Sheet material 24 cutting device 30 stables 31 Floor sheet manufacturing plant 32 composting facility 33 farmers 40 cutting section 41 Feeding device 42 cutting device 43 Board feeding device 44 Slitter device 45 Ejector 46 bags

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Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A laying material having a base made of a paper material and an uneven portion fixed to the base so as to form unevenness, and having a thin strip shape as a whole. The concave portions and the convex portions are continuously arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the base portion, an air passage having an open end in the lateral direction of the base portion is formed between the convex portion and the base portion, and the concave portion is a short portion of the base portion. It is characterized in that it has a groove shape opened in the hand direction, the base and the uneven portion are fixed to each other with a natural adhesive, and the paper material forming the base and the uneven portion is not subjected to a water repellent treatment. Bed cover for animals. 2. The animal bedding material according to claim 1, wherein the animal bedding material is made of a compostable material. 3. The veneer material for animals according to claim 1, wherein the natural adhesive is corn starch. 4. The animal bedding material according to claim 1, wherein the animal bedding material has flexibility and forms a non-contact space during deposition. 5. A base material sheet having a base sheet made of paper material and an uneven sheet made of paper material fixed to the base sheet, and a cutting device for cutting the base material sheet to produce the animal base material according to claim 1. An animal bedding material supply system comprising: 6. The animal bedding material supply system according to claim 5, wherein the bedding material sheet is made of a compostable material.