Abstract:
A litter box housing for cats having a litter box inside the housing positioned upon a tray. The tray is engaged with a cam arms which are connected to an upper lid of the housing, and the tray rests on a base of the housing when the lid is closed. When the lid is opened, the cam arms lift the tray with the litter box, and lock the tray in an elevated position. The litter box can either be cleaned for waste materials or disposed of in its entirety.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to housing for cats having a litter box inside the housing positioned upon a tray. The tray is engaged with cam arms which are connected to a lid of the housing, and the tray rests on a base of the housing when the lid is closed. When the lid is released from a closed position, gas springs lift the lid, and lock the tray in an elevated position. The litter box can either be cleaned of waste materials or disposed of in its entirety. 
   As cat owners age, disposal of waste material in a litter box for cats becomes more physically demanding because of the bending and lifting involved. While there are other box-like structures which contain reservoirs of litter material for use by cats for elimination, easy disposal of the material remains a problem. Most of the structures rely upon sifting devices and chutes, or rotating the structure in its entirety to separate the waste. 
   It is an object of the invention to provide a box-like structure for ingress and egress by cats to use a conventional litter box positioned upon a tray, wherein the tray can be elevated for easy disposal of the box or cleaning of the waste material in the box and refilling with litter. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved litter box lifting device. 
   To attain this, the present invention comprises a generally rectangular housing having a base portion, side walls, rear wall and front wall, the walls being interconnected. The walls are preferably connected by a series of prongs inserted into complimentary apertures. There is an opening to permit ingress and egress of an animal. 
   A lid is pivotally attached to the housing near the rear wall. Pair of cam arms has a first end and a second end, wherein the first ends are configured to attach to the inner surface of the lid at opposing sides of the lid. The cam arms each have elongated slots integrally formed therein, and are arcuately shaped at the second end. A tray, structured for holding a standard litter box and having side walls, is attached with the cam arms with roller means positioned through the elongated slot of each cam arm. In an embodiment of the invention, gas springs are mounted on the side walls. A holding member is pivotally attached to the front wall. A latch is rotatably engaged to the holding member. The holding member compresses the gas springs and also maintains the lid in a closed position. 
   To operate the present invention a litter box is placed on the tray. The litter box has absorbent litter material therein. The animal can enter the housing and use the litter box. When the litter box needs to be disposed of or waste material cleaned, the latch is rotated, the holding member is release from a closed position and the lid is released. The gas springs propel the lid upwardly. The cam arms attached to the tray move through their rotation with the roller means moving along the elongated slot of each cam arm. Once the roller means reached a predetermined position along the slot the tray is stabilized into an elevated position. The litter box can then be replaced or the litter material cleaned. It should be recognized that in an embodiment of the invention without the gas springs the lid can be manually lifted by the users. 
   To put the tray and litter box into the housing for further use, the lid is pushed downward to a closed position and secured by the locking member. 

   
     BRIEF DESCIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tray, cam arms and lid. 
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary view of a prong and complimentary aperture. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of the invention with the lid closed. 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the invention in use in an open position. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the invention with the lid open in use. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring first to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , therein is shown a perspective view of a litter box lifting device, generally designated  10 , according to the present invention. As illustrated, the device  10  includes a generally rectangular housing  12  having a pair of planer side walls  14 , a planer rear wall  16  and a planer front wall  18 . The planer rear wall  16  has an opening  20  to permit ingress and egress of a cat. The side walls  14 , rear wall  16  and front wall  18  are connected to a planer base  22  at first ends, and extend substantially vertical at a right angle from the base  22  to second ends. The position of the rear wall  14  and front wall  18  can be reversed during assembly to allow the opening  20  to be repositioned. Of course, while the housing  12  has been described as rectangular it is not limited to such shape, and it is intended to include additional shapes. A lid  28  having an inner and outer surface is pivotally mounted to the housing  12  by hinge means  30 . 
   In the preferred embodiment of the device  10 , a pair of gas springs  32 , each having a first end and a second end, are connected at the first end to a bracket  44  mounted to the inner surface of the lid  28  and connected at the second end to a bracket  44  mounted on the side walls  14 . As illustrated in the preferred embodiment of the device  10  the side walls  14  have a parabolically shaped space defined therein to facilitate the mounting of the gas springs  32 . 
   When gas springs  32  are mounted on the side walls a holding member  50  is pivotally attached juxtaposed to the second end of the front wall  18 . A latch  48  is rotatably connected to the locking member  50 . The holding member  50  locks the lid  28  in a closed position. When the lid  28  is in the closed position the gas springs  32  are compressed. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a pair of opposed cam arms  38  are mounted to the inner surface of the lid  28  at first ends. The second ends of the cam arms  38  are arcuately-shaped. An elongated slot  40  is integrally formed and extends longitudinally from relative mid-point of the cam arms  38  to the second end. A tray  34  having a top surface and a bottom surface is structured for holding a box retaining a quantity of litter material. A pair of opposed tray side walls  36  are mounted on the top surface of the tray  34  at a lower edge of each tray side wall  36 , and extend vertically at a right angle from the tray  34 . Each tray side wall  36  has an aperture near an upper edge. 
   Roller means  42  are connected to each tray side wall  36  near the upper edge, and are dimensioned to pass through and abut the slots  40  of the cam arms  38 . The roller means  42  are moveable along the length of each slot  40 . 
   The side walls  14 , rear wall  16 , front wall  18 , and base  22  are secured to each other, preferably by complimentary prongs  24  and apertures  26 . The tray side walls  36  may be secured to the tray  34 , and the first end of the cam arms  38  to the lid  28 , in a similar manner. The complimentary prongs  24  and apertures  26  are illustrated in  FIG. 4 , and in keeping with one aspect of the invention, facilitate the shipping and storage of the unassembled housing  12 . 
   With reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a standard litter box is positioned on the tray  34 . The tray  34  rests on the planer base  22  of the housing  12 . When the litter box needs to be cleaned of waste material or discarded, the user of the device  10  turns the latch  48  and releases the holding member  50 . The holding member  50  pivots away from the front wall  18 . The lid  28  is now free to move, and the action of the gas springs  32  being released push the lid  28  upward. As the lid  28  is propelled in an upward manner the cam arms  38  pull the tray  34  upward with the roller means  42  moving through the length of the slot  40 . Once above the roller means  42  move through the slot  40  to a terminal position the tray  34  is now elevated for the user. To lower the tray  34  the user pushes on the lid  28  in a downward manner against the gas springs  32  until the lid  28  is in its closed position. The holding member  50  recaptures the lid  28  and the latch  48  is rotated to secure the holding member  50 . The tray  34  has now descended to the floor. If gas springs  32  are not mounted to the side walls  14  of the device  10 , then the user can manually lift the lid  28  until the tray  34  is in the elevated position. 
   As further illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the tray  34 , along with a litter box  52  that has been set on the tray  34 , are in an elevated stable position. The user now has access to the litter box to clean or replace the litter box without stooping. An optional panel  46  is mounted between the cam arms  38  to provide a bracing mechanism so that the cam arms  38  at the first end do not tend inward during operation. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting the scope and intent of the invention.