Abstract:
A portable system is provided for easy catching and transporting pet waste. The portable system includes a main shaft with a soft handle and a wrist band on one end, an extension shaft coupled to the main shaft at the other end of the main shaft for length adjustment, an attachment shaft coupled to the extension shaft, and a bag configured to be slid on the attachment shaft to catch and transport pet waste.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/344,617, filed on Aug. 31, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a portable catch and transport system to be used for cleanup of pet waste produced by pet animals outdoors. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The number of pet population in the United States is very large and still increasing. The Humane Society estimated that there are approximately 77.5 million owned dogs in the United States, with 39% of U.S. households own at least one dog and some owners own two or more dogs. Assuming each pet dog poops twice a day on average, the total amount of waste generated each day by pet dogs is huge. Dogs are routinely walked outdoors and it is estimated that about 40% of the dog owners do not pick up their dogs&#39; waste. 
         [0004]    Unattended dog waste not only leaves ugly scenes in nature, but also pollutes our environment and drinking water and makes it unsafe for children to play in the park, to run around a field, or to walk in the street freely without rolling or stepping on dog waste. Such problems also impact people&#39;s views toward pet dogs, by leaving the impression that dogs are a nuisance and dirty because they poop everywhere. 
         [0005]    While litter boxes for indoor use are available in pet stores, and dog owners have been using shovels and plastic bags to pickup dog waste outdoors, there is no convenient portable cleanup system that helps dog owners and protects the environment. More importantly, the vast majority of dog owners currently only cleanup after the dog waste already hit ground, which increases the difficulty of cleaning and often leaves marks on the ground. It is almost impossible for a dog owner to hold a plastic bag near the dog&#39;s bottom to wait for the waste to come out. 
         [0006]    The disclosed methods and systems are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0007]    One aspect of the present disclosure provides a portable system for easy catching and transporting pet waste. The portable system includes a main shaft with a soft handle and a wrist band on one end, an extension shaft coupled to the main shaft at the other end of the main shaft for length adjustment, an attachment shaft coupled to the extension shaft, and a bag configured to be slid on the attachment shaft to catch and transport pet waste. 
         [0008]    Other aspects of the present disclosure can be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the description, the claims, and the drawings of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1A  illustrates a front view of an exemplary pet waste portable system consistent with the disclosed embodiments; 
           [0010]      FIG. 1B  illustrates a front view of another exemplary pet waste portable system consistent with the disclosed embodiments; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of another exemplary pet waste portable system assembling diagram consistent with the disclosed embodiments; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of another exemplary pet waste portable system assembled diagram consistent with the disclosed embodiments; 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0014]    The present disclosure provides a portable system for easy catch and transport of pet waste.  FIG. 1A  shows a front view of an exemplary pet waste portable system assembling diagram with a loop attachment on bottom consistent with the disclosed embodiments. 
         [0015]    As shown in  FIG. 1A , pet waste portable system  100  includes a main shaft  106  with a soft handle  104  and a wristband  102  on top, an extension shaft  112  in the middle and a bottom attachment shaft  116 , on which a bag may be placed on loop attachment  118  to catch and transport pet waste. A flashlight  108  may be attached to main shaft  106  to provide good visibility in the dark. Flashlight  108  may also be configured in certain position such that loop attachment  118  may be directly put underneath a dog&#39;s bottom in the dark. Further, the built-in flashlight  108  may be weather resistant to be able to function even if it rains or snows. 
         [0016]    An extension shaft  112  is attached to the main shaft  106  with an adjustable length system  110  to fit different user height. The length adjust system  110  may include any appropriate components for easy length adjustment, for example, a push-in button. The push-in button  110  may be on one end of the extension shaft  112  and can be pushed in and inserted into the main shaft  106 . On main shaft  106 , there are holes in certain position for different length, for example, short position  202 , middle position  204 , medium long position  206  and long position  208 . Once the push-in button  110  reaches those holes, the pressed-in button of push-in button  110  shafts out and latches in the hole at certain position (e.g.,  202 ,  204 ,  206 , or  208 ). Further, the push-in button  110  may allow adding on any appropriate additional attachment, for example, a decorative attachment or a functional attachment such as deodorant, toy, and massager. Furthermore the extension shaft  112  may be made of any appropriate material, for example, metal, plastic, wood. 
         [0017]    A bottom attachment shaft  116  may be connected to the extension shaft  112 . The bottom attachment shaft  116  includes a detachable system  114  on one end and a loop attachment  118  on the other end. Detachable system  114  may include appropriate components capable of detachment and attachment, for example, a push-in button. For attachment, push-in button  114  is pushed in and inserted into extension shaft  112  until it latches in hole  210  on extension shaft  112 . For detachment, push-in button  114  is pressed inwards to hole  210  on extension shaft  112 , and attachment shaft  116  can then be withdrawn out of extension shaft  112 . Detachable system  114  makes it easier for user to switch to different loop sizes, to slide on and to refill a pet waste bag. 
         [0018]    Loop attachment  118  may have any appropriate sizes to fit different pet sizes, for example, small, medium and big. Further the loop attachment  118  may be connected to the attachment shaft  116  at any appropriate position. For example, the loop attachment  118  may be connected to the attachment shaft  116  on top of the attachment shaft  116  with the middle of attachment shaft  116  as shown in  FIG. 1A , or on a side of the attachment shaft  116  with the side of attachment shaft  116  as shown in  FIG. 1B , which illustrates a side view of an assembling diagram of an exemplary pet waste portable system  200 . 
         [0019]    Further, the loop attachment  118  may be in any appropriate angles related to the attachment shaft  116 . For example, the loop attachment  118  may be positioned in a 45-degree angle related to the attachment shaft  116 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , which illustrates the side view of an assembling diagram of an exemplary pet waste portable system  400  consistent with the disclosed embodiments. 
         [0020]    Furthermore, the loop attachment  118  may be taken in any appropriate shape, for example, ring, ellipse, polygons, and made of metal or plastic material. For example, loop attachment  118  may be a metal ring with a rounded edge and an appropriate diameter, such that loop attachment  118  may have sufficient strength to push down tall grass, a pile of leaves, or a pile of snow, etc. Further, a rounded edge metal wire is also desired for a plastic bag and since the metal ring is sturdy, it can also carry the weight of the dog waste, even sometimes with rain water or snow. 
         [0021]    A bag  120  can be inserted overlapping the loop attachment  118  (e.g., a ring) to hold pet waste and the bag may be made from any appropriate material, for example, plastic or biodegradable plastic. Further, the bag  120  may have a draw string on lip for easy disposal. Bag  120  may include various sizes corresponding to the size of loop attachment  118 . For example, bag  120  may have 3 sizes for small, medium, and large loop attachment  118 . 
         [0022]    The loop attachment  118  attached with bag  120  may be configured in such a way to be separated from main shaft  106  or extension shaft  112  for easy slide of bag  120  after use or easy bag refill. Further, the main shaft  106  may be made from any appropriate material strong enough to hold the portable system and pet waste, for example, metal, plastic or wood. For example, main shaft  106  and/or extension shaft  112  may also be made of metal to enhance durability of pet waste portable systems. 
         [0023]    A soft handle  104  is attached to one end of the main shaft  106  and it may be made from any appropriate material for better grip, for example, rubber, plastic, wood or fabrics. Further, soft handle  104  may have any appropriate colors and logos. A wristband  102  may be attached to the main shaft  106  or the soft handle  104  for easy carry and hanging when not in use, it may be made from any appropriate material, for example, plastic, fabrics. Wristband  102  may have appropriate colors and logos. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows a side view of an assembled diagram of an exemplary pet waste portable system  600  consistent with the disclosed embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the assembled system  600  is adjusted to a long position, with the push-in button  110  of extension shaft  112  latched on long position  208  of main shaft  106 . Being connected with wristband  102 , soft handle  104  is put on the top of main shaft  106 . Loop attachment shaft  116  is attached to extension shaft  112  by push-in button  114  latched on hole  210 . Further, the loop attachment  118  is positioned in a 45-degree angle related to the attachment shaft  116 . Other configurations may also be used. 
         [0025]    With the disclosed systems, dog owners will be able to carry portable catch-and-transport systems along with them, for their morning and evening walks, to catch pet dog waste before it hits the ground and do not have to pick it up. The disclosed systems also help keeping our environment. 
         [0026]    While various embodiments in accordance with the present invention have been shown and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may be changed, modified and further applied by those skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the detail shown and described previously, but also includes all such changes and modifications. 
         [0027]    For example, extension shaft  112  and/or loop attachment shaft  116  may be omitted. Loop attachment  118  may thus be attached to extension shaft  112  or main shaft  106 , such that alternative configurations may be created. Other configurations can also be created based on the principles disclosed and understood by those skilled in the art.