Outdoor window mounted litter unit

A window mounted, ventilated, litter unit for installation on the outer wall of a house, to be used with conventional horizontal or vertical slide windows. A frame is constructed of square, thin wall steel tubing and has walls made of acrylic to allow sunlight within while keeping a cat safe. A swinging access door is provided at the window opening. The floor of the litter unit has a screen of perforated material which allows for the ventilation of litter which is maintained in a litter pan below the floor, and for litter tracked onto the floor to fall through the floor into the litter pan. The litter pan is easily removed from the bottom of the litter unit for outdoor cleaning. The rear of the litter unit has an upper support portion as part of the unit rear wall; the entire rear wall is dimensioned to completely surround a window opening so the invention may be used with windows that slide vertically or horizontally, without need of altering the litter unit or the window in any way.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to a receptacle for the excrement of cats, 
and, particularly, to a ventilated, outdoor, window mounted litter unit. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Cats confined to the inside of a house or apartment are usually provided 
with a separate area for excreting. Typically, a pan containing an 
absorbent "sand"-like material known as litter, is provided and is used by 
the cat during excretion. The offensive odor from this area often 
permeates through the entire house or apartment. The frequent use of the 
same litter by a cat causes the litter to become very wet, further causing 
the offensive odor to develop. 
Various types of deodorizing litter have been used by cat owners to inhibit 
this odor, although unpleasant odors continue to develop. 
Another concern is that cats scatter the litter on the floor around the 
outside of the pan and elsewhere around the home, due to the pawing and 
tracking by the cat. Various patented ideas have been developed to limit 
litter from being scattered, and to confine all of the litter to a litter 
unit located indoors. 
Cages of various sorts have also been developed to confine cats, 
particularly when the cat owner has a visitor in his or her home which is 
allergic to cats, and to provide a place for the cat to excrete waste. 
The present invention solves the problems associated with prior devices by 
providing a litter unit that uses outdoor ventilation and evaporation to 
release all odor associated with a litter unit, confining all litter to 
the outdoors. This litter unit provides a safe, accommodating area to 
temporarily isolate a cat, and, none of the prior devices known to 
applicant, taken singly or in combination disclose the construction of the 
invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is mounted to the outside of an existing window frame and can 
be used with windows that slide vertically or horizontally. The outdoor 
litter unit has a frame having walls made of acrylic material, keeping the 
cat safe within the unit while allowing sunlight to shine therein. A 
swinging access door is provided in an acrylic panel at the window 
opening. The litter unit has a floor made of perforated material which 
allows for ventilation and for tracked litter to fall through into a 
litter pan underneath the floor. The litter pan is easily removed from the 
bottom of the litter unit for outdoor cleaning. 
Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to provide a litter 
unit that uses outdoor ventilation and evaporation to release all odor 
associated with a litter unit, while confining all litter to the outdoors. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a safe, accommodating area to 
temporarily isolate a cat. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a sanitary environment for a 
cat owner, wherein a pan is provided with litter or excrement. 
Another object of the invention is to maximize the use of litter by 
enabling the excrement moisture to evaporate. 
Another object of the invention is to disburse odors associated with a 
litter unit. 
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an outdoor, window 
mounted litter unit secured to a structure by four simple bolts, and 
having a rear frame surrounding the window opening, so that the unit may 
be mounted exteriorally of windows that slide either vertically or 
horizontally, without need of altering the invention or the window in any 
way whatsoever. 
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention, will 
become apparent from the drawing, description and claims herein.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the accompanying description. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings, outdoor litter unit 10 is intended to be 
used with a standard three foot by five foot horizontal or vertical slide 
window that is commonly used in homes. The unit 10 is thus dimensioned and 
configured so as to be mounted easily upon virtually any style of window 
without need of altering either the window or the litter unit 10. 
The basic components of litter unit 10 are an enclosure defined by a floor 
12, a front wall 14, a pair of side walls 16, 18, and a rear wall 20. The 
walls are surmounted by a lean-to roof 22 to complete the enclosure. 
Preferably, floor 12 is made of open mesh material, such as flat spreaded 
sheet steel, 13 gauge, to provide an open form for litter spread by the 
pet to fall from the enclosure. Also, the open mesh floor 12 greatly 
assists in ventilation of the enclosure interior. The various walls of the 
enclosure are defined by sheets of transparent material, acrylic material 
being preferred, to allow sunshine to enter and brighten the enclosure, 
and also minimize the loss of sunlight through the window opening to which 
the invention is attached or mounted. For even more effective ventilation 
of the enclosure, the front wall 14 and the side walls 16, 18 may be 
apertured as indicated at 24. 
With reference to FIG. 5, it is readily appreciated that the framework 
making up the skeleton of litter unit 10 is, in the preferred embodiment, 
made of relatively thin wall square steel tubing stock, e.g., 1" by 1" 
square tubing, the various pieces being welded together. Floor 12 includes 
border pieces of 1/2" by 1/2" square steel tubing completing the 
definition of an opening 26 which receives a removable litter pan 28. Pan 
28, as best seen in FIG. 7, is a relatively shallow pan having a base 30 
and a peripheral flange 32. With reference to FIG. 6, pan 28 is suspended 
in opening 26 by four corner gussets 34. Since both opening and pan are 
rectangular, it is easy to simply raise the pan 28 just a little, turn and 
tilt the same, and then lower the pan 28 down through the opening 26 for 
cleaning and refilling with fresh cat litter material (not shown). 
With further reference to FIG. 6, floor 12 is made of two pieces of mesh 
material, so as to be L shaped, when viewed from the side. This 
construction locates opening 26, and thus pan 28, as far forward within 
unit 10 as possible, so as to further minimize odors from the pan entering 
through the window where the unit is mounted and into the structure or 
home. 
Referring again to FIG. 7, alternative embodiments of pan 28 are shown. If 
desired, base 30 of pan 28 may be perforated as at 36 to permit moisture, 
particularly feline urine, to drain through pan 28. In order to prevent 
cat litter from also passing through the perforations 36, a screen 38, 
e.g., 0.030 perforated steel sheet or the equivalent, may be placed in the 
bottom of pan 28, on base 30. A portion of screen 38 is indicated in FIG. 
7. 
Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 3, rear wall 20 is made up of three solid 
panels, in order to protect the inside of the structure or home from the 
elements. Ingress and egress into and out of the enclosure is provided by 
a pet door 40 of attractive, circular configuration, spring hinged at 42 
to a closed state, as shown. 
With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, it is seen that rear wall 20 
includes an upper support portion or extension 44. This provides a rear 
wall unit that is 5 feet high and three feet wide, in the preferred 
embodiment. Mounting lugs 46 are provided at the four corners of the 
combined unit 20, 44, for attachment of unit 10 about the periphery of a 
window W (FIG. 4) as by lag bolts 48 or the like, two of which are seen in 
FIG. 4. Also, a section of upper extension 44 is provided with a 
transparent barrier 50, which preferably is made of transparent acrylic 
material as in the case of the walls 14, 16, 18, and 20. Thus the unit 10 
may be mounted over a window with either vertically or horizontally 
sliding sections, without need of altering either the window W or the unit 
in any fashion whatsoever. When used with a window that slides 
horizontally, the upper barrier 50 provides protection of the interior of 
the home or structure from the elements. It is noted here that barrier 50 
is placed directly above the pet opening or door 40. 
The description of the preferred embodiments is an example of the invention 
as defined within the claims appended hereto. Other versions of the 
invention within the spirit of these claims are considered within the 
scope of this invention.