Pet waste collection and disposal device

A portable pet waste collection and disposal device. The portable device comprises a nested wand, where the nested wand has an actuator, a lower end and an upper end. The nested wand has a normal tendency to fully extend itself upon activation by the actuator during deployment of the portable device. The portable device also comprises a prong unit, where the prong unit has a pair of prongs, a first hinge and a second hinge. The first hinge has a normal tendency to spread the prongs, with the second hinge normally tending to rotate the prong unit away from the lower end of the nested wand. The first hinge and second hinge controllably rotate in substantially perpendicular relation to each other. The portable device further comprises a slider coupled to the prong unit, with the slider controllably causing the second hinge to rotate back toward the lower end when the slider is released by the actuator on the nested wand at a first end. The slider has a retainer bracket at a second end for retaining the spreading of the pair of prongs during deployment of the portable device. The portable device further has a disposable bag with a folded rim around the bag's opening, where the folded rim is adapted to receive the prongs. The disposable bag has a drawstring around its opening for controllably tightening the opening upon collection of the pet waste.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to pet sanitation equipment and more particularly to an apparatus for the collection and disposal of pet waste.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the increasing number of urban and suburban households with pets, particularly dogs, local governments have enacted ordinances requiring pet owners to clean up after their pets in order to reduce pedestrian hazards and increase sanitation conditions in the public streets and outdoor facilities. The waste or debris left by domestic animals is unsightly, and more importantly often presents a health hazard.

Various devices have been designed to assist pet owners in cleaning up their pets feces. However, such tools are for the most part unsanitary and only marginally effective. These tools include a variety of scoops for shoveling, bags for catching and tongs for grasping pet wastes. They tend to be bulky and require daily washing after use. For example, some tools require both hands from the pet owner, in multiple steps, to maneuver, complicating the whole routine of collection and disposal. Other tools risk exposing the owner's hand to the pet waste, presenting another sanitary hazard for the pet owner. As such, the conventional devices have not been widely embraced by the pet-owning public. Some of the conventional devices have been disclosed in the following U.S. Patents:

Therefore, it is desirable to have a pet waste collection and disposal device that is portable and easy to operate with one hand.

It is also desirable to have a pet waste collection and disposal device that minimizes the user's exposure to the pet waste during the collection and disposal process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a portable pet waste collection and disposal device. The device can be easily deployed to capture animal waste as it falls from the anus of a squatting pet. Once collected in the disposable bag, the device allows the disposable bag to be easily removed without exposing the user's hands to the waste within. Another disposable bag can easily be installed onto the device and the device is now ready for the next catch.

A portable pet waste collection and disposal device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the portable device comprises a nested wand, where the nested wand has an actuator, a lower end and an upper end. The nested wand has a normal tendency to fully extend itself upon activation by the actuator during deployment of the portable device. The portable device also comprises a prong unit, where the prong unit has a pair of prongs, a first hinge and a second hinge. The first hinge has a normal tendency to spread the prongs, with the second hinge normally tending to rotate the prong unit away from the lower end of the nested wand. The first hinge and second hinge controllably rotate in substantially perpendicular relation to each other. The portable device further comprises a slider coupled to the prong unit, with the slider controllably causing the second hinge to rotate back toward the lower end when the slider is released by the actuator on the nested wand at a first end. The slider has a retainer bracket at a second end for retaining the spreading of the pair of prongs during deployment of the portable device.

In another embodiment, the portable pet waste collection and disposable device comprises a disposable bag for collecting the pet waste. The disposable bag has a folded rim around its opening for receiving the prongs. The folded rim has a ring spacer at its entry point to help receiving the prongs. The disposable bag also has a drawstring around its opening to controllably tighten its opening upon collection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A portable pet waste collection and disposal device is described in this application. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details described herein. In other instances, well-known structures have not been shown in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

A description of the present invention is made with a general reference toFIGS. 1–6. Referring first toFIGS. 1,4and5, an exemplary portable pet waste collection and disposal device10in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The exemplary portable device10includes a handle100, a nested or telescopic wand101and a pair of prong stems110attached to a pair of rockers142on a prong mount140. The rockers142is biased by a torsion spring143, which otherwise has a normal tendency to spread out the rockers142. The prong mount140is attached to the pivot mount200, which normally tends to pivot away from the lower end of the wand101due to the torsion spring205within. The prong mount140pivots in a plane perpendicular to the rotation of the pivot mount200. As such, when the pivot mount200rotates the prong mount140away from its biased position, due to natural tendency of the torsion spring205, the prong amount140also pivots to spread out the rockers142.

The pivot amount200is attached to the pivot mount plug130through a rod prong pivot, or hinge rod,131. The pivot mount plug130has a pair of opposing rims, which act to provide a pair of rails135to guide the rockers movement, by restricting the spreading of the rockers142until the rockers142clear out of the rails135. At such point, the rockers142can spread out, thus opening the prong stems110for deploying a disposable bag (FIG. 8).

FIG. 2shows the pivot mount plug130in more detail, before the prong mount140is put in place. The compression spring133serves to extend the last segment of the nested wand101, as illustrated inFIG. 6. The rails135, or rims, on opposite side of the pivot mount plug130control, or guide, the movement and spreading of the rockers142between opening and closing of the prong stems110.

Referring now toFIGS. 1,3and6, a slider120is connected to the prong mount140through a flexible pull strap150. The slider120can be locked or engaged to the handle100by an actuator105. The lower end of the slider120has a prong retainer125which prevents the rockers142from overspreading upon deployment. The prong retainer125is preferably a bracket-shaped opening at the lower end of the slider120. Upon sliding down to meet the spreading rockers142, the prong retainer125on the slider120acts to contain the further spreading of the rockers142.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 6, the wand101preferably has multiple segments, each including a compression spring loaded therein. With the compression springs, the nested wand101has a natural tendency to extend to its full length, when it is released by the actuator105. It should be noted that the nested wand is only a preferred embodiment. In an alternate embodiment, the wand may be just a single elongated wand, without any adjustable length, provided that the prongs110are still deployable by an actuator105. The nest wand101, however, provides a more portable device, which can easily fit into the user's pocket, clipped to the user's belt, or hung from the user's wrist through a strap.

Referring now toFIGS. 4 and 5, the pivot mount200has a natural tendency to pivot, or rotate, away from the wand101, due to the spring pivot205. As shown inFIG. 5(a), after the spring pivot205is in place, the entire sub-assembly of the pivot mount200with the prong mount140can be inserted into the pivot mount plug130, and hingedly secured by a rod prong pivot, or hinge rod,131. As the pivot amount200rotates about the rod prong pivot131upon deployment, it pulls the slider120, through the pull strap150, down toward the bottom end of the wand101. As the slider120is pulled, it meets the prong mount140and the rockers142as the rockers142spread out. The spreading-out is contained or restricted by the prong retainer125at the lower end of the slider120.

Referring still toFIGS. 4 and 5, the rockers142are hingedly attached to the prong mount140through a rod prong153. Each of the rockers142has a receptacle base115at one end for receiving and securing a prong stem110(FIG. 1). Preferably, the base115also has a flexible tab148for releasably securing a disposable bag (to be described in connection withFIGS. 8 and 9). The rockers142are biased by a spring prong pivot143at the arms of the rockers142. The spring prong pivot143is preferably a torsion spring which has a natural tendency to spread the rockers apart.

When the prong mount140is retracted by the user's pulling of the slider120toward the handle100, the rockers142are forced into a closed position. During retraction, the rockers142move from riding on top of the rails135to being restricted between the rails135of the pivot mount plug130. During deployment, the rockers135, due to the unbiased pivoting motion of the pivot mount200, move from being restricted within the rails135to riding on top of the rails135, with the prongs gradually spreading apart. At this time, the prong retainer125on the slider120is pulled by the pull strap150into position to meet the rockers142. As can be understood, the angle of the prong stems110with respect to the nested wand101, as well as the angle between the spread-out prong stems110, can be set based on when the rockers142move out of the rails135and when the prong retainer125of the slider catches rockers142.FIG. 7illustrates the wand101with deployed prong stems110.

When the portable device10is fully retracted, as shown inFIG. 1(b), the rockers142are restricted and closed so that the prong stems110are held in a parallel position. Such parallel position facilitates the placement of a disposable bag9, as shown inFIG. 8. The disposable bag9may be formed to have at least two rim, or sides, surrounding its opening, with each rim to be supported by a prong stem. After the bag is placed onto the prong stems, the portable device10can be readily deployed when the pet is about to defecate. The disposable bag is preferably secured to the prong stems by a flexible tab148(FIGS. 4 and 5), which keeps the disposable bag on the prong stems during deployment of the prongs, but allows the bag to be easily removed after collection.

Operation of the Portable Pet Waste Collection and Disposal Device

When not in use, the portable collection device10is stowed in a state as shown inFIG. 1(b). To deploy the portable device10, the user first slips a disposable bag9to the prongs110. The user presses on the actuator105to first release the nested wand101. Also, the pivot mount200begins rotating the prong mount140and rockers142away (outward) from the wand, due to the unbiased spring pivot205. The pivoting also pulls the slider120away from the handle100, by virtue of the flexible pull strap150being also pulled by the pivot mount200. As the pivot mount200rotates outward, the rockers142and the prong mount140begin to move out of the rails135of the pivot mount plug130. When the rockers142are out of the rails, the rockers142begin to spread apart, the angle of which is eventually retained by the prong retainer125of the slider120.

After the pet waste lands in the disposable bag9, the prongs stems110can be slightly narrowed by pulling the slider120back toward the handle100, thus making it easy to remove the disposable bag9from the prongs stems110. With the disposable bag9removed from the prong stems110, the slider120can be further pulled back, thus bringing the prong mount140back (rotating inward) and closing the rockers142. The slider120can then be locked to the actuator105.

The Disposable Bag

Reference is now turned toFIGS. 8 and 9, which illustrate an exemplary disposable bag9in accordance with the present invention. As shown, the bag has two folded rims90, or sleeves, around its opening, for receiving the prong stems110. To make it easier for the prong stems110to be inserted, a ring spacer92is positioned near each opening to the folded rim90. A drawstring94is also extended through the folded rim90, and around opening of the bag, to allow the user to close the opening of the disposable bag9, after the pet's waste is collected in the disposable bag9. The dimension of the bag9is such that each side of the opening of the bag is preferably of about the same length as the prong stem110. Preferably, there are three sides forming the opening of the bag, with two of the three sides having a ring spacer92near the opening of the folded rim90.

Also, prior to being placed onto the prong stems, the disposable bag9is preferably rolled up and retained by a flexible open-ended retainer96, such as a tape or a rolled-up strip of paper, to keep the bag in such rolled-up condition. After the bag9is applied to the parallel prong stems110of the portable device10, the bag9can be easily opened when the prong stems110are spread apart. The retainer96preferably provides a very gentle hold on the shape of the rolled-up bag9, without preventing or inhibiting the bag from being opened when the prongs110are spread out. Additionally, when the disposable bag9is rolled up, the ring spacers92are preferably positioned to be side-by-side, such that the user can easily insert the prong stems through the ring spacers92.

The overall shape of the bag9is preferably constructed to have a narrowing bottom, thus ensuring the pet waste to drop to the lower point in the bag9. As such, the distance from the opening of the bag to the bottom is maximized to prevent any risk of human exposure. Additionally, the bag may contain chemical treatment agents inside so as to interact with and absorb the pet waste upon collection.

As can be appreciated, the portable device10of the present invention advantageously uses the natural tendency of various spring-loaded components to achieve a simple, one-touch, operation. In a preferred embodiment, the normal tendency of the spring-loaded, nested wand101is to extend to its fullest length when unlocked from the actuator105. The normal tendency of the pivot mount's torsion spring205is to rotate the pivot mount200away from the wand101, thus moving the prong mount140into position for deployment. Further, the torsion spring143within the rockers142has a natural tendency to spread the rockers142apart, until the rockers142are restricted by retaining bracket125on the slider120. By combining these components with the slider120, pull strap150and pivot mount plug130, a simple, smooth one-button deployment of the disposable bag can be realized.