Solid and liquid waste collection device

A liquid-absorbing, rot-, chemical-, and skid-resistant mat fastened to an inner folding frame held in place within the area of use by an outer frame adapted to be secured to any surrounding wall. The inner frame is foldable and includes attachments by which the frame and mat, after being folded over itself, can be removed from the area of use by an overhead cabling or on a specially fitted wheeled trolley.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a floor covering and more particularly to 
a readily portable framed, liquid-absorbing mat which minimizes solid or 
liquid waste collection and disposal costs. One application of this device 
would be for collection and disposal of animal waste from confined animals 
such as livestock. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Since time immemorial, straw or other livestock bedding material has been 
used as bedding for domestic animals. Once soiled, the bedding must be 
removed and disposed of, usually being stored near the stable then hauled 
away for use as compost and manure. 
Bedding is today becoming relatively expensive and a regular supply is 
becoming difficult to obtain. Further, the use of bedding, even by farmers 
who grow their own, requires the use of special bedding-handling 
equipment, (e.g. bailers) and storage locations (e.g. barns), together 
with the labor of collecting and storing the bedding and for frequent 
bedding-handling throughout the year, i.e. mucking out and laying new 
bedding. 
Animals are frequently housed in a barn containing individual stalls in 
which the floor is either a dirt, clay, gravel, or stonedust floor, or a 
wooden grating, or brick laid directly on earth, or concrete. More often 
than not, the animal occupying the stall defecates and urinates on the 
bedding. 
Unfortunately, the bedding does not absorb the urine and dirt floors turn 
to mud easily upon an animals' urination. When the stall is cleaned, the 
removal of the mud forms holes in the dirt which require constant 
attention and which are not always easy to fill in. 
Wooden gratings or "duckboards" and other plastic gratings are hard for 
lying on, fairly expensive, provide unsuitable footing for many kinds of 
livestock and further can interfere with the flow of water when washing 
down a barn. Plus, an animal may be cut with splinters, which if lodged 
under the skin, may fester. 
Brick and concrete floors are not only hard, but they are also cold and 
generally require the use of large quantities of bedding requiring 
frequent replacement. Brick and concrete floors, also, are subject to the 
drawback of encouraging various ailments in the animals using them, in 
particular joints often become sprained, wrenched, deformed, rheumatic, or 
arthritic. 
It has also been proposed to cover floors for stabling by juxtaposing 
layers formed by natural and/or synthetic material. However, the results 
obtained till now are not satisfactory. Manufactured stall floor covers do 
not have the resiliency nor the permeability necessary for the good 
accommodation of animals. They address only stall floor maintenance 
reduction, rather than facilitating the collection and disposal of waste. 
IDENTIFICATION OF RELATED ART 
Over the years, several patents have been granted to others for bedding 
used in animal stalls. Representative of these patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 
2,720,861; 4,333,981; 4,338,369; and 4,364,331. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,720.861, Stroup et al 
This patent relates to a cow bedding device adapted to eliminate the use of 
bedding. A waterproof pad made up of layers of rubberized fabric possibly 
enclosing foam latex padding is attached at opposite ends to piping and 
bars which are clamped against the flooring by special clamps or clips 
mounted to stanchions. While the Stroup et al. patent recognizes the 
advantage of occasional portability for cleaning purposes, the device is 
labor intensive. 
Further, waterproof pads of the type disclosed in the Stroup et al. patent 
are subject to puddling of urine which requires frequent cleaning to avoid 
unsanitary conditions. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,981, Winfield et al 
The Winfield et al. patent discloses a stall floor and wall pad made up of 
a laminate of a foamed resin layer and a liquid impermeable layer. The 
Winfield pad is designed to resist abrasion. It addresses stall flooring 
protection rather than waste collection and disposal. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,331, Foenard 
The Foenard patent discloses a stall pad comprising at least two felt like 
layers, needle punched together, having an abrasion resistant resin layer 
impregnated to the outside surface. 
The later patents are representative of attempts that have been made to 
deal with the problem of solid and liquid waste collection and disposal as 
it relates to animal stall cleanliness and maintenance. None of the 
patents can be easily adapted to collection and disposal of waste both for 
and outside the livestock industry. 
Other patents granted over the years include: 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,415 Schwatrzkopff et al 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,097 Schwatrzkopff et al 
RE31,345 Schwatrzkopff et al 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,646 Bramley 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,081,334 Kickenbush 
Any liquid impermeable stall flooring, used by itself such as various 
rubber pads (typically provided to increase the animal's comfort, as 
compared with concrete, or to ease stall floor maintenance, in the case of 
dirt flooring) works reasonably well assuming a short stay by an animal 
held to a rather stationary position in the stall or stanchion. After 
short occupancy, the flooring is swept or flushed clean and any matting 
removed occasionally for more thorough cleaning. For extended (more than 
one hour or so) occupancy by an animal left free in a stall, however, 
stall flooring generally requires use of bedding such as straw, wood 
shavings, sawdust, etc. to keep the animal from extended direct contact 
with its own liquid waste products. Use of such bedding then requires 
manually cleaning the bedding. Many of the proposed labor-saving 
architectural plans require structural changes to the stabling which is 
beyond the budget of many livestock owners, and still requires manual 
cleaning of the bedding. Even using either more advanced stable flooring 
or built-in removal equipment, the problem of disposing of livestock waste 
mixed with bedding are increasing as environmental matters become better 
understood and population density increases in areas in which livestock 
are maintained, particularly in suburban and semi-rural areas. 
Notwithstanding the numerous efforts that have been made and extraordinary 
amounts of labor and materials that have been devoted to hygienic and safe 
housing for livestock, development of various types of permanent or 
semi-permanent stall floorings, such as mattings or grids to reduce the 
need for maintaining the stall floor itself or for reducing the amount of 
bedding for comfort and sanitation, there still remains a great demand and 
need for a solid and liquid waste collection and disposal device which is 
not labor intensive, which can be easily and economically retrofitted to 
existing animal stalls and which reduces the problem of disposing of 
animal waste. There is also a demand for a device to collect and 
facilitate the removal and disposal of other kinds of waste. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The solid and liquid waste collection and disposal apparatus of the present 
invention greatly satisfies the above noted demand and needs. Furthermore, 
it is easy to install, and by selecting the materials from which it would 
be manufactured, it is easy to keep clean in a variety of environments, 
and offers a high resistance to wear from animal hooves or human or 
equipment traffic, together with great resiliency thereby ensuring a long 
useful life at a relatively low cost. 
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a 
safe, comfortable, and sanitary solid and liquid waste collection and 
disposal apparatus which virtually eliminates the need for livestock 
bedding, and hence the labor of providing and cleaning the bedding and 
maintaining the stall floor itself, and reduces the problem of disposing 
of solid and liquid waste. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a solid and liquid 
waste collection and disposal apparatus which enables stalls to be quickly 
and efficiently cleaned with a minimum of labor. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable mat and 
frame assembly for a livestock stall which is simple to manufacture, 
install and handle. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to 
collect and dispose of a variety of forms of solid or liquid waste by 
using the basic configuration with materials specific to the type of waste 
to be collected and disposed of. 
The present invention relates to a portable solid and liquid waste 
collection and disposal apparatus comprising liquid-absorbing, rot-, 
chemical- and skid-resistant material fastened to a folding frame, which 
is held in place within the area of use by a second outer frame, 
comprising framing bars removably affixed to the sides of the inner 
folding frame. This apparatus is provided with attachments by which the 
mat attached to the foldable frame, after being folded over itself, can be 
removed from the stall by means of overhead cabling or on a specially 
fitted wheeled trolley or dolly or merely by carrying it out of the area 
of use. 
In accordance with my present invention, my solid and liquid waste 
collection and disposal apparatus comprises a foldable mat, a foldable 
inner frame, and removable framing bars forming an outer frame. The mat is 
made of any textile or material which is liquid-absorbing, rot-, 
chemical-, and skid-resistant, resilient, and selected according to the 
type of waste to be collected and disposed of. Any of a number of textiles 
or materials may be utilized to provide a safe and comfortable surface and 
to absorb liquid waste into its lower layers. A moisture barrier, such as 
any elastomeric sealant, may be applied to the underside of the mat to 
prevent liquid seeping through the mat. The mat is screwed or bolted to a 
foldable frame of smaller dimensions than the area into which the assembly 
is to be installed. 
In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, the inner 
frame is made of any rigid or semi-rigid material, such as wood, or, 
preferably, a chemically inert synthetic material which can be worked with 
similarly to wood, such as any number of ultra-high molecular weight 
plastics or fiberglass. The corners of the inner frame may be fitted with 
braces to provide stability to the mat and frame assembly. The inner frame 
is further fitted with brackets which project at regular intervals along 
at least 2 sides. The intervals at which they project may vary according 
to the full size of the mat and inner frame assembly. The brackets attach 
to the lower side of the inner frame, which lies on the floor of the area 
in question, and extend outward from the inner frame toward any 
surrounding wall. The brackets then turn upward at a right angle, fitting 
flush against any surrounding wall. The intermittently placed brackets 
thus form a virtual channel to receive the outer frame's rigid bars 
fitting over the lower edge of the bracket and between the upright portion 
of the bracket and the mat and inner frame assembly. When installed for 
use, the mat and inner frame assembly is partially or wholly surrounded by 
an outer frame comprising removable rigid bars fitted into the brackets 
attached to the mat and inner frame assembly. 
When fixed in the virtual channels formed by the brackets attached to the 
mat and inner frame assembly, the outer frame's rigid bars prevent the mat 
and inner frame assembly from folding, and provide a substantially flat, 
contiguous surface between the mat and inner frame assembly and any 
surrounding wall. The outer frame's rigid bars may be removably affixed to 
any surrounding walls so as to fix the mat and inner framing assembly into 
place in the area of use. When the outer frame's rigid bars are removed 
from the mat and inner frame assembly's virtual channels, the mat and 
frame assembly can be folded over itself and removed from the area of use 
for disposal or cleaning. 
One edge or more of the mat and frame assembly can be fitted with pull 
straps, ropes, or handles to assist in folding the mat and inner frame 
assembly. Straps and buckles or hooks can be fitted along the hinged sides 
of the mat and inner frame assembly to prevent the assembly from unfolding 
during transport. Brackets or receiving slots can also be fitted along one 
edge of the mat and inner frame assembly to receive overhead cables which 
may be used to assist in removing the mat and frame assembly from the area 
of use. In such event, the area may be provided with a center beam which 
acts as a rail and from which is suspended a hoist chain. Once the mat and 
inner frame assembly are hoisted out of the area of use, the hoist may be 
moved along the overhead rail to any area designated where the assembly is 
disposed of or unfolded and cleaned. 
Brackets for the rigid bars may advantageously be affixed to the area's 
wall or ceiling for convenient storage of the rigid bars when not in use. 
An appropriately resilient material, such as any of a number of foam 
rubbers, may also be advantageously placed in contact with the actual 
stall floor under the mat of the mat and inner frame assembly to increase 
comfort and to raise the top surface of the mat to the desired height, 
probably level with the height of the frame members. The inner and outer 
frames may be fitted with power-assistance devices to further ease 
portability. An anti-skid preparation may also be applied to some of the 
upper surface of the mat without interfering with the mat's 
liquid-absorption, if additional traction is desired.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS: 
With reference to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a conventional barn 10 
constructed over a dirt area and comprising front, rear and side barn 
walls 12 (only the side walls are illustrated) and an enclosing roof 14. 
In the drawing, the front wall is not shown in order that the interior 
layout of the barn may be seen. The interior of the barn comprises a 
plurality of adjacent stalls 16 on opposite sides of a central dirt 
pathway 18. Pathway 18 extends the length of the barn 10 to the front and 
rear walls, each of which conveniently include a door (not shown) for 
access and egress to and from the barn. Each stall includes side walls 20, 
22, a rear wall 24, a front wall 25 extended partially across the front of 
the stall and a gate 26 hingely supported to a front wall 25 to complete 
the front of each stall. Access to the stall is through the front gate 26. 
Each of the side walls 20, 22, 24 and 25 may be of any suitable desired 
configuration, either of solid or open board and extend from the ground 
surface to a height of about four feet. However, the walls may extend 
upward any desired distance and may extend up to the loft 30. 
In accordance with the present invention, each stall 16 is adapted to 
receive a portable liquid-absorbing mat 34 attached to an inner frame 33 
as illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 5 and 9 and surrounded by an outer frame 
35 as illustrated in FIG. 9. The inner frame 33 supports an outer frame 35 
made up of four separate framing bars members 77, 78, 79 and 80 as shown 
in FIG. 9 in a manner to be hereinafter described. The portable inner 
frame 33 supports a flexible mat or pad 34 made from suitable 
liquid-absorbing, rot-, chemical- and skid-resistant material and may be 
fabricated from any of a number of commercially available textiles or 
materials. The characteristics of mat 34 are that the mat material is 
strong enough to withstand equipment, people or livestock standing and 
moving about on it, and is resistant to abrasion when being tread upon and 
being hauled out of its stall or moved about. Various materials suitable 
to various applications may include felts, canvases, industrial floor mats 
and man made natural woven or non-woven products, as some examples. 
Anti-skid preparations 40 can be applied to the top surface 37 of the mat 
34 in any manner which does not interfere with the foldability or 
liquid-absorption capability of the mat, such as brushing or rolling such 
liquids or films in patterns. The preferred embodiment of the invention 
uses a non-woven polypropylene available from Leap Frog Technology, Item 
No. MR 2018, which has excellent acid- and skid-resistance properties 
which are desirable, but not absolutely essential for functioning of the 
mat 34. The polypropylene mat, further, has excellent absorption 
qualities. A mat in accordance with the present invention advantageously 
has a loft about 1/8 of an inch, and an area of about 12'.times.12', 
adapted to be received in a conventional stall, and has the capability of 
absorbing about 10 gallons of liquid. The mat can vary in size, generally 
taking the dimensions of the stall in which it is used. The top surface 37 
of the pad 34 must be permeable to liquids, while the lower surface 39 of 
the pad 34, which may be placed in contact with the ground or in contact 
with a resilient material placed between the ground 18 and the mat 34, 
includes a moisture barrier 43 to prevent leaking of liquids through the 
mat onto the ground 18 or resilient material. As best shown in FIG. 10, 
the moisture barrier may be achieved by coating the underside of the mat 
with a latex sealant layer 41, followed by an elastomeric sealant 
(Elasto-Seal) 43 over a sheet of roofing fabric or felt 45. The sealant 
may be sprayed onto the surface or applied by a brush or roller. One 
advantage of using a roofing fabric or felt as an intermediate layer 
between moisture sealers is that it protects and strengthens the seams and 
is sufficiently flexible to enable the mat to be wrapped over a frame 
member 70 as shown in FIG. 6 to present a flat surface area. Other forms 
of moisture barriers can be utilized, such as for example, a non-permeable 
plastic sheet or film or a water proof tarp attached to the underside of 
the mat or by direct application of an elastomeric plastic film or resin. 
In accordance with the present invention, mat 34 is affixed to the foldable 
inner frame 33 to make the mat and inner frame assembly 32. The mat and 
inner frame assembly 32 is somewhat smaller in dimension than the stall 16 
into which the assembly is placed. To this end, the inner frame 33 
comprises opposite end pieces or members 48, 50 and opposite side pieces 
52, 54 connected to form, typically but not necessarily, a rectangular 
frame having its longitudinal axis parallel with the members 52, 54. End 
members 48, 50 are substantially parallel to the frame's center axis as 
shown in FIGS. 2 through 5, and are preferably contiguous in length and 
fabricated of rigid or semi-rigid material such as plastic, metal, 
fiberglass or wood. In its simplest form and depending upon the needs of 
the application being considered, each end member 48, 50 comprises a 
continuous length of material approximately 1/2" to 1" in height and 
approximately 1" to 2" in width and has an overall length which is 
approximately 6" less than the width of the stall. The parallel side 
pieces 52, 54 are constructed of like materials, but each side piece is 
made up of three or four sectional pieces, depending on whether the mat is 
to be folded in half as shown in FIG. 2B or in three sections as shown in 
FIG. 4. The embodiment of FIG. 3 has three sectional pieces 52-1, 52-2, 
52-3 and 54-1, 54-2, 54-3 for each side. The embodiment of FIG. 4 has four 
sectional pieces 52-1, 52-2, 52-3, 52-4 and 54-1, 54-2, 54-3, 54-4. As 
shown in FIG. 4, the sectional side pieces 52-1, 52-2, 52-3, and 54-1, 
54-2, 54-3 are approximately equal lengths spanning the majority of the 
distance to be covered. The remaining sectional side pieces 52-4, 54-4 are 
each approximately 4" long, and allow for easier folding of the mat and 
inner frame assembly into thirds. Sectional side pieces 52-1 and 54-1 are 
hinged to one end of adjacent sectional side pieces 52-4 and 54-4 by 
hinges 61 and 63 respectively. Sectional side pieces 52-2 and 54-2 are 
hinged to the other end of sectional side pieces 52-4 and 54-4 by hinge 
64. The other ends of sectional side pieces 52-2 and 54-2 are hinged to 
sectional side pieces 52-3 and 54-3 by hinge 62. This enables the mat and 
inner frame assembly 32 to be folded in and upon itself in thirds about 
its center axis as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In an alternative embodiments, 
the mat and frame may be folded in half, fourths, etc. by utilizing 
appropriately spaced hinges. 
The rectangular inner frame pieces 48, 50, 52 and 54 provide a convenient 
and economical inner frame 33 to which the mat 34 may be secured. For 
greater stability, the corners of the inner frame 33 are advantageously 
reinforced by corner braces 59, but the corners could easily be of 
alternative construction such as tongue and groove, undercut and 
overlapping pieces, glued and screwed. Alternatively, the inner frame 33 
may be fabricated of C shaped channel sections 66 as shown in FIG. 7, 
which enable the mat 34 to be securely fastened within the channel 66 by 
rivets 68 or with the application of an adhesive. 
The preferred method of fastening the mat 34 to the inner frame 33 is shown 
in FIG. 6, wherein mat 34 is wrapped about a frame member 70 and secured 
to the bottom side of the frame member 70 so as to present a relatively 
flat surface 71 without protrusions. The height of the frame member 70 or 
C shaped channel member 66 may be minimized by using a material of greater 
strength such as plastic or steel slat. When using a C shaped channel 
member 66, the channel may be provided with spaced holes to which the mat 
is fastened by screws for rivets 68. In this arrangement, the edge 67 of 
the mat 34 is compressed between the upper and lower flanges 65 and 69 of 
channel 66. Flanges 65 and 69 preferably include correspondingly aligned 
holes to facilitate fastening of the mat within the channel. 
Alternatively, a suitable adhesive may be utilized and the channel 66 
crimped at spaced locations. 
It should be apparent that mat 34 may be affixed to its frame by any 
suitable means that serves to secure the mat to the inner frame 33. To 
minimize the possibility of danger to animals from tripping or splinters, 
the surface of the mat 34 should preferably be substantially flush as 
shown in FIG. 6. 
At regular intervals along all four sides of the inner frame 33, the frame 
is fitted with right angle brackets 73 which project outward at intervals 
along all four sides. The number of brackets 73 and intervals between 
adjacent brackets may vary according to the size of the inner frame 33. 
Typically the spacing would be no less than 18", depending on the overall 
dimensions of the mat and inner frame assembly 32 and the desired 
strength. At a minimum, there would be provided at least one bracket 73 
between a hinge and the end of a sectional frame member. Brackets 73 are 
attached to the lower floor side of the inner frame 33, and extend outward 
from the inner frame toward the stall wall. The bracket 73 then turns 
upwardly at a 90.degree. angle, fitting flush with or close to any 
adjacent wall. The right angle portion of the brackets 73 preferably rise 
no higher than the height of the mat and frame assembly 32. The several 
brackets along each side of the inner frame 33, thus, form a virtual 
channel adapted to receive rigid bars 77, 78, 79 and 80 which, when 
assembled, make an outer frame 35. Bars 77-80 can also be hinged if 
desired, but only in such a fashion that they are held entirely rigid when 
in use. Each rigid bar is loosely received across two or more brackets 73 
between the outside edge of the mat and inner frame assembly 32 and the 
upward projecting portion of a right angle bracket 73, and rests on the 
horizontal portion thereof. 
When assembled for use in a stall as shown in FIG. 9, the mat and inner 
frame assembly 32 are surrounded by four removable rigid framing bars 77, 
78, 79 and 80 which rest on or are fitted into the side brackets 73 
attached to and extending outward of the mat and frame assembly 32. The 
upward extending portions of the brackets 73 are spaced from the ends and 
sides of the inner frame members so as to accommodate the bars of the 
outer frame 35. As in the case of the members which make up the inner 
frame 33, the rigid framing bars 77-80 are approximately 1/2" to 1" in 
height, but could be greater in height, if required to match the height of 
the inner frame pieces to thereby provide a reasonably contiguous walking 
surface between the mat and inner frame assembly 32 and the outer frame 
35. The framing bars 77-80 are approximately 1"-3" wide, depending on the 
distance to be spanned between the outside of the inner frame 33 and any 
surrounding walls, and depending on the dimensions required to achieve the 
desired strength with the material chosen for a particular application. 
When assembled in place in the virtual channels formed by the brackets 
attached to the inner frame 33, the four rigid bars serve to enclose the 
mat and frame assembly 32 and maintain it firmly in the stall 16. The four 
rigid bars 77-80 may be permanently fastened to each other at any or all 
corners to form an outer frame 35 surrounding the mat and inner frame 
assembly 32. The outer frame 35 can be held in place in the stall 16 by 
slide bolt mechanisms 93 affixed to ends or corners of the outer frame 35. 
When extended, the slide bolt mechanisms cooperate with corresponding 
apertures in the stall walls 20, 22, 24 and 25 or any vertical post 28, as 
illustrated in FIG. 11. 
In an alternative embodiment, the outer frame members may be left 
unfastened to each other, but shorter end pieces 77 and 79 can each 
include at each of their respective ends plate extensions 81, 82 and 83, 
84, respectively, and slide bolt mechanism 93. These plates and slide 
bolts lie over and extend beyond the side traverse bars 78, 80 to fit into 
appropriately aligned apertures 94 in surrounding stall walls 20, 22, 24 
or 25, or may cooperate with an aperture 94 in an associated corner 
vertical post 28. To secure the entire mat and frame assembly 32 and the 
outer frame 35 within a stall 16, the plates 81, 83 and slide bolt 92 on 
rigid bars 77, 79 may simply rest over the surface of the ends of the 
longitudinal rigid bars 78, 80, which simply run the length of the stall 
wall or they can be conveniently pinned together. When the slide bolts 92 
are in their extended positions engaging an aperture, the outer frame 35 
is held secure in the stall with the outer frame 35 positively clamping 
the mat and inner frame assembly 32 within the stall. In another 
embodiment, the outer frame 35 may consist of as few as two rigid side 
outer frame bars 78, 80 (shown in FIG. 2) to be placed in the virtual 
channels along the parallel hinged sides of the mat and frame assembly 32. 
Each such rigid bar is fitted at one end with a plate extension 81, and at 
the other end with a slide bolt 92. The plate extensions 81 and slide 
bolts 92 cooperate with aligned apertures in surrounding walls or corner 
posts and extensions 81 may be provided with an aperture 91 to receive a 
lock pin. In this embodiment, the mat and frame assembly 32 has no virtual 
channel on its parallel end sides 48, 50, which are fitted flush to the 
surrounding walls instead of allowing room for the brackets forming a 
virtual channel. 
For convenience and ease of illustration, the two side bars 78, 80 and two 
end bars 77, 79 of the outer frame 35 are shown in FIG. 9 spaced from the 
mat and inner frame assembly 32 and in their relative, but disassembled 
position. 
To remove the inner frame and mat assembly 32 from the stall 16, it is 
first necessary to withdraw any slide bolts and pins from any 
corresponding apertures. The next step is to remove the end framing bars 
77, 79, if any, and the side framing bars 78, 80. Once the rigid bars are 
removed and placed aside, the mat and inner frame assembly 32 can be 
folded and lifted from the stall 16 for cleaning. 
To facilitate removal of the mat and frame assembly 32 from the stall 16, 
adjacent each corner of the inner frame 33 there is provided a ring or 
hook 90 which enables the mat and inner frame assembly 32 to be held in a 
folded position by means of one or more straps 100. As shown in FIG. 4, 
straps 100 or equivalent fastening devices such as, for example, buckles, 
hooks, bungee cords and the like, can be attached along the sides and end 
of the mat and inner frame assembly 32 to prevent the assembly from 
unfolding during transport. Straps 100 or rings 90 can also be used to 
receive overhead cables which may be used to assist in removing the mat 
and inner frame assembly 32 from the stall 16. 
To this end, barn 10 may be provided with an overhead rail 102 from which 
is suspended a motor operated cable lifting mechanism 104. The mechanism 
includes wheels 106 which ride along the top lower inner surface 107 of an 
I-beam. Wheels 106 are journaled in housing 108 which supports a motor 109 
and motor driven pulley 110. A chain or rope 111 depends from the pulley 
110 through an opening (not shown) in the housing and includes and hook 
113 at its end thereof. The hook 113 is adapted to engage one of the rings 
90 or a supporting cable which is passed through two or more of the rings 
on the inner frame 33. A depending control box 112 enables the operator to 
raise or lower the cable and control the position of the cable mechanism 
104 along the rail 102. 
In operation, the cable is lowered to a position sufficient to allow the 
hook 113 to engage a strap or cable which extends through a pair of rings 
and loops across the folded mat and inner frame assembly 32. The control 
is operated to cause the pulley to raise the hook(s) and attached mat and 
inner frame assembly 32 which is then moved outward to the center of the 
barn 10 and thereafter to either end of the barn where it is taken outside 
and opened so waste may be conveniently disposed of and the mat and inner 
frame assembly 32 washed clean if desired for further use after drying, or 
the waste and the assembly may all be disposed of. 
While the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been 
illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill 
in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without 
deviating from the inventive concepts and true spirit of the invention as 
set forth above, and it is intended by the appended claims to define all 
such concepts and embodiments which come within the full scope and true 
spirit of the invention.