Abstract:
A main litter box base is covered pith a partial litter box canopy. Dividing the main litter box container into two different compartments is a sift screen, the sift screen being sealed about its edges with the main litter box container and further being sealed about the edge of the litter box canopy. The litter box screen includes a moveable door for accessing or preventing access to the screened portion of the box. A stop member is provided opposite the access door for preventing the movement of loose excrement and clumped animal litter from atop the sifting screen. A removable or detachable scoop or shovel is mounted to the outer surface of the main litter box base.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to products and devices used by the owners of animals and pets. More particularly, it relates to an animal litter box which is used to facilitate the removal of animal excrement and clumped litter from a supply of clean litter such that the clean litter can be recycled and reused. It also relates to such a litter box which allows for the recycling and reuse of clean litter without the need to remove the clean litter from the box. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Animals and pets hold a special place in the heart of humanity. Indeed, pets can provide their owners with the most joyous and rewarding of life experiences. Pets can, however, also place many demands upon their owners due in large part to their near constant reliance upon their owners for the pet&#39;s most basic needs. This includes feeding them, seeing to it that they get enough exercise, and cleaning up after them. In the case of our feline companions, as well as some other domesticated house animals, this often requires the attention of the owner to the continuous upkeep and maintenance of an indoor animal litter box. 
     In the experience of this inventor, there are many animal and pet devices which have been disclosed for assisting pet or animal owners with the cleaning of an animal litter box whereby animal excrement and clumped animal litter are separated from a supply of litter and then physically removed from the device. In his own personal search of the marketplace, however, very few of such devices are, in the experience of this inventor, commercially available for use by members of the purchasing and consuming public. This may seem to be odd given the extent of the current pet population and the concomitant need for, and the desirability of, such devices. In the view of this inventor, however, the reason for this is fairly simple. Most devices which have been disclosed appear to be too complex, requiring many different parts for the manufacturer to fabricate and assemble and requiring many different steps in order that the pet owner can properly utilize the devices. 
     As an additional observation made by this inventor, the originators of many such litter boxes profess to effectively eliminate the need to scrape or scoop clumped litter from the bottom or side surfaces of the principal or main litter box container. Anyone who is even remotely familiar with animal litter boxes is readily aware of the fact that commercially available litter, in most cases, effectively “glues” itself to any available surface thereby making it extremely difficult to remove without some sort of scoop or shovel action by the pet owner. This is particularly true where, for example, the pet has a habit of urinating in one particular spot or corner of the litter box. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new, useful and uncomplicated animal litter box which can be easily manufactured and which can be made with a minimal number of parts. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an animal litter box which can be operated in a very simple fashion without excessive manipulation of the litter box itself and without requiring an excessive number of steps to use. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such an animal litter box which catches and separates sifted animal excrement and clumped animal litter from clean litter. It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an animal litter box which allows for the efficient removal of animal excrement and clumped animal litter from the litter box while also allowing for the easy redistribution of litter for additional use within the litter box. 
     The present invention has obtained these objects. The present invention provides for a main litter box base. A portion of the main litter box base is covered with a partial litter box canopy. Dividing the main litter box container into two different compartments is a sift screen, the sift screen being sealed about its edges with the main litter box container and further being sealed about the edge of the litter box canopy. In an alternative embodiment, the sift screen is engageable with the main litter box container and the litter box canopy but is also removable from the assembly for cleaning access behind the screen. The litter box screen includes a moveable door for accessing or preventing access to the screened portion of the box. A screen holding bar is provided opposite the access door for preventing the movement of loose excrement and clumped animal litter from atop the sifting screen. A detachable shovel or scoop may be provided to assist the user with the removal of material which is deposited atop the sifting screen or which is attached to the inner surfaces of the main litter box base. The foregoing and other features of the device of the present invention will be further apparent from the detailed description which follows. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a left side, front and top perspective view of an animal litter box constructed in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a left side elevational and partially sectioned view of the litter box shown in FIG.  1  and taken along line  2 — 2  thereof. 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational and partially sectioned view of the litter box shown in FIG.  1  and taken along line  3 — 3  thereof. 
     FIG. 4 is another view of the litter box as shown in FIG.  2  and showing an access door to a rearward compartment of the box in its elevated position. 
     FIG. 5 is still another view of the litter box as shown in FIG.  2  and showing the box tilted rearwardly with loose litter falling into the rearward compartment. 
     FIG. 6 is yet another view of the litter box as shown in FIG.  2  and showing the box tilted forwardly with loose litter falling from the rearward compartment to a forward compartment and the access door being reinserted. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numbered numerals refer to like elements throughout, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the animal litter box of the present invention and is generally identified  10 . The animal litter box  10  includes a main base member  2  having a first sidewall  12 , a second sidewall  14 , a third sidewall  16  and a fourth sidewall  18 , each of said sidewalls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  being situated in a generally vertical plane and forming a continuous sidewall surface  4 . The continuous sidewall surface  4  is integrally formed with a bottom surface  20 . The continuous sidewall surface  4  and the integral bottom surface  20  enclose and define a base member cavity  30 . The cavity  30  includes a forward cavity portion  32  and a rearward cavity portion  34 . In this fashion, the unitary design of the main base member  2  allows for complete and sanitary containment of the animal litter  100  placed within it. It also allows for the containment of animal urine and excrement within the main base member  2  and the main base member cavity  30  as the animal utilizes the litter box  10 . In the preferred embodiment, the main base member  10  includes a continuous lip or edge  22  which encircles the main base member cavity  30  at the upper edges of the continuous sidewall  4 . It is also possible that the litter box  10  can be formed from any number of plastic or acrylic materials, the precise composition not being a limitation of this invention. In the preferred embodiment, the main base member  2  is formed of a single piece of plastic-like material. In this fashion, cleaning of the main base member  2  is simplified in that a smooth inner surface is provided which resists clumped litter adhesion. Such fabrication also minimizes the likelihood of odor retention within the device  10 . 
     Covering a portion of the main base member  2  is a complementary canopy member  6 . In the preferred embodiment of the device  10  of the present invention, the canopy member  6  which covers the main base member  2  is configured in a mirror-image fashion. That is, the shape of the main base member  2 , when inverted, closely resembles the shape of the canopy member  6 , although the canopy member  6  is a somewhat incomplete structure when compared to the main base member  2 . The canopy member  6  includes a first sidewall  52 , a second sidewall  56  and a third sidewall  58 , each of said canopy sidewalls  52 ,  56 ,  58  being situated in a generally vertical plane and forming a continuous canopy sidewall surface  8 . The continuous canopy sidewall surface  8  is integrally formed with a top surface  60 . The continuous canopy sidewall surface  8  and the integral top surface  60  enclose and define a canopy member cavity  84 . In the preferred embodiment, the canopy member  6  includes a continuous lip or edge  62  which encircles the lowermost portion of the canopy member cavity  30  at the lower edges of the continuous sidewall surface  8 . In this fashion, the unitary design of the canopy member  6  allows for complete and sanitary containment of the animal litter  100  when the litter box  10  is tipped rearwardly. See FIG.  5 . The purpose of this tipping will be further apparent later in this detailed description. As was true of the main base member  2 , it is also possible that the canopy member  6  can be formed from any number of plastic or acrylic materials. In the preferred embodiment, the canopy member  6  is formed of a single piece of plastic-like material. Also in the preferred embodiment, a portion of the edge  22  of the main base member  2  is fused to the edge  62  of the canopy member  6  such that the gap formed between the edges  22 ,  62  is effectively sealed so as to prevent the leakage of litter  100  through the gap. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the canopy member  6  covers the rear cavity portion  34  of the rearward portion of the main base member  2 . The edge or lip  22  of the main base member  2 , and that part of the canopy edge  52  laying adjacent to it, forms a plane which is substantially horizontal when the litter box  10  is used in its normal position. See FIG. 2. A screen filter  80  is provided which includes a number of openings  82  defined within it. The openings  82  allow the passage of litter  100  through them, but nothing else, including clumped litter and animal excrement  104 . The screen filter  80  lies in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the edges  22 ,  62  of the main base member  2  and the canopy member  6 , respectively. In one embodiment of the device of the present invention, the screen filter  80  is sealed about its edges  84  to the sidewalls  12 ,  16  and bottom surface  20  of the main base member  2  and about its edges  84  to the sidewalls  52 ,  56  and top surface  60  of the canopy member  6 . It is also possible that the screen filter  80  could be manufactured in such a way that it could clipped or slid into position and locked into place by using a number of other design expediencies without deviating from the spirit of the present invention. Extending forwardly of the screen filter  80  is an extended portion of the first and second sidewalls  52 ,  56  of the canopy member  6 . The purpose and function of the extended sidewall portions  52 ,  56  is to prevent litter  100  overflow when the litter box  10  is tipped as described above. The canopy also includes a forward handle  110  and a rearward handle  120  for easy grasping and movement of the litter box  10 . Although not shown, a removable or detachable scoop or shovel can be mounted to the outer surface of the second sidewall  14  of the main base member  2 . This provides ready access to an implement which allows the user to remove debris from atop the screen filter  80  and to scrape debris which is attached to the inner surfaces of the main base member  2  as well. 
     In the preferred embodiment, a handle  110  is provided at the upper edge  22  of the second sidewall  14  of the main base member  2 . A screen cover holding bar  90  is provided which extends perpendicularly from the first sidewall  12  of the main base member  2  to the third sidewall  16  of the main base member  2 . The screen cover holding bar  90  lies in a plane which is substantially parallel with the plane formed by main base member and canopy member edges  22 ,  62 . Interposed in sliding relationship between the screen filter  80  and the screen cover holding bar  90  is a screen cover  86 . The screen cover  86  includes a screen cover handle  88  which allows the user to grasp the handle  88  and urge the cover  86  upwardly and downwardly. See FIGS. 4 and 6. The screen cover  86  can be locked or secured in position or can be removed altogether when such is desired or required. 
     In application, the main base member  2  is filled with enough animal litter  100  to allow the pet to utilize the litter box  10  as intended. See FIG.  2 . In the preferred embodiment, this is done with the screen cover  86  in its downward or closed position. This prevents any errant urine from penetrating or passing through the screen  80 . When, in the pet owner&#39;s view, removal of the accumulated excrement or clumped animal litter  104  is desired or required, the screen cover  86  is slid upwardly and perhaps removed altogether. See FIG.  4 . The main base member  2  is grasped by its handle  110  and rotated upwardly to a substantially vertical position. See FIG.  5 . In this fashion, the generally “L-shaped” litter box  10  is rotated to the point that loose litter  100  passes through the openings  82  defined within the screen  80  and into the rearward cavity portion  34  of the main base member  2  and the cavity portion  84  of the canopy member  6 , thus leaving accumulated excrement or clumped animal litter  104  behind. The excrement or clumped litter  104  rests atop the screen  80  and is prevented from movement across the screen  80  by virtue of the screen cover holding bar  90 . Loose animal excrement and clumped animal litter  104  will fall on to and remain on that portion of the screen  80  which is located behind the screen cover holding bar  90 . Any clumped animal litter  104  which remains attached to the inside bottom surface  20  of the main base member  2  can be conveniently scraped or shoveled away and all clumped animal litter and excrement  104  can be removed from the top surface of the screen  80 . The entire animal litter box  10  is then rotated back to its original position. See FIG.  6 . In fact, it is desirable to rotate the box  10  even further than that to insure that all loose litter  100  is moved back into the forward cavity portion  32  of the main box member  2 . In this fashion, the litter  100  contained within the enclosure  34 ,  84  which is defined by the canopy member  6 , the rearward cavity portion  34  of the main base member  2  and the screen filter  80  enters the inside bottom  32  of the uncovered main base member  2 . At that point, the screen cover  86  is then reinserted and/or slid downwardly to effectively cover the screen filter  80 . The box  10  is again ready for use by the pet. Depending upon the volume of the animal litter  104  which is removed in clumped fashion, it may be necessary to periodically replenish the supply of animal litter  100  within the forward cavity  32  of the box  10 . When it becomes occasionally necessary to clean that part of the box  10  which lies behind the screen filter  80 , the screen filter  80  may be removed to provide access to that cavity area  34 ,  84 . 
     From the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided a new, useful and uncomplicated animal litter box which can be easily manufactured; which can be made with a minimal number of parts; which can be operated in a very simple fashion without excessive manipulation of the litter box itself and without requiring an excessive number of steps to use; which catches and separates sifted animal excrement and clumped animal litter from clean litter; which allows for the efficient removal of animal excrement and clumped animal litter from the litter box while also allowing for the easy redistribution of litter for additional use within the litter box.