Abstract:
A pet litter device having the outward shape of a chiminea, the pet litter device including a hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end having a circular floor therein for receipt of pet litter, the hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion having an opening therein for providing access to the interior of the hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion, the hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion having a hollow reduced diameter portion connected to the upper end thereof for receipt and storage of pet litter, and the hollow reduced diameter portion therein for supporting pet litter stored therein, the circular cone-shaped floor having a valve in the center thereof for selectively dispensing pet litter into the interior of the bulbous enlarged diameter portion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to devices for containing and dispensing pet litter. In particular, the present invention relates to devices for containing and dispensing cat litter. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Pets such as domestic cats and kittens are commonly housed in the homes of their owners. Pet litter well known in the art is commonly placed in containers for absorbing and covering urine and fecal matter eliminated by such pets. 
     However, devices for containing pet litter commonly have no means for storing and dispensing litter therein. Furthermore, such devices are often bulky and unsightly. 
     Devices for storing and/or dispensing pet litter are known in the art. Exemplary of the related art are the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,822,671; 4,299,190; 5,184,568; 5,184,575; 5,286,458 B1; 5,394,835; 5,662,066; 5,713,302; 5,749,317; 5,970,914; 6,463,881 B2; and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0139312 A1. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention there is provided a pet litter device having the outward shape of a chiminea, the pet litter device including a hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end having a circular floor therein for receipt of pet litter, the hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion having an opening therein for providing access to the interior of the hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion, the hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion having a hollow reduced diameter portion connected to the upper end thereof for receipt and storage of pet litter, and the hollow reduced diameter portion having a circular cone-shaped floor therein for supporting pet litter stored therein, the circular cone-shaped floor having a valve in the center thereof for selectively dispensing pet litter into the interior of the bulbous enlarged diameter portion. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective elevational view of the pet litter device of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pet litter device of the invention taken along lines  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pet litter device of the invention taken along lines  2 — 2  of FIG. 1 showing a valve in the invention opened to dispense pet litter into the bottom of the pet litter device of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partly cut-away, partly cross-sectional view of the valve shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; and 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged partly cut-away, partly cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a valve for the pet litter device of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the pet litter device of the invention is generally indicated by the numeral  10 . Pet litter device  10  has the general shape of a chiminea. As is known to those skilled in the art, a chiminea is an outdoor wood burning device commonly produced from clay which is used as an outdoor fireplace. Originally, as known to those skilled in the art, chimineas were used as bread ovens in Mexico. 
     Pet litter device  10  is generally circular in horizontal cross-section. Pet litter device  10  preferably has a base portion generally indicated by the numeral  12  which rests upon the ground or floor  13 . Base portion  12  has a hollow interior chamber  14  surrounded by exterior wall  16  which extends upward from circular base  17 . Base portion  12  is preferably generally cylindrical in shape. Opening  18  is provided in exterior wall  16  to provide access to interior chamber  14 . Preferably opening  18  is generally rectangular in shape. 
     Various materials may be stored inside interior chamber  14  such as multiple flexible cover sheets  20  for receiving the pet litter generally indicated by the numeral  22 . Pet litter  22  may be particulate domestic cat litter well known in the art and sometimes referred to as “kitty litter”. Pet litter  22  is used to absorb feces and urine from pets such as domestic cats and kittens, and the like. Cover sheet  20  upon which pet litter  22  is received and rests upon can be used to remove used pet litter  22  from the pet litter device  10  of the invention. 
     Located directly above base portion  12  is a hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion generally indicated by the numeral  24 . Enlarged diameter portion  24  has a hollow interior chamber  26  surrounded by exterior wall  28 . Opening  30  is provided in exterior wall  28  to provide access to interior chamber  26  by pets and persons removing the pet litter  22  and sheet  20  therefrom. Opening  30  enables a pet such as a domestic cat or kitten to enter into hollow interior chamber  26  to defecate or urinate on pet litter  22  contained therein. Preferably opening  30  is generally rectangular in shape. 
     Interior chamber  26  has a circular floor  32  which separates interior chamber  26  and interior chamber  14 . Circular floor  32  is connected to exterior wall  28  of enlarged portion  24  and exterior wall  16  of base portion  12 . Circular floor  32  supports cover sheet  20  and pet litter  22 . Cover sheets  20  are preferably constructed from water impermeable material to prevent the surface of floor  32  from being stained by pet feces and urine. 
     An air filter generally indicated by the numeral  34  may be located in the exterior wall  28  of enlarged diameter portion  24 . Air filter  34  filters fecal odors from the air inside interior chamber  26  flowing therethrough. Air filter  34  is preferably a charcoal containing filter well known in the art. 
     Located directly above interior chamber  26  and enlarged diameter portion  24  is the upper reduced diameter portion generally indicated by the numeral  36 . Reduced diameter portion  36  is substantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion  24 . Preferably, reduced diameter portion  36  has a maximum diameter of less than one-half of the maximum diameter of hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion  24 . Reduced diameter portion  36  has a hollow interior chamber  38  surrounded by exterior wall  40 . Circular opening  30  is provided in the upper end of reduced diameter portion  36  to provide access to interior chamber  38 . 
     Hollow interior chamber  38  is used as a reservoir for pet litter  22 . Pet litter  22  may be poured into hollow interior chamber  38  through opening  30 . A cylindrical lid generally indicated by the numeral  31  having handle  31   a  is provided to cover opening  30 . 
     Hollow interior chamber  38  of reduced diameter portion  36  has a downwardly sloping circular cone-shaped floor generally indicated by the numeral  42 . Circular cone-shaped floor  42  is connected at its outer edges to exterior wall  40  of reduced diameter portion  36  and to exterior wall  28  of hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion  28 . Circular cone-shaped floor  42  separates interior chamber  26  of hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion  24  and interior chamber  38  of reduced diameter portion  36 . Circular cone-shaped floor  42  supports pet litter  22  stored in interior chamber  38  of reduced diameter portion  36 . 
     Sloping floor  42  has the general shape of a downwardly tapered cone having an opening  43  through which particulate pet litter  22  flows as shown in FIG.  3 . Opening  43  has a valve generally indicated by the numeral  44  in the center thereof to control flow of particulate pet letter  22  therethrough. Valve  44  is utilized to selectively dispense pet litter  22  from hollow interior chamber  38  of reduced diameter portion  36  through opening  43  to interior chamber  26  of hollow bulbous enlarged diameter portion  24 . Pet litter  22  is preferably received on sheet  20  supported by floor  32  as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     Valve  44  includes a sphere  46  having a cylindrical passage  48  extending through the center thereof to the outer surfaces thereof. A first cylindrical shaft  50  is rigidly connected perpendicularly to the surface of sphere  46  and aligned perpendicularly to the central axis of cylindrical passage  48 . First cylindrical shaft  50  is rotatably received in cylindrical recess  50   a  in circular cone-shaped floor  42 . 
     A second cylindrical shaft  52  shown in detail in FIG. 4 is rigidly connected perpendicularly to the surface of sphere  46  and is axially aligned with first cylindrical shaft  50 . Second cylindrical shaft  52  is rotatably received in a cylindrical recess in circular cone-shaped floor  42 . A coil spring  54  is coiled around the outside of one end of second cylindrical shaft  52  and a pull cord  56  is connected to the other end of second cylindrical shaft  52  and coiled therearound. Pull cord  56  extends from second cylindrical shaft  52  through channel  58  in wall  40  to a handle  60  on the exterior of reduced diameter portion  36 . 
     Coil spring  54  is connected at one end to second cylindrical shaft  52  and at the other end to cone-shaped floor  42 . As handle  60  is pulled upward as shown in FIG. 3, pull cord  56  causes second cylindrical shaft  52  to rotate and rotate sphere  46  from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3, thereby enabling pet litter  22  to flow through passage  48  in sphere  46  into chamber  26  and onto floor  36 . As cylindrical shaft  52  is rotated, coil spring  54  is rotated into a tighter coil, and when handle  60  is released, coil spring  54  rotates cylindrical shaft  52  and sphere  46  from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. 
     An alternate embodiment of the valve generally indicated by the numeral  44  is shown in FIG.  5  and is generally indicated by the numeral  44   a.  Valve  44   a  includes sphere  46  having a cylindrical passage  48  extending through the center thereof to the outer surfaces thereof. First cylindrical shaft  50  is rigidly connected perpendicularly to the surface of sphere  46  and aligned perpendicularly to the central axis of cylindrical passage  48 . First cylindrical shaft  50  is rotatably received in cylindrical recess  50   a  in circular cone-shaped floor  42 . 
     A second cylindrical shaft  52   a  is rigidly connected perpendicularly to the surface of sphere  46  and is axially aligned with first cylindrical shaft  50 . Second cylindrical shaft  52   a  is rotatably received in a cylindrical recess in circular cone-shaped floor  42 . Second cylindrical shaft  52   a  extends rotatably through exterior wall  36  and has lever  62  rigidly connected thereto for rotation thereof. A stop  63  is connected to the exterior wall  40  to limit the downward movement of lever  62 . As lever  62  is pulled downward to the position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5 against stop  63 , shaft  52   a  rotates and rotates sphere  46  from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3, thereby enabling pet litter  22  to flow through passage  48  in sphere  46  into chamber  26  and onto floor  32 . When lever  62  is returned to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 5, cylindrical shaft  52   a  and sphere  46  rotates from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG.  2 . 
     Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, it should be understood that the invention is in no sense limited thereby, and its scope is to be determined by that of the following claims.