Patent Publication Number: US-2016219838-A1

Title: Pet Waste Collection Device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/111,743 filed on Feb. 4, 2015. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to pet waste collection devices and pet leashes. More specifically, the present invention provides a pet waste collection device having a compartment for storing clean disposable bags and a compartment for storing used disposable bags, and that is further connectable to a leash. 
     It is important to clean up pet waste when taking a pet outdoors, particularly in a public place such as a public sidewalk or park. Every pet owner has a duty to clean up after his or her pet in order to maintain the cleanliness and appearance of the community. If a person fails to clean up after his or her pet, he or she may be fined by local authorities. Further, cleaning up pet waste helps to prevent the spread of germs and disease. 
     In order to clean up pet waste while spending time outdoors, many pet owners bring a scooping tool and one or more disposable bags when he or she walks the pet. However, carrying around a tool and disposable bags can be inconvenient and the pet owner may forget to bring such items when taking a pet for a walk. Further, once the pet waste is collected, the tool becomes unsanitary and the pet owner must carry the waste bag, which can be unpleasant. Thus, a device for allowing a user to more easily collect and store pet waste is desired. 
     Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to pet waste collection devices. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to pet waste clean-up devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,119, U.S. Pat. No. 7,695,034, U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2010/0237640, U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2006/0231043, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,347,825. 
     The devices in the prior art have several known drawbacks. Such devices provide containers for collecting pet waste that further provide means for securement to a pet leash. However, these devices fail to provide means for separately storing both clean and used disposable bags, requiring the user to hold the clean bags, the used bags, or both. Thus, a device that can be secured to a leash and that provides storage for clean and used bags is desired. 
     In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing pet waste collection devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of pet waste collection devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new pet waste collection device wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when cleaning-up pet waste while walking a pet. 
     A pet waste collection device for use in allowing a pet owner to more easily clean up pet waste while walking a pet. The pet waste collection device comprises a container having an open first end and an open second end. The open first end provides access to a first compartment, and the open second end provides access to a second compartment. The first end includes a lid pivotally secured thereon, wherein the lid includes an opening thereon through which disposable bags can be removed from the interior of the first compartment. The second end includes a lid pivotally affixed thereto. The container further includes a handle thereon for a user to hold. The device is further removably securable with a conventional leash or includes an integrated, extendable leash, depending upon the embodiment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the pet waste collection device. 
         FIG. 2  shows a cross sectional view of the container of the pet waste collection device. 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the pet waste collection device. 
         FIG. 4  shows a side cross sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the pet waste collection device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the pet waste collection device. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for cleaning-up pet waste while walking a pet. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a perspective view of the pet waste collection device and a cross sectional view of the container of the pet waste collection device, respectively. The pet waste collection device  11  comprises a container  12  having a first end  13  and a second end  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, the container  12  comprises a barrel-shaped configuration. However, in alternate embodiments, the container  12  may have other shapes, such as a cylindrical configuration, among others. The container  12  is substantially hollow and includes a first compartment  19  and a second compartment  20  separated via a dividing wall  18 . 
     A handle  16  extends from the exterior of the container  12 , wherein the handle  16  is adapted to be held in a hand of the user. The handle  16  is shown as having a rounded or C-shaped configuration, however, in alternate embodiments, other types of handles  16  may be provided. Further, the handle  16  is positioned laterally on the container  12  so as to extend along a portion of the perimeter thereof. In some embodiments, the handle  16  includes padding thereon or ridges for allowing the user to more easily and more comfortably grasp the handle  16 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, a leash fastener  17  extends from the exterior of the container  12 . The leash fastener  17  is preferably located on the opposing side of the container  12  as the handle  16 . The leash fastener  17  is shown as a carabiner, however, alternate types of locking fasteners, such as any of various clips and clasps may be used. The leash fastener  17  is adapted to removably engage with a conventional pet leash  31 . In operation, an end of the pet leash  31  is formed into a loop and secured to the container  12  via the leash fastener  17  thereon. The free end of the leash  31  includes a collar fastener  32  thereon for securement to the collar of a pet. 
     The container  12  comprises an open first end  13  and an open second end  14 . The open first end  13  provides access to a first compartment  19  in which used disposable bags filled with pet waste can be positioned for storage. The open first end  13  further includes a first lid  21  pivotally affixed thereto via a hinge, wherein the first lid  21  seals the open first end  13 . In alternate embodiments, the first lid  21  is completely removable from the open first end  13  and is secured thereon via press fit or threaded engagement. The first lid  21  prevents odors from escaping the first compartment  19  and also helps to prevent the filled bags from escaping the container  12  if the container  12  is tilted or dropped. 
     The open second end  14  provides access to a second compartment  20 . The second compartment  20  is adapted to store one or more clean or new disposable bags, such as disposable plastic waste bags. The bags are preferably stored in a roll configuration. A second lid  22  covers the open second end  14  so as to enclose the bags therein. The second lid  22  preferably comprises an opening  15  thereon through which the bags can be removed from the second compartment  20 . In this way, the bags can be retrieved in a sequential manner by threading the bags through the opening  15 . This also eliminates the need for the user to open the second lid  22  to access the bags. 
     The interior of the container  12  comprises a dividing wall  18  that separates the first compartment  19  from the second compartment  20 . Preferably, the dividing wall  18  extends across the interior volume of the container  12  and fully separates the first and second compartments  19 ,  20 . The dividing wall  18  is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container  12 , wherein the longitudinal axis extends from the first end  13  to the second end of the container  14 . The dividing wall  18  further prevents the used bags from contaminating the clean bags. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , there is shown a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the pet waste collection device and a side cross sectional view of the pet waste collection device, respectively. In an alternate embodiments, the pet waste collection device  11  comprises a container  12  having a retractable leash  31  integrated therein. The leash  31  is wound on a spool  34  within the container  12 . A first end of the leash having a collar fastener  32  thereon extends through a slot  24  on the container  12  so that the collar fastener  32  is on the exterior of the container  12 . The collar fastener  32  is sized so as to be unable to pass through the slot  24 . This prevents the leash  31  from being fully retracted into the container  12 . The user can then pull on the free end of the leash  31  in order to withdraw an additional length of leash  31  from the interior of the container  12 . Alternatively, the user can retract the leash into the container  12  so as to wind the leash on the spool  34  within the interior of the container  12 . 
     A control  23  is disposed on the handle  16  and is operably connected to a retraction mechanism that allows the leash to extend or retract onto the spool  34 . The spool  34  preferably serves as the retraction mechanism, and the spool may be spring-biased so as to wind the leash onto the spool  34 . Thus, the user can operate the control  23  to extend the leash  31  to a desired length and can then release the control  23  to lock the leash  31  at that length. It is not desired to limit the specific type of retraction mechanism utilized, and any retraction mechanism known in the art that allows the leash to be extended and retracted can be used consistently with the disclosure of the present invention. 
     The container  12  includes an open first end and an open second end, wherein each end is pivotally covered by a lid. The open first end provides access to a first compartment  19  and the open second end provides access to a second compartment  20 . A wound portion  33  of the leash  31  is stored on a spool  34  located in a central compartment  25  that is separated from the first compartment  19  and second compartment  20  via a pair of dividing walls  18 . In this way, the leash  31  is not accessible via the first or second compartment. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.