Patent Publication Number: US-2006005777-A1

Title: Wheeled litter box

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/585,758, filed Jul. 6, 2004. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention generally relates to pet accessories. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a portable litter box.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      If the family pet is a cat, a small dog, a ferret, etc., a litter box is normally required wherein the pet may deposit urine and excrement. Usually the litter box takes the form of a tray having granular absorbent material therein, which tray must be emptied and the granular material replaced on a regular basis. Ideally, the granular material would function to contain the wastes and the odors produced thereby. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Most of the time, the pet is prone to cover the waste and will scatter the granular material beyond the confines of the tray to the floor or carpet. Furthermore, the granular materials are not always effective in absorbing the odors of both urine and excrement. This scenario presents an ongoing problem for the pet owner in that the floor and/or carpet must be cleaned to rid the same of the obnoxious odors. The art would certainly welcome a litter container that would alleviate the shortcomings of the above-described litter tray.  
      There are many portable and confined litter containers known in the related art. Samples of such containers are identified and cited in the accompanying IDS. However, none of the identified and cited inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to disclose a unique litter container as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is a wheeled housing having separable top and bottom components. A covered opening is formed in the housing to provide for easy entrance and exit by a pet. The housing has an air filter positioned on the top component. An extendable handle is affixed to the top adjacent the filter. Brakes are provided for the rear wheels to prevent the housing from being pushed by the pet.  
      Accordingly, the invention presents a portable litter housing that effectively contains wastes and odors and is easily accessed by a pet. The invention provides for improved elements thereof in an arrangement for the purposes described that are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.  
    
    
      A clear understanding of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.  
       FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a wheeled litter box according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a wheeled litter box according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a partial, exploded view of a wheeled litter box according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a partial view illustrating a rear wheel lock of a wheeled litter box according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a partial view illustrating a latch mechanism of a wheeled litter box according to the present invention. 
    
    
      Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Attention is first directed to  FIGS. 1-3  of the present invention. The wheeled litter box comprises a housing generally indicated at  10 . Housing  10  consists of a lower component  12  that is removably attached to an upper component  14 . Lower component  12  is configured as a tray having upstanding side walls  12   a , a bottom wall  12   b  and an upstanding rear wall  12   c . A U-shaped opening  12   d  is formed in the front wall for reasons as will be explained below. Upper component  14  is configured as an inverted tray having a top wall  14   a , depending side walls  14   b  and a depending rear wall  14   c . A U-shaped opening  14   d  is formed in the front wall. When the components are attached, openings  12   d  and  14   d  register to form a rectangular opening to allow access to the housing for a pet C. The rectangular opening is covered by a thin curtain  16 , preferably fabricated from plastic material. Lower component  12  is supported on two front ( 18 ) and two rear ( 18   a ) wheels.  
      A padded, pivoting, telescopic handle  20  is attached to the exterior surface of top wall  14   a . Telescopic handle  20  provides a convenient mechanism to roll the housing to different locations when desired. A vent  22  having a removable filter therein is disposed on top wall  14   a  to insure filtered air exchange for the housing so that odors are controlled. At least one depending sidewall  14   b  is contoured so that receptacles  24  can be snapped to the wall and retained thereon. Receptacles  24  are adapted to contain pet accessories such as brushes, disposable liners, waste removal spoons, etc. A disposable liner is disposed on the bottom wall  12   b  in lower component  12 .  
      As best seen in  FIG. 4 , a braking device  30  is mounted on each rear wheel  18   a  (only one is shown). As indicated above, engagement of the braking device will prevent the pet from moving and possibly overturning the housing.  
      A simple, easy-to-manipulate attachment mechanism  40  ( FIG. 5 ) includes a protruding member  42  formed on the rim of upper component  14 . A latch member  44  is formed on the rim of lower component  12 . Member  44  has an opening therein adapted to receive protruding member  42 . An attachment mechanism is positioned at each corner of the housing. These arrangements permit a user to easily position and latch the upper and lower components together. Alternatively, the components can be quickly detached when it is desired to change the litter and clean the components.  
      It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.