Patent Publication Number: US-2011048330-A1

Title: Odor free kitty litter with vented enclosure

Description:
BACKGROUND—FIELD 
     Nearly all the homes and apartments in the United States have clothes dryers. The number of homes, apartments, or other dwellings having a pet cat or cats is in the millions. Pet owners spend billions of dollars per year to care for their pets. 
     This invention is unique and novel in the fact that an existing clothes dryer vent is used to vent the kitty litter odor. In addition, a blower or ventilation fan is located away from the litter enclosure housing to insure the cat is not disturbed by the fan noise. 
     Alternatively, the dryer vent can be used to act as a draft flue without the blower fan. 
     The system is easily installed with no requirement to cut an opening for a cat litter vent. 
     OPERATION 
     When the cat enters the cat litter box housing ( 10 ), the cat present sensor ( 11 ) detects the cat and a signal is routed through the feedback wire to the control box ( 12 ). The blower control box with timer ( 14 ) supplies electrical power to the blower exhaust fan ( 17 ) remotely located away from the cat litter box housing ( 10 ) to insure the cat is not disturbed by noise during defecation. 
     The blower control box with timer ( 14 ) can be adjusted from seconds to hours to insure the odor is vented outside of the dwelling. 
     A standard dryer vent hose is used to connect the kitty litter housing with open bottom ( 10 ) to the blower exhaust fan ( 17 ) or dryer ( 16 ) vent hose “Y” fitting,  15  to 89 degrees. A 90 degree “Tee” fitting is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Immediately after the cat defecation, the fecal material is near body temperature, approximately 100° F. The higher temperature causes the odor gases and surrounding air to rise. The rising gas flow is vented through the dryer odor control conduit flue ( 15 ) and out the clothes dryer vent flue ( 18 ) using the normal updraft of a flue. 
     The routing of the dryer vent flue ( 18 ) can be up, down, or horizontal when using the blower exhaust fan ( 16 ). 
     Optional spring loaded or gravity biased check valve ( 20 ) or a spring biased check valve ( 23 ) are used to insure the back flow from gas dryer operation does not enter the dwelling and expose the residents to carbon monoxide. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS—FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  shows a vented kitty litter box with a vent fan to increase air flow and insure direction of air flow. 
         FIG. 2  shows a vented kitty litter box with updraft flow similar to a fireplace. 
         FIG. 3  Hose Tee fitting 
     
    
    
     DRAWINGS—FIGURES—REFERENCE NUMERALS FIGS.  1  &amp;  2  NUMERAL DESCRIPTION 
       
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 NUMERAL 
                 DESCRIPTION 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 10 
                 Kitty litter housing with open bottom 
               
               
                 11 
                 Cat Present sensor 
               
               
                   
                 (light beam, Infrared, ultrasonic, weight or load cell) 
               
               
                 12 
                 Feedback wire to control box 
               
               
                 13 
                 Flue discharge flow 
               
               
                 14 
                 Blower control box with timer 
               
               
                 15 
                 Odor conduit flue 
               
               
                 16 
                 Clothes Dryer 
               
               
                 17 
                 Blower exhaust fan 
               
               
                 18 
                 Clothes dryer vent flue 
               
               
                 19 
                 “Y” fitting 15 to 90 degrees 
               
               
                 20 
                 Spring loaded or gravity biased check valve 
               
               
                 21 
                 Weight bias vector 
               
               
                 22 
                 Bias extension Spring 
               
               
                 23 
                 Spring biased check valve 
               
               
                 24 
                 “Tee” fitting 
               
               
                 25 
                 Light beam cat present sensor and transmitter 
               
               
                 26 
                 Infrared beam cat present sensor and transmitter 
               
               
                 27 
                 Load cell cat present sensors