Patent ID: 8915458

Claim:
A litter maintenance device, comprising: a frame; a housing attached to at least a portion of the frame at a rear end of the frame, the housing having a hood section; a front wheel attached to a front end of the frame; two back wheels attached to the housing; an independent motor attached to at least a portion of the frame or a portion of the housing; a rotation mechanism attached to the motor; and a litter de-caking mechanism at least partially located within the hood section of the housing, wherein the litter de-caking mechanism includes: a rotation bar connected to the rotation mechanism attached to the motor; a rotation bar tube that receives the rotation bar; one or more hammer arms attached to the rotation bar tube, wherein each of the hammer arms includes a hammer and at least one chain having a first end that connects to the rotation bar tube, the chain having a second end attached to the hammer; each hammer, when looked at in a cross section, being angled laterally outward.