Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an animal litter collector and more particularly pertains to a disposable animal litter collector for picking up and holding the litter for disposal after use. 
   In many jurisdictions, pet owners are statutorily required to collect litter of their pets as soon as pet litter is deposited on streets in city areas. To avoid penalty of fines, pet owners are generally willing to collect and dispose litter left by their pets in public areas. For sanitary purposes and aesthetic considerations, pet owners also need to clean up litter in their own private areas. These needs are particularly notorious for dog owners living in the cities as it is common for them to take their dogs out for a walk everyday in public areas such as sidewalks, parks or even beaches. The most basic tool that a dog owner has to bring along is waste newspaper or a used bag which the dog owner can use to pick up the dog&#39;s litter. Though the dog owner&#39;s hands may not touch the litter directly, most dog owners find the act disgusting. Some dog owners use small implements such as small shovels, but unless these implements are disposable, subsequent cleaning up of the implements remains to be distasteful. 
   There are a number of disposable means to assist dog owners to clean up after their dogs. Most of them require complicated assembly or folding before use. Therefore, one may see a dog owner who has to hurriedly attach a handle to a base to form a shovel in order to clean up the litter before his dog runs away. One may also see a dog owner who spends time to fold a cardboard paper into its predetermined shape such as a box or a prism as if he is doing a handicraft in order to clean up the litter for disposal. There are some other disposable means in the marketplace which are simple in construction and convenient to carry. They are usually made of cardboard paper with pressed lines so that they can be easily folded into a shovel. A dog owner can use the shovel to clean up the litter and put the whole thing into a bag for disposal. It is simple and easy. 
   However, this kind of disposable means also has defects. A dog owner has to remember to bring a disposal bag with him in order to complete the disposal process. If the dog owner forgets to bring a bag or does not have one, he will have to carry the litter with the disposal shovel for a while before it can be disposed into a rubbish bin. Further, it is not hygienic to simply dispose the litter into a rubbish bin without putting it into a bag first. Moreover, the dog owner also has to choose a suitable bag carefully. If the bag is too small, it cannot hold the shovel with the litter all together. If the bag is too large, it will not be compact in size and it may take time to fold and unfold the bag. Furthermore, the most commonly available bags are probably plastic bags from supermarkets or convenience stores. These bags are usually light in color and transparent to some degree. Therefore, it remains to be disgusting to carry the litter around with such a see-through plastic bag. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the aforesaid disadvantages now present in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an animal litter collector which is portable, simple and easy to use, and is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture and an affordable price of sale, and can effectively pick up and hold the litter for disposal. 
   To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a foldable board and a foldable bag having an opening, wherein the foldable board is thin, flat and elongated having a receptacle portion at one end for receiving animal litter, a handle portion in the middle for holding with the human hand and a fastening portion at the other end with a fastener for closing the opening of the foldable bag by fixing it in place; or alternatively, the handle portion at one end and the receptacle portion in the middle; and the handle portion together with the receptacle portion can be separated from the fastening portion; one side of the opening of the foldable bag is fixed onto the fastening portion of the board, and the fastener of the fastening portion is in shape and position that can engage with the other side of the opening to fix it in place and keep the opening closed after animal litter is disposed inside the foldable bag. 
   When the receptacle portion is at one end of the foldable board, the handle portion is in the middle and the fastening portion is at the other end, the three portions can be folded in a way that the receptacle portion or the fastening portion lies in between the other two portions; or alternatively, when the handle portion is at one end of the foldable board, the receptacle portion is in the middle and the fastening portion is at the other end, the three portions can be folded in a way that the handle portion or the fastening portion lies in between the other two portions; or alternatively, the receptacle portion together with the handle portion can be folded onto the fastening portion and the foldable bag so that the animal litter collector is folded into half or approximately half of its size. 
   The receptacle portion and the handle portion may have at least one pressed line or perforated line in between enabling that one portion to be easily folded onto the other portion. 
   The receptacle portion and the handle portion may have two curved or inclined pressed lines or perforated lines which run from the two corners or areas near the two corners of one side of the receptacle portion through the opposite side of the receptacle portion that connects to one side of the handle portion and up to the opposite side of the handle portion enabling that the handle portion and the receptacle portion can be folded into a shovel-like implement for taking up animal litter. 
   The two curved or inclined pressed lines or perforated lines can be symmetrical in shape and position. 
   The two end points of the two curved or inclined pressed lines or perforated lines on the handle portion are in positions which separate the edge of the side of the handle portion into three sections of approximately equal length enabling that the handle portion can be folded into a handle for ease of holding with the human hand. 
   The handle portion and the fastening portion may have a tear-off line in between which enables the handle portion together with the receptacle portion to be easily separated from the fastening portion. Alternatively, the receptacle portion and the fastening portion may have a tear-off line in between which enables the receptacle portion together with the handle portion to be easily separated from the fastening portion. 
   The fastener on the fastening portion may be in the form of a hanger which is opened on the fastening portion with the bottom side attached to the fastening portion, and the foldable bag has a hole or a cut line on the other side of the opening which side is not fixed onto the fastening portion, and the hole or the cut line is in size and position corresponding to the size and position of the hanger enabling that when the litter is disposed into the foldable bag, the other side of the opening is pulled down due to the weight inside and the hanger engages with the hole or the cut line, thereby fixing the other side of the opening in place and keeping the opening of the foldable bag closed. 
   The fastener on the fastening portion may be in the form of a flap which is opened on the fastening portion with one side attached to the fastening portion, and the foldable bag has a cut line or a hole on the other side of the opening which side is not fixed onto the fastening portion and the cut line or the hole is in size and position corresponding to the size and position of the flap enabling that the flap can engage with the cut line or the hole to fix the other side of the opening in place and to keep the opening of the foldable bag closed. 
   The receptacle portion, the handle portion and the fastening portion are preferably of the same size or substantially the same size. 
   The receptacle portion, the handle portion and the fastening portion can be folded into one-third or substantially one-third. 
   The receptacle portion and the handle portion are preferably of the same size or substantially the same size, and the fastening portion is of the same width as that of the receptacle portion or the handle portion and its length is relatively shorter than that of the receptacle portion or the handle portion facilitating ease of folding and providing room for storing the foldable bag which is fixed onto the fastening portion. 
   The width of the opening of the foldable bag is preferably greater than that of the receptacle portion and that of the handle portion. 
   The length of the foldable bag is preferably greater than the total length of the receptacle portion plus the handle portion. 
   The board can be made of paper, cardboard, plastic or wood. 
   The foldable bag can be made of paper or plastic. 
   The foldable bag is preferably dark in color for making animal litter inside invisible from outside. 
   The edge of the side of the receptacle portion that is used to pick up animal litter may be slanted or toothed for facilitating ease of taking up. 
   The receptacle portion may have a plurality of perforations for filtering out excess grass, sand or stones when taking up animal litter. 
   To use the present invention, the user can first unfold the receptacle portion, the handle portion, the fastening portion and the foldable bag if they are folded into a compact size, and then tear off the handle portion and the receptacle portion from the fastening portion along the tear-off line. The user may then fold the receptacle portion and the handle portion along the two curved or inclined pressed lines, thereby making it into the shape of a shovel for picking up animal litter. The user then holds the handle portion with one hand and uses the receptacle portion to pick up the litter. 
   After taking up the litter, the user can put the handle portion and the receptacle portion with the litter hereon into the foldable bag. The user then uses the fastener which is in the form of a hanger or a flap on the fastening portion to fix the other side of the opening in place and to keep the opening of the foldable bag closed. As the foldable bag has a hole or cut line in size and position corresponding to the size and position of the hanger or the flap, the user can engage the hanger or the flap with the hole or the cut line. The user may further fold the hanger or the flap upward and use it as a hook to keep the opening of the foldable bag closed. 
   In comparison with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and effects: 
   First, since the animal litter collector of the present invention is of simple construction with a thin, flat and elongated board and a foldable bag, it is portable and light in weight and can be folded into a compact size for ease of carrying. It is therefore more susceptible of a low cost of manufacture and an affordable price of sale. 
   Secondly, the user is only required to tear off the handle portion and the receptacle portion from the fastening portion or vice versa and then fold the handle portion and the receptacle portion into a shovel for picking up animal litter. The user can then simply put the whole thing into the foldable bag and use the fastener of the fastening portion to close the opening of the folding bag. It is simple and easy to use. 
   Thirdly, the foldable bag is part of the invention and this construction saves the trouble of the pet owner to find a suitable bag and also solves the problem of the pet owner of forgetting to bring a bag with him. 
   Finally, the present invention can be made from recyclable and biodegradable material such as paper, cardboard or wood. It is environmentally friendly. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows an unfolded plane view of the present invention of the first embodiment. 
       FIG. 1   a  illustrates the receptacle portion, the handle portion and the fastening portion being folded in a way that the fastening portion lies in between the other two portions;  FIG. 1   b  illustrates the receptacle portion, the handle portion and the fastening portion being folded in a way that the receptacle portion lies in between the other two portions, and  FIG. 1   c  shows a perspective view of the present invention of the first embodiment when it is being folded up in half. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the present invention of the first embodiment when it is being folded up for carrying. 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the present invention of the first embodiment when the handle portion with the receptacle portion is torn off from the handle portion. 
       FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the receptacle portion and the handle portion when they are in use. 
       FIG. 5  shows a transparent perspective view of the present invention of the first embodiment when the receptacle portion and the handle portion together with the animal litter are put into the foldable bag. 
       FIG. 6  shows an unfolded plane view of the present invention of the second embodiment. 
       FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the present invention of the second embodiment when it is being folded up for carrying;  FIG. 7   a  illustrates the handle portion, the receptacle portion and the fastening portion being folded in a way that the fastening portion lies in between the other two portions; and  FIG. 7   b  illustrates the handle portion, the receptacle portion and the fastening portion being folded in a way that the handle portion lies in between the other two portions. 
       FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the present invention of the second embodiment when the handle portion with the receptacle portion is torn off from the handle portion. 
       FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of the receptacle portion and the handle portion when they are in use. 
       FIG. 10  shows a transparent perspective view of the present invention of the second embodiment when the receptacle portion and the handle portion together with the animal litter are put into the foldable bag. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is further described in detail with the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings.  FIGS. 1 to 5  illustrate the first embodiment of an animal litter collector of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the animal litter collector comprises a foldable board  1  and a foldable bag  2  having an opening  21 , wherein the board  1  is thin, flat and elongated having a receptacle portion  11  at one end for receiving animal litter, a handle portion  12  in the middle for holding with the human hand, a fastening portion  13  at the other end with a fastener  131  for closing the opening of the foldable bag by fixing it in place. In this embodiment, the board  1  is made of cardboard or thick paper and the foldable bag  2  is made of paper as such materials are environmentally friendly. In other embodiments, the board  1  can be made of paper, plastic or wood other than cardboard and the foldable bag  2  can be made of plastic other than paper. In this embodiment, the foldable bag  2  is dark in color. The foldable bag  2  is preferably dark in color for making animal litter inside invisible from outside, but in other embodiments it can be light in color or even transparent. The opening  21  has two sides, namely, the first side  211  and the second side  212 . The first side  211  is fixed onto the fastening portion  13  of the board  1 . In this embodiment, the fastening portion  13  of the board  1  is attached onto the inner surface of the first side  211  by way of adhesive or any other known means. In other embodiments, not shown herein, the fastening portion  13  of the board  1  can be attached onto the outer surface of the first side  211 . 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the receptacle portion  11  and the handle portion  12  have two pressed lines  14  in between which enable the receptacle portion  11  to be easily folded onto the handle portion  12 . In other embodiments, not shown herein, the two pressed lines  14  can be substituted by perforated lines. Furthermore, the receptacle portion  11  and the handle portion  12  may not have any or may just have only one pressed line  14  or perforated line  14  and the folding can be done by hand. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the three portions  11 ,  12 ,  13  can be folded in a way that the handle portion  12  lies in between the other two portions  11 ,  13 . In other embodiments, not shown herein, the three portions  11 ,  12 ,  13  may not be folded or can be folded in a way that the fastening portion  13  lies in between the other two portions  11 ,  12  as shown in  FIG. 1   a , or the receptacle portion  11  lies in between the other two portions  12 ,  13  as shown in  FIG. 1   b , or as illustrated in  FIG. 1   c , the handle portion  12  together with the receptacle portion  11  can be folded onto the fastening portion  13  and the foldable bag  2  so that the animal litter collector is folded into half or approximately half of its size. 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , in this embodiment, the handle portion  12  and the fastening portion  13  have a tear-off line  16  in between which enables the handle portion  12  together with the receptacle portion  11  to be easily separated from the fastening portion  13 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4 , the receptacle portion  11  and the handle portion  12  have two curved pressed lines  15  which run from areas near the two corners of the receptacle portion  11  through the opposite side  14  of the receptacle portion  11  that connects to one side of the handle portion  12  and up to the opposite side  16  of the handle portion  12  enabling that the handle portion  12  and the receptacle portion  11  can be folded into a shovel-like implement for taking up animal litter. In other embodiments, not shown herein, the pressed lines can be substituted by perforated lines. Furthermore, the pressed lines  15  or the perforated lines  15  can run from the two corners or any other area near the two corners of the receptacle portion  11 . The two curved pressed lines  15  are symmetrical in shape and position. It is preferably to have the two pressed lines  15  symmetrical in shape and position as it is easier to fold the handle portion  12  and the receptacle portion  11  into a shovel-like implement. In other embodiments, not shown herein, the two curved pressed lines  15  can be not symmetrical in shape and position. The two end points of the two curved pressed lines  15  on the handle portion  12  are in positions which separate the edge of the side  16  of the handle portion  12  into three sections of approximately equal length enabling that the handle portion  12  can be folded into a handle for ease of holding with the human hand. In other embodiments, not shown herein, the two end points can be in any positions on the edge of the side  16  of the handle portion  12 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3  and  5 , the fastener  131  on the fastening portion  13  is in the form of a flap which is in the shape of a circle and opened on the fastening portion  13  with the bottom side attached to the fastening portion  13 , and the foldable bag  2  has a hole  22  on the second side  212  of the opening  21  which side is not fixed onto the fastening portion  13 , and the hole  22  is in size and position corresponding to the size and position of the flap  131  enabling that when the litter is disposed into the foldable bag  2 , the second side  212  of the opening  22  is pulled down due to the weight inside and the flap  131  engages with the hole  22 , thereby fixing the second side  212  of the opening  22  in place and keeping the opening of the foldable bag  2  closed. In other embodiments, not shown herein, the flap  131  on the fastening portion  13  can be in the shape of a semi-circle or any other shape which is opened on the fastening portion  13  with one side attached to the fastening portion  13 . 
   In this embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the receptacle portion  11  and the handle portion  12  are of the same size, and the fastening portion  13  is of the same width as that of the receptacle portion  11  or the handle portion  12  and its length is relatively shorter than that of the receptacle portion  11  or the handle portion  12  facilitating ease of folding and providing room for storing the foldable bag  2  which is fixed onto the fastening portion  13 . The receptacle portion  11 , the handle portion  12  and the fastening portion  13  can be folded into substantially one-third with the fastening portion  13  a bit shorter. There are no specific limitations on the size of the receptacle portion  11 , the handle portion  12  and the fastening portion  13  so long as the board  1  can be folded into a compact size for ease of carrying. 
   The width of the opening  21  of the foldable bag  2  is greater than that of the receptacle portion  11  and that of the handle portion  12 . The length of the foldable bag  2  is greater than the total length of the receptacle portion  11  plus the handle portion  12 . There are no specific limitations on the size of the foldable bag  2  so long as it is large enough to hold the handle portion  12  and the receptacle portion  11  with animal litter thereon. 
   To use the present invention, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the user can first unfold the receptacle portion  11 , the handle portion  12 , the fastening portion  13  and the foldable bag  2 , and then tear off the handle portion  12  and the receptacle portion  11  from the fastening portion  13  along the tear-off line  16 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the user may then fold the receptacle portion  11  and the handle portion  12  along the two curved pressed lines  15 , thereby making it into the shape of a shovel for picking up animal litter. The user then holds the handle portion  12  with one hand and uses the receptacle portion  11  to pick up the litter. 
   After taking up the animal litter, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the user can put the handle portion  12  and the receptacle portion  11  with the litter hereon into the foldable bag  2 . The user then uses the fastener  131  on the fastening portion  13  to keep the opening  21  of the foldable bag  2  closed. 
     FIGS. 6 to 10  illustrate the second embodiment of the present invention. The construction of this embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, save that the three portions  11 ,  12 ,  13  are arranged in a way that the handle portion  12  is at one end and the receptacle portion  11  is in the middle and the board  1  is folded in a way that the receptacle portion  11  lies in between the other two portions  12 ,  13 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 7   a , the handle portion  12 , the receptacle portion  11  and the fastening portion  13  may be folded in a way that the fastening portion  13  lies in between the other two portions  11 ,  12 ; or as shown in  FIG. 7   b , the handle portion  12 , the receptacle portion  13  and the fastening portion  11  may be folded in a way that the handle portion  12  lies in between the other two portions  11 ,  13 . Further, as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 8 , the tear-off line  16  lies between the receptacle portion  11  and the fastening portion  13  which enables the receptacle portion  11  together with the handle portion  12  to be easily separated from the fastening portion  13 . As shown in  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8 , the receptacle portion  11 , the handle portion  12  and the fastening portion  13  are of the same size so that the board  1  can be folded into one-third. In this embodiment, the two perforated lines  15  are inclined instead of curved, and the two inclined perforated lines  15  run from the two corners of the receptacle portion  11 . The fastener  131  of this embodiment is in the form of a hanger which is opened on the fastening portion  13  with the bottom side attached to the fastening portion  13 , and the foldable bag  2  has a cut line  23  on the second side  212  of the opening  21  which side is not fixed onto the fastening portion  13  and the cut line  23  is in size and position corresponding to the size and position of the hanger  131  enabling that the hanger  131  can engage with the cut line  23  to keep the opening  21  of the foldable bag  2  closed. Further, the front edge  111  of the receptacle portion  11  is toothed and in other embodiments it can be slanted instead for ease of taking up animal litter. The receptacle portion  11  also has a plurality of perforations  112  for filtering out excess grass, sand or stones when taking up animal litter. 
   To use the present invention, as illustrated in  FIGS. 6 to 9 , the user can tear off the receptacle portion  11  with the handle portion  12  from the fastening portion  13  along the tear-off line  16  and then fold the receptacle portion  11  and the handle portion  12  into the shape of a shovel along the inclined perforated lines  15  in the same way as in the first embodiment. 
   After cleaning up the animal litter, the user can dispose the disposable animal litter collector in a way similar to that of the first embodiment, saved that as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the user can engage the hanger  131  with the cut line  23  to fix the second side  212  of the opening  21  in place and to keep the opening  21  of the foldable bag  2  closed. 
   The above embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention. The present invention is capable of other embodiments and is not limited by the above embodiments. Any other variation, decoration, substitution, combination or simplification, whether in substance or in principle, not deviated from the spirit of the present invention, is replacement or substitution of equivalent effect and falls within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Technology Category: e