Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention pertains generally to handling using hand and hoist-line implements, and more particularly to a sanitary handler for pet droppings. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     All living creatures require energy in the form of food, and naturally produce waste. Presumably throughout much of unrecorded history, both man and animals would have excreted waste wherever convenient to the being. With low population densities of man and animals, nature provided the tools for sufficiently rapid decomposition of the waste to not generally interfere with the animals&#39; life cycle. 
     Gradually, as population densities increased, so did the need for more sanitary waste management. This may have been primarily to reduce both the likelihood and the spread of disease, but also was likely supported by a desire to reduce the unpleasant exposure to waste in the course of an ordinary day, and also a desire for an increase in the privacy of individuals. 
     Initially, only human waste was of concern and so sanitary facilities were developed. Original facilities for people included pit toilets with and without enclosures, and eventually, with the development of indoor plumbing, water closets and bathrooms were developed. These served people well, but animal droppings including those of horses and dogs were allowed to be left at the discretion or convenience of the animal. Since horses were the primary mode of transportation for many centuries, there was no effective way to eliminate or fully remove the excrements of animals, nor was the animal waste considered particularly hazardous or bothersome. 
     With the gradual understanding and acceptance of microbiological theories such as presented by Louis Pasteur, mankind learned that animal waste presented another vector for disease transmission, and that, as a result, the waste could be harmful to humans either through direct contact or through consumption or contact with waters contaminated by the animal waste. Modern technology has enabled mankind to not only identify microbes including bacteria, viruses, and yeasts and fungi, but also to identify a particular source with certainty. As a result, a number of disease vectors that were previously uncertain have been determined. Such particularity has enabled mankind to identify a disease outbreak, determine the microbial cause, which for exemplary purposes might be the well-known  E. Coli , and then identify the source down to a particular farm and animals such as manure from cattle on the farm. 
     This has furthered a gradual evolution in the thoughts of many people on the acceptability of animal waste being left solely to the convenience of the animal. While there may have always been an unpleasantness associated with animal excrement, the recognition of potential life-threatening harm has further fueled a wide-spread promulgation of local rules and ordinances that require pet owners to take responsibility for the removal of animal waste produced by their pets. 
     Whether through an inherent awareness of social responsibility or because of local rules and ordinances, many modern pet owners must promptly clean up excrement. Wile many animals produce unpleasant and potentially harmful excrement, dogs are a most common source of dropped excrement in public areas, in part because dogs are not normally trained to use a litter box and also because necessary exercise tends to stimulate dogs to excrete waste. As a person walks the dog or allows the dog to run, the stimulation of activity and new sights and smells will very commonly cause the dog to excrete waste. Since the dog is walking or moving about, this waste will frequently be dropped along public trails, sidewalks, in public parks, or in other areas where the waste will either preferably or through mandate need to be removed. 
     Most commonly, the pet owner will carry low-cost plastic bags. These bags can be folded about the person&#39;s hand like a mitten or glove to allow the pet owner to grasp the excrement. Then the bag may be folded from the person&#39;s hand to fully encompass and contain the excrement within the bag. When the walk is completed, or at any other convenient time during the walk, one or more of these used bags may be disposed of in a suitable trash receptacle. 
     While many pet owners still use ordinary and general-purpose bags, a number of bags have been designed specifically for this purpose. Exemplary U.S. patents, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,251 by Jacobs, entitled “Glove-like waste disposal system”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,697 by Hayes, entitled “Clean up glove”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,818 by Kolic, entitled “Disposable litter pick-up mitt”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,708 by Jacovitz, entitled “Manual waste collection, containment, and disposal device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,955 by Giuliano et al, entitled “Device for individual collection of pet excrements”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,882 by Leutholt, entitled “Petpotty-pickup”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,668 by Carpol, entitled “Animal solid waste collection”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,971 by Ward Gilley, entitled “Sleeved invertible glove for collection and disposal of materials”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,961 by Demeur et al, entitled “Reversible mit for disposal of waste debris”. 
     While this method of excrement removal is in concept both efficient and effective, most dog owners quickly realize that there are a number of drawbacks. Among these are the difficulty associated with cleaning up excrement without contaminating not only the bag interior but also the exterior. In such case, subsequent transport of the bag until a trash receptacle can be reached is difficult to do without accidental smearing of the excrement onto the person, their clothing or other belongings. Additionally, if a small and more economical and environmentally friendly bag is used to clean the excrement, the bag may also be very difficult to close and seal, and an open bag is more hazardous to carry for any length of time. The pet owner&#39;s attention is normally directed to the activities of the dog and surroundings, and so it is easy and common for a distracted owner to accidentally make contact with the excrement. Even with a much larger bag, the closing of the bag can also be difficult to do cleanly if the excrement has accidentally been smeared onto the exterior of the bag or near the bag opening. The low-cost bags are also generally quite thin, and so may be accidentally torn or punctured while being carried, again undesirably exposing the person directly to the waste. In addition, holding a used bag for an extended period is quite undesirable. 
     In an effort to provide a better way to transport used bags, various artisans have proposed apparatus suitable for this purpose. Exemplary U.S. patents, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,590 by Polding, entitled “Dog leash with bag container”, which provides a bag container stitched to a dog leash; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,038,188 by Nolan-Brown, entitled “Pet waste cleanup kit”, which provides an organized cleanup kit that hangs from a leash, and from which used bags may be suspended. 
     A number of other artisans have devised various other ways to assist with pet excrement removal and disposal. Exemplary patents, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,422 by Cabaluna, entitled “Concealed litter bag cane device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,500 by Almog, entitled “Disposable plastic bags”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,572 by Peck et al, entitled “Poop scooping and packaging assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,201,862 by Langley, entitled “Device for collecting and containing solid or liquid substances, including animal or human waste”. Each of these patents illustrate various alternatives to the process of manually folding a bag about a person&#39;s hand, and are used to directly pick up animal excrement. 
     The following additional patents are incorporated herein by reference for their various teachings and enablements, including: U.S. Pat. No. 1,586,147 by Flory, entitled “Hand bag”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,841 by Rafeldt, entitled “Refuse containers, particularly for vehicles”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,994 by Wharmby, entitled “Bag holder”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,833 by Cook, entitled “Multiple use bag”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,201 by Cook, entitled “Bag mouth closure structure”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,394 by Galomb, entitled “Handle-pour spout closure for flexible packages, flexible packages including the same and method of making such flexible packages”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,619 by Sulpizio, entitled “Disposable lawn bag”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,491 by Kohl et al, entitled “Wide open feature for reclosable bags”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,322 by Peterson, entitled “Portable bag holder employing elastic band”. In addition to the patents mentioned herein above, Webster&#39;s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition copyright 1983, is incorporated herein by reference in entirety for the definitions of words and terms used herein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a first manifestation, the invention is a leash attachable animal excrement bag holder operative to selectively receive, retain and release animal excrement bags. A coupling engages with a support hoop. A bag is suspended from the support hoop. A slide is operative to travel along the support hoop and alter a bias of the support hoop from an open orientation to a more nearly closed orientation. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention solve inadequacies of the prior art by providing a coupling, a flexible, resilient and open-biased support hoop, a bag suspended from the support rod, and a slide operative to slide along the support hoop and alter the bias from an open orientation to a more nearly closed orientation. 
     A first object of the invention is to provide a collapsible sack operative to receive, retain and protect animal excrement-containing bags, that may further preferably be readily cleaned. A second object of the invention is to provide a durable exterior bag which preferably provides greater protection against tears and punctures than an individual excrement bag. Another object of the present invention is to selectively bias the aforementioned collapsible sack between an open position and a closed position using a simple manual adjustment. A further object of the invention is to provide a releasable coupling to a person, leash or other apparatus, thereby permitting the invention to be transported in an unimpeding manner, without simultaneous manual effort or intervention. Yet another object of the present invention is to enable reasonable manufacture, intuitive assembly, and reliable operation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention can be understood and appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder designed in accord with the teachings of the present invention from a top plan view and in an open position. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a preferred engagement securing a first end of a preferred support hoop to a preferred coupling, each used in the preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder of  FIG. 1 , by enlarged sectional view taken along line  2 ′ of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the preferred slide used in the preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder of  FIG. 1  from a front elevational view. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder of  FIG. 1  from a side elevational view. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates the preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder of  FIG. 1  from a top plan view and in a generally closed position. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Manifested in the preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a leash attachable bag holder  1  having a carabineer  10 , a coupling  30 , a flexible, resilient and open-biased support hoop  20 , a bag  50  suspended from support hoop  20 , and a slide  40  operative to slide along support hoop  20  and alter the bias from an open orientation as illustrated in  FIG. 1  to a more nearly closed orientation illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
     While carabineer  10  is preferred, due at least in part to the ready commercial availability thereof, familiarity that most people have with proper operation, and selective and secure engagement with other objects, other suitable fasteners and couplers may be substituted therefor. Carabineer  10 , or a suitable alternative, provides an apparatus for securing and supporting the remaining parts of leash attachable bag holder  1  from a suitable support such as a self-retracting or standard dog leash, a belt loop, or any other suitable support. This enables leash attachable bag holder  1  to be selectively and securely carried by a person in a hands-free manner while walking a dog or otherwise moving about, and be readily removed therefrom upon completion of the walk or other movement. 
     Coupling  30  may take any suitable geometry, but as illustrated in the preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1  coupling  30  provides a passage for carabineer  10  and also provides a secure termination for each end of support hoop  20 . Support hoop  20  may be formed integrally with coupling  30 , but in the preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1 , at least one end of support hoop  20  is preferably separable from coupling  30 . This permits slide  40  to be slipped onto support hoop  20  by passing a free end of support hoop  20  first through hole  42  in slide  40 , and then sliding slide  40  along support hoop  20  and around the sharp bend in support hoop  20  distal to coupling  30 , and then further sliding until slide  40  is once again nearly adjacent with coupling  30 . Bag  50  preferably has a fold seam forming a sleeve  54  in bag  50  that almost but incompletely encircles opening  56  into bag  50 . Support hoop  20  will now be threaded through sleeve  54  in bag  50 . Next, the free end of support hoop  20  may be passed through hole  44 , so that slide  40  is in the position illustrated in  FIG. 1 , with both slide  40  and bag  50  threaded onto support hoop  20 . Finally, any free ends of support hoop  20  may then be secured to coupling  30 . 
     While any suitable geometry that may be known in the art of couplings and fasteners may be used for securement, in the preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1 , the separable end of support hoop  20  is secured to coupling  30  as illustrated in  FIG. 2  by providing a reduced diameter entry opening  32  into an enlarged diameter chamber  34  formed in coupling  30 . A conical generally arrowhead end  22  terminates support hoop  20  on at least one end thereof, and has an exterior diameter at the point smaller than entry opening  32 , and an exterior diameter distal to the point slightly larger than entry opening  32 . This means that when arrowhead end  22  is inserted into entry opening  32 , it will at first pass freely therein, until enough of the point has passed through that the arrowhead end  22  exterior diameter equals or preferably slightly exceeds the interior diameter of entry opening  32 . At this position, there will be substantial friction between entry opening  32  and arrowhead end  22 . Nevertheless, if arrowhead end  22  is driven further into entry opening  32 , then either or both of arrowhead end  22  and entry opening  32  will preferably plastically deform slightly but sufficiently to allow the largest diameter of arrowhead end  22  to pass through entry opening  32  and into chamber  34 . Once this has happened, either or both of arrowhead end  22  and entry opening  32  will preferably plastically return to their original shape. Using the geometry of the preferred embodiment arrowhead end  22  illustrated in  FIG. 2 , once arrowhead end  22  has passed fully into chamber  34 , support hoop  20  is secured thereto, since arrowhead end  22  will not be removable from coupling  30  without severe damage or destruction. 
     In preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , end  22  has a cross-section resembling an arrowhead, with a point and increasing diameter, followed by an abrupt transition to a neck. This abrupt transition to the smaller diameter neck region leads to ease of insertion but difficult removal. In an alternative embodiment contemplated herein, end  22  could alternatively resemble a ball, having a generally circular cross-section, which would allow both insertion and removal. Two opposed conical surfaces, rather than the single conical surface of  FIG. 2 , could likewise be provided, again allowing both insertion and removal. As may be understood then, any suitable cross-section for end  22  may be used that produces a desired insertion force curve and desired removal force curve. 
     In preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1 , support hoop  20  terminates distally to arrowhead end  22  directly into coupling  30  and does not need to be removable or separated therefrom, and so may be molded or otherwise formed simultaneously with coupling  30 . In other words, support hoop  20  and coupling  30  may optionally be formed as a single unit in a single molding or other forming process. However, where appropriate or otherwise desirable, both ends of support hoop  20  may alternatively terminate with an arrowhead or other similar end  22 . 
     In an alternative embodiment, slide  40  may be fabricated from two separable halves, such as for exemplary purposes taken along a horizontal axis passing through holes  42 ,  44  in  FIG. 3 . Slide  40  may then be placed about an already formed and closed support hoop  20  simply by placing one half of slide  40  above support hoop  20  and the other half below support hoop  20 , and then fastening or securing the two halves of slide  40  together. In this alternative embodiment, bag  50  must be adhered to support hoop  20  either prior to closing hoop  20 , or by other means, for exemplary purposes only and not solely limiting the present invention thereto as illustrated in the Peterson patent incorporated by reference herein above. 
       FIGS. 1 and 5  illustrate preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1  from a top plan view in an open position and from a top plan view in a generally closed position, respectively. The open position illustrated in  FIG. 1  is preferably attained by forming support hoop  20  of semi-rigid material that provides some resilience, and which thereby intrinsically takes the shape as generally illustrated therein. While in preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1  the cross-section of support hoop  20  is circular and operative with circular holes  42 ,  44  in slide  40 , there is no requirement that support hoop  20  be circular wire, and other cross-sectional geometries are contemplated herein. Further, the material, the geometry or both may be used to bias support hoop into the open position illustrated in  FIG. 1 . When slide  40  is moved away from or more distal relative to coupling  30 , the close spacing between holes  42  and  44  will draw support hoop  20  together, thereby substantially reducing the size of top opening  56  into bag  50 . In the process, there will likely be some bunching of sleeve  54 , but this bunching is not consequential to the operation of preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1 . To help to accommodate the varying shape of opening  56  into bag  50 , a small V-shaped notch  52  may optionally be formed into bag  50 , preferably at the time of initial fabrication. 
     Bag  50  as illustrated is translucent or transparent, but may be of any desired transparency or color. A benefit of a transparent or translucent material is the ability to more readily determine the cleanliness or lack thereof of the bag material. Nevertheless, there may be times where a person would prefer to conceal any excrement bags  3  carried within bag  50 , such as illustrated for exemplary purposes in  FIG. 4 , and so may prefer an opaque or less transparent material. 
     Most preferably, bag  50  will be of somewhat heavier construction or otherwise have greater intrinsic strength than any excrement bags  3  supported therein, to help to protect and preserve the excrement bags until disposal. Additionally, most preferably the entirety of preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1  will be of materials resistant to water and ordinary cleaning solutions, so that preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1  may be cleaned at will by a person. 
     The materials used in the fabrication of preferred embodiment leash attachable bag holder  1  and any alternative embodiments thereof is not critical to the workings of the present invention, and so metals, plastics, composites, laminates or other various materials and combinations of materials may be used. Nevertheless, and as aforementioned, materials that are resistant to water and ordinary cleaning solutions are preferred, and support hoop  20  will most preferably be intrinsically self-supporting and simultaneously flexible and resilient, in order to maintain the desired bias to alternatively open and close bag  50 . 
     While the foregoing details what is felt to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, no material limitations to the scope of the claimed invention are intended. Further, features and design alternatives that would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be incorporated herein. The scope of the invention is set forth and particularly described in the claims herein below.

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