IP Library Granted Patent US 6,994,054
Granted Patent B2
US 6,994,054 · App. 10/739,851 · Granted Feb 7, 2006

Animal litter box

Assignee: Uni-Charm Petcare Corporation
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,994,054
App. No.
10/739,851
Granted
Feb 7, 2006
Kind
B2
Abstract

An animal litter box is to be provided that can be cleaned easily and can reduce the number of time to change an animal litter, particularly an animal litter box that allows liquid such as urine evacuated onto the granular materials to move to a liquid-absorbing sheet efficiently. An animal litter box includes a granular material container having an opening for an animal going in and out, and a liquid penetrating bottom part on which granular materials are dispersed; and a liquid-absorbing sheet holder placed under the bottom part of the granular material container on which a liquid-absorbing sheet is placed, wherein the bottom part of the granular material container has a liquid leading part formed by connected arches on a side facing the liquid-absorbing sheet.

Claims (16)

1. An animal litter box comprising:

a granular material container having an opening for an animal going in and out, and a liquid passing bottom part on which granular materials are dispersed;

and a liquid-absorbing sheet holder placed under the bottom part of the granular material container on which a liquid-absorbing sheet is placed,

wherein the bottom part of the granular material container comprises a grid of connected first bar elements and second bar elements, the second bar elements defining arches on a side of the bottom part facing the liquid-absorbing sheet, the arches having end portions that coincide with the first bar elements and central portions that are spaced further from the liquid-absorbent sheet holder than the end portions so a liquid passing through a granular material provided on the bottom part will be directed by the arches toward the ends of the arches.

2. The animal litter box according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom part comprises a plurality of openings having dimensions smaller than those of the granular material.

3. The animal litter box according to claim 2 , wherein an open area ratio of the opening of the bottom part occupied by the opening parts is 25 to 50% of an area of the bottom part.

4. The animal litter box according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom part is detachable from the granular material container.

5. The animal litter box according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid-absorbing sheet has an area greater than that of the bottom part of the granular material container.

6. The animal litter box according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid-absorbing sheet holder is loadably incorporated under the bottom part of the granular material container.

7. The animal litter box according to claim 1 , wherein the animal litter box has a drawer structure that houses the liquid-absorbing sheet holder.

8. The animal lifter box according to claim 1 , wherein the animal litter box has a removable cover for controlling a direction of an animal entering and exiting the litter box.

9. The animal litter box according to claim 8 , where in a granular material dropper is detachably disposed at a position facing an opening of the cover in the animal litter box.

10. The animal litter box according to claim 9 , wherein the granular material dropper includes a granular material removing member having a mesh top plate, and a granular material recovery container disposed under the granular material removing member.

11. The animal litter box according to claim 1 in combination with a granular material having a liquid absorptive capacity wherein a maximum absorbable amount of liquid absorbed by each granule of the granular material is 0.3 to 4.0 times as much as its own weight an amount of liquid absorbed by each granule of the granular material per three second is 20 to 70% of the maximum absorbable amount of liquid absorbed by each granule of the granular material and the granular material has a liquid passing ratio of a mass of the granular materials is 70% or more.

12. The animal litter box according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid-absorbing sheet has an antimicrobial and bacteriostatic part having both an antimicrobial property and a bacteriostatic property.

13. The animal litter box according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid-absorbing sheet has an antimicrobial part having an antimicrobial property and a bacteriostatic part having a bacteriostatic property.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Oct 20, 2010
From: UNI-CHARM PETCARE CORPORATION
To: UNI-CHARM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025161/0479 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 3, 2004
From: MATSUO, TAKAYUKI; IKEGAMI, TAKESHI
To: UNI-CHARM PETCARE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 015281/0750 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2003-177386 · Jun 20, 2003 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20040261727A1 · Dec 30, 2004