IP Library Granted Patent US 7,380,519
Granted Patent B2
US 7,380,519 · App. 11/426,098 · Granted Jun 3, 2008

Pet litter box

Assignee: Uni-Charm Petcare Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,380,519
App. No.
11/426,098
Granted
Jun 3, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A pet litter box includes a litter container for storing liquid-passing litter and a liquid-absorbing sheet tray for holding a liquid-absorbing sheet. The front-back direction of the liquid-absorbing sheet can be changed without removing the liquid-absorbing sheet from the tray. The pet litter box includes a litter box main body having an opening from which pets enter. The litter box main body includes a litter container for storing liquid-passing litter formed of plural of granular materials provided therein, a liquid-absorbing sheet placed below the litter container for absorbing the liquid passing through the litter, and a liquid-absorbing sheet tray for holding the liquid-absorbing sheet. The liquid absorbing sheet tray can be withdrawn and removed from the front of the litter box main body and reversible in the front-back direction.

Claims (15)

1. A method of handling pet waste using a pet litter box, said pet litter box comprising:

a litter box main body including:

a litter container for holding liquid-passing granular litter, the litter container including a bottom plate having a plurality of apertures sized for preventing the granular litter from falling out;

a liquid-absorbing sheet disposed below the litter container for absorbing the liquid passed through the litter; and

a liquid-absorbing sheet tray for holding the liquid-absorbing sheet, the liquid-absorbing sheet tray including:

opposite front and rear walls which are curved toward each other and toward an interior of the liquid-absorbing sheet tray to define two concave curves, respectively;

a first handle attached to an outside of the front wall and at a central portion of the concave curve defined by the front wall; and

a second handle attached to an outside of the rear wall and at a central portion of the concave curve defined by the rear wall;

wherein

a rear opening is formed in a rear wall of the litter container for allowing the first or second handle to protrude through the rear opening to an outside of the litter container when the liquid-absorbing sheet tray is placed below the bottom plate of the litter container; and

said liquid-absorbing sheet tray is removable from and insertable under the bottom plate through a front opening formed in a front wall of the litter container, and is reversible in the front-back direction so that any of (i) the front wall with the first handle and (ii) the rear wall with the second handle of the liquid-absorbing sheet tray can pass through the front opening of the litter container when the liquid-absorbing sheet tray is inserted under the bottom plate of the litter container;

said method comprising the steps of:

removing the liquid-absorbing sheet tray from under the bottom plate through the front opening of the litter container by holding and pulling one of the first and second handles;

reversing, in the front-back direction, said liquid-absorbing sheet tray; and

re-inserting the reversed liquid-absorbing sheet tray through the front opening of the litter container by holding and pushing the other one of the first and second handles.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Oct 6, 2010
From: UNI-CHARM PETCARE CORPORATION
To: UNI-CHARM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025095/0355 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 23, 2006
From: IKEGAMI, TAKESHI; MATSUO, TAKAYUKI
To: UNI-CHARM PETCARE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 017837/0593 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2005-187472 · Jun 27, 2005 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20060288948A1 · Dec 28, 2006