Animal waste flushing assembly

• US 4,957,131 A
• Filed: 03/16/1989
• Issued: 09/18/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robinson, James L.
• Original Assignee: Robinson, James L.
• Inventors: Robinson, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stinson, Frankie L.
• Application Number:
  US07/324,393
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 134/172, 134/175, 134/177, 134/182, 134/198, 134/200, 134/201, 237/288, 237/104, 237/120, 15/321, 15/322
• US Class Current: 134/175
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/008 in situ treatment of excrements
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/103 in which the soiled loosening or washing liquid is removed, e.g. by suction removing liquids in general E01H1/108

Abstract

An animal waste flushing assembly utilizes a domed, open-bottomed enclosure and supply and drain tubes. The supply tube is connected at one tube end to a water source and at its other end to a sprayer inside the enclosure. At the opposing enclosure end are drain means. The enclosure is placed over the animal wastes and sprayed water breaks up the wastes and flushes them out a drain tube. Disinfectant or cleanser may be addded to the fluid and the drain tube may have a clip to fasten it to an in-the-ground drain grate.

Claims

1. An assembly for flushing animal wastes from the ground, comprising:

a liquid supply tube with proximal and distal tube ends, said supply including

connect means at said proximal tube end to connect said supply tube with a source of fluid under pressure;

valve means along the liquid supply tube end to regulate flow of said fluid;

connect means at said distal tube end;

a domed waste enclosure connected to said distal end, and having liquid sprayer means, and drain means, the drain means being disposed substantially at an end opposite from the sprayer means, the sprayer means directing a substantial portion of a liquid stream from the liquid supply tube through an opening defined under the domed waste enclosure, directly into said drain means, substantially parallel and adjacent to the ground when said enclosure is placed on the ground, whereby the enclosure can be placed over animal wastes on the ground, and the valve means opened, whereupon fluid from the supply breaks up the waste and flushes them through the drain means; and

means for defining an enclosure extending at least partly under the animal wastes, whereby the animal wastes are at least partly confined in the enclosure under action of the spray means.

2. An assembly for flushing animal wastes from the ground,

a liquid supply tube with proximal and distal tube ends, said supply including

connect means at said proximal tube end to connect said supply tube with a source of fluid under pressure;

valve means along the liquid supply tube end to regulate flow of said fluid;

connect means at said distal tube end; and

a domed waste enclosure connected to said distal end, and having liquid sprayer means, and drain means, the drain means being disposed substantially at an end opposite from the sprayer means, the sprayer means directing a substantial portion of a liquid stream from the liquid supply tube through an opening defined under the domed waste enclosure, directly into said drain means, substantially parallel and adjacent to the ground when said enclosure is placed on the around; and

,

means for accumulating and releasing a quantity of fluid to flush the waste through the drain means, said means for accumulating and releasing having a valve disposed at the drain means.

3. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground according to claim 2, wherein the means for accumulating and releasing includes at least one movable door operable to temporarily close a bottom of the enclosure under the animal wastes.

4. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground according to claim 2, wherein the drain means is a tubular extension of said enclosure, and further comprising a drain tube, a proximal end of the drain tube being connected to the tubular extension.

5. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground according to claim 4, further comprising a clip on a distal end of the drain tube, operable to hold the tube at a desired point of discharge.

6. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground according to claim 2, wherein said enclosure comprises a scraper flange adjacent said drain means, the flange extending from said drain means into said enclosure substantially along a bottom edge of the enclosure whereby the scraper can pick up and position wastes at the drain means.

7. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground according to claim 2, wherein said supply tubing includes a rigid shaft section and wherein said connect means at said distal supply tube and is an elbow attached to said supply tube at the distal end, the elbow forming an angle of about 45°

.

8. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground according to claim 2, further comprising means for injecting additional substances into the fluid in said supply tube.

9. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground according to claim 2, further comprising a circumferential resilient sealing means around the edge of said open bottom.

10. An assembly for flushing animal wastes from the ground, comprising:

a liquid supply tube with proximal and distal tube ends, said supply including

connect means at said proximal tube end to connect said supply tube with a source of fluid under pressure;

valve means along the liquid supply tube end to regulate flow of said fluid;

connect means at said distal tube end; and

a domed waste enclosure connected to said distal end, and having liquid sprayer means, and drain means, the drain means being disposed substantially at an end opposite from the sprayer means, the sprayer means directing a substantial portion of a liquid stream from the liquid supply tube through an opening defined under the domed waste enclosure, directly into said drain means, substantially parallel and adjacent to the ground when said enclosure is placed on the ground; and

,

at least one movable door on a lower part of the enclosure, the movable door being closable under the animal wastes to thereby substantially close the enclosure around the animal wastes on all sides.

11. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground of claim 10, further comprising resilient means operable to urge the movable door open and manually operable means for counteracting the resilient means to thereby close the door.

12. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground of claim 10, further comprising means for temporarily closing the drain means thereby to accumulate a quantity of liquid in the enclosure, the quantity of liquid being suddenly released to flush the animal waste through the drain means.

13. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground of claim 12, wherein said means for temporarily closing the drain means comprises a gate valve.

14. The apparatus for flushing animal wastes from the ground of claim 10, comprising two said movable doors, pivotably mounted at spaced pivot axes adjacent the drain means, and a spring member on the housing operable to bear outwardly to said doors.

15. An assembly for flushing animal wastes from the ground, comprising:

(a) a liquid supply tube with proximal and distal tube ends, said supply tube including

(i) connect means at said proximal tube end to connect said supply tube with a source of fluid under pressure;

(ii) valve means to regulate flow of said fluid through said liquid supply tube;

(iii) connect means at said distal tube ends;

(b) a domed waste enclosure connected to said distal end, and having liquid sprayer means and drain means substantially at an end of said enclosure opposite from the prayer means; and

,

(c) means for accumulating a quantity of fluid within said enclosure, and for releasing said accumulated quantity of fluid to flush the wastes through the drain means.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the means for accumulating and releasing includes a valve disposed at the drain means.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein said enclosure comprises a scraper flange adjacent said drain means, said flange extending from said drain means inwardly into said enclosure substantially along on open bottom edge of the enclosure, whereby the scraper flange is manually operable to pick up and position wastes at the drain means.

18. The assembly of claim 16, wherein said supply tube includes a rigid shaft section and wherein said connect means at said distal supply tube end is an elbow attached to said supply tube at a distal end, the elbow forming an angle of about 45°

.

19. The assembly of claim 16, wherein said sprayer means is adapted to direct at least a portion of a liquid stream into said drain means and substantially parallel and adjacent to the ground when said enclosures placed onto the ground.

20. The assembly of claim 16 further comprising means for injecting additive substances into the fluid in said supply tube.

21. The assembly of claim 16, further comprising a circumferential resilient sealing means around the edge of said bottom of the enclosure.

22. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the valve at the drain means is operable at least partly as a function of water pressure in the enclosure.

23. The assembly of claim 16, wherein said drain means includes a tubular extension of said enclosure and further comprises a drain tube, a proximal end of the drain tube being connected to the tubular extension.

24. The assembly of claim 23, further comprising a clip on a distal end of the drain tube, operable to hold said tube at a desired point of discharge.