Automated litter device and method

• US 9,433,185 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automated Pet Care Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Automated Pet Care Product, Inc.
• Inventors: Baxter, Brad, Smith, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Monica
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, MICHAEL H
• Application Number:
  US14/274,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20140245960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 119/161, 119/163, 119/165, 119/166, 119/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/011 with means for removing excrement A01K1/0114 and A01K1/0117 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0114 Litter boxes with screens for separating excrement from litter

Abstract

A device comprising: a support base and an chamber, located on the support base, having an entry opening so that an animal can enter and exit the chamber; wherein the chamber includes an axis of rotation that forms an angle of about 80 degrees or less with a vertical plane.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

(a) a support base;

(b) a chamber, located on the support base, which includes;

(i) an entry opening so that an animal can enter and exit the chamber;

(ii) a screen and/or septum located at a back of the chamber, opposite the entry opening;

(iii) a single axis of rotation that forms an angle of between about 80 degrees and about 55 degrees with a vertical plane;

(iv) a track, which encircles an outside wall of the chamber and lies in one plane defining a track plane which forms an angle between about 10 degrees and 35 degrees with the vertical plane, for rotating the chamber around the single axis of rotation;

(v) a single waste opening, located entirely on one side of the track plane in a wall of the chamber and on an opposite side of the track plane as the entry opening; and

(vi) two chamber halves separated by the track plane;

(c) a bonnet, which has a band-like shape and substantially a same contour as a portion of the outside wall of the chamber, extends over the portion of the chamber so that a front and a rear of the outside wall of the chamber remain uncovered by the bonnet, is attached to the support base on two sides of the chamber, and at least partially covers the track and the single waste opening so that during rotation of the chamber a pinch condition is prevented between the track, the single waste opening, or both and the support base;

wherein during rotation of the chamber, the single axis of rotation funnels clumps, waste, or both towards and then out of the single waste opening.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the single axis of rotation forms an angle of between about 75 degrees and about 66 degrees with the vertical plane.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the track plane is normal to the single axis of rotation.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the chamber rotates on the support base around the single axis of rotation so that litter in the chamber has a relatively conical rotation.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the entry opening is an elongated opening having a height and a width forming a height to width ratio of about 1.2:

1 or more.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the chamber includes a litter bed, and the angle of the single axis of rotation relative to the vertical plane results in a top surface of the litter bed forming an angle of between about 3 degrees and 8 degrees with a surface on which the support base rests, a plane perpendicular to the vertical plane, or both.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the entry opening forms a plane which forms an angle of about 10 degrees or more with vertical.

8. The device according to claim 1 wherein the entry opening is oval.

9. The device according to claim 1 wherein the device comprises the septum and the screen as a unitary piece attached by a living hinge.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the entry opening is an elongated opening having a height and a width forming a height to width ratio of about 1.6:

1 to about 3;

1.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the entry opening exhibits an area of about 225 cm² or more.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein a shield is located within and is movably attached to the chamber so that the chamber at least partially rotates around the shield;

and

wherein the shield covers one or more internal components, one or more internal surfaces, or both so that any residuals present on the one or more internal components or the one or more internal surfaces are not transferred to an animal.

13. A device comprising:

(a) a support base;

(b) a chamber, located on the support base, which includes;

(i) entry opening so that an animal can enter and exit the chamber;

(ii) a screen and/or septum located at a back of the chamber, opposite the entry opening;

(iii) a single axis of rotation that forms an angle of between about 80 degrees and 55 degrees with a vertical plane;

(iv) a track, which encircles an outside wall of the chamber and lies in one plane which defines a track plane, for rotating the chamber around the single axis of rotation;

(v) a waste opening located in a wall of the chamber on an opposite side of the track plane as the entry opening;

(vi) two chamber halves separated by the track plane; and

(c) a bonnet, which has a band-like shape substantially a same contour as a portion of the outside wall of the chamber, extends over the portion of the chamber so that a front and a rear of the outside wall of the chamber remain uncovered by the bonnet, is attached to the support base on two sides of the chamber, and at least partially covers the track and the waste opening so that during rotation of the chamber a pinch condition is prevented between the track, the waste opening, or both and the support base;

wherein the entry opening is an elongated opening having a height and a width forming height to width ratio of about 1.6;

1 to about 3;

1; and

the chamber rotates on the support base around the single axis of rotation so that litter in the chamber has a relatively conical rotation.

14. The device according to claim 13 wherein the entry opening is oval.

15. The device according to claim 13 wherein the device comprises the septum and the screen as a unitary piece attached by a living hinge.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the screen removes waste from litter in the chamber so that cleaned litter passes into the septum.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the living hinge allows closure of the screen during a first half of a cleaning cycle so that only waste is removed from the chamber;

and

the living hinge allows the screen to open during a second half of the cleaning cycle so that the cleaned litter is returned to a base of the chamber without having to pass directly through the screen.

18. The device according to claim 13, wherein the entry opening exhibits an area of about 225 cm² or more.

19. The device according to claim 13, wherein the chamber is in a home position when the chamber is static;

and

the bonnet includes a transparent window so that in the home position, the transparent window aligns with the waste opening to allow ambient light to enter into the chamber.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the bonnet includes one or more lights and one or more ambient light sensors;

and

the one or more lights supply light to the inside of the chamber through the waste opening when the chamber is in the home position.