Collapsible litter box

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10653106-B2
Application number	US-201414273626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2014
Priority date	May 9, 2013
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A litter box includes upper and lower shells having corrugations formed therein that strengthen the walls of the shell and that enable the walls themselves to be relatively thinner than would be required in the absence of corrugations. The relatively thinner walls thus enable the litter box to be formed from less material. The corrugations are configured to enable molding with conventional two-part molds. An upper shell portion has a handle integrally molded therein. When assembled, the upper shell sits atop the lower shell, and the line of junction between the upper and lower shells is oriented oblique to a bottom surface of the lower shell and thus oblique to a floor upon which the litter box may sit. The oblique angle enables a relatively low step-over height at the front and a relatively high height at the rear to resist the penetration of urine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A litter box comprising:
a first shell portion that is a top shell having a first connection portion, a handle, a first cavity portion and having a doorway formed therein to permit ingress and egress of an animal, a top surface of the first shell portion having a filter receptacle that receives a filter, the handle protruding from the top surface of the first shell portion such that the handle is fixedly positioned directly over the filter receptacle, the receptacle having an opening formed on the first shell underneath the top surface between the handle and the first cavity portion, the opening being directly below the handle and extending the entire width and length of the handle, the shape of the opening being substantially the same as the shape of the handle to enable the first shell portion to be injection molded with the handle integrally formed with the top surface of the first shell portion;
a second shell portion having a second connection portion and a second cavity portion, the second shell portion being a bottom shell of the litter box, the second connection portion having a support,
the first and second shell portions being movable between a first configuration and a second configuration,
in the first configuration, the second shell portion being nested within the first cavity portion and in the second configuration, the first connection portion being engaged with the support of the second shell portion such that the first shell portion is disposed on top of the second shell portion.

2. The litter box of claim 1 , wherein
the second connection portion is configured to connect with the first connection portion of the first shell portion, the second shell portion has a bottom surface that is structured to rest upon a floor, the bottom surface and the second connection portion being oriented oblique to one another,
in the second configuration, the first connection portion is engaged with the support of the second connection portion and is disposed on top of the second shell portion so that the first and second cavity portions define an interior region of the litter box, the first connection portion and the second connection portion being oblique with the bottom surface of the second shell portion.

3. The litter box of claim 2 , wherein
in the second configuration, the second shell portion has a frontal height adjacent the doorway defined by a distance between the bottom surface and the second connection portion, the second shell portion further having a rear height opposite the frontal height defined by a distance between the bottom surface and the second connection portion, the frontal height being less than the rear height.

4. The litter box of claim 3 , wherein
the first shell portion further comprises a door that is pivotably situated on the first shell portion and disposed in the doorway, the door having a first portion and a second portion oriented non-parallel with one another, the first and second portions being flush with adjacent regions of the first shell portion when the door is in a freely pivotable state and when the litter box is situated in the second configuration on a horizontal surface.

5. The litter box of claim 3 , wherein
the first shell portion further comprises a door and a label, the door being pivotably situated on the first shell portion and being disposed in the doorway, the label being adhesively situated on the door, the label extending beyond at least a first edge of the door and being adhesively connected with the first shell portion.

6. The litter box of claim 5 , wherein
the label is adhesively connected with the first shell portion at two locations situated at opposite sides of the door.

7. The litter box of claim 2 , wherein
the first shell portion has a plurality of first holes and a plurality of first bosses situated adjacent the first connection portion, and the second shell portion has a plurality of second holes and a plurality of second bosses situated adjacent the second connection portion, the plurality of first bosses being received in the plurality of second holes and the plurality of second bosses being received in the plurality of first holes in the second configuration of the litter box.

8. The litter box of claim 1 , wherein
the opening extends the length and width of the handle.

9. The litter box of claim 1 , wherein
the first shell portion has a first corrugated section that is disposed on a first side surface of the first shell portion, the second shell portion has a second corrugated section that is disposed a second side surface of the second shell portion that is on the opposite side of the first side surface when the litter box is in the second configuration.

10. The litter box of claim 9 , wherein
the first shell portion further comprises a door pivotably situated in the doorway, the front side of the first shell portion being free of corrugations, the first portion further having an adhesive label that extends between the door and the first shell portion.

11. The litter box of claim 9 , wherein
the first and second corrugated sections are each of an arcuate profile of varying radius.

12. The litter box of claim 9 , wherein
the first and second corrugated sections are oriented to enable formation of each of the first shell portion and the second shell portion using two-part mold techniques.

13. The litter box of claim 9 , wherein
first and second corrugated sections extend along a direction oriented parallel with or oblique to the first and second connection portions.

14. The litter box of claim 13 , wherein
on the first shell portion, each corrugation is situated in a more inboard position than each other corrugation that is situated relatively closer to the first connection portion.

15. The litter box of claim 13 , wherein
on the first shell portion, at least some of the corrugations each have a transverse dimension which is transverse to the direction of elongation that is relatively larger than the transverse dimension of at least one other corrugation that is situated relatively closer to the first connection portion.

Assignees

• Doskocil Mfg

Inventors

• Northrop Melaney
• Harper Michael
• Veness David
• Weber Adam Ward

Classifications

• A01K1/0107

  Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets · CPC title

• A01K1/0125 Primary

  Foldable or collapsible litter boxes · CPC title