Container Device for the Collection of Waste

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to a container device for the collection of pet waste and other noxous materials.

2. Description of Prior Art

A primary application of this invention is the collection of dog waste. It is estimated that in the United States there are more than 50 million dogs, that produce more than 5 thousand tons of waste per day. Most major municipalities have pet waste laws ("scooper laws") in an attempt to alleviate some of this problem. Unfortunately, no product exists that allows pet owners to conveniently, effectively, and efficiently clean-up after their pet (e.g., their dog). All devices designed heretofore to address this problem are ineffective and inconvenient to use.

Collecting devices such as Marvin U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,121 (1974), and scooping devices such as Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,467 (1974) and Bagg U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,565 (1988), are too large to conveniently fit into one's pocket and require hand carrying. These scoop devices have no way to compensate for the movement of waste and are awkward to use when the waste is in more than one mass. These collecting devices are ineffective when the waste (or stool) is loose and are awkward to use when the waste is in more than one mass, requiring the compiling of said waste in order to collect it.

the scooping device of Dahlke U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,696 (1974) has a very limited capacity and is very difficult and messy to use when the waste is of significant volume.

Glove or glove-like devices such as Jacobs U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,251 (1987), Hayes U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,697 (1987), and Kolie U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,818 (1988) are inconvenient because they expose the user to the texture and sometimes the temperature of the waste. These glove and glove-like devices: 1) restrict the volume of waste that can be picked up to the size of the user's hands, 2) require the user to combine waste that is deposited in several locations in order to pick-up the entire mass, and 3) are difficult to use when waste is loose.

A waste collecting device that is on the market ("DISPOS-A-SCOOP") is also a scooping device. It suffers from a large fixed profile that requires hand carrying. It has a relatively small opening that will not accommodate some waste configurations. Used as instructed, the outside of the container becomes contaminated and it provides no means for compensating for waste movement.

"Scoop-It" is another scooping device that is on the market. It is a large molded plastic apparatus which is covered with a flexible plastic sleeve to keep it clean and capture the waste. It is inconvenient to carry and difficult to use when the waste is loose or in several masses.

The objectives and advantages of my invention are:

1) It is a small, light-weight container device that will easily fit into clothing pockets, making it easy and convenient to carry.

2) It is a container device with the means of quickly and efficiently scooping or picking-up waste.

3) It is a container device capable of collecting almost any reasonable volume of waste.

4) It is a container device capable of easily picking up waste regardless of its configuration or number of masses.

5) It is a container device that protects the user from accidental contamination during and after utilization.

6) It is a container device that is easy to close and clean to carry after use.

7) It is a container device that includes the means for handling the movement of waste when scooping.

8) It is a container device that is inexpensive to manufacture and purchase.

The present invention is a container device. It is comprised of a flexible container with a firm flexible collar around the opening. The collar is used to scoop the waste into the container. The collar can open, close and manipulate the opening to the container. The device also has a protective skirt of flexible material that surrounds it and protects the user and the container from contamination. The skirt contains a closing means, such as a draw string or adhesive tape. After use, the skirt is pulled back over the container and closed. The device is folded and packaged in a packaging-tool. The packaging-tool is a packaging means of sufficient strength to hold the waste in place when scooping and assist in it's collection.

The drawings reflect different embodiments of the container device. In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number, but different alphabetic suffixes.

FIG. 1 shows a prospective view of a simple embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows an engineering view of a simple embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a prospective view of a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows an engineering view of a preferred embodiment, unfolded.

FIG. 5 shows an engineering view of a preferred embodiment, folded.

FIGS. 6A to 6E show the operating instructions of the container device in a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 6A shows the removal of the container device from the packaging-tool.

FIG. 6B shows the inserting of the hand between the container and the skirt to grasp the collar.

FIG. 6C shows the scooping-up of waste.

FIG. 6D shows the depositing of the packaging-tool into container.

FIG. 6E shows the closing of the container device.

The letter A shall be used after the following numbers to designate the same elements in the simple embodiment.

FIGS. 1 and 2. In a simple embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container device consists of a container 20A and a collar 25A and a packaging-tool 40A. The container 20A consists of two equal rectangular pieces of flexible material closed or sealed together at the edges on three sides 11A, 12A, 13A. It is open on the fourth side 14A to create a pocket into which waste is collected. The collar 25A is comprised of two flat rectangular strips of a firm, flexible material which are respectively bonded or affixed to opposite sides, at the edge of the open side 14A of the container 20A. The strips have opposite ends. The length of the strips is parallel and their width is perpendicular to the open side of the container. They form a collar-like band at the opening of the container 20A through which the waste passes. They have recessed finger areas 15A at each end. The collar 25A may be made of any firm flexible material capable of scooping up waste and flexible enough to repeatedly bend without cracking or breaking. The container 20A is folded around the collar 25A and inserted into the packaging-tool 40A. The packaging-tool 40A is a rigid chipboard sleeve which surrounds the container device and is open at the ends. It contains recessed cut-out areas at the ends to facilitate the removing of the device.

FIGS. 3,4, and 5. In a preferred embodiment, the container device is comprised of a container 20, a collar 25, a skirt 30, a closing means 35 and a packaging-tool 40. In this preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3,4, and 5, the container device is constructed from two rectangular sheets of flexible material, closed or sealed together on three sides 16,17,18 and open on the fourth side 19. The container 20 and the skirt 30 are constructed by reversing the material part-way, back-over itself. The material is folded back-over itself to the collar 25. In this embodiment, the collar 25 is constructed from a single flat rectangular piece of a firm flexible material folded in half and bonded together at the open end. The collar has opposite ends. The length of the collar is parallel and the width is perpendicular to the open end of the container. The collar 25 contains recessed finger areas 15 at the ends to facilitate gripping. It is bonded or affixed in the vertical center and below the horizontal center of the material (away from the open end). This placement causes the skirt 30 to be longer than the container 20. A draw-string closing means 35 is added to the end of the open side 19 of the material. In this embodiment, the material is wider than the collar 25. This allows space between the outer edges of the collar 25 and the sealed edges 16,18 of the material for the user to insert his hand and increases the load capacity of the container. The material is folded around the collar 25 and inserted into the packaging-tool 40. The packaging-tool 40 is a rigid chipboard sleeve which surrounds the device and is open at the ends. It contains recessed cut-out areas 15 at the ends to make it easier to remove the device.

There are a variety of ways to manufacture this invention. It may be made of a wide variety of materials (e.g., paper, plastic, latex, elastomeric materials, etc.). It may be constructed from a single piece of material which is folded and or connected on three sides and open on the fourth side. It may also be constructed from two separate pieces of material which are connected on three sides and open on the fourth. The collar 25 may be affixed to the inside or the outside of the material. The material may be wider than, narrower than or the same width as the collar 25. The material may be bonded or affixed to the collar 25 flat or gathered. The material may be gusseted. The collar 25 may be affixed before or after the material has been folded to form the container 20 and the skirt 30, when both are constructed from the same material. The collar 25 may be made from a single piece of material which is folded and or connected at one or two ends or two separate pieces which are connected at one or two ends or bonded opposite each other. The collar 25 may incorporate a variety of designs to make grasping and using easter (e.g., recesses and protrusions for holding, etc.). The collar 25 may be made from any number of materials that will function as described (e.g., chipboard, plastic, latex, metal, elastomeric materials, etc.). This invention may be constructed with or without an outer skirt 30. The skirt 30 may be constructed from the same material as the container 20 or from a separate material. The skirt 30 may be constructed to be shorter, longer, or the same size as the container 20. This invention may or may not contain a closing means 35. The closing means 35 may be any of a wide variety of means (e.g., draw-string, draw-tape, adhesive, wire tie, etc.). The packaging-tool 40 may be any one of many types of packaging means that will function as described (e.g., sleeve, box, wrapper, etc.). It may be constructed from any of a variety of materials (plastic, chipboard, elastomeric materials, etc.). The container device may only contain a tool of sufficient strength to stop the movement of waste without having packaging capability. The packaging and the scoop assist tool may be separate items. The invention and all the parts may be constructed in a variety of sizes.

These examples illustrate some of the varying embodiments of this invention. From this description, a number of advantages of the present container device become evident:

1) It is small, light-weight, and easy to carry.

2) It is a flexible container capable of holding a significant volume of waste.

3) The collar allows the user to quickly open, close and manipulate the opening of the container to facilitate collection.

4) The collar allows the user to collect the waste without actually touching it.

5) The skirt effectively protects the user and the outside of the container from accidental contamination when in use.

6) The packaging-tool provides an effective means to stop or compensate for the movement of the waste.

7) The draw-tape or draw-string closure provides a quick, effective way to enclose the waste in the container and transport it for disposal.

To operate the invention in a simple embodiment:

1) The user removes the container device from the packaging-tool 40 and unfolds it.

2) The user holds the container device by the collar 25 and squeezes inward at the ends to open the container 20. The amount of pressure controls the width of the opening.

3) The user holds the packaging-tool 40 in one hand to stop the waste from moving and the container 20 in the other, and scoops the waste into the container 20, using the collar 25.

4) The user deposits the waste-soiled packaging-tool 40 into the container 20 and may deposit the container 20 into the nearest waste receptacle.

To operate the container device in a preferred embodiment:

1) FIG. 6A. The user removes the container device from the packaging-tool 40 and unfolds it.

2) FIG. 6B. The user places his hand between the container 20 and the skirt 30 and grasps the collar 25 at the recessed finger areas 15. The user squeezes inward at the ends of collar 25 to open container 20. The user controls the size of the opening with pressure on the collar 25.

3) FIG. 6C. The user uses the packaging-tool 40 in one hand to stop the waste movement, and the container device in the other hand to scoop the waste into the container 10, with the use of the collar 25.

4) FIG. 6D. The user deposits the waste-soiled packaging-tool 40 into the container 20.

5) FIG. 6E. The user releases the inward pressure on the collar, then uses his free hand to pull the skirt 30 back over the top of the container 20 and collar 25, and uses the draw-string to close the container.

6) The user may deposit the container device into the nearest waste receptacle.

This description shows how conveniently and effectively this invention accomplishes all the objectives previously stated.

1) It is small, light-weight and easy to carry in one's clothing pockets.

2) It is quick and easy to use.

3) It is capable of holding large volumes of waste.

4) It allows the user to modify the shape of the opening to compensate for configuration of the waste.

5) It protects the user from contamination during and after use.

6) It is quick and easy to close and carry for disposal.

7) It provides the means of stopping and handling the movement of waste in a scooping situation.

8) It is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

Although the above description contains many specificities, these do not limit the scope of the invention, but merely provide illustrations of some of the preferred embodiments of the invention. For example, the collar could be made from an extruded plastic, die cut for shape and having enough memory to cause it to open when removed from the packaging-tool.