초록 ▼

A high walled litter box having a high entry platform which forces an animal to climb up onto the platform to enter/exit the box, the high walls blocking soiled litter and misdirected waste from being thrown from the box. The entry platform includes a grate with apertures therethrough which allows a

A high walled litter box having a high entry platform which forces an animal to climb up onto the platform to enter/exit the box, the high walls blocking soiled litter and misdirected waste from being thrown from the box. The entry platform includes a grate with apertures therethrough which allows any litter clinging to the animal to drop through to a sloping floor which returns the litter to the interior of the litter box. A scoop rack has a similar design which returns any litter clinging to the scoop to the interior of the box. A bag clip at the top of one of the walls hold one side of a bag so that a user may hold the bag open with only one hand to facilitate the removal of animal waste or soiled litter to the bag.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A litter box comprising: a bottom and four walls, each of said four walls being substantially normal to said bottom and to each of two adjacent of said four walls the bottom and four walls creating an interior, entry means for allowing an animal to enter and exit said litter

What is claimed is: 1. A litter box comprising: a bottom and four walls, each of said four walls being substantially normal to said bottom and to each of two adjacent of said four walls the bottom and four walls creating an interior, entry means for allowing an animal to enter and exit said litter box at a determined location by climbing up onto said entry means, said entry means formed by a gap in an upper portion of said walls, thereby requiring the animal to climb up to enter and exit said litter box, said entry means further comprising litter return means for returning litter being carried on an animal's feet back to the bottom in the interior of said litter box as it steps onto the entry means, and scoop storage means for storing a litter scoop, said scoop storage means further comprising scoop litter return means for returning litter carried by the scoop which is placed in the scoop storage means back to the interior of said litter box. 2. The litter box, as defined in claim 1, wherein said entry means further comprises: said gap being bounded by: a sloping entry floor, said entry floor sloping upwardly and outwardly from a lower edge of the gap in said one of said walls, a pair of entry walls, said entry walls extending outwardly and substantially normal to said one of said walls at each of the two sides of said gap in said one of said walls, and being joined to opposite side edges of said sloping entry floor, such that said entry walls each have a free upper edge and a free vertical edge, an entry lip, said entry lip extending upwardly from the free edge of said entry floor and abutting a lower portion of the free vertical edge of each of said entry walls, and an entry grate, said entry grate being substantially horizontal and confined within said entry walls, entry lip and entry floor; said entry means allowing the animal to enter and exit said litter box by means of a substantially level platform located therein in the form of the entry grate. 3. The litter box, as defined in claim 2, wherein said litter return means comprises at least one aperture passing through said entry grate, said at least one aperture being configured to allow litter carried by the animal to fall through said at least one aperture, then slide down the slope of said entry floor and return to the interior of said litter box. 4. The litter box, as defined in claim 3, wherein said scoop storage means comprises a scoop rack, said scoop rack further comprising: a sloping scoop rack floor extending upwardly and outwardly from one of said walls, a pair of scoop rack walls extending outwardly from and substantially normal to said wall from which said scoop rack floor extends, and abutting each of two lateral ends of said scoop rack floor, and a scoop rack facing wall, said scoop rack facing wall abutting a free edge of said scoop rack floor and each of said pair of scoop rack walls, said scoop rack having an open top configured to receive the litter scoop. 5. The litter box, as defined in claim 4, wherein said scoop litter return means comprises: a slot formed in said wall from which said scoop rack floor extends at the abutment of said scoop rack floor and said wall from which said scoop rack floor extends, within confines of said scoop storage means, such that any litter clinging to the litter scoop placed therein may fall from the scoop, slide down the sloping scoop rack floor, through said slot, and return to the interior of said litter box. 6. The litter box, as defined in claim 1, wherein said entry means further comprises: the gap being formed in an upper portion of a first of said walls substantially adjacent a second, abutting one of said walls, thereby requiring the animal to climb up onto said entry means to enter and exit said litter box, said gap having a first edge formed at or near said second wall, an entry barrier wall extending at full height for a distance into the interior of said litter box from said first wall, said distance being less than the distance between said first wall and an opposite of said walls of said litter box, said entry barrier wall extending substantially normal to said first wall at a second edge of said gap remote from said second wall, and an entry platform formed between said first wall and an opposite wall and located at a given level, and between said second wall and said entry barrier wall, said entry platform being at a distance below a lower edge of said gap, and sloping downwardly from said second wall to said entry barrier wall, a reduced height portion of said entry barrier wall extending to said opposite wall up to the level of said entry platform, thereby enclosing an area bound by said entry barrier wall, said first wall, said second wall, said wall opposite said first wall, said bottom, and said entry platform. 7. The litter box, as defined in claim 6, wherein said litter return means comprises: a pair of grate support ledges formed in said first wall and an opposite wall in a plane which lies parallel to said bottom of said litter box and through said abutment between said entry platform and said second wall, said grate support ledges being above said entry platform, and an entry grate having apertures therethrough, said entry grate sized and dimensioned to fit within said first wall and said opposite wall and said second wall and said entry barrier wall, said entry grate resting on said entry platform where it abuts said second wall and said grate support ledges, said apertures of said entry grate being configured to allow litter clinging to the animal to fall through said apertures onto said entry platform and then slide down said entry platform fall back into the interior of said litter box through apertures formed in said entry barrier wall along an upper surface of said entry platform at its juncture with said entry barrier wall. 8. The litter box, as defined in claim 7, wherein said scoop storage means comprises a scoop rack, said scoop rack comprising: a sloping scoop rack floor extending upwardly and outwardly from one of said four walls, a pair of scoop rack walls extending outwardly from and substantially normal to said wall from which said scoop rack floor extends, and abutting each of two lateral ends of said scoop rack floor, and a scoop rack facing wall, said scoop rack facing wall abutting a free edge of said scoop rack floor and each of said pair of scoop rack walls, said scoop rack having an open top configured to receive the litter scoop. 9. The litter box, as defined in claim, as defined in claim 8, wherein said wall from which said scoop rack floor extends is said entry barrier wall. 10. The litter box, as defined in claim 8, wherein said scoop litter return means comprises: a slot formed in said wall from which said scoop rack floor extends at the abutment of said scoop rack floor and said wall from which said scoop rack floor extends, within confines of said scoop storage means, such that any litter clinging to the litter scoop placed therein may fall from the scoop, slide down the sloping scoop rack floor, through said slot, and return to the interior of said litter box. 11. The litter box, as defined in claim 10, wherein said litter box further comprises a drawer, said drawer having a bottom and four sides and being configured and dimensioned to fit under said entry platform and being slideably accessible through one of said four walls. 12. The litter box, as defined in claim 10, wherein said litter box further comprises at least one bag clip, said at least one bag clip being located at an upper edge of at least one of said walls and comprising means for holding an edge of a bag such that a user may hold the bag open with only one hand to facilitate in disposing of animal waste or soiled litter into the bag. 13. The litter box, as defined in claim 12, wherein said at least one bag clip is removably attachable to at least one of said walls, thereby allowing said at least one bag clip to be moved to a location on said litter box most convenient for an individual user. 14. The litter box, as defined in claim 1, wherein said litter box further comprises a deodorizer receptacle attached to one of said walls. 15. The litter box, as defined in claim 14, wherein said deodorizer receptacle is detachable.