GB2416110A

GB2416110A - Apparatus for bagging matter such as animal excrement

Info

Publication number: GB2416110A
Application number: GB0425968A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gillian Marsh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-07-13
Filing date: 2004-11-25
Publication date: 2006-01-18
Also published as: GB0425968D0; GB0415652D0

Abstract

To permit animal faeces to be collected hygienically, a bag (12) is releasably mounted on a hoop (10) so that the mouth of the bag (12) is secured to the hoop (10) and held open. The hoop (12) has a handle (14) hingedly mounted thereon so that the apparatus can place in position in which the animal can deposit faeces in the bag (12) . Once that has happened, the bag (12) can be released from the hoop (10) for disposal. The bag may be held on the hoop in use by clips, or by the mouth of the bag being folded out over the hoop and held by adhesive, or by the bag mouth being captured between inner and outer rim parts of the hoop. The bag mouth may incorporate a drawstring.

Description

241611 0 Apparatus for Bagging Matter The present invention relates to an

apparatus for bagging matter. It particularly, but not exclusively, relates to an apparatus for bagging waste matter from animals.

Owners of pets, such as dogs, are increasingly required to remove faeces that the animal has deposited from any public place. They may also want to remove faeces from other places, such as their own gardens.

Therefore, there is the need for a quick, clean and pleasant way of doing this.

Many pet owners use a plastic bag placed over the hand partially turned inside-out to pick up the faeces.

Once the faeces have been grasped, with part of the bag intervening between the hand and faeces, the part of the bag that was inside-out can be turned the right way round, so that the faeces are enclosed within the bag.

However, such arrangements require the user's hand to come close to the faeces, which some people find unpleasant.

It has also been known to provide a mechanical scoop for animal faeces, comprising hollow jaws which are opened around the faeces and then closed again to enclose the faeces within the jaws. The faeces can then be transported to a suitable disposal location. However, such arrangements have the disadvantage that the faeces come into contact with the jaws, which therefore need to be cleaned. Known apparatuses of this type are also inconvenient to carry because of their size.

At its most general, the present invention proposes that the mouth of a bag is releasably mounted on a hoop, which holds the mouth of the bag open to enable the animal to deposit the faeces in the bag. The hoop also has a transportation handle to allow it to be carried by the user. Thus, by using the handle the bag can be placed into position in which the animal can deposit the faeces in the bag, and once that has happened the bag can be removed from the hoop for disposal. A new bag can then be mounted on the hoop for subsequent use.

With this arrangement, the user need never handle the faeces through the bag, making collection less unpleasant. Moreover, if the bag is fitted to the inside of the hoop, as is preferable, the faeces need never come into contact with the hoop, or the handle, reducing cleaning.

Preferably, the handle is pivotally connected to the hoop. In this way, the hoop may be placed substantially flat on the ground to make it easier to position it suitably for deposition of the faeces by the animal into the bag, if the user remains standing. Indeed, it may be possible for the handle to be hollow, and the hoop to be deformable into the handle when not in use, to minimise the size of the apparatus when being carried by the user.

Alternatively, or in addition, the handle may be formed from a series of telescoping sections.

Many different arrangements are possible for releasably attaching the bag to the hoop. At its simplest, the bag may be clipped to the hoop, or be attached by groove and tongue arrangements such as are known for sealing plastic bags, or by Velcro material, or even by suitably releasable adhesive. Preferably, the bag is of plastics material, and may be opaque so that the faeces cannot be seen.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig. 1 shows bagging apparatus being an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.2 shows that the hoop and its attachment to the handle in more detail; Fig. 3 is a side view of the structure of Fig. 2; JO Figs. 4 and 5 are further views of the embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 5 being a side view of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 illustrates the embodiment with the handle telescoped; Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6, with the hoop pivoted relative to the handle; Figs. 8 and 9 are views illustrating in more detail parts of the handle of the embodiment; and Figs. 10 to 14 illustrate alternative ways of detaching the bag to the hoop.

Referring first to Fig. 1 a bagging apparatus being an embodiment of the present invention comprises a hoop to which the mouth of a bag 12 is attached.

Preferably, the bag 12 is attached to the inner surface of the hoop 10 so that the bag covers that inner surface and so prevents that inner surface coming into contact with the faeces deposited by the animal. As is evident from Fig. 1, the hoop 10 holds open the mouth of the bag 12, to enable the hoop 10 to be positioned on the ground so that the animal may deposit the faeces directly into the bag 12. The bag 12 is preferably made of opaque plastics material.

lO Fig. 1 also shows that the apparatus has a handle 14 connected to the hoop 10 via a pivot connection 16. The pivot connection 16 allows the angle between the hoop 10 and the handle 14 to be changed, so that the user may hold the end of the handle 14 even when the hoop 10 is lying on the ground.

Fig. 2 shows that the hoop 10 may be fixed to a bracket 20 by a fixing 22, and then that bracket attached to the handle 14 via the pivot connection 16. Fig. 3 then corresponds to Fig. 2, but in side view, and shows that the hoop 10 of this embodiment has a thickness in the direction perpendicular to its plane. That thickness provides a surface for attachment of the bag, if e.g. the bag is attached by Velcro, by adhesive, or by tongue and groove arrangements. A thickness of around 1.5 cm has been found to be suitable.

The diameter of the hoop 10 may depend on the size S of the animal, but for a typical dog a diameter of 13 cm has been found to be practical.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate that the handle 14 has several parts. They comprise a bracket 24 to which the pivot connection 16 is attached, a first shaft 26, a second shaft 28, a grip 30 at the end of the shaft 28 remote from the hoop 10, and a sleeve 32. The sleeve 32 is slideably mounted on the shaft 26, and is threadably connected to the shaft 28. That threaded connection 34 is visible in Fig. 5 where the handler has been separated into two parts to enable the threading 34 to be seen.

In the resulting structure, the handle 14 is thus telescopic, by sliding of the shaft 26 into the shaft 28.

Fig. 6 illustrates the result of such sliding, with the sleeve 32 then being adjacent the bracket 24. Fig. 7 then corresponds to the view of Fig. 6, but in side view with the hoop pivoted relative to the handle 14.

Figs. 8 and 9 then illustrate the shafts 26 and 28 in more detail. Thus, Fig. 8 illustrates that the sleeve 32 has a threaded portion 36 on its inner surface, which engages with the threading 34 of the shaft 28. Fig. 9 illustrates that the shaft 28 has a collar 38 to limit the threading of the sleeve 32 onto the shaft 28.

There are many ways of attaching the bag to the hoop. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 10, the hoop JO may have clips 40 thereon, and the bag may have a circumferential flap 42 which is inserted between the clips 40 and the rest of the hoop 10, and is then held to the hoop by the resilience of the clips 40. It can be seen that the bag 12 passes inside the hoop 10, and that the flap is on the outside of the hoop. The disadvantage of using clips is that they may become broken, and also are additional components that must be provided on the hoop 10.

Thus, in the arrangement of Figs. lla and lib, the hoop 10 is a simple ring, but the flap 42 has projections 44, 46 thereon, which can be engaged when the flap 42 is folded over the rest of the bag 12 to form a seal. In this way, the hoop 10 is held between the upper edge 48 of the bag, which upper edge 48 is also the top of the flap 42, and the seal provided by the projections 44, 46.

Fig. llb also illustrates that the flap 42 may be folded upwards, when the bag 12 is to be removed from the hoop 10.

A variation on this is shown in Figs. 12a and 12b, in which the flap 42 has an adhesive strip 50 thereon so that when the flap 42 is folded over the hoop 10, the adhesive strip 50 engages the outside surface of the hoop. However, in such an arrangement care needs to be taken correctly to select the strength of the adhesive, so that the bag will be sufficiently secured to the hoop, but will be able to be removed therefrom when it has been used.

Fig. 13 illustrates yet another variation, in which the flap 42 has a peripheral tube 52 at its edge remote from the edge 48, and a draw string 54 passes through that tube. Then, when the bag 12 is fitted on the hoop 10, the draw string 54 may be pulled, and its ends secured together, to hold the bag 12 on the hoop 10.

In the embodiments of Figs. 11 to 13, the bag 12 is secured to the hoop 10 making use of components of the bag. Fig. 14 illustrates another variation, in which it is the structure of the hoop, rather than the bag, which provides the securing action. In particular, in Fig. 14 the hoop 10 has an inner and outer rim part which is concentric and are hinged together at pivot 62. Fig. 14b shows those rim parts 60, 61 in the open position, and Fig. 14c shows them in the closed position. With the rim parts 60, 61 in the position shown in Fig. 4b, the bag 12 (not shown in Fig. 14b is positioned so that its mouth lies around the rim part 61. Then, the rim part 60 is closed onto the rim part 61, to the position shown in Fig. 14c, thereby clamping the bag between rim parts 60 and 61.

The bag may be pleated to allow easy storage, and may be impregnated, or the surface covered, with odour nullifying materials, or with materials that generate pleasant odours.

Many variations of the apparatus of the embodiment discussed above may be adopted, for example, the hoop 10 may be made of material which is sufficiently ridged to hold the mouth of the bag 12 open, but is also deformable to allow it to be folded when not in use. Indeed, it may be possible for the hoop 10 to be foldable and fit inside the handle 14, presuming the handle 14 is hollow. Again, this minimises the size of the apparatus when not being used. al

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. An apparatus for bagging matter comprising: a hoop; a handle

extending from the hoop; and a bag, the mouth of which is releasably mounted on the hoop, the mouth of the bag being held open by the hoop.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mouth of the bag covers at least the inner surface of the hoop.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mouth of the bag has a flap extending therefrom, the flap extending over the outer surface of the hoop.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the edge of the flap is sealed to the bag, thereby to hold the hoop between the mouth of the bag and the flap.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the flap has an adhesive strip thereon, the adhesive strip engaging the outer surface of the hoop.
6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the flap has a peripheral tube containing a drawstring. l
7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mouth of the bag covers at least the inner surface of the hoop.
8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hoop has inner and outer rim parts, and the mouth of the bag is clamped between those rim parts.
9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is pivotally connected to the hoop.
10. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle has a plurality of telescoping sections.
11. An apparatus for bagging matter substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9 in anyone of Figs. 10 to 14.
12. A kit of parts comprising: a hoop; a handle extending from the hoop; and a plurality of bags, the hoop and the mouths of the bags being configured such that any one of the mouths of the bags is releasably mountable on the hoop such that the mouth of the bag is held open by the hoop.
13. A kit according to claim 12, wherein the handle is hollow and hoop is deformable into the handle.