JP2023038699A - Animal toilet and animal toilet set - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an animal litter box and an animal litter box set in which bending stress is unlikely to act on the bottom of the container. [Solution] An animal litter box 10 has a lower container 1, an upper container 2, and a urine tray 5. The lower container 1 has a cylindrical peripheral portion 14 having an insertion/removal opening 16 for inserting and removing the urine tray 5, and a bottom portion 12 provided at the lower end of the peripheral portion 14. The bottom portion 12 has an annular outer convex portion 17 that protrudes downward from the lower surface 12b on the lower surface 12b side. The bottom portion 12 has support rails 19L, 19R that protrude upward from the upper surface 12a at a position that overlaps with the upper side of the outer convex portion 17. The support rails 19L, 19R support the urine tray 5 so that it can slide in the insertion/removal direction. [Selected Figure] Figure 3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an animal litter box and an animal litter box set for use by animals such as cats.

The animal litter box of Patent Document 1 has an upper container having a urine passage hole in the bottom, a lower container overlapping the upper container, and a urine tray arranged below the urine passage hole and on the bottom of the lower container. In the upper container, cat litter of a size that cannot pass through the urine passage hole is accommodated and arranged, and in the tray, a urine absorbent sheet is arranged.

The bottom of the lower container has an opening that is one size smaller than the urine tray. The lower container has an annular circumferential rib projecting downward from the bottom surface at a position radially outwardly spaced from the edge of the opening hole. The tip surface of the circumferential rib in the projecting direction is arranged on an imaginary flat surface. When the animal litter box is installed on a floor or the like, the peripheral rib contacts the floor surface and supports the load of the animal litter box.

An inserting/removing opening for inserting/removing the urine tray is provided in a cylindrical peripheral portion rising from the outer peripheral portion of the bottom portion of the lower container. The bottom surface of the urine tray is provided with two rail-shaped bottom protrusions extending in the insertion/removal direction. When the urine tray is inserted into the lower container through the insertion/extraction port, the tip surfaces of the two bottom projections in the projecting direction come into contact with the inner surface of the bottom of the lower container. That is, the load of the urine tray is applied to the inner surface of the lower container via the two bottom protrusions.

JP 2016-158569 A

In the animal litter box of Patent Document 1, two urine trays are arranged radially inside an annular circumferential rib provided on the bottom surface of the lower container in a state where the urine trays are accommodated and arranged in the lower container through an insertion/extraction port. A bottom projection is positioned. As a result, the load of the urine tray is applied to the inner surface of the bottom of the lower container at a position shifted inward of the circumferential rib that supports the full load of the animal litter box, and bending stress acts on the inner bottom of the circumferential rib.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an animal litter box and an animal litter box set in which bending stress is less likely to act on the bottom of the container.

One aspect of the animal litter box of the present invention supports a tray for receiving animal excrement, a cylindrical peripheral portion, a bottom portion provided at the lower end of the peripheral portion, and the animal litter box projecting downward from the lower surface of the bottom portion. and a container having an upper projection for supporting the tray projecting upward from the upper surface of the bottom at a position overlapping the lower projection.

One aspect of the animal litter box of the present invention includes a tray for receiving animal excrement, a tubular peripheral portion having an insertion/extraction opening for inserting and removing the tray, a bottom portion provided at the lower end of the peripheral portion, and a bottom protruding downward from the lower surface of the bottom portion. and support rails for slidably supporting the tray in the insertion/removal direction.

One aspect of the animal litter box of the present invention includes a tray for receiving animal excrement, a tubular peripheral portion having an insertion/extraction opening for inserting and removing the tray, a bottom portion provided at the lower end of the peripheral portion, and a bottom protruding downward from the lower surface of the bottom portion. For supporting the tray slidably in the insertion/removal direction, projecting upward from the upper surface of the bottom portion at a position where at least a portion of the support projection overlaps vertically above the support projection in the left-right direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction of the tray. a container having support rails extending in the insertion/removal direction.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an animal litter box and an animal litter box set in which bending stress is less likely to act on the bottom of the container.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an animal litter box according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the animal litter box of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the animal litter box of FIG. 1 taken along line F3-F3. 4 is a bottom view of the lower container of the animal litter box of FIG. 1, viewed from below; FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower container of FIG. 4 as seen obliquely from above. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the urine tray of the animal litter box of FIG. 1 as seen obliquely from below. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views showing several examples of structures in which the outer convex portion of the lower container of the animal litter box of FIG. 1 and the support rail are vertically overlapped.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, an animal litter box 10 according to the embodiment has a container-shaped litter box body 3 and a hood cover 4 . The hood cover 4 has a pair of left and right support portions 6L and 6R on the lower edge of the toilet body 3 side. The pair of support portions 6L and 6R detachably attaches the hood cover 4 to the toilet body 3 and functions as an opening/closing mechanism for the hood cover 4. As shown in FIG. In the following description, the direction of arrow F in FIG. 1 is the front, the direction of arrow R is the rear, and the up, down, left, and right directions of the animal litter box 10 are defined as viewed from the front (left side in the drawing).

The hood cover 4 covers the opening 3a of the toilet main body 3 in a dome shape when it is deployed to the closed position shown in the drawing. The hood cover 4 fully opens the opening 3a of the toilet body 3 in a state (not shown) stored in an open position behind the toilet body 3. - 特許庁The dome shape means a shape in which the hood cover 4 bulges upward away from the toilet body 3 in order to make the inner space of the hood cover 4 relatively large for an animal to enter. The open position is below the rear opening 3 a of the toilet body 3 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the canopy cover 4 includes a canopy rib 42a fixed at both ends by a pair of support portions 6L and 6R, and a canopy rib 42d provided rotatably around the pair of support portions 6L and 6R. , two canopy ribs 42b and 42c provided separately from a pair of support parts 6L and 6R, and a canopy cloth 44 having four canopy ribs 42a, 42b, 42c and 42d sewn at predetermined positions. . The four canopy ribs 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d are sewn to the canopy cloth 44 in a U-shaped bent state.

The rearmost canopy rib 42a is fixedly arranged so as to be superimposed on the outside of the upper edge of the toilet body 3 on the rear side. The top cover 4 rotates the other three top ribs 42b, 42c, and 42d around the support portions 6L and 6R, thereby releasing the opening 3a and the closed position covering the opening 3a of the toilet body 3. It can be opened and closed between open positions.

The hood cover 4 is stored in the open position described above in a folded state. Therefore, even if the hood cover 4 is not removed from the toilet body 3, the opening 3a of the animal litter box 10 can be fully opened with the hood cover 4 stored in the open position, and the inside of the toilet body 3 can be cleaned. can be facilitated. The pair of support portions 6L and 6R can be removed from the toilet body 3 when the hood cover 4 is replaced.

The animal litter box 10 has an entrance 4a large enough for an animal to enter and exit on the front surface of the hood cover 4 on the side opposite to the open position when the hood cover 4 is deployed to the closed position as shown in FIG. The doorway 4a is a hole provided in the hood cover 4, and allows an animal to enter and exit the animal litter box 10 with the hood cover 4 deployed to the closed position. When the hood cover 4 is stored in the open position, the doorway 4a is also stored in the open position.

This animal litter box 10 can be used, for example, as a litter box for relatively small animals such as cats raised at home. Here, the animal litter box 10 of the present embodiment is described as being used by a cat, but other animals such as small dogs may also use the animal litter box 10 of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the toilet body 3 includes a lower container 1 , an upper container 2 , a urine tray 5 and a return tray 7 . The lower container 1 is an example of a "container" in the claims, and the urine tray 5 is an example of a "tray" in the claims.

The lower container 1 integrally has a substantially rectangular bottom portion 12 that is elongated in the front-rear direction, and a cylindrical peripheral portion 14 that gently continues upward from the outer peripheral portion of the bottom portion 12 . The peripheral portion 14 has a shape that widens slightly upward from the bottom portion 12 . The lower container 1 is formed in the shape of a mortar. Ridges and corners between the bottom portion 12 and the peripheral portion 14 are gently curved. The lower container 1 is made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 is provided with a substantially rectangular opening 11 elongated in the front-rear direction. The opening hole 11 is a relatively large hole penetrating through the bottom part 12, and is formed in a size slightly smaller than the urine tray 5, which will be described later. Therefore, when the urine tray 5 described later is arranged on the upper surface 12 a side of the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 , the opening hole 11 is covered with the urine tray 5 . The shape of the peripheral edge of the opening hole 11 is formed in a curved shape without corners. Outside the opening 11, an annular reinforcing rib 11a (see FIGS. 3 and 5) having a predetermined width is provided, the bottom portion 12 of which partially protrudes upward.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, on the lower surface 12b side of the bottom portion 12, an annular outer projection 17 (lower projection, support projection) and an annular inner projection 18 (second support projection) are provided. there is The outer convex portion 17 is provided at a position spaced apart from the periphery of the opening 11 to the outside of the opening 11 by the reinforcing rib 11a. The outer convex portion 17 is provided so as to integrally protrude downward from the lower surface 12 b of the bottom portion 12 .

The inner projection 18 is provided integrally projecting downward from the periphery of the opening hole 11 . In other words, the inner protrusion 18 has a shape in which the periphery of the opening 11 is bent downward at a substantially right angle. In other words, the inner convex portion 18 is annularly provided along the inner peripheral edge of the reinforcing rib 11a projecting toward the upper surface 12a of the bottom portion 12, and the outer convex portion 17 is annularly provided along the outer peripheral edge of the reinforcing rib 11a. is provided.

The protrusion heights of the outer protrusions 17 and the inner protrusions 18 from the lower surface 12b of the bottom portion 12 are substantially the same height, and the protrusion heights of the lower end surfaces 17a of the protrusion direction tips of the outer protrusions 17 and the protrusion direction tips of the inner protrusions 18 are substantially the same. The lower end surface 18a is arranged in the imaginary same plane. Therefore, when the animal litter box 10 is installed on the floor or the like, the entire load of the animal litter box 10 is applied to the floor surface via the lower end surface 17a of the outer protrusion 17 and the lower end surface 18a of the inner protrusion 18 . In addition, the inner protrusion 18 is provided so that the peripheral edge of the opening 11 does not damage the user's finger when the finger contacts the peripheral edge of the opening 11 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, on the side of the upper surface 12a of the bottom portion 12, two left and right guide plates 13L and 13R extending in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the lower container 1 and two left and right support rails 19L are provided. , 19R (upper projection) are integrally provided. The two guide plates 13L, 13R have substantially the same structure, and the two support rails 19L, 19R have substantially the same structure. In FIG. 5, only the structure on the left side (guide plate 13L, support rail 19L) is representatively illustrated.

The guide plates 13L and 13R are erected substantially vertically upward from the upper surface 12a of the bottom portion 12, and are inclined such that the distance between them gradually widens from the rear to the front of the lower container 1. As shown in FIG. The guide plates 13L and 13R guide the left and right sides of the urine tray 5 when the urine tray 5 is inserted through an insertion/extraction port 16 of the lower container 1, which will be described later. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the urine tray 5 is placed on the upper surface 12a of the bottom 12 of the lower container 1, the left and right ends of the urine tray 5 are aligned with the guide plates 13L and 13R (left side in FIG. 3). (only the guide plate 13L is shown) with a slight gap.

The support rails 19L, 19R are arranged substantially perpendicularly upward from the upper surface 12a of the bottom portion 12 along the lateral direction of the lower container 1 inside the pair of guide plates 13L, 13R. The upper ends 19a of the support rails 19L and 19R are arranged on an imaginary horizontal plane and can support the lower surface of the urine tray 5 in a slidable manner. As shown in FIG. 3, the support rail 19L (19R) is provided at a position just above the outer projection 17 provided on the lower surface 12b of the lower container 1. As shown in FIG. In other words, the support rails 19L and 19R are provided along the outer peripheral edges of the reinforcing ribs 11a projecting toward the upper surface 12a of the bottom portion 12. As shown in FIG.

The support rails 19L (19R) extend linearly parallel to each other in the front-rear direction of the lower container 1 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the support rail 19L (19R) has a predetermined length in the front-rear direction, and both ends in the front-rear direction are inclined downward from the upper end 19a toward the upper surface 12a of the bottom portion 12 . The support rails 19</b>L and 19</b>R are provided at a position where at least a part overlaps vertically above the outer convex portion 17 over the entire length thereof.

From a different point of view, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular outer convex portion 17 projecting downward from the lower surface 12b of the bottom portion 12 has a linear shape that at least partially overlaps the support rail 19L over the entire length of the support rail 19L. It includes a portion 17L and a linear portion 17R that at least partially overlaps the support rail 19R over the entire length of the support rail 19R. An example of a structure in which the outer convex portion 17 and the support rails 19L and 19R overlap vertically will be described later with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface 12a of the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 is provided with two engaging projections 11b (only the left one is shown in FIG. 5). The two engaging projections 11b are provided at positions adjacent to the rear side of the insertion/extraction port 16 and slightly protrude from the upper surface of the reinforcing rib 11a. The two engaging projections 11b are arranged inside the edges of the insertion/extraction port 16 in the left-right direction. Each engaging projection 11b has a surface that slopes upward gradually from the front end toward the rear. The two engaging projections 11b engage with engaging projections 55 (see FIG. 6) of the urine tray 5, which will be described later.

A peripheral portion 14 of the lower container 1 has an annular folded portion 15 along the entire periphery of its upper edge. The folded portion 15 is formed to have a substantially U-shaped cross section by folding the upper edge of the peripheral portion 14 outward at approximately 180° over its entire length. An inserting/removing opening 16 for inserting/removing the urine tray 5 is provided in the front peripheral portion 14 of the lower container 1 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper container 2 includes a substantially rectangular bottom portion 22 that is elongated in the front-rear direction, a tubular peripheral portion 24 that is gently curved upward from the outer peripheral portion of the bottom portion 22 and connected to the peripheral portion 24 . A frame-shaped hanging wall 26 continuous with an upper end 24a of the housing through a flange portion 23 is integrally provided. The hanging wall 26 is arranged at a position spaced apart from the outer surface of the peripheral portion 24 . The bottom portion 22, the peripheral portion 24, the flange portion 23, and the hanging wall 26 are smoothly connected. The upper container 2 is made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene.

The bottom portion 22 has a shape that bulges slightly downward toward its center, and has a plurality of urine passage holes 22a in its center portion. The plurality of urine passage holes 22a have a size that at least does not allow cat litter (excretion treatment agent) to pass through. Four legs 21 that are placed on the floor when placing the upper container 2 alone on the floor or the like protrude from the lower surface of the bottom 22 outside the plurality of urine passage holes 22a. The four leg portions 21 protrude downward from the central portion of the bottom portion 22 that bulges downward.

The peripheral portion 24 widens slightly from the bottom portion 22 toward its upper end 24a. The inner edge of the upper end 24a of the peripheral portion 24 constitutes the opening 3a of the toilet body 3. As shown in FIG. The height of the peripheral portion 24 is lower at the front part than at the other part. In other words, the upper end 24a of the peripheral portion 24 is partially recessed downward. In this way, by lowering the height of the peripheral portion 24 only at the front portion, the doorway 4a of the hood cover 4 can be provided at a low position, making it easier for the cat to enter and exit the animal litter box 10. can.

An upper end 24a of the peripheral portion 24 is integrally and continuously provided with an annular flange portion 23 extending substantially horizontally outward over the entire length thereof. A cylindrical hanging wall 26 extending downward is integrally and continuously provided on the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 23 spaced outward from the upper end 24a of the peripheral portion 24 . The hanging wall 26 widens slightly outward from the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 23 downward. The lower edge of the hanging wall 26 on the side opposite to the flange portion 23 is arranged on an imaginary horizontal plane over the entire length in the circumferential direction.

Since the upper end 24a of the peripheral portion 24 is lowered only in the front portion, the front portion of the flange portion 23 is lowered below the other portion. In addition, while the lower edge of the hanging wall 26 is arranged on the horizontal plane, the upper end 24a of the peripheral portion 24 is partially lowered in front. Anterior part of the is narrower than other parts. That is, the flange portion 23 and the vertical wall 26 have a shape following the upper end 24 a of the peripheral portion 24 .

Between the peripheral portion 24 of the upper container 2 and the vertical wall 26, a plurality of reinforcing plate pieces (not shown) are provided circumferentially spaced apart from each other. A plurality of reinforcing plate pieces are provided so as to integrally connect the outer surface of the peripheral portion 24 of the upper container 2, the lower surface of the flange portion 23, and the inner surface of the hanging wall 26. As shown in FIG. The lower end edge of each reinforcing plate piece is arranged on a fictitious horizontal plane, and contacts the upper surface of the folded portion 15 of the lower container 1 when the upper container 2 is placed inside the lower container 1. .

The peripheral portion 24 of the upper container 2 has a shape and size that allow it to be placed inside the peripheral portion 14 of the lower container 1 . Moreover, the vertical wall 26 of the upper container 2 has a shape and size that allow it to be arranged outside the folded portion 15 of the lower container 1 . Therefore, when the upper container 2 is stacked on the inner side of the lower container 1, the folded portion 15 of the lower container 1 is inserted between the peripheral portion 24 of the upper container 2 and the hanging wall 26, and the upper surface of the folded portion 15 is formed into a plurality of layers. It abuts on the lower edge of the reinforcing plate piece.

In this manner, the upper container 2 is positioned with respect to the lower container 1 while the upper container 2 is placed inside the lower container 1 . In this state, the bottom portion 22 of the upper container 2 is positioned above the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 and below the folding portion 15 at the upper end of the lower container 1 . That is, a space S is formed between the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 and the bottom portion 22 of the upper container 2 in a state in which the upper container 2 is placed inside the lower container 1 .

The upper container 2 has a pair of fitting grooves 27L, 27R for fitting the pair of support portions 6L, 6R of the top cover 4 on its upper edge. The fitting grooves 27</b>L and 27</b>R are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to an imaginary center line in the longitudinal direction of the upper container 2 . The fitting grooves 27L and 27R are provided substantially in the center of the upper container 2 in the front-rear direction. The fitting grooves 27L and 27R are provided by partially recessing the inner surface of the peripheral portion 24 of the upper container 2 on the side of the upper end 24a, the upper surface of the flange portion 23, and the outer surface of the hanging wall 26. As shown in FIG.

Further, the upper container 2 has a fitting recess 28 for fitting the return tray 7 at its front upper edge. The fitting recess 28 is provided in a portion where the front peripheral portion 24 of the upper container 2 is lowered. The fitting recess 28 is provided by partially recessing the upper surface of the flange portion 23 of the upper container 2 and the outer surface of the vertical wall 26 . At the center of the flange portion 23, a fitting hole 23a is provided for fitting a boss (not shown) of the return tray 7, which will be described later.

The upper container 2 has a reference line 29 on the inner surface of the peripheral portion 24, which indicates the amount of the excrement treating agent such as cat litter to be added. A predetermined amount of cat litter is put into the upper container 2 . It is desirable that the amount of cat litter to be put in is appropriate for the cat to scrape the cat litter and put it on the excrement after excretion, and it is desirable to set the depth to about 3 cm. For this reason, the reference line 29 is provided at a position indicating the upper surface of the cat litter when the amount of cat litter is put in to give a depth of 3 cm. As the excrement treatment agent (cat litter), for example, wood chips, minerals such as zeolite, pulp, bean curd refuse, and the like can be used.

The urine tray 5 is inserted into the space S between the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 and the bottom portion 22 of the upper container 2 through the insertion/extraction port 16 of the lower container 1 . As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the urine tray 5 is a container integrally having a substantially rectangular bottom plate 51 and a substantially rectangular frame-shaped side wall 52 integrally provided on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom plate 51. formed in the shape of At both ends of the urine tray 5 in the longitudinal direction, finger hooks 53 are provided on which the user's fingers are hooked. The urine tray 5 is made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene.

Two ribs 54 extending in the front-rear direction are integrally provided on the lower surface 51b of the bottom plate 51 so as to protrude downward. The two ribs 54 function as reinforcing ribs for the bottom plate 51 of the urine tray 5 . Four engagement protrusions 55 are provided on the lower surface 51b of the bottom plate 51. As shown in FIG. The engaging projections 55 are provided corresponding to the engaging projections 11b of the lower container 1 described above.

The engaging protrusions 55 are engaged with the engaging protrusions 11 b to position the urine tray 5 in a state where the urine tray 5 is inserted into the space S between the lower container 1 and the upper container 2 . When the engaging projections 55 of the urine tray 5 engage with the engaging projections 11b of the lower container 1, the urine tray 5 pops out through the insertion opening 16 when the toilet body 3 is tilted or impacted. can be suppressed.

The urine tray 5 faces below the plurality of urine passage holes 22a provided in the bottom portion 22 of the upper container 2 in a state of being housed in the space S through the insertion/removal port 16 (for example, the state shown in FIG. 1). . On the urine tray 5, for example, a water absorbing member (not shown) such as a urine absorbing sheet containing a polymer absorbing material may be placed.

Urine excreted by the cat on the cat litter passes through the cat litter and flows out to the urine tray 5 through the plurality of urine passage holes 22a. The urine that has flowed into the urine tray 5 may be absorbed by the urine absorbent sheet and discarded together with the urine absorbent sheet. Moreover, feces excreted by the cat on the cat litter are removed together with the surrounding cat litter using a scoop 8 and discarded. Note that the urine tray 5 has a front-rear symmetrical shape so that it can be used by switching the front and back.

The return tray 7 has a front wall portion 72 that fits into the fitting recess 28 provided in the hanging wall 26 in a state of being fitted into the fitting recess 28 of the upper container 2 (the state shown in FIG. 1), and a front wall portion A return plate portion 74 extending substantially horizontally rearward from the upper end of 72 and a groove portion 76 provided on the side of the fitting recess 28 between the front wall portion 72 and the return plate portion 74 are integrally provided. A boss (not shown) that fits into the above-described fitting hole 23 a of the upper container 2 protrudes from the lower surface of the return plate portion 74 .

The return tray 7 is fitted into the fitting recess 28 so that the groove 76 faces the flange 23 of the upper container 2 , and the boss (not shown) of the return plate 74 is fitted into the fitting hole 23 a of the upper container 2 . By doing so, it is attached to the upper container 2 . The return tray 7 is made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene.

The front wall portion 72 has a U-shaped curved shape, and has a shape in which the width gradually narrows forward from both left and right ends. The return plate portion 74 has a lower surface that contacts the bottom surface 28b of the fitting recess 28 formed by recessing the flange portion 23 of the upper container 2 when the return tray 7 is fitted in the fitting recess 28 . With the return tray 7 fitted in the fitting recess 28, the return plate part 74 extends from the upper end of the front wall part 72 beyond the fitting recess 28 to a position partially covering the opening 3a. extend to A rear end of the return plate portion 74 is bent downward.

The return tray 7 has an outer surface that is flush with the outer surface of the vertical wall 26 of the upper container 2 and the upper surface of the flange portion 23 when fitted in the fitting recess 28 of the upper container 2 . When the return tray 7 is fitted in the fitting recess 28 of the upper container 2, the lower surface of the return plate portion 34 contacts the bottom surface 28b of the fitting recess 28 of the upper container 2, so that the upper surface 75 of the return plate portion 74 is , is arranged at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the flange portion 23 whose height in front of the upper container 2 is lowered.

The return tray 7 hits the lower surface of the return plate part 74 with the cat litter when the cat scratched the cat litter in the upper container 2, causing the cat litter to scatter to the outside through the entrance 4a of the hood cover 4.例文帳に追加function to suppress Since the return tray 7 cannot be molded integrally with the upper container 2, the return tray 7 is provided separately from the upper container 2.例文帳に追加

A plurality of uneven patterns 78 are provided on the upper surface 75 of the return plate portion 74 . The uneven pattern 78 is provided by recessing the upper surface 75 in a predetermined shape (the shape of a cat's sole in this embodiment). The depth of the uneven pattern 78 is shallower than half the plate thickness of the return plate portion 74 . The uneven pattern 78 may have any shape. By providing an uneven pattern 78 on the upper surface 75 of the return plate part 74 of the return tray 7, when the cat goes out from the animal litter box 10 through the entrance 4a, the cat litter adhering to the sole of the cat's foot is hooked. Dropping effect can be expected.

The return tray 7 has an engaging projection (not shown) projecting downward from the lower surface of the return plate portion 74 . The engaging projection is formed in a plate-like shape extending in the front-rear and up-down directions. 24 is provided at a position facing the inner surface of the upper end 24a side of 24 with a gap.

When a cat from inside the animal litter box 10 collides with the return tray 7 fitted in the fitting recess 28 and the return tray 7 tries to move forward, the engaging protrusions are arranged to wrap around the front end of the return tray 7 . It functions to contact the inner surface of the portion 24 and restrict the forward movement of the return tray 7 . In other words, the engaging protrusions cooperate with the above-described bosses to prevent the return tray 7 from accidentally falling off.

A method of assembling the animal litter box 10 having the above structure will be described below.
First, the upper container 2 is stacked inside the lower container 1, the urine tray 5 is inserted into the space S through the insertion/extraction port 16, the return tray 7 is fitted into the fitting concave portion 28 of the upper container 2, and the toilet is closed. Assemble the body 3. At this time, a urine absorbing sheet may be arranged inside the urine tray 5 .

Next, the hood cover 4 is attached to the toilet body 3 . At this time, the top cover 4 is unfolded in a dome shape as shown in FIG. Then, the pair of support portions 6L and 6R of the top cover 4 are fitted into the fitting grooves 27L and 27R of the upper container 2 of the toilet body 3, respectively.

At this time, the top cover 4 is aligned with the toilet body 3 so that the outer surface of the rear side of the hanging wall 26 of the upper container 2 fits inside the first top rib 42 a of the top cover 4 . Then, an engaging member (not shown) attached to the center of the fourth canopy rib 42d is hooked to the lower edge of the front hanging wall 26 of the upper container 2. As shown in FIG.

When using the animal litter box 10, cat litter is thrown into the upper container 2 through the opening 3a with the engagement member released and the hood cover 4 opened to the open position. The optimum amount of cat litter to put in is the amount that the upper surface of the cat litter reaches the reference line 29 of the upper container 2 .

Here, with reference to FIGS. 7(a) to 7(e), several examples of the structure in which the outer convex portion 17 of the lower container 1 and the support rails 19L and 19R overlap vertically will be described. Since the structure of the lower container 1 is bilaterally symmetrical with respect to its longitudinal centerline, the structure on the left side, that is, the left linear portion 17L of the outer convex portion 17 and the left support rail, is shown here. The structure of 19L will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7(a), the lower container 1 of the present embodiment is supported by a linear portion 17L of an outer convex portion 17 protruding downward from the lower surface 12b of the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1. It has a structure in which the rail 19L just overlaps vertically over its entire length. In other words, the straight portion 17L and the support rail 19L have substantially the same lateral width, and the straight portion 17L and the support rail 19L extend straight in the front-rear direction of the lower container 1. 17 L of linear parts and 19 L of support rails have the structure which just overlaps up and down without shifting in the left-right direction.

In this way, the load of the urine tray 5 applied to the upper end 19a of the support rail 19 (indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7) is reduced by the structure in which the support rail 19L overlaps the linear portion 17L over the entire length of the support rail 19L. Since it acts straight on the floor surface F via the linear portion 17L, the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 is not subjected to undesired bending stress. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the problem that the bottom portion 12 is distorted over time.

The effects of the present embodiment described above can also be exhibited, for example, when the structures of the linear portion 17L and the support rail 19L are the structures shown in FIGS. 7(b) to 7(e). In other words, the linear portion 17L and the support rail 19L do not necessarily have to completely overlap in the horizontal direction, and it is sufficient if at least a portion of the support rail 19L overlaps vertically over the entire length of the support rail 19L.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the support rail 19L is slightly displaced toward the inner side of the bottom portion 12 with respect to the linear portion 17L, or as shown in FIG. Therefore, the support rail 19L may be slightly displaced to the outside of the bottom portion 12, and the two may at least partially overlap vertically. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7(d), the linear portion 17L may have a wider lateral width than the support rail 19L, and as shown in FIG. 7(e), the support rail 19L may be linear. The lateral width may be larger than that of the portion 17L, and the two may at least partially overlap vertically.

The linear portion 17L and the support rail 19L do not need to have the same cross-sectional shape over the entire length of the support rail 19L. good. For example, a structure including a plurality of structures shown in FIGS. 7A to 7E over the entire length of the support rail 19L may be used.

As described above, according to the animal litter box 10 according to the present embodiment, the linear portions 17L and 17R of the outer convex portion 17 provided on the lower surface 12b of the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 and the upper surface 12a side of the bottom portion 12 Since the support rails 19L and 19R have a structure in which they at least partially overlap each other, the load of the urine tray 5 is straight onto the floor surface F via the support rails 19L and 19R and the linear portions 17L and 17R of the outer projection 17. Therefore, the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1 is not subjected to undesired bending stress. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the problem that the bottom portion 12 is distorted over time.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the annular outer convex portion 17 and the annular inner convex portion 18 are provided as the projections for supporting the load of the animal litter box 10. Therefore, the load applied to the floor surface F can be dispersed, and the animal can The toilet 10 can be stably installed on the floor surface F. Further, according to the present embodiment, as described above, the problem that the bottom portion 12 is distorted over time can be suppressed. It can be brought into contact with the surface F, and the installation stability of the animal litter box 10 can be enhanced.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, various inventions are included in the above-described embodiments, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the above-described embodiments, if the problem can be solved and an effect can be obtained, the configuration in which these constituent elements are deleted is extracted as an invention. obtain.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the linear portions 17L, 17R of the outer convex portion 17 provided on the lower surface 12b and the support rail 19L extend over the entire length of the support rails 19L, 19R provided on the upper surface 12a side of the bottom portion 12 of the lower container 1. , 19R at least partially overlap vertically, but the support rails 19L, 19R may have lengths longer than the linear portions 17L, 17R of the outer convex portion 17. As shown in FIG.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a structure in which the linear portions 17L and 17R are at least partially overlapped over the entire length of the support rails 19L and 19R has been described. It is sufficient that the outer protrusions 17 overlap vertically along at least a part thereof, and the outer protrusions 17 do not need to be formed in an annular shape.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the animal litter box 10 having the double-structured toilet body 3 in which the upper container 2 is stacked inside the lower container 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to an animal litter box provided with a single-layer container-like toilet body (main body).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Lower container 2... Upper container 3... Toilet body 3a... Opening part 4... Top cover 4a... Doorway 5... Urine tray 6L, 6R... Support part 7... Return tray 10... Animal toilet 11... Opening hole 12... Bottom part 12a... Upper surface 12b... Lower surface 14... Peripheral part 17... Outer convex part 17a... Lower end surface 17L, 17R... Linear part 18... Inner convex part 19L, 19R... Support rail, 19a... Upper end.

Claims (7)

a tray for receiving animal waste;
a cylindrical peripheral portion, a bottom portion provided at the lower end of the peripheral portion, a lower protrusion for supporting the animal litter box projecting downward from the lower surface of the bottom portion, and a portion of the bottom portion at a position overlapping the lower protrusion. a container having an upper projection for supporting the tray projecting upward from the upper surface;
animal litter box. a tray for receiving animal waste;
a cylindrical peripheral portion having an insertion/extraction port for inserting and removing the tray, a bottom portion provided at the lower end of the peripheral portion, a support protrusion protruding downward from the bottom surface of the bottom portion, and the bottom portion at a position overlapping the support protrusion above the support protrusion. a container having support rails for slidably supporting the tray projecting upward from the upper surface of the container in the insertion/removal direction;
animal litter box. a tray for receiving animal waste;
A cylindrical peripheral portion having an insertion/extraction opening for inserting/removing the tray, a bottom portion provided at the lower end of the peripheral portion, support projections projecting downward from the bottom surface of the bottom portion, and a left-right direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction of the tray. a container having support rails extending in the insertion/removal direction for slidably supporting the tray projecting upward from the upper surface of the bottom portion at a position at least partially overlapping the support protrusions vertically above the support projections; ,
animal litter box. The support rail is provided in a straight line along the insertion/removal direction of the tray,
The support projection includes a linear portion that at least partially overlaps vertically over the entire length of the support rail,
The animal litter box according to claim 2 or 3. The bottom of the container has an opening hole that is one size smaller than the tray,
The support projection is provided in an annular shape surrounding the aperture,
Animal litter box according to any one of claims 2-4. further comprising a second support projection annularly provided at the edge of the opening of the container;
The animal litter box of Claim 5. An animal litter box according to any one of claims 1-6;
at least one of the excrement treating agent and the moisture absorbing member accommodated in the tray;
An animal litter box set with

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