Animal toilet

Abstract

To provide an animal toilet in which a size of a through hole can be increased while preventing falling of a granular body to a lower space.SOLUTION: An animal toilet 1 includes a body part 10, a partition part 20, and a sheet member 30. The body part 10 has a bottom surface part 10a and a side surface part 10b. The body part 10 receives excreted urine. The partition part 20 partitions an internal space of the body part 10 into an upper space S1 and a lower space S2. The partition part 20 has a through hole 22 through which urine passes. The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition part 20 so as to cover the through hole 22. The sheet member 30 allows urine to pass.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an animal litter box. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a conventional animal litter box is described in Patent Document 1. The animal litter box described in this document includes a main body (tray) that receives excreted urine, and a partition (rake) that divides the internal space of the main body into an upper space and a lower space. The partition has a through-hole that allows urine to pass through. A plurality of granular bodies having low water absorption are arranged in the upper space (above the partition). A water-absorbent sheet that absorbs urine is arranged in the lower space. Urine excreted in the main body passes through the gaps between the granular bodies and then moves from the upper space to the lower space through the through-hole in the partition. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-180182 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Thus, urine-induced dirt is likely to adhere to the inner surface of the through-hole through which the urine passes. Such dirt can cause the through-hole to become clogged, and so it is necessary to remove the dirt by cleaning. In this regard, the larger the through-hole, the easier it is to clean the through-hole. However, if the through-hole is made larger, there is a problem that the granular material disposed in the upper space is likely to pass through the through-hole and fall into the lower space.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide an animal litter box that is capable of enlarging the through holes while preventing granular material from falling into the lower space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The animal litter box according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a main body portion having a bottom portion and side portions and for receiving excreted urine, a partition portion having a through hole to allow the urine to pass through and dividing the internal space of the main body portion into an upper space and a lower space, and a sheet member laid on the partition portion so as to cover the through hole and which allows the urine to pass through.

[0007] This animal litter box is provided with a sheet member that allows urine to pass through. The sheet member is laid on the partition so as to cover the through-hole. Therefore, even if the through-hole is enlarged, the sheet member can prevent the granular material disposed in the upper space from passing through the through-hole. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, an animal litter box is realized that is capable of enlarging the through-holes while preventing granular material from falling into the lower space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an end view showing one embodiment of an animal litter box according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an end view showing the main body 10. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the main body 10. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the main body 10. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the partition portion 20. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a sheet member 30. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is an end view for explaining a modified example of the sheet member 30. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a plan view for explaining a modified example of the partition portion 20. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a plan view for explaining a modified example of the partition portion 20. FIG. [Figure 11]13 is a plan view for explaining another modified example of the partition portion 20. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is an end view for explaining another modified example of the partition portion 20. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is an end view for explaining a modified example of the main body portion 10. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an end view showing one embodiment of an animal litter box according to the present invention. The animal litter box 1 comprises a main body 10, a partition 20, a sheet member 30, a plurality of granular bodies 40, a water-absorbent sheet 50, and a drawer 60. The animal litter box 1 is, for example, a cat litter box. The main body 10 is made of a single box-shaped container, and has a bottom portion 10a and a side portion 10b. The main body 10 receives excreted urine. The outer shape of the main body 10 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. For example, plastic can be used as the material for the main body 10. For example, polypropylene or polyethylene can be used as the plastic.

[0012] 2 and 3 are an end view and a front view, respectively, of the main body 10. An opening 12 for inserting and removing the drawer 60 is formed in the side surface 10b of the main body 10. The opening 12 is located near the bottom surface 10a and has a horizontally long rectangular shape. The length of the opening 12 in the horizontal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3) is approximately equal to the width (inner dimension) of the main body 10, and is, for example, 20 cm to 40 cm. The length of the opening 12 in the vertical direction (top-bottom direction in FIG. 3) is, for example, 2 cm to 5 cm.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main body 10. The main body 10 has a support portion 14. The support portion 14 protrudes from the side portion 10b toward the inside of the main body 10. The support portion 14 supports the partition portion 20 from below. The support portion 14 is provided on the entire inner circumference of the side portion 10b in a plan view. That is, the support portion 14 is formed of a protrusion provided in an annular shape along the inner circumference of the side portion 10b. The inner circumference of the side portion 10b has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. Here, the term "substantially rectangular" is not limited to a rectangle, but also includes a shape close to a rectangle such as a rounded rectangle. The protruding length of the support portion 14 (the length in a direction perpendicular to the inner surface of the side portion 10b on which the support portion 14 is provided) is, for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less. The support portion 14 may be molded integrally with the side portion 10b, or may be molded separately from the side portion 10b and then attached to the side portion 10b.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the partition 20. The partition 20 is placed on the support 14. The partition 20 is not fixed to the main body 10. The partition 20 is detachable from the main body 10. The partition 20 can be disposed in the main body 10 with its entire periphery spaced apart from the side surface 10b. The partition 20 is made of a plate-shaped member. The partition 20 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The partition 20 is disposed parallel to the bottom surface 10a. The partition 20 is disposed at a position spaced apart from both the upper end of the main body 10 (side surface 10b) and the water-absorbent sheet 50. As a result, the partition 20 divides the internal space of the main body 10 into an upper space S1 and a lower space S2. The upper space S1 is located above the partition 20 and is a space in which a plurality of granular bodies 40 are disposed. The lower space S2 exists below the partition 20 and is a space where urine accumulates. Naturally, the partition 20 has sufficient strength to support the weight of the plurality of granular bodies 40 and the weight of the animal when placed on the support 14. The partition 20 can be made of, for example, plastic.

[0015] The partition 20 has a through hole 22 that allows urine to pass through. The partition 20 has a plurality of through holes 22. The plurality of through holes 22 are arranged in a lattice pattern in the partition 20. Each through hole 22 has a shape that does not include corners in a plan view. The outline of each through hole 22 consists only of curves that bulge outward in a plan view. Specifically, each through hole 22 has a circular shape in a plan view. The shape and size of the cross section (cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction) of the through hole 22 is constant in the thickness direction of the partition 20 (the vertical direction in FIG. 1). That is, each through hole 22 consists of a cylindrical space.

[0016] The maximum circular dimension of each through hole 22 is preferably 12.0 mm or more, and more preferably 25.0 mm or more. Here, the maximum circular dimension refers to the diameter of the largest circle that can be contained within the through hole 22 in a plan view. When the planar shape of the through hole 22 is a circle as in this embodiment, the maximum circular dimension is equal to the diameter of the circle.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the sheet member 30. The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition section 20 so as to cover the through-hole 22. The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition section 20 so as to cover all of the multiple through-holes 22. The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition section 20 so as to overlap the entire effective area 20a of the partition section 20 in a plan view. Here, the effective area 20a is an area surrounded by a minimum rectangle R1 (see FIG. 5) that can contain all of the through-holes 22 in a plan view. The long side and the short side of the rectangle R1 are parallel to the long side and the short side of the partition section 20, respectively. In this embodiment, the sheet member 30 is laid on the partition section 20 so as to overlap the entire partition section 20 in a plan view. In a plan view, the area of ​​the sheet member 30 is equal to the area of ​​the partition section 20 (including the opening area of ​​the through-hole 22). The thickness of the sheet member 30 is smaller than the thickness of the partition portion 20 .

[0018] The sheet member 30 is interposed between the partition 20 and the plurality of granular bodies 40. The sheet member 30 allows urine to pass through. However, the sheet member 30 does not allow each granular body 40 to pass through. The sheet member 30 is flexible and can be folded. Therefore, the sheet member 30 does not have sufficient strength to support the weight of the plurality of granular bodies 40 and the weight of the animal alone. In other words, if the sheet member 30 is placed directly on the support part 14 without the partition 20, it cannot support the weight of the plurality of granular bodies 40 and the weight of the animal. As the sheet member 30, for example, a water-permeable sheet or a net having a mesh size that does not allow each granular body 40 to pass through can be used. The sheet member 30 may be disposable or may be used repeatedly.

[0019] In the upper space S1 of the main body 10, a plurality of granular bodies 40 for treating excrement (mainly urine) are arranged. The plurality of granular bodies 40 are arranged on the partition 20 via the sheet member 30. Each granular body 40 is granular. Examples of such granular shapes include a sphere, a cylinder, and an ellipsoid. Each granular body 40 may or may not be able to pass through the through hole 22. In the former case, the granular body 40 can pass through the through hole 22 without being deformed. At this time, the orientation of the granular body 40 relative to the through hole 22 is arbitrary. The particle size of each granular body 40 is, for example, 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. Here, the particle size of the granular body 40 is defined as the diameter of the smallest sphere that can contain the granular body 40. When the animal litter box 1 is used, the granular body 40 directly receives excrement.

[0020] The granular material 40 has hydrophobic properties. In other words, the granular material 40 has the property of not absorbing any liquid such as urine, or absorbing very little, if any, of the liquid. The granular material 40 having such hydrophobic properties does not adhere to each other and form clumps when wet with urine, unlike granular material having water absorption properties.

[0021] For the granular material 40 to be said to have hydrophobicity, it is necessary that the liquid passage rate measured by the following test is 60% or more. First, 50 g of the granular material 40 (sample) is placed on a sieve with an inner diameter of 10 cm and an opening of 1 mm. An empty beaker is placed under the sieve. Then, 30 ml of water is dripped onto the sample over 10 seconds using a syringe (Terumo 60 ml syringe) with an outer cylinder inner diameter of 3 cm and a tip inner diameter of 4 mm. After leaving it for 1 minute, the amount of water in the beaker is measured. The ratio of the measured amount of water to the amount of dripped water (30 ml) is taken as the liquid passage rate. At this time, if the amount of water in the beaker is 18 ml or more, the liquid passage rate is 60% or more, and it can be said that the granular material 40 has hydrophobicity.

[0022] Each granule 40 is preferably made mainly of an organic material. Here, the main material of the granule 40 refers to the material that has the largest weight ratio in the granule 40 among one or more materials that make up the granule 40. Examples of such organic materials include paper, plants, plastics, and organic sludge. Each granule 40 may be made only of organic materials, or may be made of organic and inorganic materials.

[0023] Papers refer to materials mainly composed of pulp. Examples of papers that can be used include ordinary paper (paper powder), photographic paper, release paper, fluff pulp, paper derived from PVC wallpaper (paper generated during the manufacture or classification of PVC wallpaper), paper derived from gypsum board (paper generated during the manufacture or classification of gypsum board), or paper derived from sanitary products (paper generated during the manufacture or classification of sanitary products containing paper). Examples of sanitary products containing paper include disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, urine pads, and sanitary paper (tissue paper, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.). Examples of plants that can be used include wood powder, sawdust, or plant residues (tea leaves, soybean curd refuse, etc.). Examples of plastics that can be used include ordinary plastics, aluminum vapor deposition films, plastics derived from PVC wallpaper (plastics generated during the manufacture or classification of PVC wallpaper), and plastics derived from sanitary products (plastics generated during the manufacture or classification of sanitary products containing plastic). Examples of sanitary products containing plastic include disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, urine pads, and sanitary masks. Examples of organic sludges include paper sludge and pulp sludge. These materials may or may not be subjected to hydrophobic treatment (water repellent treatment).

[0024] The granular body 40 may be made of only one material, or may be made of two or more materials. In the former case, the material making up the granular body 40 is only the main material described above. In the latter case, the granular body 40 is made of a mixture of the main material and other materials. Examples of the other materials include gypsum and baking soda. Adding gypsum or baking soda makes it easier to impart hydrophobicity to the granular body 40. The proportion of gypsum or baking soda is, for example, 5% by weight or more and less than 50% by weight of the entire granular body 40.

[0025] The granular body 40 can be manufactured, for example, by the following method. First, a granulation material (material constituting the granular body 40) is granulated using a granulation device to form a granulated product that will become the granular body 40. As the granulation device, for example, an extrusion granulator can be used. The granulated product may be subjected to hydrophobic treatment as necessary. The hydrophobic treatment can be performed, for example, by coating the surface of the granulated product with a hydrophobic agent (water repellent agent). When the hydrophobic treatment is not performed, it is preferable to increase the pressure applied to the granulated material during granulation so as to prevent gaps from being generated as much as possible in the granulated product. This is because such gaps become a path through which liquids such as urine can penetrate into the inside of the granular body 40. Prior to granulation, pretreatment such as pulverization, kneading, and water addition is performed on the granulated material as necessary. In addition, after granulation, post-treatment such as sieving (sizing) and drying is performed as necessary.

[0026] An absorbent sheet 50 is disposed in the lower space S2 of the main body 10. The absorbent sheet 50 absorbs urine that has passed through the through-holes 22 of the partition 20. That is, the urine that has passed through the through-holes 22 is absorbed by the absorbent sheet 50 and accumulates in the lower space S2.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the drawer 60. The drawer 60 has a bottom plate 60a, a front plate 60b, a tip plate 60c, and a pair of side plates 60d. The size of the bottom plate 60a is approximately equal to the size of the bottom surface portion 10a of the main body 10. The front plate 60b has approximately the same shape and size as the opening 12. A handle 62 is attached to the front plate 60b. The drawer 60 can be inserted into and removed from the main body 10 through the opening 12. The drawer 60 contains the absorbent sheet 50. That is, the absorbent sheet 50 is disposed in the main body 10 while being contained in the drawer 60. The drawer 60 can be made of a material such as plastic.

[0028] When the animal litter box 1 is in use, urine excreted into the main body 10 passes through the gaps between the granules 40 and then moves from the upper space S1 to the lower space S2 through the sheet member 30 and the through-holes 22 of the partition 20. The urine that moves to the lower space S2 is absorbed by the absorbent sheet 50.

[0029] The effects of the animal litter box 1 will now be described. The animal litter box 1 is provided with a sheet member 30 that allows urine to pass through. The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition section 20 so as to cover the through-hole 22. Therefore, even if the through-hole 22 is made large, the sheet member 30 can prevent the granular material 40 disposed in the upper space S1 from passing through the through-hole 22. Therefore, an animal litter box 1 is realized that can enlarge the through-hole 22 while preventing the granular material 40 from falling into the lower space S2.

[0030] The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition section 20 so as to overlap the entire effective area 20a of the partition section 20 in a plan view. This allows the through-hole 22 to be covered entirely with the sheet member 30 with reliability.

[0031] The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition portion 20 so as to overlap the entirety of the partition portion 20 in a plan view. In this case, the gap between the sheet member 30 and the side surface portion 10b is smaller than when the sheet member 30 overlaps only a portion of the partition portion 20 in a plan view. This has the advantage that the sheet member 30 is less likely to shift significantly relative to the partition portion 20.

[0032] The thickness of the sheet member 30 is smaller than the thickness of the partition portion 20. Reducing the thickness of the sheet member 30 in this manner is advantageous in ensuring a large space (the portion of the upper space S1 above the sheet member 30) in which the granular material 40 can be laid.

[0033] The sheet member 30 is laid on the partition section 20 so as to cover all of the plurality of through holes 22. This makes it possible to prevent the granular material 40 from falling through any of the through holes 22.

[0034] Incidentally, the 50th percentile for the width of the first joint of a woman's little finger (the width of the distal joint of the fifth finger) is 11.7 mm. Therefore, when the maximum circular dimension of the through hole 22 is 12.0 mm or more, more than half of women can insert their little finger into the through hole 22 up to the first joint. This makes it possible to clean the inner surface of the through hole 22 by rubbing it with the pad of the little finger. If cleaning can be done with a finger in this way, there is no need to prepare a cleaning tool (for example, a rod-shaped brush that can be inserted into the through hole 22), making cleaning of the through hole 22 particularly easy.

[0035] The maximum value for the joint width (first finger joint width) of a man's thumb is 23.3 mm. Therefore, when the maximum circular dimension of the through hole 22 is 25.0 mm or more, almost all people, regardless of gender, can insert any of their five fingers into the through hole 22. This makes it possible to clean the inner surface of the through hole 22 with any finger. However, if the through hole 22 is made too large, it may become difficult to ensure sufficient strength of the partition section 20. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the maximum circular dimension of the through hole 22 is 50.0 mm or less.

[0036] The values ​​of finger joint width in this specification are based on data published on the website of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology's Artificial Intelligence Research Center (Kawachi Makiko, 2012: AIST Japanese Hand Measurement Data. https: / / www.airc.aist.go.jp / dhrt / hand / index.html). The data was collected from 2004 to 2011 on 530 Japanese subjects (327 men and 203 women). Each piece of data is the maximum width of the interphalangeal joints (distal and proximal) measured with a digital caliper while the finger is extended.

[0037] Through hole 22 has a shape that does not include corners in a plan view. Corners are areas that are difficult to touch with fingers. Therefore, having a shape without corners is advantageous in enabling a wide range of the inner surface of through hole 22 to be cleaned with fingers.

[0038] The outline of the through hole 22 consists only of a curved line bulging outward in a plan view. In this case, unlike the case where an inwardly bulging curve is included, the inner surface of the through hole 22 does not have a portion that penetrates into the inside of the through hole 22. This makes it easier for a finger to move inside the through hole 22. This is even more advantageous in that a wide range of the inner surface of the through hole 22 can be cleaned with a finger.

[0039] The through hole 22 has a circular shape in a plan view. In this case, the entire inner surface of the through hole 22 can be touched with a finger. Therefore, the entire inner surface of the through hole 22 can be reliably cleaned with a finger.

[0040] Each granule 40 is hydrophobic. In this case, most of the urine excreted on the granule 40 passes through the gaps between the granules 40 without being absorbed by the granules 40. This allows the urine to be quickly guided to the lower space S2.

[0041] When each granular body 40 can pass through the through hole 22, there is no need to make the through hole 22 small so that the granular body 40 cannot pass through. This has the advantage that the through hole 22 can be easily made large.

[0042] When each granular body 40 is made mainly of organic matter, it is possible to obtain a granular body 40 suitable for incineration. This contributes to the convenience of disposing of used granular body 40. In particular, when each granular body 40 is made only of organic matter, it is possible to obtain a granular body 40 that is more suitable for incineration.

[0043] When the partition 20 is made of plastic, it is required that the partition 20 be used repeatedly for a long period of time from the viewpoint of environmental protection, etc. For this reason, cleaning of the partition 20 (particularly the through-hole 22) is important, and therefore an animal litter box 1 in which the through-hole 22 can be easily made large is particularly useful.

[0044] The main body 10 is made up of one container. In this case, the animal litter box 1 having the upper space S1 and the lower space S2 can be realized with a simpler configuration than when the main body 10 is made up of multiple containers.

[0045] The partition section 20 is not fixed to the main body section 10. In this case, the partition section 20 can be easily attached to and detached from the main body section 10.

[0046] The partition section 20 is placed on the support section 14. This allows the partition section 20 to be held in a predetermined position within the main body section 10 without being fixed to the main body section 10.

[0047] The support portion 14 is provided on the entire inner periphery of the side surface portion 10b in a plan view, which makes it easier to prevent the partition portion 20 from falling into the lower space S2.

[0048] The partition 20 can be disposed in the main body 10 with its entire periphery spaced apart from the side surface 10b. By providing a margin between the partition 20 and the side surface 10b in this manner, the partition 20 can be smoothly attached to and detached from the main body 10.

[0049] A water-absorbent sheet 50 is disposed below the partition 20. This allows urine collected in the lower space S2 to be trapped within the water-absorbent sheet 50. This makes it possible to reduce the generation of bad odors from the urine.

[0050] A drawer section 60 is provided which can be inserted into and removed from the main body section 10. This allows easy replacement of a used water-absorbent sheet 50 with a new one.

[0051] However, unlike other animals such as dogs, cats have the habit of hiding their excrement with granular materials after excretion. Therefore, the animal litter box 1 in which a plurality of granular materials 40 are laid in the upper space S1 is particularly suitable for use as a cat litter box.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In the above embodiment, the case where the area of ​​the sheet member 30 is equal to the area of ​​the partition section 20 is exemplified. However, the area of ​​the sheet member 30 may be larger or smaller than the area of ​​the partition section 20 in a plan view. In the former case, by folding a part of the sheet member 30 (a part protruding from the partition section 20) so as to enclose the side surface of the partition section 20 as shown in FIG. 8, the sheet member 30 becomes more unlikely to slip relative to the partition section 20.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the partition 20 may have a fixing means for fixing the sheet member 30. For example, such a fixing means may be a notch 24 as shown in FIG. 9. In the figure, the notch 24 is provided near the four corners of the partition 20. As shown in FIG. 10, the sheet member 30 can be fixed to the partition 20 by inserting the corners of the sheet member 30 into the notch 24. Alternatively, the fixing means may be a clip 26 as shown in FIG. 11. In the figure, the clip 26 is provided near both ends of the partition 20 in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 12, the sheet member 30 can be fixed to the partition 20 by clamping the ends of the sheet member 30 with the clip 26. By providing the fixing means in this way, it is possible to more reliably prevent the sheet member 30 from slipping relative to the partition 20.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the planar shape of the through hole 22 is circular. However, the planar shape of the through hole 22 may be any shape, for example, an ellipse or a polygon such as a rectangle.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the support portion 14 is formed of a protrusion provided on the entire inner circumference of the side surface portion 10b in a plan view. However, the support portion 14 may be formed of one or more protrusions provided on only a part of the inner circumference of the side surface portion 10b in a plan view, or may be formed of multiple protrusions.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the case where the pull-out portion 60 is provided has been exemplified. However, it is not essential to provide the pull-out portion 60. When the pull-out portion 60 is not provided, the water-absorbent sheet 50 is directly disposed on the bottom surface portion 10a. In that case, naturally, the opening 12 is not provided in the side surface portion 10b.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the case where the water-absorbent sheet 50 is provided on the main body portion 10 has been exemplified. However, it is not essential to provide the water-absorbent sheet 50 on the main body portion 10. If the water-absorbent sheet 50 is not provided, the pull-out portion 60 is not provided either.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the main body 10 is constituted by one container. However, the main body 10 may be constituted by a plurality of containers, for example, as shown in FIG. 13. In the figure, the main body 10 is constituted by two containers (containers 72, 74). Each of the containers 72, 74 is box-shaped having a bottom and a side. The container 72 is stacked on the container 74. The bottom of the container 72 has a through hole 22 and constitutes the partition 20. As a result, the internal space of the container 72 and the internal space of the container 74 are the upper space S1 and the lower space S2, respectively. In addition, the bottom of the container 74 constitutes the bottom of the main body 10, and the side of the container 72 and the side of the container 74 constitute the side of the main body 10. In this case, too, a sheet member 30 is laid on the partition 20 so as to cover the through hole 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1. Animal toilet 10 Main body 10a Bottom part 10b Side part 12 Aperture 14 Support part 20 Partition 22 Through hole 24 Notch (fixing means) 26 Clip (fixing means) 30 Sheet material 40 Granules 50 Water-absorbent sheet 60 Lead-out part 62 Handle 72 Container 74 Container S1 Upper space S2 Lower space

Claims

1. a main body portion having a bottom portion and a side portion for receiving excreted urine; a partition portion having a through hole for allowing the urine to pass therethrough and dividing the internal space of the main body portion into an upper space and a lower space; a sheet member that is laid on the partition portion so as to cover the through-hole and allows the urine to pass through; An animal litter box comprising:

2. The animal litter box according to claim 1, The sheet member is laid on the partition so as to overlap the entire effective area of ​​the partition in a plan view.

3. The animal litter box according to claim 2, The sheet member is laid on the partition so as to overlap the entirety of the partition in a plan view.

4. The animal litter box according to claim 3, The animal litter box, in a plan view, has an area of ​​the sheet member larger than an area of ​​the partition portion.

5. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The animal litter box, wherein the thickness of the sheet member is smaller than the thickness of the partition portion.

6. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The partition portion has a plurality of the through holes, The sheet member is laid on the partition so as to cover all of the plurality of through holes.

7. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The partition portion has a fixing means for fixing the sheet member.

8. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, An animal litter box, wherein the maximum circular dimension of the through hole is 12.0 mm or more.

9. The animal litter box according to claim 8, An animal litter box, wherein the maximum circular dimension of the through hole is 25.0 mm or more.

10. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The through hole has a shape that does not include corners in a plan view.

11. The animal litter box according to claim 10, In the animal litter box, the outline of the through hole is made up of only an outwardly bulging curve in a plan view.

12. The animal litter box according to claim 11, The through hole has a circular shape in a plan view.

13. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A plurality of hydrophobic granular bodies are disposed in the upper space, The sheet member is interposed between the partition and the plurality of granular bodies.

14. The animal litter box according to claim 13, An animal litter box, wherein each of the granular bodies is capable of passing through the through holes.

15. The animal litter box according to claim 13, The granular bodies are animal litter boxes made primarily of organic matter.

16. The animal litter box according to claim 15, The granular bodies are animal litter boxes made entirely of organic matter.

17. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The partition is made of plastic.

18. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The main body is an animal litter box consisting of a single container.

19. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The partition portion is not fixed to the main body portion.

20. The animal litter box according to claim 19, The main body portion has a support portion protruding from the side surface portion to an inside of the main body portion, The partition portion is placed on the support portion.

21. The animal litter box according to claim 20, The animal litter box has a support portion that is provided along the entire inner circumference of the side portion when viewed in a plan view.

22. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The partition portion can be disposed within the main body portion with the entire periphery of the partition portion spaced apart from the side portion.

23. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The animal litter box is provided with an absorbent sheet disposed in the lower space for absorbing the urine.

24. The animal litter box according to claim 23, A drawer portion is provided in which the absorbent sheet is housed, An opening is formed in the side surface of the main body, The animal litter box includes a drawer portion that can be inserted into and removed from the main body portion through the opening.

25. The animal litter box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The animal litter box is a cat litter box.

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