Toilet for pet

Abstract

To provide a toilet for pet in which only a draining board that is easy to get dirty can be detached and easily and reliably cleaned and replacement cost is suppressed to be low since only the draining board requires replacement.SOLUTION: A toilet for rabbit (toilet for pet) 1 includes: a container-shaped tray 10 having an openable upper surface; a plate-shaped draining board 20 in which a plurality of holes 21 are formed in a lattice shape; and a cover member 40 covering from upward each outer peripheral part of the tray 10 and the draining member 20 in a state where a peripheral wall 42 in the periphery of an opening part 41 through which the pet enters or exits sandwiches an outer peripheral part of the draining member 20, with an outer peripheral part of the tray 10. The tray 10, the draining member 20, and the cover member 40 are independently configured such that they can be disassembled and assembled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pet toilet for pets such as rabbits to excrete. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when pets such as rabbits are kept in cages, it is common practice to install a pet toilet in the cage for the pet to excrete (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such pet toilets, an absorbent sheet (pet toilet sheet) is placed on a tray, but there is a problem that the urine excreted by the pet gets behind the absorbent sheet and stains the inner surface of the tray. In addition, since the absorbent sheet receives the entire surface of the feces and urine excreted by the pet, the absorbent sheet becomes soiled, and there is a problem that hands get dirty when replacing the absorbent sheet.

[0003] Therefore, Patent Document 2 proposes a pet toilet that prevents the inner surface of the tray from getting dirty and allows the water-absorbent sheet to be replaced without getting your hands dirty. This pet toilet is composed of a tray with an open top, a water-absorbent sheet large enough to cover the bottom surface of the tray and the entire inner surface of the peripheral walls, and a cover member that is integral with a slat member to be placed on the tray, and is characterized in that the part of the water-absorbent sheet that is folded downward at the upper edge of the peripheral walls of the tray is fixed in place by a recessed groove formed in the cover member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-074996 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-080711 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the pet toilet proposed in Patent Document 2, the cover member and the slat member are constructed as a single unit, which makes it difficult to clean the slat member, which is the member most likely to become soiled by pet feces and urine.Furthermore, it is not possible to replace just the slat member, which is a consumable item, but rather the entire cover member must be replaced, which results in high replacement costs.

[0006] To provide a pet toilet which has been made in view of the above problems and in which only the easily soiled slat members can be removed for easy and reliable cleaning, and in which replacement costs can be kept low by replacing only the slat members. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the pet toilet of the present invention is composed of a container-shaped tray (10) with an open top, a plate-shaped slat member (20) with a plurality of holes (21) formed in a grid pattern, and a cover member (40) that covers the outer periphery of the tray (10) and the slat member (20) from above, with a peripheral wall (42) around an opening (41) through which pets enter and exit, sandwiching the outer periphery of the slat member (20) between the outer periphery of the tray (10), and is characterized in that the tray (10), the slat member (20), and the cover member (40) are each constructed independently so that they can be disassembled and assembled.

[0008] Furthermore, the pet toilet of the present invention may be provided with a sheet clamping portion (50) provided on the tray (10) and the slat member (20) and capable of clamping the water-absorbent sheet (30) between them, and the water-absorbent sheet (30) may be interposed between the tray (10) and the slat member (20) with its peripheral edge clamped by the sheet clamping portion (50).

[0009] According to the pet toilet of the present invention, the tray, slats, and cover are each constructed independently and can be disassembled and assembled, so that the water-absorbent sheet, which is easily soiled and therefore needs to be replaced frequently, can be easily replaced by a new one by simply disassembling the tray, slats, and cover, thereby keeping the pet toilet always clean. In addition, the slats, which are easily soiled, can be easily removed and cleaned, and the slats can be easily replaced as consumables, so replacement costs can be kept low.

[0010] Furthermore, since the water-absorbent sheet is sandwiched between the tray and the slat member with its periphery sandwiched between the outer peripheries of the tray and the slat member, it is possible to prevent pets from biting or grabbing the water-absorbent sheet and damaging it.

[0011] In addition, in the pet toilet of the present invention, the left and right side wall portions (42a) of the peripheral wall (42) of the cover member (40) may have a shape that rises obliquely upward toward the rear of the pet toilet (1).

[0012] The slat members (20) may also be made of a synthetic resin material containing a water-repellent material.

[0013] With this configuration, the slats are molded from a synthetic resin material containing a water-repellent material, so pet urine is repelled by the slats and is less likely to adhere to the slats, reducing soiling of the slats and reducing the frequency of replacement of the slats.

[0014] In the pet toilet of the present invention, each hole (21) in the slat member (20) may be formed in a hexagonal honeycomb shape. By forming the multiple holes formed in the slat member in a regular hexagonal honeycomb shape (structure), the burden on the feet of a pet standing on the slat member to defecate is reduced. Furthermore, the upper surface of the peripheral wall (21A) of each hole (21) in the slat member (20) may be formed as an arc-convex curved surface. By forming the upper surface of the peripheral wall of each hole as an arc-convex curved surface, the effect of making it more difficult for pet urine to adhere to the slat member is obtained.

[0015] The pet toilet of the present invention may also be provided with a locking structure that locks a portion of the tray 10 to the cover member 40. In this case, the locking structure may be composed of a tongue-shaped locking piece 12 formed on a portion of the peripheral wall 11 of the tray 10 and an engaging claw 45 that protrudes from the inner surface of the peripheral wall 42 of the cover member 40 and engages with and disengages from the locking piece 12. An opening 43 that allows the locking piece 12 to be operated from the outside may also be formed in a portion of the peripheral wall 42 of the cover member 40.

[0016] With these configurations, by inserting a hand through the opening in the peripheral wall of the cover member and pushing the tray's locking piece toward the back, bending it backward, the locking step of the locking piece disengages from the engaging claw on the cover member, allowing the cover member to be easily lifted upward and removed with a simple operation.

[0017] Moreover, it is desirable that this locking structure be provided at only one location on the front side of the pet toilet.

[0018] With this configuration, the cover member and tray are fastened together at a single point on the front, allowing for quick and easy installation and removal of the cover member with a simple operation using only one hand, and making it easy and quick to replace the absorbent sheet and clean or replace the slats. Furthermore, even though the cover member and tray are fastened together at a single point on the front, there is no risk of the tray coming off the cover member and falling when the pet litter box is being carried. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the pet toilet of the present invention, only the slat members, which are easily soiled, can be removed for easy and reliable cleaning, and replacement costs can be kept low by replacing only the slat members. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a rabbit toilet (pet toilet) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a rabbit litter box. [Figure 3] A side cross-sectional view of a rabbit litter box. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a rabbit litter box. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of part A in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of part B in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view showing the locking structure of the rabbit litter box. [Figure 8] 10(a) to 10(c) are partial cross-sectional side views showing the operation of the locking structure of the rabbit litter box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] [Pet toilet (rabbit toilet) components] First, the configuration of a rabbit toilet 1, which is one embodiment of the pet toilet of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In the following description, the directions of the arrows shown in Figure 1 represent the "left-right" direction, the "front-back" direction, and the "up-down" direction, respectively. Also, in Figure 5, the water-absorbent sheet 30, which will be described later, is not shown. Note that the pet toilet of the present invention is suitable for use as a toilet for rabbits (rabbits kept as pets), and therefore the following description will use rabbit toilet 1 as an example, but the pet toilet of the present invention is not necessarily limited to rabbit toilets and may be a toilet for other small animals kept as pets.

[0023] 1 and 2, the rabbit litter box 1 comprises, as its main components, a tray 10 in the shape of a rectangular container with an open top, a plate-like slat member 20 with a plurality of holes 21 formed in a grid pattern, a water-absorbent sheet 30 interposed between the tray 10 and the slat member 20, and a cover member 40 that covers all or part of the tray 10, slat member 20, and water-absorbent sheet 30. Below, the structures of the tray 10, slat member 20, water-absorbent sheet 30, and cover member 40, which are the main components of this rabbit litter box 1, will be explained.

[0024] (tray) Tray 10, which is open at the top, is molded from synthetic resin into a rectangular container shape, and as shown in Figures 1 to 4, a peripheral wall 11 of a constant width (constant height) is formed integrally around the periphery of its upper end. A tongue-shaped locking piece 12 extends vertically downward integrally from the center in the left-right direction of the front part of peripheral wall 11. Locking steps 12a are formed on the left and right at intermediate height positions of these locking pieces 12, as shown in Figure 2.

[0025] 3, a horizontal receiving surface 13 is formed around the entire periphery of the tray 10, inside the peripheral wall 11 at the upper end periphery.

[0026] (Slatted components) The slat member 20 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate from a synthetic resin material containing a water-repellent material, and has a plurality of regular hexagonal holes 21 formed in a lattice (honeycomb) pattern. As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the peripheral wall 21A of each hole 21 formed in the slat member 20 is a convex curved surface in the shape of a substantially semicircular arc (chamfered with a radius). The water-repellent material and the synthetic resin material containing it include, for example, a surface modifier obtained by adding silicone oil or an enhancer to a synthetic resin. However, the water-repellent material is not limited to these, and other surface modifiers may be used as long as they contain a material that can impart stain resistance and water repellency to the surface of the synthetic resin material.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, vertical walls 22 are provided integrally with the slat member 20 on a portion of the outer periphery thereof, specifically on the left and right portions (rear half) of the outer periphery and the rear portion.

[0028] The tray 10 and the slat member 20 are provided with a sheet clamping section 50 capable of clamping a water-absorbent sheet 30 (described later) between them. The sheet clamping section 50 is made up of the inner surface 11a of the peripheral wall 11 of the tray 10 and the outer surface 23a of the edge portion 23 of the slat member 20, and is configured so that when the slat member 20 is placed on the tray 10, the outer periphery of the water-absorbent sheet 30 is clamped between the inner surface 11a and the outer surface 23a.

[0029] (Water-absorbent sheet) The water-absorbent sheet 30 is a thin, flexible, and highly absorbent, commercially available rectangular sheet (a commercially available pet toilet sheet) with outer dimensions larger than the opening area of ​​the tray 10. This water-absorbent sheet 30 is a sheet that can absorb urine excreted by rabbits, and the periphery of this water-absorbent sheet 30 is sandwiched between the tray 10 and the slat member 20 by the aforementioned sheet sandwiching portion 50, i.e., the peripheries of the tray 10 and the slat member 20 (the inner surface 11a of the peripheral wall 11 and the outer surface 23a of the edge portion 23).

[0030] (Cover member) The cover member 40 is a member having an opening 41 formed therein for the rabbit to enter and exit, and is integrally formed from a synthetic resin material. Peripheral walls 42 are provided integrally on both the left and right sides and the rear portion of the cover member 40 around the opening 41, excluding the front portion, and the left and right side wall portions 42a of the peripheral wall 42 have a shape that rises obliquely upward toward the rear wall portion 42b at the rear. In other words, the heights of the left and right side wall portions 42a gradually increase toward the rear wall portion 42b at the rear.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 43 is formed in the center of the front wall portion 42c of the peripheral wall 42 of the cover member 40 in the left-right direction, for manually pressing the locking piece 12 formed on the tray 10 from the outside.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 4, the peripheral wall 42 erected around the opening 41 of the cover member 40 has an inner / outer double structure with an inner plate 42A and an outer plate 42B folded back on each other at the upper end of the cover member 40, and a groove 44 opening downward is formed inside the wall 42 around the entire periphery. The peripheral wall 11 formed around the upper end of the tray 10 and the vertical wall 22 partially formed on the outer periphery of the slat member 20 are fitted into the groove 44, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, on the left and right sides of the portion where the opening 43 is formed in the center of the left-right direction on the inner surface of the front wall portion 42c of the peripheral wall 42 of the cover member 40, a pair of engagement claws 45 are integrally formed and protrude inward, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 7, and these engagement claws 45 and the engagement piece 12 formed on the tray 10 form an engagement structure for partially engaging the cover member 40 and the tray 10.

[0034] The cover member 40 covers the outer periphery of the tray 10 and the slat member 20 from above, with the outer periphery of the slat member 20 sandwiched between the cover member 40 and the outer periphery of the tray 10, and the opening 41 of the cover member 40 faces the multiple honeycomb-shaped holes 21 of the slat member 20.

[0035] The tray 10, slat member 20, and cover member 40, which are the main components of the rabbit litter box 1 of this embodiment, are each constructed independently (as separate members), and can be disassembled and assembled. Below, we will explain the operation (how to use) of the rabbit litter box 1, including how to disassemble and assemble it.

[0036] [How rabbit litter works] (Assembly Instructions) To assemble the rabbit litter box 1, which is made up of the tray 10, slat member 20, and cover member 40, which are all separate members, the water-absorbent sheet 30 is placed on the peripheral wall 11 of the tray 10, and then the slat member 20 is placed on top of that, with the outer periphery of the slat member 20 placed on the receiving surface 13 (see Figure 3) formed on the outer periphery of the tray 10. At this time, the water-absorbent sheet 30, held by the sheet holding section 50, is interposed between the tray 10 and the slat member 20, and the outer periphery of the water-absorbent sheet 30 is folded upward by the slat member 20.

[0037] Then, from the above state, the cover member 40 is placed over the tray 10 and the slat member 20. Then, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the peripheral wall 11 of the tray 10 and the vertical wall 22 of the slat member 20 are fitted into the groove 44 formed inside the peripheral wall 42 of the cover member 40, and the tray 10, slat member 20, and cover member 40 are assembled in a mutually positioned state, but the act of placing the cover member 40 over the tray 10 and slat member 20 from above activates the locking structure to lock the front portion of the cover member 40 with the front portion of the tray 10. The locking operation of the cover member 40 to the tray 10 using this locking structure will be described below with reference to Figure 8.

[0038] That is, as shown in Fig. 8(a), before the cover member 40 is placed over the tray 10 or the slat member 20, the pair of engaging claws 45 of the cover member 40 are not in contact with the locking pieces 12 of the tray 10, and therefore the cover member 40 is not locked to the tray 10. When the cover member 40 is lowered from this state and the pair of engaging claws 45 of the cover member 40 come into contact with the locking pieces 12 of the tray 10, the engaging claws 45 descend while bending the locking pieces 12 inward, as shown in Fig. 8(b).

[0039] Then, as shown in Figure 8(c), when the pair of engaging claws 45 on the cover member 40 side pass over the engaging step portion 12a of the engaging piece 12 on the tray 10 side, the engaging piece 12 returns to its original vertical state due to its own elastic restoring force, and the engaging claws 45 engage with the engaging step portion 12a of the engaging piece 12, thereby connecting the cover member 40 and the tray 10 to each other at one point on the front side.

[0040] (How to use a rabbit litter box) The rabbit litter box 1 assembled as described above is placed in a predetermined location in a cage (not shown) in which a rabbit is kept and is used for the rabbit's excretion, and if hook-and-loop fasteners (not shown) are attached to the underside of the tray 10 of the rabbit litter box 1 and to the floor of the cage, the adhesive strength of these hook-and-loop fasteners allows the rabbit litter box 1 to be placed in a securely fixed state in the cage without moving. Furthermore, when removing the rabbit litter box 1 from the cage for cleaning or maintenance, the rabbit litter box 1 can be removed by simply lifting it up, detaching the hook-and-loop fasteners, making cleaning and other tasks easy.

[0041] Therefore, in the rabbit litter box 1 installed in the cage, the front of the cover member 40 is open, and the left and right side wall portions 42a of the peripheral wall 42 of the cover member 40 are formed so that they become higher toward the rear, which makes it easier for the rabbit to enter the rabbit litter box 1 when excreting.

[0042] Furthermore, in the rabbit litter box 1 of this embodiment, the water-absorbent sheet 30 is sandwiched and positioned below the slatted members 20, so a rabbit resting on the slatted members 20 cannot directly touch the water-absorbent sheet 30. This prevents the rabbit from tampering with the water-absorbent sheet 30 or causing problems such as it becoming misaligned. Therefore, the water-absorbent sheet 30 is always used in a normal condition.

[0043] Furthermore, in the rabbit litter box 1 of this embodiment, the slat members 20 are formed from a synthetic resin material containing a water-repellent material, so urine excreted by the rabbit is repelled by the slat members 20 and is less likely to adhere to the slat members 20. This prevents the slat members 20 from becoming soiled, and reduces the frequency with which the slat members 20 need to be replaced.

[0044] Furthermore, by forming the plurality of holes 21 formed in the slat member 20 in a regular hexagonal shape, rabbit droppings can pass through the inside of this regular hexagonal shape and fall more reliably below the slat member 20, while reducing the burden on the rabbit's feet. That is, while the mesh-like holes in conventional slat members are usually rectangular, using a rectangular shape to make it easier for rabbit droppings to pass through results in a correspondingly larger rectangular shape, which makes it difficult to ensure a space where the rabbit can stably place its feet (contact area between the rabbit's feet and the slat member 20), thereby placing a burden on the rabbit's feet. In contrast, in this embodiment, by forming the holes 21 of the slat member 20 in a regular hexagonal shape, rabbit droppings can pass through effectively despite the smaller holes 21, and the size (area) of the area where the rabbit can stably place its feet can be increased, thereby effectively reducing the burden on the feet of a rabbit standing on the slat member 20 to defecate. Furthermore, as shown in detail in Figure 5, the upper surface of the peripheral wall of each hole 21 is made into an arc-shaped convex curved surface, which has the effect of making it difficult for rabbit urine excreted while resting on the slat member 20 to adhere to the slat member 20.

[0045] (How to replace the water-absorbing sheet and slats) The water absorbent sheet 30 and the slatted members 20 can be replaced by disassembling the rabbit litter box 1 in the following procedure.

[0046] That is, by inserting one's hand through opening 43 in front wall portion 42c of peripheral wall 42 of cover member 40 and pushing locking piece 12 of tray 10 toward the rear, and bending it backward, locking step 12a of locking piece 12 disengages from locking claw 45 on cover member 40, allowing cover member 40 to be lifted upward and removed. Then, by lifting slat member 20 from this state, water-absorbent sheet 30 can be removed and replaced with a new one. Furthermore, removing slat member 20 allows for easy, efficient cleaning, and, if necessary, replacement of slat member 20 with a new one.

[0047] As described above, after replacing the water-absorbent sheet 30 with a new one or cleaning or replacing the slat members 20 with new ones, the rabbit litter box 1 can be assembled in the same manner as described above, but in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the cover member 40 and the tray 10 are fastened together at a single point on the front side, so the cover member 40 can be easily and quickly attached and removed, and the water-absorbent sheet 30 can be easily and quickly replaced and the slat members 20 can be cleaned or replaced. Furthermore, even if a configuration is adopted in which the cover member 40 and the tray 10 are fastened together at a single point on the front side, there is no problem in that the tray 10 will come off the cover member 40 and fall when the rabbit litter box 1 is carried.

[0048] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the rabbit litter box 1 of this embodiment, the tray 10, slat member 20 and cover member 40 are each constructed independently and can be disassembled and assembled, so the slat member 20, which is easily soiled, can be easily removed and cleaned, and the slat member 20 can be easily replaced as a consumable item, keeping replacement costs low.

[0049] Furthermore, since the water-absorbent sheet 30 is interposed between the tray 10 and the slat member 20 with its peripheral edges sandwiched between the outer peripheries of the tray 10 and the slat member 20, it is possible to prevent rabbits from biting or grabbing the water-absorbent sheet 30 and damaging it.

[0050] Furthermore, by simply disassembling the tray 10, the slatted member 20 and the cover member 40, the water-absorbing sheet 30, which is easily soiled and therefore frequently replaced, can be easily replaced with a new one, and the rabbit litter box 1 can always be kept clean.

[0051] The present invention is not limited to the application of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, specification, and drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Rabbit toilet (pet toilet) 10 trays 11 Peripheral wall 11a Inner surface 12 Locking piece 12a Locking step 20 Slatted members 21 holes 21A Hole wall 22 Vertical Wall 23 Edge 23a Exterior 30 Water-absorbent sheet 40 Cover member 41 Opening 42 Peripheral wall 43 Opening 45 Engagement claw 50 Sheet clamping section

Claims

1. a container-shaped tray with an open top; A plate-like slat member having a plurality of holes formed in a lattice pattern; a cover member that covers the tray and each outer periphery of the slat member from above in a state where a peripheral wall around an opening through which a pet enters and exits sandwiches the outer periphery of the slat member between the peripheral wall and the tray; The pet toilet is characterized in that the tray, the slatted member and the cover member are constructed independently of each other and can be disassembled and assembled.

2. a sheet holding portion provided on the tray and the slat member and capable of holding a water-absorbent sheet therebetween; 2. The pet toilet according to claim 1, wherein the water-absorbent sheet is interposed between the tray and the slatted member with its peripheral edge sandwiched by the sheet sandwiching portion.

3. 2. The pet toilet according to claim 1, wherein the left and right side wall portions of the peripheral wall of the cover member are shaped to rise obliquely upward toward the rear of the pet toilet.

4. 2. The pet toilet according to claim 1, wherein the slatted members are made of a synthetic resin material containing a water-repellent material.

5. 2. The pet toilet according to claim 1, wherein each hole of the slatted member is formed in a hexagonal honeycomb shape.

6. 6. The pet toilet according to claim 5, wherein the upper surface of the peripheral wall of each hole of the slat member is formed as a convex arc surface.

7. 2. The pet toilet according to claim 1, further comprising a locking structure for locking a part of the tray to the cover member.

8. The pet toilet of claim 7, characterized in that the locking structure is composed of a tongue-shaped locking piece formed on a part of the peripheral wall of the tray and an engaging claw protruding from the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the cover member and engaging and disengaging with the locking piece.

9. 9. The pet toilet according to claim 8, wherein an opening is formed in a part of the peripheral wall of the cover member, allowing the locking piece to be operated from the outside.

10. 8. The pet toilet according to claim 6, wherein the locking structure is provided only at one location on the front side of the pet toilet.

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