Small animal excrement containers

Abstract

To provide an excretion container for a small animal capable of inhibiting excrement in a tray from contaminating a rearing space effectively.SOLUTION: An excretion container for a small animal includes a tray, a lattice floor part, and a partition wall part. The tray includes a tray body having a bottom wall part and a circumferential wall part, a first tray engagement part provided on an outside surface side of the circumferential wall part, and a second tray engagement part provided at a position opposed to the first tray engagement part in the circumferential wall part. The lattice floor part includes a floor body, a first floor engagement part provided in a peripheral edge part of the floor body on a back side of the partition wall part that engages with and disengages from the first tray engagement part from the outside, and a second floor engagement part provided at a position opposed to the first floor engagement part in the floor body that engages with and disengages from the second tray engagement part. The lattice floor part is configured so as to release the engagement of the second floor engagement part with the second tray engagement part after releasing the engagement of the first floor engagement part with the first tray engagement part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to an excretory container for small animals. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to keep clean the rearing space where small animals reared in ordinary households and the like live, it is widely known to install an excretory container for small animals in the rearing space. In addition, it is known that some small animals such as rabbits have a habit of excreting with their hips against a wall.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a toilet including an integral partition wall container and a water-permeable bottom plate (grid floor portion) disposed in the container. Specifically, this integral partition wall container comprises a container (tray) having a container body with a bottom portion of a right-angled isosceles triangle and three side walls rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom portion, a partition wall portion extending upward from two side walls rising from adjacent sides sandwiching the right angle of the bottom portion among the three side walls, and a container engaging portion provided on a side wall rising from the hypotenuse of the bottom portion among the three side walls, wherein the container, the partition wall portion and the container engaging portion are integrally formed. This integral partition wall container can be installed in a corner of a cage by placing the hypotenuse of the bottom portion on the front side.

[0004] On the other hand, the water-permeable bottom plate has a right-angled isosceles triangle shape that covers the opening of the container and includes a bottom plate body with multiple holes formed therein, hooks protruding downward from the hypotenuse of the bottom plate body, and multiple legs extending downward from the bottom plate body and making contact with the bottom wall. This water-permeable bottom plate can be attached to the partition wall integrated container by hooking the hooks onto the container engagement portion of the partition wall integrated container and then making contact with the bottom wall with the multiple legs. On the other hand, when disposing of waste accumulated in the container of the partition wall integrated container, the water-permeable bottom plate can be removed from the partition wall integrated container by lifting the rear side of the water-permeable bottom plate so that the multiple legs are separated from the bottom wall, and then moving the hooks forward (upward and forward) to release the engagement with the container engagement portion.

[0005] According to the toilet described in Patent Document 1, the partition wall forms a wall area, making it possible to guide small animals to defecate inside the toilet, and the excrement excreted by the small animals falls to the bottom of the container through the holes in the water-permeable bottom plate, separating it from the small animals. Therefore, it is advantageous in that it can provide a clean living space for small animals as it prevents them from stepping on the excrement and soiling themselves.

[0006] Furthermore, according to the toilet described in Patent Document 1, since the water-permeable bottom plate is configured to be detachable from the partition wall-integrated container, the toilet can be cleaned efficiently. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-149966 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Incidentally, some small animals, such as rabbits, may become agitated in their enclosure due to stress or other reasons. When such small animals use the toilet described in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the enclosure may be contaminated by the excrement accumulated in the container. Specifically, in the toilet described in Patent Document 1, the water-permeable bottom plate can be removed from the partition-wall integrated container simply by lifting the rear side of the water-permeable bottom plate and releasing the engagement between the hook provided on the front side of the container, i.e., the small animal side, and the container engagement part. Therefore, if the small animal, due to stress or other reasons, for example bites the water-permeable bottom plate and swings it around, the engagement between the hook and the container engagement part may be unexpectedly released, and the water-permeable bottom plate may be removed from the container. In this case, since the water-permeable bottom plate is removed from the partition-wall integrated container, the small animal may step on the excrement stored in the container, causing the excrement to adhere to the small animal, and there is a possibility that the enclosure may be contaminated by the excrement.

[0009] The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a small animal excretion container that can effectively prevent the lattice floor from being unexpectedly removed from the tray and contaminating the breeding space with excrement from the tray. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, the excretion container for small animals according to the present invention comprises a tray opening upward, a grid floor portion covering the opening of the tray, and a partition wall portion extending upward from a part of the peripheral edge of the grid floor portion. The tray has a tray body having a bottom wall portion and a peripheral side wall portion rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion, a first tray engaging portion provided on the outer surface side of the peripheral side wall portion, and a second tray engaging portion provided on the peripheral side wall portion at a position opposite to the first tray engaging portion. The grid floor portion has a floor body having a shape that covers the opening, a first floor engaging portion provided on the peripheral edge of the floor body on the back side of the partition wall portion and engaging with and disengaging from the first tray engaging portion from the outside, and a second floor engaging portion provided on the floor body at a position opposite to the first floor engaging portion and engaging with and disengaging from the second tray engaging portion. The grid floor portion is configured to release the engagement of the second floor engaging portion with the second tray engaging portion after the engagement of the first floor engaging portion with the first tray engaging portion has been released.

[0011] This small animal excretion container comprises a tray, a grid floor, and a partition wall, allowing for the use of the small animal's habit of defecating near walls to encourage excretion within the container. The tray comprises a tray body, a first tray engaging portion, and a second tray engaging portion, and the grid floor comprises a floor body shaped to cover the opening, a first floor engaging portion, and a second floor engaging portion. The grid floor can be detachably attached to the tray by the engagement of the first and second floor engaging portions with the first and second tray engaging portions. This allows the grid floor to be attached to the tray by engaging the engaging portions at at least two opposing points, while the grid floor can be removed from the tray by releasing the engagement of the engaging portions when disposing of the excrement accumulated in the tray, thereby allowing the small animal excretion container to be cleaned.

[0012] When this small animal waste container is placed in the corner of the cage, the second engagement parts (tray engagement part and floor engagement part) face the rearing space. However, the grid floor part is configured such that the engagement of the second floor engagement part with the second tray engagement part is released only after the engagement of the first floor engagement part with the first tray engagement part has been released. Therefore, the grid floor part cannot be removed from the tray simply by accessing the second engagement parts. On the other hand, the first floor engagement part is provided on the periphery of the floor body on the back side of the partition wall and engages with the first tray engagement part from the outside. Therefore, the partition wall obstructs small animals from accessing the first floor engagement part. As a result, the engagement between the first floor engagement part and the first tray engagement part is unexpectedly released by a small animal, which can effectively prevent the grid floor part from being unexpectedly removed from the tray and contaminating the rearing space with excrement from the tray.

[0013] In this invention, the first and second tray engaging portions are each provided protruding outward from the circumferential side wall portion, and the first and second floor engaging portions are configured to engage with the first and second tray engaging portions by being locked to them from the outside, and it is preferable that the amount of engagement of the second floor engaging portion with the second tray engaging portion is greater than the amount of engagement of the first floor engaging portion with the first tray engaging portion.

[0014] With this configuration, the grid floor configuration in which the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion is released first, and then the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion is released first, can be easily realized. Specifically, in the above configuration, the amount of engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion is made larger than the amount of engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion. In other words, the amount of movement of the second floor engagement portion required to release the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion is made larger than the amount of movement of the first floor engagement portion required to release the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion. For this reason, the grid floor configuration in which the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion is released first, and then the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion can be realized with a simple configuration such as adjusting the engagement tip position of each floor engagement portion with each tray engagement portion.

[0015] Here, the "amount of engagement" according to the present invention refers to the distance in the protruding direction of each tray engagement portion between the engagement tip position of each floor engagement portion and the protruding tip position of each tray engagement portion.

[0016] In this invention, the first floor engaging portion preferably comprises an operating piece that hangs down from the floor body and elastically deforms outward, and a locking projection that protrudes inward from the inner surface of the operating piece and engages with and disengages from the lower surface of the first tray engaging portion in accordance with the operation of the operating piece, and the second floor engaging portion preferably comprises a hanging portion that hangs down from the floor body and is provided with a locking hole through which the second tray engaging portion is inserted.

[0017] With this configuration, the first floor engaging portion comprises the operating piece and the locking projection, so the locking state between the locking projection and the first tray engaging portion can be released by a simple operation such as elastically deforming the operating piece outward. On the other hand, the second floor engaging portion has a hanging portion that hangs down from the floor body and is provided with a locking hole through which the second tray engaging portion is inserted, so the second floor engaging portion and the second tray engaging portion can be easily engaged by inserting the second tray engaging portion into the locking hole.

[0018] Furthermore, in the above configuration, engagement between the second floor engagement portion and the second tray engagement portion is achieved by inserting the second tray engagement portion into the locking hole. Therefore, by simply adjusting the amount of outward protrusion of the second tray engagement portion, i.e., the position of the protruding tip of the second tray engagement portion, the amount of movement of the second floor engagement portion required to release the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion can be made larger than the amount of movement of the first floor engagement portion required to release the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion. For this reason, the configuration of the grid floor portion in which the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion is released first, and then the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion is released can be easily realized.

[0019] In this invention, the hanging portion is preferably formed in a plate shape, and the second floor engaging portion further comprises reinforcing ribs that extend along at least one end edge of both widthwise edges of the hanging portion and whose upper ends are connected to the floor body.

[0020] With this configuration, the rigidity of the hanging portion is improved by the reinforcing ribs, making it difficult to elastically deform the hanging portion outward. Therefore, by elastically deforming the hanging portion outward, it becomes difficult to release the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion without releasing the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion.

[0021] In the present invention, it is preferable that the partition wall portion has an internal corner opened toward the center side of the grid floor portion, and the first floor engaging portion is provided on the back side of the internal corner.

[0022] With this configuration, since the first floor engaging portion is formed on the back side opened toward the center side of the grid floor portion, the first floor engaging portion can be provided at a position sufficiently separated from the end of the partition wall portion. That is, the first floor engaging portion can be provided at a position that is difficult for small animals to access. Therefore, unexpected disengagement between the first floor engaging portion and the first tray engaging portion caused by small animals can be suppressed.

[0023] In the present invention, it is preferable that the height dimension of the partition wall portion is set to increase as approaching the internal corner.

[0024] With this configuration, since the height dimension of the partition wall portion increases as approaching the internal corner, the concealability of the first floor engaging portion from small animals improves as approaching the internal corner. As a result, the first floor engaging portion is provided at a position that is more difficult for small animals to access, so that unexpected disengagement between the first floor engaging portion and the first tray engaging portion caused by small animals can be more reliably suppressed. [Advantageous Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an excretion container for small animals that can effectively suppress the situation where the grid floor portion is unexpectedly removed from the tray and excreta in the tray contaminates the inside of the rearing space. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the excretion container for small animals according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the excretion container for small animals. [Figure 3] Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tray of the excretion container for small animals. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a small animal excretion container taken from the cross-section line IV-IV. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a small animal excretion container, taken from the cutting plane VV. [Figure 6] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of region VI shown in Figure 5. [Figure 7] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a small animal excretion container, taken from the cross-section VII-VII. [Figure 8] This is a plan view of a waste container for small animals. [Figure 9] This is a front view of a waste container for small animals. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] Hereinafter, an excretion container 1 for small animals according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are examples that embody the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0028] The small animal excretion container 1 according to this embodiment is to be placed inside a cage when raising small animals that have the habit of defecating with their rear end facing the wall, especially in the area where an indented corner is formed, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters. In the following description, the small animal excretion container 1 will be explained using the case where the small animal is a rabbit as an example, but the type of small animal is not limited to this, and it can be broadly applied to small animals that may become agitated in their living space due to stress or other reasons.

[0029] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the small animal excretion container 1, and Figure 2 is an assembled perspective view thereof. In the drawings, the X direction is referred to as the left-right direction, the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction is referred to as the front-back direction, and the Z direction perpendicular to both the X and Y directions is referred to as the up-down direction. For convenience, +X will be described as the left, +Y as the rear, and +Z as the up.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the small animal excretion container 1 comprises a container body 10 having an irregular rectangular parallelepiped shape and a sheet 100 laid inside the container body 10 to absorb rabbit urine and the like. The container body 10 has an irregular rectangular shape with chamfered corners that are opposite each other in the front-to-back direction when viewed from above, and has an open top, a grid floor portion 30 attached to the tray 20 so as to cover the opening 20A of the tray 20, and a partition wall portion 40 extending upward from the grid floor portion 30.

[0031] Figure 3 is a plan view of the tray 20. The tray 20 has the function of collecting rabbit excrement and, in this embodiment, is formed in the shape of a deep dish. As shown in Figure 3, the tray 20 has a tray body 20B, a rear locking portion 243 (corresponding to the "first tray engagement portion" of the present invention) provided on the outer surface side of the peripheral wall portion 22 of the tray body 20B (described later), and a front locking portion 253 (corresponding to the "second tray engagement portion" of the present invention) provided on the peripheral wall portion 22 of the tray body 20B (described later) at a position opposite to the rear locking portion 243. In this embodiment, the tray body 20B, the front locking portion 253, and the rear locking portion 243 are integrally molded from synthetic resin.

[0032] The tray body 20B comprises an irregularly shaped square bottom wall portion 21 with chamfered corners facing each other in the front-rear direction, and a circumferential side wall portion 22 rising from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 21, thereby having chamfered corners C2 and C1 at the front and rear, respectively. In this embodiment, the bottom wall portion 21 and the circumferential side wall portion 22 are integrally molded from synthetic resin.

[0033] The bottom wall portion 21 is formed as a plate-like body with an irregular rectangular shape as described above, and its upper surface 21a is positioned parallel (including approximately parallel) to the mounting surface of the tray body 20B.

[0034] In this embodiment, the circumferential side wall portion 22 is configured to be able to be placed on the grid floor portion 30 in a positioned state. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the circumferential side wall portion 22 has a pair of side wall portions 23 that form a corner portion C1 at the rear of the tray body 20B, a plate-shaped chamfered wall portion 24 interposed between the pair of side wall portions 23 in a manner that chamfers the corner portion C1, and a connecting wall portion 25 that connects the ends 23a of the pair of side wall portions 23 opposite to the corner portion C1 and forms an opposing corner portion C2 facing the front of the corner portion C1.

[0035] The pair of side wall sections 23 are arranged in a V-shape in plan view, with the extensions of their respective upper edges intersecting at a predetermined intersection 23P, and perpendicular to each other in this embodiment. One end of each section (rear end in Figure 3) is connected to both the left and right ends of the chamfered wall section 24, and the other end (front end in Figure 3) 23a is connected to both the left and right ends of the connecting wall section 25.

[0036] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the small animal excretion container 1 shown in Figure 2, taken from the line IV-IV. As shown in Figure 4, the side wall portion 23 has a side wall main body portion 231, a side wall curved portion 232 connecting the lower end of the side wall main body portion 231 and the bottom wall portion 21, a side wall flange portion 233 that protrudes outward in a plan view from the upper end of the side wall main body portion 231, and a side wall upright portion 234 that rises upward from the outer edge of the side wall flange portion 233.

[0037] The side wall body portion 231 has a draft angle that slopes inward as it extends downward, and is therefore inclined with respect to the normal of the bottom wall portion 21. The inclination angle of the side wall body portion 231 with respect to the normal of the bottom wall portion 21 (hereinafter referred to as the "side wall inclination angle") is set to a typical draft angle, for example, 0.5° or more and 5° or less. In this embodiment, the side wall inclination angle is set to 1°.

[0038] The curved side wall portion 232 is curved to bulge outward, connecting the lower end of the main side wall portion 231 and the bottom wall portion 21.

[0039] The side wall flange portion 233 protrudes outward from the upper end of the side wall main body portion 231, and the rear frame edge portion 31a of the lattice floor portion 30, which will be described later, is placed on its upper surface.

[0040] The side wall erection portion 234 rises upward from the outer edge of the side wall flange portion 233 and positions the rear frame edge portion 31a, which will be described later, that is placed on the side wall flange portion 233.

[0041] The chamfered wall portion 24 is interposed between the pair of side wall portions 23 in such a manner that it chamfers the corner formed by the extension of the pair of side wall portions 23 toward the rear. As shown in Figure 3, the chamfered wall portion 24 in this embodiment is interposed from the upper end of the side wall main portion 231 to the lower end of the side wall curved portion 232 of the pair of side wall portions 23. That is, the chamfered wall portion 24 is a wall portion that rises from the rear edge of the bottom wall portion 21 and is connected to each of the pair of side wall portions 23 in such a manner that the corner portion C1 is chamfered in a so-called C-chamfer. Note that the chamfering method by the chamfered wall portion 24 is not limited to C-chamfering and can be changed to R-chamfering or other methods as appropriate.

[0042] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the small animal excretion container 1 shown in Figure 2, viewed from the cutting line plane VV, and Figure 6 is an enlarged view of region VI shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, the chamfered wall portion 24 is provided above the intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the chamfered wall portion 24, and has an upper overhanging wall portion 241 on which the rear chamfered portion 31c of the lattice floor portion 30, which will be described later, is placed on the upper surface, and an inclined wall portion 242 that extends downward from the lower end of the upper overhanging wall portion 241, i.e., from the upper part of the circumferential wall portion 22, and inclined inward as it goes downward.

[0043] The inclined wall portion 242 is designed to be located below the corner corresponding hole portion H1 of the grid floor portion 30, which will be described later, and has the function of guiding rabbit droppings falling onto the tray body 20B through the corner corresponding hole portion H1 away from the corner portion C1. Specifically, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3, the inclined wall portion 242 is positioned so that in plan view, the central portion inside the outer edge overlaps with the corner corresponding hole portion H1, thereby being set so that droppings falling through the corner corresponding hole portion H1 hit it. As shown in Figure 5, the surface 242a of the inclined wall portion 242 is formed to be flat and is inclined with respect to the normal of the bottom wall portion 21. The inclination angle of the inclined wall portion 242 with respect to the normal of the bottom wall portion 21 (hereinafter referred to as "inclined wall portion inclination angle θ1") is set to be greater than the side wall inclination angle, the second side wall inclination angle described later, and the inclination angle of the second chamfered body portion 252a, and is preferably set within the range of 30° or more and 75° or less. In this embodiment, the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined wall is set to 60°.

[0044] As shown in Figure 5, the lower end of the inclined wall portion 242 is formed in a circular arc shape that protrudes outward in a cross-sectional view and is smoothly connected to the bottom wall portion 21. This allows the feces to be guided to the bottom wall portion 21 without losing momentum as they roll down the inclined wall portion 242. The inclined wall portion 242 has a height dimension of more than half the height dimension of the chamfered wall portion 24. Specifically, in this embodiment, the upper end of the inclined wall portion 242 is positioned at the same height as the lower end of the floor body 35A of the lattice floor portion 30, which will be described later.

[0045] As shown in Figure 3, the connecting wall portion 25 is formed in a symmetrical shape and connects a pair of side wall portions 23. The connecting wall portion 25 has a pair of second side wall portions 251 that form opposing corner portions C2 that face forward relative to corner portion C1, and a second chamfered wall portion 252 interposed between the pair of second side wall portions 251.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3, the pair of second side wall sections 251 are arranged in an inverted V-shape in plan view such that the extensions of their respective upper edges are perpendicular at a predetermined intersection 251P. Each end (front end in Figure 3) is connected to the left and right ends of the second chamfered wall section 252, and each other end (rear end in Figure 3) is connected to the ends 23a of the pair of side wall sections 23.

[0047] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the small animal excretion container 1 of Figure 2, taken from the cutting line VII-VII. As shown in Figure 7, the second side wall portion 251 has a second side wall main body portion 251a, a second side wall curved portion 251b connecting the lower end of the second side wall main body portion 251a and the bottom wall portion 21, a second side wall flange portion 251c that protrudes outward in a plan view from the upper end of the second side wall main body portion 251a, and a second side wall upright portion 251d that rises upward from the outer edge of the second side wall flange portion 251c.

[0048] The second side wall body portion 251a has a draft angle that slopes inward as it extends downward, and is inclined with respect to the normal of the bottom wall portion 21 due to this draft angle. The inclination angle of the second side wall body portion 251a with respect to the normal of the bottom wall portion 21 (hereinafter referred to as the "second side wall inclination angle") is set to a typical draft angle, for example, 0.5° or more and 5° or less. In this embodiment, the second side wall inclination angle is set to be the same as the side wall inclination angle.

[0049] The second side wall curved portion 251b is curved to bulge outward and connects the lower end of the second side wall main portion 251a to the bottom wall portion 21.

[0050] The second side wall flange portion 251c protrudes outward from the upper end of the second side wall main body portion 251a and is formed flush with the side wall flange portion 233, so that the front frame edge portion 31b of the lattice floor portion 30, which will be described later, is placed on it.

[0051] The second side wall erection portion 251d rises upward from the outer edge of the second side wall flange portion 251c and positions the front frame edge portion 31b, which will be described later, that is placed on the side wall flange portion 233. As shown in Figure 3, the second side wall erection portion 251d in this embodiment is not provided along the entire length of the second side wall flange portion 251c, but rather is provided leaving a predetermined range at the front end of the second side wall flange portion 251c. In other words, in this embodiment, the second side wall erection portion 251d is not provided in the vicinity of the second chamfered wall portion 252.

[0052] As shown in Figure 3, the second chamfered wall portion 252 is interposed between a pair of second side wall portions 251, and in this embodiment, it extends from the upper end of the pair of second side wall main portions 251a to the lower end of the pair of second side wall curved portions 251b. That is, the second chamfered wall portion 252 extends upward from the front edge of the bottom wall portion 21 and is connected to the pair of second side wall portions 251 so as to chamfer the opposing corner portion C2 in a so-called C-chamfer. The size of the chamfer by the second chamfered wall portion 252 is set to be larger than the size of the chamfer by the chamfered wall portion 24, and as a result, the left-right dimension of the lower end of the second chamfered wall portion 252 is set to be larger than the left-right dimension of the lower end of the chamfered wall portion 24.

[0053] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the second chamfered wall portion 252 includes a second chamfered main body portion 252a, a second chamfered curved portion 252b connecting the lower end of the second chamfered main body portion 252a and the bottom wall portion 21, and a second chamfered flange portion 252c protruding outward from the upper edge of the second chamfered main body portion 252a.

[0054] The second chamfered body portion 252a has a draft angle that slopes inward as it extends downward, and is inclined with respect to the normal of the bottom wall portion 21 due to this draft angle. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the second chamfered body portion 252a is set to be the same as the inclination angle of the second side wall.

[0055] The second chamfered curved portion 252b is curved so as to bulge outward, connecting the lower end of the second chamfered main body portion 252a to the bottom wall portion 21.

[0056] The second chamfered flange portion 252c protrudes outward from the upper edge of the second chamfered main body portion 252a and is formed flush with the second side wall flange portion 251c, so that the front chamfered portion 31d of the lattice floor portion 30, which will be described later, is placed on its upper surface.

[0057] The rear locking portion 243 is to which the rear locking portion 35 of the lattice floor portion 30, described later, is locked, and is projected from the upper end of the outer surface of the chamfered wall portion 24. Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the rear locking portion 243 is a protrusion that projects rearward from the upper end of the upper overhanging wall portion 241. The rear locking portion 243 has an upper surface 243a, a lower surface 243b, and an inclined surface 243c. The upper surface 243a is formed flush with the upper surface of the upper overhanging wall portion 241 and the upper surface of the side wall flange portion 233 of the side wall portion 23, and the rear chamfered portion 31c, described later, is placed on it. The lower surface 243b is to which the locking projection 352 of the rear locking portion 35, described later, is locked. The inclined surface 243c is formed between the upper surface 243a and the rear surface (reference numeral omitted), and is inclined downward towards the rear. The inclined surface 243c slides against the inclined lower surface 352a of the locking projection 352, which will be described later, and guides the rear locking portion 35 to the rear.

[0058] The front locking portion 253 is provided projecting outward from the outer peripheral surface side of the circumferential wall portion 22 at a position facing the front of the rear locking portion 243, and is locked to the front locking portion 34, which will be described later. That is, the front locking portion 253 projects forward from the second chamfered main body portion 252a so as to be inserted into the locking hole portion 342 of the tongue piece 341, which will be described later, and in this embodiment, the amount of the upper projection is greater than the amount of the lower projection. This ensures that the release of the locking of the front locking portion 253 from the front locking portion 34, which will be described later, is more reliably suppressed. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 5, the front locking portion 253 has a front locking projection 253a that is at the top of the second chamfered main body portion 252a and projects forward from the central part in the left-right direction, and a front locking flange portion 253b that extends outward from the upper edge of the front locking projection 253a. As shown in Figure 5, the amount of protrusion of the front locking portion 253 from the second chamfered main body portion 252a in the front-rear direction is greater than the amount of protrusion of the rear locking portion 243 from the upper overhanging wall portion 241 in the front-rear direction. This makes the front locking distance L1, which will be described later, greater than the rear locking distance L2, so that even if the tongue piece 341 of the front locking portion 34, which will be described later, is unexpectedly manipulated and elastically deformed in the front-rear direction, the locking state between the front locking portion 34 and the front locking portion 253 will not be released in principle.

[0059] Figure 9 is a front view of the small animal excretion container 1. As shown in Figure 9, the front locking projection 253a has a horizontally elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front. That is, the width dimension of the front locking projection 253a in the left-right direction is set to be larger than the width dimension in the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the dimension of the front locking projection 253a in the up-down direction is set to one-third of the dimension of the second chamfered main body 252a in the up-down direction.

[0060] The front locking flange portion 253b extends forward and to the left and right from the upper edge of the front locking projection portion 253a, and is formed flush with the second chamfered flange portion 252c, so that the front chamfered portion 31d of the lattice floor portion 30, which will be described later, is placed on its upper surface. As shown in Figure 5, the front end edge of the front locking flange portion 253b is located in front of the front end edge of the front locking projection portion 253a. As a result, as described above, even if the tongue piece 341, which will be described later, is unexpectedly manipulated, the locking state between the front locking portion 34 and the front locking portion 253 cannot be released unless the rear end edge of the tongue piece 341 is elastically deformed to a position in front of the front end edge of the front locking flange portion 253b. Therefore, it is basically impossible to release the locking state between the front locking portion 253 and the front locking portion 34. As shown in Figure 5, the vertical dimension of the front locking flange portion 253b is set to be smaller than the vertical dimension of the front locking projection portion 253a.

[0061] The lattice floor section 30 functions as a foothold for rabbits to defecate and also has the function of separating rabbit excrement from the living space. In this embodiment, the lattice floor section 30 and the partition wall section 40 are integrally molded from synthetic resin. Figure 8 is a plan view of the small animal excretion container 1. As shown in Figure 8, the lattice floor section 30 comprises a floor body 35A having a shape that covers the opening 20A of the tray 20, and a locking mechanism 35B for detaching or attaching the floor body 35A to the tray body 20B, and these are integrally molded.

[0062] The floor body 35A has a shape corresponding to the opening 20A of the tray 20 in a plan view and includes a frame portion 31 that constitutes the outer perimeter of the grid floor portion 30, and a plurality of first rail portions 32 arranged in parallel inside the frame portion 31 and a plurality of second rail portions 33 perpendicular to these first rail portions 32, and these portions 31 to 33 give the frame portion 31 a plurality of holes H.

[0063] As shown in Figure 8, the frame portion 31 has the shape of the opening 20A of the tray 20, that is, an irregular rectangular shape in which the corners facing each other in the front-to-back direction in a plan view are chamfered. Specifically, the frame portion 31 has a pair of rear frame edge portions 31a that are placed on each side wall flange portion 233 and positioned inside each side wall upright portion 234, a pair of front frame edge portions 31b that are placed on each second side wall flange portion 251c and positioned inside each second side wall upright portion 251d, a rear chamfered portion 31c that is placed on the upper overhang portion 241 and the rear locking portion 243, and a front chamfered portion 31d that is placed on the second chamfered flange portion 252c and the front locking flange portion 253b.

[0064] Each of the pair of rear frame edges 31a is set to have a width such that its inner edge protrudes inward from each side wall flange 233. This ensures that when a sheet 100 is laid on the tray body 20B, the multiple holes H are reliably positioned above the sheet 100, thus reliably guiding rabbit excrement into the inner area of ​​the tray body 20B. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the width of the pair of rear frame edges 31a is set such that the protrusion from the inner edge of each side wall flange 233 increases from front to rear, so that the left and right side edges of the corner corresponding holes H1, described later, are positioned inwardly relative to the pair of side wall 23s.

[0065] Similar to the pair of rear frame edges 31a, the width dimensions of the pair of front frame edges 31b, the rear chamfer 31c, and the front chamfer 31d are set so that their inner edges protrude inward relative to the inner edges of the second side wall flange 251c, the upper overhang 241, and the second chamfer flange 252c, respectively. In particular, the width dimension (front-to-back dimension) of the front chamfer 31d is set to a dimension that can reliably cover the area above the front locking projection 253a, taking into account the amount of protrusion of the front locking projection 253a. As a result, even if a rabbit defecates above the front locking projection 253a, the feces will be piled up on the stepped portion 26 (see Figure 1) of the tray body 20B formed by the protrusion of the front locking projection 253a, preventing them from overflowing from the multiple holes H of the grid floor portion 30, which will be described later.

[0066] The multiple first rails 32 extend in a left-right direction perpendicular to the angle bisector of the inner corner C1 inside the frame 31, and in this embodiment are arranged parallel to the front trim 31d and the rear trim 31c. As shown in Figure 5, each of the multiple first rails 32 has a roughly fan shape in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the extension direction, and its front-to-back width is tapered downwards. This reduces the contact area between the excrement passing through the multiple holes H and the multiple first rails 32, thereby suppressing fecal clogging and improving urine drainage. As shown in Figure 8, the multiple first rails 32 include an outer first rail 321 that is close to the corner C1, i.e., adjacent to the front side of the rear trim 31c, an adjacent first rail 322 that is adjacent to the front side of the outer first rail 321, and a multiple inner first rails 323 arranged parallel to the front side of the adjacent first rail 322.

[0067] Multiple second rib sections 33 extend in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the first rib section 32 inside the frame section 31. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, each of the multiple second rib sections 33, like the multiple first rib sections 32, has a substantially fan shape in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the extension direction, and its left-right width dimension tapers downwards. Furthermore, the surface of the orthogonal portion 350 where the adjacent first rib section 322 and the multiple inner first rib sections 323 and the multiple second rib sections 33 intersect is formed in a flat shape along the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the second rib sections 33 are provided in the region between the outer first rib section 321 and the front chamfer section 31d, but not in the region between the rear chamfer section 31c and the outer first rib section 321. As a result, a single corner corresponding hole H1 is formed at the rearmost end of the multiple holes H in the front-rear direction.

[0068] The corner-corresponding hole H1 is a hole formed in the grid floor corner C3, which corresponds to the corner C1 in the grid floor 30, among the multiple holes H, and is the hole formed on the rearmost side in the front-rear direction among the multiple holes H so as to be close to the inner corner I, which will be described later. Since rabbits have the habit of defecating with their hindquarters facing the inner corner I, which will be described later, it is assumed that the frequency of rabbit excrement passing through will be highest in the corner-corresponding hole H1 among the multiple holes H. As shown in Figure 8, the corner-corresponding hole H1 according to this embodiment is a single hole formed using the outer first rail portion 321, a pair of rear frame edge portions 31a, and a rear chamfer portion 31c as constituent members. As shown in Figure 3, the corner-corresponding hole H1 is formed in a position offset inward from the edge of the opening 20A of the tray 20 so as to overlap the portion inside the outer edge of the inclined wall portion 242 in a plan view. In other words, in this embodiment, the dimensions and arrangement of the pair of rear frame sides 31a and each of the rails 32 and 33 are set so that the corner corresponding hole H1 is positioned above the inclined wall 242. This allows rabbit excrement passing through the corner corresponding hole H1 to be guided to the area inside the outer edge of the inclined wall 242. Therefore, even when the sheet 100 is laid along the circumferential wall 22, including the bottom wall 21 and the inclined wall 242, the excrement can be reliably guided onto the sheet 100. For example, urine can be prevented from falling off the sheet 100 and circulating under the sheet 100 (i.e., in the gap between the bottom surface of the sheet 100 and the top surface 21a of the bottom wall 21), while the feces can be appropriately guided into the inner area of ​​the tray body 20B.

[0069] As shown in Figure 8, the maximum dimension P1 in the front-to-back direction of the corner corresponding hole H1 is set to be larger than the separation dimension P2 between the outer first rib 321 and the adjacent first rib 322 adjacent to the outer first rib 321. Furthermore, the separation dimension P2 is set to be larger than the second separation dimension P3 between the adjacent first rib 322 and the inner first rib 323 located in front of the adjacent first rib 322, and the third separation dimension P4 between the inner first ribs 323 themselves. In other words, in this embodiment, taking into account the aforementioned habits of rabbits, a corner corresponding hole H1 that opens widely in the front-to-back direction is formed at the lattice floor corner C3 where it is assumed that there is a high possibility of rabbit excrement falling, while the separation dimensions P2, P3, and P4 are set so that multiple first ribs 32 are densely packed in the area away from the lattice floor corner C3 where it is assumed that there is a low possibility of excrement falling. This ensures that rabbit excrement passes reliably through the corner-corresponding holes H1 while increasing the contact area of ​​the rabbit's feet, thereby reducing the burden on the rabbit's feet. In this embodiment, the maximum dimension P1 is set to 15 mm, the spacing dimension P2 to 14 mm, and the second and third spacing dimensions P3 and P4 to 13 mm.

[0070] As shown in Figures 5 and 9, the locking mechanism 35B has a front locking portion 34 (corresponding to the "second floor engagement portion" of the present invention) that hangs down from the front end edge of the frame portion 31 and engages with the front locking portion 253 by engaging with the front locking portion 253 from the outside, and a rear locking portion 35 (corresponding to the "first floor engagement portion" of the present invention) that hangs down from the rear end edge of the frame portion 31 on the back side of the partition wall portion 40 and engages with the rear locking portion 243 by engaging with the rear locking portion 243 from the outside. The locking mechanism 35B works in cooperation with the front locking portion 253 and the rear locking portion 243 of the tray 20 and is configured to release the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locking portion 243, and then release the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locking portion 253 with respect to the lattice floor portion 30. In other words, the locking mechanism 35B is configured such that the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with respect to the front locking portion 253 of the lattice floor portion 30 cannot be released unless the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with respect to the rear locking portion 243 has been released.

[0071] Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 9, the front locking portion 34 is formed in a plate shape extending downward from the front end edge of the front take-up portion 31d and comprises a tongue piece 341 (corresponding to the "hanging portion" of the present invention) with a locking hole 342 passing through its upper part, and a pair of reinforcing ribs 343 that extend along both ends of the tongue piece 341 in the left-right width direction and protrude forward from the tongue piece 341. Also, as shown in Figure 5, the front locking portion 34 is positioned in front of the partition wall portion 40.

[0072] The tongue piece 341 is formed in a rectangular plate shape when viewed from the front, and hangs down from a position offset to the rear from the front edge of the front mounting portion 31d of the frame portion 31. By offsetting the tongue piece 341 to the rear in this way, the tongue piece 341 can be locked to the base end of the front locking projection 253a more effectively than when it is not offset. As a result, the distance in the front-rear direction (the protruding direction of the front locking portion 253) from the rear edge of the tongue piece 341 to the front edge of the front locking flange portion 253b (hereinafter referred to as the front locking distance L1), that is, the amount of engagement in the front-rear direction from the engagement tip position of the front locking portion 34 to the front locking portion 253 to the protruding tip of the front locking portion 253, can be made larger than when it is not offset. As a result, when the lattice floor section 30 is assembled to the tray 20, it becomes difficult to release the locking between the front locking section 34 and the front locking section 253 unless the locking between the rear locking section 35 and the rear locked section 243 is released first.

[0073] Furthermore, a gap in the front-to-back direction is formed between the tongue piece 341 and the second chamfered main body 252a. This prevents interference between the tongue piece 341 and the second chamfered main body 252a when the rear side of the lattice floor 30 is lifted and tilted. A locking hole 342 corresponding to the front view shape of the front locking projection 253a is provided through the upper part of the tongue piece 341.

[0074] The locking hole 342 is designed to lock the tongue piece 341 to the front locking projection 253a by allowing the front locking projection 253a to be inserted through it. In this embodiment, the locking hole 342 is formed to be of a size and shape that allows it to be loosely fitted to the front locking projection 253a. In this embodiment, the locking hole 342 is provided through the upper part of the tongue piece 341. This makes it possible to reduce the distance between the locking hole 342 and the part that acts as a fulcrum when the tongue piece 341 undergoes elastic deformation (the upper edge of the tongue piece 341) compared to the case where the locking hole 342 is provided at the lower part of the tongue piece 341. As a result, the amount of elastic deformation (rotation) required to release the locking state between the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 becomes larger, making it difficult to release the locking between the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 when the grid floor portion 30 is assembled to the tray 20. Furthermore, in this embodiment, engagement (specifically locking) between the front locked portion 253 and the front locking portion 34 is achieved by inserting the front locked portion 253 through the locking hole portion 342. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult to release the locking between the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 simply by adjusting the position of the protruding tip of the front locked flange portion 253b.

[0075] Each reinforcing rib 343 is provided to improve the rigidity of the tongue piece 341 and suppress elastic deformation of the tongue piece 341 in the front-rear direction. Each reinforcing rib 343 extends from the upper end to the lower end of the tongue piece 341, and its upper end is connected to the front mounting portion 31d. In this embodiment, the elastic deformation of the tongue piece 341 in the front-rear direction is suppressed by the reinforcing ribs 343, making it difficult to pull the lower end of the tongue piece 341 forward so that the front locking projection 253a can be disengaged from the locking hole 342.

[0076] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the rear locking portion 35 hangs down from the rear end edge of the frame portion 31 of the partition wall portion 40 and engages with the rear locking portion 243 by locking it from the outside. Specifically, the rear locking portion 35 has an operating piece 351 formed in the shape of a plate that extends downward from the rear end edge of the rear chamfer portion 31c, and a locking projection 352 that protrudes forward from the front side surface of the operating piece 351 so as to lock with the lower surface 243b of the rear locking portion 243. Also, as shown in Figure 5, the rear locking portion 35 is located on the rear side (back side) of the partition wall portion 40. Specifically, the rear locking portion 35 is located on the rear side of the inner corner portion I of the partition wall portion 40, which will be described later. In this way, by providing the rear locking portion 35 at a position sufficiently far from the end of the partition wall portion 40, that is, at a position that is difficult for small animals to access, it is possible to prevent the engagement between the rear locking portion 35 and the rear locked portion 243 from being unexpectedly released.

[0077] The operating piece 351 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate with a left-right width dimension smaller than the left-right width dimension of the tongue piece 341, thereby making it easier to elastically deform in the front-rear direction compared to the tongue piece 341. The operating piece 351 hangs downward from the rear end edge of the rear chamfered portion 31c so as to be located outside the rear locking portion 243. The operating piece 351 is also formed in the shape of a flat plate. This makes it easier to elastically deform the operating piece 351 backward, specifically by pulling the lower end of the operating piece 351 backward, compared to the case where reinforcing ribs or the like are attached to the operating piece 351. In this embodiment, the thickness dimension (front-rear width dimension) of the operating piece 351 is set to be approximately the same as the thickness dimension (front-rear width dimension) of the tongue piece 341, but from the viewpoint of facilitating the elastic deformation of the operating piece 351, the thickness dimension of the operating piece 351 may be formed to be smaller than the thickness dimension of the tongue piece 341.

[0078] The locking projection 352 is a single ridge that protrudes forward from the upper part of the inner surface of the operating piece 351 and locks onto the lower surface 243b of the rear locking portion 243. As shown in Figure 6, the locking projection 352 has an inclined lower surface 352a that slopes upward towards the front. Therefore, when engaging the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locking portion 243, the inclined lower surface 352a of the locking projection 352 and the inclined surface 243c of the rear locking portion 243 come into contact in the vertical direction. This guides the locking projection 352 backward along the inclined surfaces 352a and 243c against the elastic force of the operating piece 351, causing the locking projection 352 to wrap around to the underside of the rear locking portion 243, thus allowing the locking projection 352 to be easily locked onto the lower surface 243b. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the amount of protrusion of the locking projection 352 is set such that the distance in the front-rear direction (the protruding direction of the rear locked portion 243) from the front end edge of the locking projection 352 to the rear end edge of the rear locked portion 243 (hereinafter referred to as the rear locking distance L2), that is, the amount of engagement in the front-rear direction from the engagement tip position of the rear locked portion 35 to the rear locked portion 243 to the protruding tip of the rear locked portion 243, is shorter than the front locking distance L1. This amount of engagement is adjusted so that the locking state of the locking projection 352 to the rear locked portion 243 can be released by elastically deforming the operating piece 351. In other words, in this embodiment, the amount of elastic deformation of the tongue piece 341 required to release the locking state between the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 is adjusted so that it is greater than the amount of elastic deformation of the operating piece 351 required to release the locking state between the rear locking portion 35 and the rear locked portion 243. As a result, it is basically impossible to release the locking state between the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 without releasing the locking state between the locking projection 352 and the rear locked portion 243. Consequently, when the tongue piece 341 is operated by the rabbit, the locking state between the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 is released, and the unintentional removal of the grid floor portion 30 from the tray 20 is suppressed.

[0079] The partition wall 40 has an inner corner I corresponding to the corner C1, and is designed to guide rabbits above the corner C1 when they defecate by taking advantage of the rabbit's habit of defecating in the inner corner I. As shown in Figure 5, the partition wall 40 has an inner corner I that is open to the front, formed by at least a pair of plate-shaped partition wall bodies 41, and is integrally formed with the grid floor 30 so that this inner corner I coincides with the grid floor corner C3 of the grid floor 30. In other words, the partition wall 40 corresponds to the corner C1 of the tray body 20B and is positioned above the said corner C1. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the partition wall section 40 comprises a pair of partition wall bodies 41 extending upward from the inner edges of a pair of rear frame edges 31a of the frame section 31, a partition chamfered wall section 42 interposed between these two partition wall bodies 41, and a cage attachment section 43 protruding outward from the outer surface of each partition wall body 41 for connecting the small animal excretion container 1 to the cage via a predetermined attachment. In this embodiment, the pair of partition wall bodies 41 and the partition chamfered wall section 42 form an inward corner section I that is open towards the center of the lattice floor section 30.

[0080] As shown in Figure 8, the pair of partition wall bodies 41 are arranged so that their extensions intersect at an angle equivalent to the corner C1 of the tray body 20B, and in this embodiment, they are arranged perpendicular to each other to form an inward corner I on the front side. The pair of partition wall bodies 41 extend upward from the inner edges of the pair of rear frame edges 31a, that is, they are positioned offset inward relative to the pair of side wall portions 23. In this embodiment, each partition wall body 41 is formed so that its height increases as it approaches the inward corner I. As a result, the partition wall body 41 is configured to have increased concealment as it approaches the inward corner I, thus guiding the rabbit closer to the inward corner I. Furthermore, by configuring each partition wall body 41 in this way, the concealment of the rear locking portion 35 from the rabbit improves as it approaches the inward corner I, thus more reliably preventing the rabbit from accidentally operating the rear locking portion 35. In addition, in this embodiment, the upper edges of the pair of partition wall bodies 41 are curved to protrude upward.

[0081] The partition chamfered wall section 42 is a plate-like body that connects the adjacent ends of each partition wall body 41, and is positioned to extend vertically upward from the inner edge of the rear chamfered section 31c of the lattice floor section 30. In this way, because the partition chamfered wall section 42 is erected from the inner edge of the rear chamfered section 31c, it is positioned offset inward from the outer edge of the lattice floor section 30. This ensures that rabbit excrement is reliably guided into the inner area of ​​the tray body 20B. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the maximum dimension W1 of the partition chamfered wall section 42 in the left-right direction is set to be smaller than the minimum dimension W2 of the inclined wall section 242 in the left-right direction. Given the rabbit's habit of defecating with its hindquarters facing the inner corner I, it is assumed that the rabbit's urine will run down the partition chamfered wall 42 and fall onto the inclined wall 242. With the above configuration, the urine running down the partition chamfered wall 42 can be reliably guided onto the inclined wall 242. As shown in Figure 9, the height dimension of the partition chamfered wall 42 is set to be the same as the largest part of the pair of partition wall bodies 41.

[0082] The sheet 100 has a rectangular shape that is larger than the opening 20A of the tray 20 in a plan view, and is laid so as to completely cover the inner area of ​​the tray body 20B. The sheet 100 is constructed by interposing a water-absorbing polymer between a nonwoven fabric sheet and a water-impermeable sheet, and absorbs moisture from rabbit excrement and suppresses contamination of the upper surface of the tray body 20B. Laying the sheet 100 on the tray body 20B is optional. In this embodiment, the sheet 100 is formed in a square shape. Also in this embodiment, the first maximum dimension S1 in the left-right direction of the bottom wall portion 21 (see Figure 3) is set to be larger than the second maximum dimension S2 in the front-rear direction of the bottom wall portion 21 (see Figure 3). Therefore, by laying the sheet 100 on the tray body 20B such that the central part of the sheet 100 overlaps the central part of the bottom wall 21 and the corner C4 of the sheet 100 (see Figure 1) overlaps the corner C1 of the tray body 20B, the part of the sheet 100 corresponding to corner C1 is raised along the upper overhang 241, and the part of the sheet 100 corresponding to the opposing corner C2 is raised along the second chamfered body part 252a. When changing the sheet 100, the rabbit owner can grasp these raised parts and fold the sheet 100 so that both raised parts overlap, thereby wrapping the rabbit's droppings in the sheet 100 without touching them. Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, the width dimensions of the rear chamfered part 31c and the front chamfered part 31d of the frame part 31 are set so that their inner edges protrude inward relative to the inner edges of the upper overhang 241 and the second chamfered flange part 252c, respectively. Therefore, contamination of both upright portions by rabbit excrement is suppressed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, both upright portions are composed of a nonwoven fabric sheet and a waterproof sheet, and no superabsorbent polymer is interposed between these sheets. Therefore, when the rabbit owner grasps both upright portions, moisture from the excrement is suppressed from adhering to the owner's hands. In this way, contamination of the rabbit owner's hands when changing the sheet 100 is suppressed.

[0083] (assembly) The small animal excretion container 1, configured as described above, is assembled as follows.

[0084] First, the sheet 100 is laid on the tray body 20B. Specifically, the sheet 100 is laid on the tray body 20B such that the central part of the sheet 100 overlaps the central part of the bottom wall 21, and the corner C4 of the sheet 100 overlaps the corner C1 of the tray body 20B. In this state, the outer edge of the sheet 100 rises along the circumferential wall 22 of the tray body 20B. In particular, the part of the sheet 100 that covers the upper part of corner C1 rises along the upper overhang wall 241, and the part of the sheet 100 that covers the upper part of the opposite corner C2 rises along the second chamfered body 252a.

[0085] Next, the lattice floor section 30, which has a partition wall section 40 integrally formed on it, is assembled to the tray body 20B on which the sheet 100 is laid. Specifically, first, with the rear side of the lattice floor section 30 lifted and tilted, the front locking projection 253a of the front locking section 253 is inserted through the locking hole 342 of the front locking section 34, and the front locking section 34 and the front locking section 253 are engaged. Then, with the rear side of the lattice floor section 30 rotated downward, using the upper surfaces of the second chamfered flange section 252c and the front locking flange section 253b of the tray body 20B as pivot points, and the pair of front frame edges 31b and the pair of rear frame edges 31a of the frame section 31 are placed on the upper surfaces of the respective second side wall flange sections 251c and each side wall flange section 233, and the rear locking section 35 is lowered. Here, as the rear locking portion 35 descends, when the inclined lower surface 352a and the inclined surface 243c of the rear locked portion 243 come into contact, the operating piece 351 of the rear locking portion 35 elastically deforms outward along the respective inclined surfaces 352a and 243c, and when the locking projection 352 overcomes the rear locked portion 243, it locks to the lower surface 243b of the rear locked portion 243 due to the elastic recovery force of the operating piece 351. This completes the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locked portion 253 and the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locked portion 243, and the grid floor portion 30 is assembled to the tray 20. Here, as described above, the rear locking distance L2 in this embodiment is set to be shorter than the front locking distance L1. Therefore, in this assembled state, the locking state between the front locking part 34 and the front locked part 253 cannot be released unless the operating piece 351 is operated to release the locking state between the rear locking part 35 and the rear locked part 243. Consequently, even if a rabbit bites the lattice floor part 30 and swings it around, the lattice floor part 30 is prevented from being unexpectedly removed from the tray 20 as long as the locking state between the rear locking part 35 and the rear locked part 243 is not released. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the movement of the pair of rear frame edges 31a or the pair of front frame edges 31b of the frame part 31 outward is restricted by the side wall erecting parts 234 or the second side wall erecting parts 251d, so that the mounting position of the lattice floor part 30 on the tray 20 does not shift.

[0086] (placement)The small animal excrement container 1 assembled as described above is placed inside the cage. Here, it is assumed that the cage has a rectangular shape in plan view and has a grid-like cage wall section (not shown) formed by multiple vertical bars and multiple horizontal bars. It is also assumed that the cage wall section has a pair of cage side wall sections that form the corners of the cage. The small animal excrement container 1 according to this embodiment is placed in the corner of the cage. Specifically, it is placed in the corner of the cage such that each of the pair of cage side wall sections is located on the outside (back side) of each of the pair of partition wall bodies 41. In this state, the small animal excrement container 1 is fixed to the cage by connecting the cage mounting section 43 and the cage wall section via a predetermined mounting device. The mounting device according to this embodiment is composed of, for example, a ring that is locked to the horizontal bar of the cage wall section, another ring that is locked to the mounting hole 43a of the cage mounting section 43, and a chain that connects these two rings. When the small animal waste container 1 is placed in the corner of the cage in this manner, the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 face the living space. As described above, the grid floor portion 30 according to this embodiment is configured such that the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locked portion 253 is released only after the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locked portion 243 has been released. Therefore, the grid floor portion 30 cannot be removed from the tray 20 by simply accessing the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253. Furthermore, by placing the small animal waste container 1 in the corner of the cage as described above, the operating piece 351 of the rear locking portion 35 can be positioned in a location surrounded by the partition wall portion 40 and the pair of cage side walls. In other words, the operating piece 351 can be provided in a location where the partition wall portion 40 and the cage walls are in the way and the rabbit cannot easily access it. This prevents the rabbit from operating the control piece 351, thus preventing the lattice floor section 30 from being accidentally removed from the tray 20. On the other hand, the rabbit's owner can easily remove the lattice floor section 30 from the tray 20 by operating the control piece 351, which is located on the back side of the partition wall section 40, from the top side of the partition wall section 40.Specifically, by pulling the operating piece 351 backward to release the locking between the locking projection 352 and the rear locking portion 243, and simultaneously pushing the operating piece 351 upward while pushing the grid floor portion 30 forward so that the front locking projection 253a can exit the locking hole portion 342, the locking between the front locking portion 34 and the front locking portion 253 is released, and the grid floor portion 30 can be removed from the tray 20. In this way, the rabbit owner can easily remove the grid floor portion 30 from the tray 20, so that when excrement accumulates in the tray 20, the grid floor portion 30 can be removed from the tray 20 and the small animal excrement container 1 can be cleaned.

[0087] (Effects and Benefits) The excretion container 1 for small animals according to this embodiment includes a tray 20, a grid floor section 30, and a partition wall section 40, so that it can take advantage of the rabbit's habit of defecating near a wall to encourage defecation inside the excretion container. The tray 20 has a tray body 20B, a rear locking section 243, and a front locking section 253, and the grid floor section 30 has a floor body 35A that covers the opening 20A, a rear locking section 35, and a front locking section 34, so the grid floor section 30 can be attached to the tray 20 by the rear locking section 35 and the front locking section 34 engaging with the rear locking section 243 and the front locking section 253. This allows the grid floor section 30 to be attached to the tray 20 by engaging each engaging part at at least two opposing points, while when it is necessary to dispose of the waste accumulated in the tray 20, the engaged state of each engaging part can be released and the grid floor section 30 can be removed from the tray 20, thereby allowing the small animal waste container 1 to be cleaned.

[0088] When this small animal waste container 1 is placed in the corner of the cage, the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 face the living space. However, the grid floor portion 30 is configured such that the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locked portion 253 is released only after the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locked portion 243 has been released. Therefore, the grid floor portion 30 cannot be removed from the tray 20 simply by accessing the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253. On the other hand, the rear locking portion 35 is provided on the periphery of the floor body 35A on the back side of the partition wall portion 40 and engages with the rear locked portion 243 from the outside. Therefore, the partition wall portion 40 obstructs small animals, making it difficult for them to access the rear locking portion 35. Therefore, the engagement between the rear locking portion 35 and the rear locked portion 243 may be unexpectedly released by the rabbit, causing the grid floor portion 30 to be unexpectedly removed from the tray 20, effectively preventing the excrement in the tray 20 from contaminating the breeding space.

[0089] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the configuration of the lattice floor section 30 can be easily realized in which the engagement of the rear locking section 35 with the rear locked section 243 is released first, and then the engagement of the front locking section 34 with the front locked section 253 is released. Specifically, in this embodiment, the amount of engagement of the front locking section 34 with the front locked section 253 is made greater than the amount of engagement of the rear locking section 35 with the rear locked section 243. In other words, the amount of movement of the front locking section 34 required to release the engagement of the front locking section 34 with the front locked section 253 is made greater than the amount of movement of the rear locking section 35 required to release the engagement of the rear locking section 35 with the rear locked section 243. Therefore, by simply adjusting the engagement tip position of each locking portion 35, 34 with respect to each locked portion 243, 253, the configuration of the lattice floor portion 30 can be realized in which the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locked portion 243 is released, and then the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locked portion 253 is released.

[0090] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rear locking portion 35 includes an operating piece 351 and a locking projection 352, so the locking state between the locking projection 352 and the rear locked portion 243 can be released by a simple operation such as elastically deforming the operating piece 351 outward. On the other hand, the front locking portion 34 includes a tongue piece 341 that hangs down from the floor body 35A and has a locking hole 342 through which the front locked portion 253 is inserted, so the front locking portion 34 and the front locked portion 253 can be easily engaged by inserting the front locked portion 253 into the locking hole 342.

[0091] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, engagement between the front locking portion 34 and the front locking portion 253 is achieved by inserting the front locking portion 253 through the locking hole portion 342. Therefore, by simply adjusting the amount of outward protrusion of the front locking portion 253, i.e., the position of the protruding tip of the front locking portion 253, the amount of movement of the front locking portion 34 required to release the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locking portion 253 can be made greater than the amount of movement of the rear locking portion 35 required to release the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locking portion 243. For this reason, the configuration of the lattice floor portion 30 in which the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locking portion 253 is released after the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locking portion 243 can be easily realized.

[0092] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rigidity of the tongue piece 341 is improved by the reinforcing rib 343, making it difficult to elastically deform the tongue piece 341 outward. Therefore, by elastically deforming the tongue piece 341 outward, it becomes difficult to release the engagement of the front locking portion 34 with the front locking portion 253 without releasing the engagement of the rear locking portion 35 with the rear locking portion 243.

[0093] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the rear locking portion 35 is formed on the rear side that is open to the center of the lattice floor portion 30, the rear locking portion 35 can be provided at a position sufficiently far from the end of the partition wall portion 40. In other words, the rear locking portion 35 can be provided at a position that is difficult for small animals to access. Therefore, it is possible to prevent rabbits from unexpectedly disengaging the rear locking portion 35 from the rear locking portion 243.

[0094] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the height dimension of the partition wall portion 40 increases as it approaches the inner corner portion I, so the concealment of the rear locking portion 35 from small animals improves as it approaches the inner corner portion I. As a result, the rear locking portion 35 is positioned in a location that is more difficult for small animals to access, thus more reliably preventing the engagement between the rear locking portion 35 and the rear locked portion 243 from being unexpectedly released by a rabbit.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front locking portion 253 and the rear locking portion 243 are integrally molded with the tray body 20B using synthetic resin, and the locking mechanism 35B, i.e., the front locking portion 34 and the rear locking portion 35, are integrally molded with the floor body 35A using synthetic resin. This configuration is advantageous in terms of eliminating the risk of losing fixing members and cost, compared to the case in which the grid floor portion 30 is attached to the tray 20 using fixing members separate from the tray body 20B and the floor body 35A, such as bolts and nuts.

[0096] (Deformed embodiment) The small animal excretion container 1 described above is one embodiment of the small animal excretion container of the present invention, and its specific configuration and other aspects can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Modifications of this embodiment will be described below.

[0097] (1) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the engagement amount of each locking portion 35, 34 with respect to each locked portion 243, 253, the amount of elastic deformation of the front locking portion 34 and the rear locking portion 35, and the penetration height position of the locking hole portion 342 are adjusted in order to configure the lattice floor portion so that the engagement of the first floor engaging portion with respect to the first tray engaging portion is released, and then the engagement of the second floor engaging portion with respect to the second tray engaging portion.

[0098] Specifically, the protrusion amounts of the front locking portion 253 and the rear locking portion 243 were adjusted so that the rear locking distance L2 was shorter than the front locking distance L1.

[0099] Furthermore, reinforcing ribs 343 are attached to the tongue piece 341, and the left-right width dimension of the tongue piece 341 is made larger than the left-right width dimension of the operating piece 351, thereby adjusting the tongue piece 341 to have a smaller amount of elastic deformation than the operating piece 351.

[0100] Furthermore, the locking hole 342 is formed on the upper part of the tongue piece 341, and the amount of movement of the tongue piece 341 required to release the locking state between the front locking part 34 and the front locked part 253 is adjusted to be greater than when the locking hole 342 is formed on the lower part of the tongue piece 341.

[0101] However, the small animal excretion container according to the present invention does not necessarily require all of these components. The small animal excretion container may achieve the above-described configuration of the grid floor by including only some of these components.

[0102] (2) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the rear locking portion 243 is formed by protruding rearward from the upper end of the upper overhang portion 241, and the front locking portion 253 is formed by protruding forward from the second chamfered main body portion 252a. However, the configuration of the first tray engaging portion and the second tray engaging portion is not limited thereto, and each tray engaging portion may be formed as a hole (including a bottomed hole). Specifically, the first tray engaging portion may be formed in the shape of a hole by recessing a part of the outer surface of the upper overhang portion 241 inward (towards the front), and the second tray engaging portion may be formed in the shape of a hole by recessing a part of the outer surface of the second chamfered main body portion 252a inward (towards the rear). In this case, the second floor engagement portion is formed in a hook shape, similar to the first floor engagement portion (rear locking portion 35) in the above embodiment, and is set so that the amount of rearward protrusion is greater than the amount of elastic deformation of the second floor engagement portion, so that the engagement with the second tray engagement portion is not released due to elastic deformation or the like when the grid floor portion is assembled to the tray. Even with this configuration, the grid floor portion can be configured so that the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion is released only after the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion has been released. In other words, the second floor engagement portion cannot be released from its engagement with the second tray engagement portion until the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion has been released.

[0103] (3) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the locking projection is composed of a single protrusion. However, the locking projection may be composed of multiple protrusions, for example. Specifically, the locking projection may be composed of multiple protrusions arranged in the left-right direction on the inner surface of the operating piece 351, each protruding forward from the inner surface of the operating piece 351.

[0104] (4) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the hanging portion is formed by a tongue piece 341 that is formed in the shape of a plate. However, the hanging portion may be formed by a band-shaped portion that hangs down from the front end edge of the front cutout portion 31d of the frame portion 31 and curves so as to be convex downward, and exhibits a substantially U-shape when viewed from the front. In this case, the locking hole portion is formed by the inner edge of the band-shaped portion.

[0105] (5) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the partition wall portion 40 is formed integrally with the lattice floor portion 30, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the lattice floor portion 30 and the partition wall portion 40 may be formed separately and then assembled together.

[0106] (6) In the above embodiment, a small animal excretion container 1 having an irregular rectangular shape in plan view has been described, but the shape in plan view is not limited to this, and various shapes such as square, rectangular, triangular, other polygonal shapes, circular, elliptical shapes, etc. can be used. In this case, the first and second tray engaging parts and the first and second floor engaging parts are provided at opposing positions of the tray and the grid floor, respectively, and the grid floor is attached by engaging with the tray at least at two points. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0107] 1: Excretion container for small animals 20: Tray 20A: Opening 20B: Tray body 21: Bottom wall 22: Peripheral wall part 30: Lattice floor section 34: Front locking part (second floor engagement part) 35: Rear locking part (first floor engagement part) 35A: Floor unit 40: Partition wall section 243: Rear locking portion (first tray engagement portion) 253: Front locking portion (second tray engagement portion) 341: Tongue piece (hanging part) 342: Locking hole 343: Reinforcement Rib 351: Operation piece 352: Locking projection I: Corner section

Claims

1. It comprises a tray that opens upward, a grid floor portion that covers the opening of the tray, and a partition wall portion that extends upward from a part of the peripheral edge of the grid floor portion. The tray comprises a tray body having a bottom wall and a circumferential side wall rising from the periphery of the bottom wall, a first tray engaging portion provided on the outer surface of the circumferential side wall, and a second tray engaging portion provided on the circumferential side wall at a position opposite to the first tray engaging portion. The lattice floor section comprises a floor body having a shape that covers the opening, a first floor engagement portion provided on the peripheral edge of the floor body on the back side of the partition wall section and engaging with and disengaging from the first tray engagement portion from the outside, and a second floor engagement portion provided on the floor body at a position opposite to the first floor engagement portion and engaging with and disengaging from the second tray engagement portion. An excretion container for small animals, wherein the grid floor portion is configured to release the engagement of the second floor engagement portion with the second tray engagement portion after the engagement of the first floor engagement portion with the first tray engagement portion has been released.

2. The first and second tray engaging portions are each provided protruding outward from the circumferential wall portion, The first and second floor engaging portions are configured to engage with the first and second tray engaging portions by being locked from the outside, respectively. The excretion container for small animals according to claim 1, wherein the amount of engagement of the second floor engaging portion with the second tray engaging portion is greater than the amount of engagement of the first floor engaging portion with the first tray engaging portion.

3. The first floor engagement portion comprises an operating piece that hangs down from the floor body and elastically deforms outward, and a locking projection that protrudes inward from the inner surface of the operating piece and engages with and disengages from the lower surface of the first tray engagement portion in accordance with the operation of the operating piece. The excretion container for small animals according to claim 2, wherein the second floor engaging portion comprises a hanging portion that hangs down from the floor body and is provided with a locking hole through which the second tray engaging portion is inserted.

4. The aforementioned hanging portion is formed in a plate shape, The small animal excretion container according to claim 3, wherein the second floor engaging portion further comprises a reinforcing rib that extends along at least one end edge of both widthwise edges of the hanging portion and whose upper end is connected to the floor body.

5. The partition wall portion has an inward corner portion that is open towards the center of the lattice floor portion, The first floor engagement portion is provided on the back side of the inner corner portion, as described in claim 1, for the small animal excretion container.

6. The excretion container for small animals according to claim 5, wherein the height dimension of the partition wall portion is set to increase as it approaches the inner corner portion.

Images