Elastic Cat Lavatory Walls for Wrinkle-Free Pouch Fit
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cat lavatories face challenges with pouches of varying dimensions and bottom parts, leading to difficulties in placement, wrinkling, and aesthetic issues, which can result in paw injuries and litter contamination.
Innovation Solution
A cat lavatory design featuring a bottom part with elastic side walls that can be expanded outward by a frame-like top part, allowing for secure and wrinkle-free placement of pouches of any size, along with a modular structure to hide the folded edges and prevent litter spillage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pouches of very varied dimensions are placed in one and the same bottom part, then different pouch sizes can be accommodated, but wrinkling occurs in the edge and corner areas leading to paw injuries and litter contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls of the bottom part are made movable relative to each other through elastic mounts, allowing the bottom part to dynamically adapt its shape and size to match the pouch being inserted. This eliminates fixed rigid edges that cause wrinkling, while maintaining a wrinkle-free surface during cat usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom part's geometric parameters (side wall positions and angles) are changed elastically in response to the pouch dimensions. The elastic mounts allow the side walls to shift and adjust their configuration, transforming the bottom part from a fixed structure to an adaptable one that conforms to various pouch sizes without creating harmful wrinkles.
2Reliability
If lateral edges of the pouch are folded over the side walls of the bottom part, then the pouch is secured in place, but the folded edges create visual impairment and may expose litter
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are designed to be expandable outwardly when the frame-like top part is placed on them, which allows the folded edges of the pouch to be completely hidden behind the side walls. This dynamic expansion ensures that the securing function is maintained while eliminating the aesthetic and safety problems of exposed edges.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a frame fixed onto the bottom part is used to hide folded edges, then aesthetics are improved, but the structure becomes more complex and may not adapt to different pouch sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic mounts serve multiple functions: they join the side walls together to form the bottom part structure, they allow the side walls to expand outwardly to hide pouch edges, and they enable the bottom part to adapt to different pouch sizes. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate fixed frame structures while achieving both aesthetic and adaptive goals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the secure, wrinkle-free placement of pouches of any dimension, enhances aesthetics by hiding folded edges, and prevents litter from coming into contact with the bottom part, reducing the risk of injury and damage.
Implementation Method 1
mutually adjacent side walls are joined together by means of an elastic mount
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)
Figure 2(b)~2(c)
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cat lavatory comprising a bottom part (5) with a substantially rectangular floor space (1) and, on each longitudinal and lateral edge of the floor space, a side wall (2) projecting substantially upwardly in each case, wherein mutually adjacent side walls are joined together by means of an elastic mount (4) , a pouch, preferably containing cat litter, can be placed in the bottom part, and lateral edges of the pouch can be folded over the side walls of the bottom part, and a frame-like top part which can be placed on top of the side walls of the bottom part and is designed such that, when placed on the side walls of the bottom part, it expands them outwardly.