Nested Pet Litter Tray with Slit Funnel for Waste Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pet litter trays pose sanitary and hygienic issues due to leakage during liner removal and wasteful disposal of reusable litter, as they require handling of entire litter volume, including unused portions.
Innovation Solution
Nested disposable pet litter trays with slits in the front and rear portions allow separation of reusable litter from waste by forming a funnel-shaped dispenser, directing dry litter into the next tray for reuse while trapping waste for disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional disposable litter trays are used, then the entire tray and litter can be disposed of together, but the user must handle the base and sidewalls which may contact excretory waste
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable litter tray is divided into three main segments: a reusable permanent tray, a removable liner layer, and disposable litter. This segmentation allows the liner and litter to be removed together as a unit, preventing user contact with waste while leaving the permanent tray clean and reusable.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner layer serves as an intermediary between the permanent tray and the litter/waste. It provides a barrier that allows complete removal of the soiled liner and litter without the user needing to touch the waste, while still containing the litter during use.
2Reliability
If the entire litter volume is disposed with the liner, then sanitation is maintained, but reusable litter is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The litter is segmented into two functional zones: a soiled portion that remains with the liner for disposal, and a clean reusable portion that can be separated and transferred to the permanent tray for continued use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables discarding of only the soiled liner and litter portion while recovering and reusing the clean litter. The liner is designed to be removed with the clumped waste, leaving dry reusable litter intact for transfer to the permanent tray.
3Reliability
If a liner layer is used to contain litter, then sanitation is improved, but the liner and litter become difficult to separate for proper disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The liner layer is merged with the disposable litter to form a single removable unit. The liner is designed to be large enough to contain all litter and is removed together with the clumped waste, eliminating the difficulty of separating liner from litter while maintaining sanitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner is designed as a disposable component that is inexpensive and intended for single use. It is removed entirely along with the soiled litter, and a fresh liner is placed in the permanent tray for the next use cycle.
4Volume of moving object
If nested disposable trays are stacked, then storage space is optimized, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple disposable litter trays are designed to nest within each other like dolls, with each tray fitting into the tray below it. This nesting arrangement optimizes storage space by reducing the overall volume required to store multiple trays while maintaining simple individual tray structures.
Data Source
AI summary
Each pet litter tray of the nested disposable pet litter trays includes a rear portion and a front portion. The front portion includes a pair of front sidewalls, with each of the front walls having a plurality of slits formed therethrough. Following a pet's deposit of excretory waste in pet litter contained in the topmost tray, the user may grip front gripping edges of the front sidewalls and squeeze them together to form a funnel- or spout-shaped dry pet litter dispenser, the user angling the tray so that the pet litter and the excretory waste enter the dry pet litter dispenser, with dry, reusable pet litter falling through the plurality of slits into the next lower tray in the nested stack for reuse, with wet pet litter and the excretory waste being trapped within the front portion for transport and disposal.