Removable Three-Sided Shield for Litter Box Tray
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional litter boxes often experience litter and waste material scattering, leading to unsanitary conditions around the litter box due to inadequate containment, and current liners do not effectively address this issue.
Innovation Solution
A litter box assembly featuring a removable, three-sided shield that can be positioned within or on the tray, providing additional vertical barriers to contain litter and waste, which can be easily cleaned and adapted for different tray designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional litter box is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but litter and waste material scatter outside the box creating unsanitary conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The litter box is divided into two main segments: the base tray and the removable shield. The shield is further segmented into three separate walls that can be individually removed or cleaned. This segmentation allows the containment structure to be added without permanently complicating the base tray design.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield acts as an intermediary element between the litter box tray and the surrounding environment. It provides the necessary containment barriers to prevent scattering while allowing easy removal for cleaning, thus mediating between the need for containment and the need for simplicity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If liners are used to extend cleaning intervals, then cleaning frequency is reduced, but they fail to prevent litter and waste from scattering onto the surrounding area
Solution Approach 1:
The shield adds a vertical dimension to the containment structure by extending upward from the tray. This vertical barrier prevents litter and waste from scattering horizontally onto the surrounding area, addressing the limitation of liners that only provide bottom coverage.
3Ease of manufacture
If the shield is made as a single integral piece, then it is easy to manufacture, but it cannot be disassembled for thorough cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is segmented into three separate walls that can be easily detached from one another. This segmentation enables each wall to be removed and cleaned individually, providing thorough cleaning access to all surfaces while keeping each individual wall piece simple to manufacture.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield walls extend higher than the tray walls, then litter containment is improved, but the shield may interfere with animal entry and exit
Solution Approach 1:
The shield walls extend partially higher than the tray walls to provide adequate containment for litter scattering, but not excessively high to completely block animal access. This partial extension achieves the necessary containment function while maintaining ease of operation for the animal.
Data Source
AI summary
A litter box assembly is provided that includes a tray for containing litter and a shield that can be removably mounted to the tray for reducing or preventing the scattering of litter material outside the tray. The shield effectively extends the height of the tray along three sides and can be removed for cleaning between litter changes. A self supporting shield for a litter box tray is further provided as well as a method for reducing the scattering of litter material by a cat or other animal.