Sloped Pet Waste Tray With Trough for Urine Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pet waste collection systems, such as pee pads, often fail to absorb liquid quickly enough, leading to urine soaking into floors and causing damage, and they lack a containment system to prevent urine from spreading beyond the pad, posing health risks and requiring unsanitary handling.
Innovation Solution
A combination waste collection unit comprising an absorbent pad and a tray with a sloped surface that directs excess urine into a trough, coupled with a removable design for easy pad replacement and tray cleaning, preventing floor damage and reducing contact with urine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a fixed-area absorbent pad is used, then the pad can absorb a fixed amount of liquid, but the pad cannot absorb enough liquid fast enough and urine soaks into the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The waste collection system is divided into two functional segments: an absorbent pad for initial liquid absorption and a tray for containing excess urine. This segmentation allows the pad to handle small amounts of urine while the tray provides backup containment, preventing floor damage even when the pad's absorption capacity is exceeded.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray is positioned beneath the absorbent pad to provide pre-established protection against floor damage. When urine exceeds the pad's absorption capacity, the tray acts as a pre-prepared containment barrier, preventing urine from reaching the floor and causing damage.
2Device complexity
If a non-absorbent border is used on the pad, then the pad structure is simple, but urine that reaches the border quickly runs off the pad into the surrounding floor
Solution Approach 1:
The non-absorbent border of the pad is merged with the containment function of the tray. The tray's raised edges create a containment barrier that works in conjunction with the pad's border, preventing urine from escaping onto the surrounding floor while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Quantity of substance
If urine sits hidden underneath the pee pad, then the pad provides absorption coverage, but the urine is not discovered until the pad is taken up
Solution Approach 1:
The tray serves as an intermediary containment structure between the absorbent pad and the floor. It provides a visible and accessible location for urine collection, allowing users to detect urine presence by checking the tray rather than lifting the pad, thus facilitating timely discovery and cleaning.
4Ease of operation
If traditional pee pads are used, then they provide basic absorption, but handling a pee pad covered in urine presents a serious health risk
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful urine and bacteria are extracted from the absorbent pad and contained in the separate tray. This separation allows the pad to be handled with minimal urine contact, reducing health risks to users while maintaining the pad's absorption function.
5Stability of the object's composition
If the pad and tray are permanently attached, then the structure is stable, but the pad cannot be easily removed for replacement and cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the pad and tray is made dynamic rather than fixed. The pad can be easily detached from the tray for replacement or cleaning, yet remains stable during normal use. This dynamic connection allows the system to adapt between stability during operation and ease of maintenance during replacement.
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
Effectively captures all pet waste, minimizing floor damage and health risks by containing spills and allowing easy handling of soiled pads, thus maintaining cleanliness and hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
an absorbent pad which initially absorbs urine
Implementation Method 2
The tray can include a sloped surface underneath the pad which slopes towards a trough along an interior edge of the unit. This funnels urine into the trough
Data Source
AI summary
A combination waste collection unit and method of using the same. The unit includes a tray having a base and four sidewalls extending upwardly around a perimeter of the base. The base includes a sloped surface sloping downwards from a first sidewall towards a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall. The tray defines a trough along the second sidewall, the trough having a greater depth in the container area than the sloped surface. An absorbent pad is sized and shaped to cover the sloped surface. The pad includes a non-absorbent pull-tab along a perimeter. The sloped surface includes a plurality of fasteners and the pad includes a plurality of opposing fasteners each configured to removably couple to one of the fasteners. Each fastener is positioned on the sloped surface to align with an opposing fastener of the pad.