U.S. patent application number 14/301005 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-22 for pickup tool for pet waste or the like.
The applicant listed for this patent is Kevin Montgomery. Invention is credited to Kevin Montgomery.
Application Number | 20150021943 14/301005 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52343002 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150021943 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Montgomery; Kevin |
January 22, 2015 |
Pickup Tool for Pet Waste or the Like
Abstract
An extended pickup tool adapted to pick up pet waste or the like
from a surface from a standing, upright position. The pickup tool
consists of an elongated body having a trigger mechanism disposed
in a handle at an upper end thereof. A pair of pickup assemblies,
each having a pair of orthogonal surfaces is pivotally attached to
the lower end of the elongated handle. A coupling mechanism
connected to both the trigger mechanism and the pair of opposing,
pivotally connected pickup elements causes the pickup elements to
move towards one another. When the pair of pickup assemblies is
fully closed, lower surfaces of their respective orthogonal
surfaces overlap one another. A plastic bag may be positioned over
the pair of pickup assemblies. When in a proper position, the
pickup elements are brought together and into an overlapping
relationship capturing the waste in a portion of the plastic
bag.
Inventors: |
Montgomery; Kevin; (Virginia
Beach, VA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Montgomery; Kevin |
Virginia Beach |
VA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
52343002 |
Appl. No.: |
14/301005 |
Filed: |
June 10, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61847289 |
Jul 17, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
294/1.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01H 1/1206 20130101;
E01H 2001/1293 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
294/1.4 |
International
Class: |
E01H 1/12 20060101
E01H001/12 |
Claims
1. A pickup tool for pet waste or the like, comprising: a) an
elongated, hollow body; b) a handle disposed at and connected to a
distal end of said elongated hollow body; c) a trigger assembly
disposed within said handle; d) a pair of pickup assemblies
disposed proximate a distal end of said elongated hollow body, each
of said pair of pickup assemblies being connected to sail elongated
hollow body by a pair of flexible supports; and f) a pair of
actuator links, each of said pair of actuator links having a distal
end connected to one of said pair of pickup assemblies and a
proximal end operatively connected to said trigger assembly, said
pair of actuator links being at least partially disposed inside
said elongated, hollow body.
2. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 1,
wherein said pair of pickup assemblies each comprises: i) a thin
flat bottom blade having a front edge and an opposing rear edge;
and ii) a back plate affixed to said rear edge of a respective thin
flat bottom plate orthogonally thereto.
3. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 2,
wherein each of one of said pair of pickup assemblies is disposed
with said respective front edges of said flat bottom blades facing
one another.
4. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 2,
wherein said pair of flexible supports comprises thin, rectangular,
resilient supports movable in a single plane, each of said pair of
flexible supports has a distal end fastened to a respective one of
said back plates proximate a mid-point along a major axis thereof
and adjacent an upper edge thereof, and a distal end fastened to
said elongated hollow body.
5. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 1,
further comprising: g) a hinge disposed in said elongated, hollow
body separating said elongated hollow body into an upper body
portion and a lower body portion.
6. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 5,
wherein said hinge is disposed at approximately a mid-point along a
major axis of said elongated hollow body and said upper body
portion and said lower body portion have approximately equal
lengths when measured along a respective major axis thereof.
7. A method for picking up and bagging pet waste or the like from a
standing upright position, the steps comprising: a) providing a
pickup tool for pet waste, comprising: an elongated, hollow body; a
handle disposed at and connected to a distal end of said elongated
hollow body; a trigger assembly disposed within said handle; a pair
of pickup assemblies disposed proximate a distal end of said
elongated hollow body, each of said pair of pickup assemblies being
connected to said elongated hollow body by a pair of flexible
supports; and a pair of actuator links, each of said pair of
actuator links having a distal end connected to one of said pair of
pickup assemblies and a proximal end operatively connected to said
trigger assembly, said pair of actuator links, said pair of
actuator links being at least partially disposed inside said
elongated, hollow body; b) with said pair of pickup assemblies in a
spaced-apart disposition, sliding a bottom edge of a flexible bag
into an open space between to form an indented bag portion; c) when
said bottom edge of a flexible bag is in place in said open space,
lifting the top edges of said flexible bag upward over a lower
portion of said pickup tool for pet waste; d) placing said indented
bag portion over pet waste to be picked up; e) actuating said
trigger mechanism to move said pickup assemblies toward one another
until bottom plates of each of said pickup assemblies overlap one
another; f) with said pickup assemblies maintained with said bottom
blades in an overlapping disposition, pulling said upper edges of
said flexible bag down from over said lower portion of said pickup
tool for pet waste until all of said flexible bag with the
exception of said indented bag portion supported by said pickup
assemblies lies beneath said pickup tool, securing said pet waste
in said indented portion of said flexible bag; and g) allowing said
pickup assembly to separate by releasing said trigger mechanism and
thereafter, removing said indented portion of said flexible bag.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to published U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/302,861 for HINGE FOR EXTENDED GRABBER
TOOL, published Dec. 4, 2003 upon application by Ashok Khubani et
al. and is included herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention pertains to extended pickup tools for reaching
an item from a location beyond arm's reach and, more particularly,
a pickup tool adapted to retrieve and retain pet waste or the like
from the ground.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It has become customary for a pet owner to clean up feces
deposited by his or her pet when walking the pet. A wide variety of
devices and methods have been devised but none solve the problem
adequately. All known devices and/or methods either require several
parts or pieces and/or fail to cleanly perform the cleanup
operation leaving an unsatisfactory residue of fecal material on
the surface.
[0004] One method used by some pet owners is to carry an empty
plastic bag with them when they walk their pet. When needed, the
owner bends over with the bag over their hand and attempts to
retrieve the material from the ground and secure it in the bag. The
bag may then be sealed and disposed of in an appropriate
receptacle. This approach rarely results in complete cleanup of the
pet feces and in addition, causes the pet owner to bend over to the
ground to affect the cleanup.
[0005] Other devices of the prior art typically suffer from one or
more of these shortcomings: they require cleaning after use, are
ineffective in removing pet waste, require expensive supplies for
use, and/or require bending over to use.
[0006] It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a pet waste
cleanup device that was simple to use, effective in its cleanup,
requires no expensive supplies in its operation, and could be used
by a person while in a standing, upright position.
DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART
[0007] Several devices for cleaning up pet feces or the like may be
found in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,686,361 for
ANIMAL WASTE HANDLING DEVICE issued Mar. 30, 2010 discloses an
elongated, foldable animal waste handling device. A handle has a
trigger that operates against a spring bias and is connected to a
pair of pivotally disposed clamp members. Operating the trigger
causes the clamp members to come together. A catch on each of the
clamp members is used to retain an edge of a plastic bag. When the
clamps are brought together, any animal waste is caught between the
clamps and, hopefully forced into the plastic bag.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 7,866,717 for PORTABLE WASTE PACKAGING DEVICE
issued Jan. 11, 2011 to Hector Martinez shows a device for
collecting and packaging solid waste or toxic material. A first arm
and a second arm are coupled with a lever, wherein at least one arm
is slidably coupled with the lever. A bag may be positioned in an
open position when the first arm is located distally from the
second arm, and the bag may be closed by an operator manipulating
the arms towards each other. The device may include a motor or a
spring or springs to drive the arms towards or away from each
other. A plate, a pole and a handle may be coupled with the arms.
The plate may be positioned relative to the arms to stabilize the
waste or toxic material for insertion into the bag. The bag may
include an adhesive, paper, plastic, recycled plastic, cellulose in
combination or singularity.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,547 for APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR
COLLECTING ANIMAL DROPPINGS, issued Feb. 7, 2012 to Frank Miller
provides a pet sanitation device having a frame, an elongated
handle and an adjusting assembly. The frame includes a receiving
bottom area receiving one part of a bag opening. A closing
arrangement is provided for receiving another portion of the bag
opening. The adjusting assembly is movably supported on the handle
and includes a control member slidable along the handle and a
transition element having distal and proximal ends thereof. The
distal end is associated with the closing arrangement. In
operation, upon slidable movement of the control member, the
transition element is activated and the closing arrangement is
moved within the frame to convert the bag opening from open to
closed position and vice versa.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 8,292,339 for HANDS FREE PET WASTE COLLECTION
SYSTEMS issued Oct. 23, 2012 discloses a system for picking up
objects, for example, pet waste, debris, and similar noxious
materials and automatically sealing those objects within a
disposable liner. The liner is installed on a hand-held scooper
device by an automatic applicator. The liners may also include a
self-sealing feature adapted to assist in encapsulating the waste.
The applicator also functions as a storage holder for the hand-held
scoop.
[0011] Published United States Patent Application No. 2013/0249224
for PET SHOVEL published Sep. 26, 2013 upon application by John Ng
provides a shovel having an elongated handle, a shovel head and a
bag mounting frame disposed between the shovel head and a distal
end of the elongated handle. The frame forms an opening between the
shovel head and the distal end of the elongated handle. The bag
mounting frame is adapted to retain a mouth of a bag open disposed
between the shovel head and the distal end of the elongated handle
in the opening between the shovel head and the distal end of the
elongated handle. A bag body support extends from a bottom of the
elongated handle to receive a body of the bag mounted on the bag
mounting frame to form a sump in an end of the bag, distal from the
shovel head and the mouth of the bag.
[0012] None of the patents and published patent applications, taken
singly, or in any combination are seen to teach or suggest the
pickup tool for pet waste or the like of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] In accordance with the present invention there is provided
an extended pickup tool adapted to readily pick up pet waste or the
like from a surface that is out of arm's reach while the user
remains in a standing, upright position. The pickup tool consists
of an elongated body having a handle containing a trigger mechanism
disposed at an upper end thereof. The trigger mechanism may be
operated by the user of the pickup tool. A pair of pickup
assemblies, each having a pair of orthogonal elements is pivotally
and oppossedly attached to the lower end of the elongated body. A
coupling mechanism connected to both the trigger mechanism and the
pair of opposing, pivotally connected pickup assemblies causes the
pickup assemblies to move towards one another when actuated by the
trigger assembly. When the pair of pickup assemblies is fully
closed, lower ones of their respective orthogonal surfaces overlap
one another.
[0014] A plastic bag may be positioned over the pair of pickup
assemblies while in an open, spaced-apart disposition. When in a
proper position over the pickup assemblies, when the pickup
assemblies are brought together and into an overlapping
relationship, the plastic bag is disposed between the lower
surfaces of the pickup assemblies and the surface from which pet
waste is to be removed. Because the lower of the orthogonal
surfaces is thin and flat, the plastic bag is forced under the pet
waste that is securely retained by the overlapped lower surfaces of
the pickup assemblies. Once captured, the plastic bag may be
removed by turning the bag inside out, not unlike pulling a shirt
off a torso by lifting upward on the bottom edge of the shirt. This
action traps the pet waste within the plastic bag for easy,
sanitary disposal.
[0015] During the pet waste cleanup operation, no part of the
extended pet waste cleanup tool comes in contact with the pet
waste. A person affecting the cleanup never is required to make
contact with the actual pet waste.
[0016] It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a
pet waste cleanup tool that is operable by a standing, upright
user.
[0017] It is a further object of the invention to provide a pet
waste cleanup tool that effectively removes pet waste from a
horizontal surface.
[0018] It is another object of the invention to provide a pet waste
cleanup tool wherein no part of the tool contacts the pet waste
during the cleanup operation.
[0019] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a pet
waste cleanup tool wherein a human operator of the tool is not
required to be in contact with the pet waste.
[0020] It is a still further object of the invention to provide a
pet waste cleanup tool that may optionally be foldable for ease of
carrying while walking a pet.
[0021] It is an additional object of the invention to provide a pet
waste cleanup tool that requires no supplies outside of an empty
plastic bag (e.g., a grocery bag or the like).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the
present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same
becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate
the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and
wherein:
[0023] FIG. 1A is a side perspective, schematic view of an
elongated pickup tool in an open orientation in accordance with the
invention;
[0024] FIG. 1B is a side perspective, schematic view of an
elongated pickup tool in an open orientation of FIG. 1A and showing
an optional hinge;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a partial side elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in a closed orientation;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation with a
plastic bag being installed thereupon;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation with a
plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation with a
plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool
being shown positioned to pick up animal waste;
[0030] FIG. 7 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 6 in an open orientation with a
plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool
being shown surrounding animal waste;
[0031] FIG. 8 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 7 in a closed orientation with a
plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool
being shown trapping animal waste within the plastic bag;
[0032] FIG. 9 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the
elongated pickup tool of FIG. 6 in an open orientation with a
plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool
being shown surrounding animal waste and the plastic bag being
removed therefrom; and
[0033] FIG. 10 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of
the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 6 in an open orientation with a
plastic bag completely removed from the tool, the removed bag
containing and retaining the animal waste.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0034] The present invention provides an elongated pickup tool for
picking up and encapsulating pet waste or the like while the user
is in a standing, upright position. General purpose extended pickup
tools are widely available in the marketplace and are believed to
be well known to those of skill in the art. A typical extended
pickup tool is disclosed in published U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 10/302,861 for HINGE FOR EXTENDED GRABBER TOOL included herein
by reference. As the novel extended tool in accordance with the
invention incorporates some of these features, detailed
descriptions thereof are not typically included herein.
[0035] Referring first to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are shown side
perspective, schematic views of the pickup tool for pet waste or
the like in accordance with the invention, generally at reference
number 100. In FIG. 1B, an optional hinge is further shown.
[0036] Pickup tool 100 has an elongated, hollow body 102 divided
into upper body portion 102a and lower body portion 102b by an
optional hinge 104, best seen in FIG. 1B, disposed intermediate
upper body portion 102a and lower body portion 102b. Optional hinge
104 allows pickup tool 100 to be collapsed (i.e., folded) for ease
of carrying while walking a pet. It will be recognized that hinge
104 is optional and the invention is not considered limited to
tools having a hinge 104. Rather, the invention is intended to
include pickup tools both including and excluding hinge 104.
[0037] Hollow, elongated body 102 typically has a rectangular cross
section. However, hollow structures having other than rectangular
cross sections (e.g., circular, ovulate, etc.) may be substituted.
The invention is not considered limited to bodies having
rectangular cross sections.
[0038] A handle 106 is disposed at an upper, distal end of hollow
elongated body 102. Handle 106 houses a trigger mechanism 108. Such
handles and trigger mechanisms are believed to be well known to
those of skill in the art, neither are further described or
discussed herein.
[0039] A pair of pickup assembles 110a, 110b are connected to
elongated hollow body 102, specifically to lower body portion 102b
by respective flexible supports 112a, 112b. Proximal ends of
flexible supports 112a, 112b are fixedly attached to hollow
elongated body by rivets 116. When required, reinforcing plates
118a, 118b may be interposed between head of rivets 116, not
specifically identified, sandwiching proximal ends of flexible
supports 112a, 112b between an inside surface of the reinforcing
plates 118a, 118b and the surface of lower body portion 102b of
hollow elongated body 102. In FIGS. 1a and 1B, only reinforcing
plate 118a is visible, reinforcing plate 118b being directly behind
flexible support 112a against the surface of lower body portion
102b. If the cross section of hollow elongated body 102 is
rectangular, reinforcing plates 118a, 118b are typically flat
rectangular structures. If, however, the cross section of hollow
elongated body 102 is other than rectangular, reinforcing plates
118a, 118b must be shaped to conform to an outside surface of
hollow elongated body 102.
[0040] Flexible supports 112a, 112b are typically thin, rectangular
strips formed from spring steel or other suitable resilient
material.
[0041] Also attached to pickup assembles 110a, 110b are proximal
ends of respective actuator links 114a, 114b. Actuator links 114a,
114b typically pass through an interior region, not specifically
identified of hollow elongated body 102 and their proximal ends are
typically connected to trigger mechanism 108. Like flexible
supports 112a, 112b, actuator links 114a, 114b are also thin,
rectangular strips formed from spring steel or other suitable
material.
[0042] Left pickup assembly 110a and right pickup assembly 110b
each consist of a flat bottom blade 120a, 120b, respectively.
Attached to flat bottom blades 120a, 120b are respective vertical
backs 122a, 122b typically in an orthogonal arrangement.
[0043] Left pickup assembly 110a is typically disposed facing right
pickup assembly 110b in a mirror image arrangement
[0044] Refer now also to FIG. 2. Actuation of trigger mechanism 108
in handle 106 pulls actuator links 114a, 114b in the direction
shown by arrows 124a, 124b, respectively. Upward motion of actuator
links 114a, 114b causes left pickup assembly 110a to pivot (i.e.,
move inwardly) towards right pickup assembly 110b. The attachment
angles, not specifically identified, of pickup assemblies 110a,
110b to respective flexible supports 112a, 112b are selected to
ensure that as left pickup 110a assembly pivots towards and meets
right pickup assembly 110b in response to actuation of trigger
assembly, respective flat bottom blades 120a, 120b are both
approximately parallel to a horizontal surface, not shown, assumed
to be orthogonal to a major axis of elongated hollow body 102. A
slight offset in the mounting of flexible links 112a, 112b allows
one of flat bottom blades 120a, 120b to slide over the other of
flat bottom blades 120a, 120b. The purpose of the design of pickup
assemblies 110a, 110b, the mounting angles thereof, and the
provision for a first of flat bottom blades 120a, 120b to overlap a
second of flat bottom blades 120a, 120b are discussed in more
detail hereinbelow. The overlapped flat bottom blades 120a, 120b
may be seen in FIG. 3.
[0045] The operation of the novel extended pickup tool for pet
waste or the like is now described and illustrated. Referring now
also to FIG. 4, there is shown a partial front elevational,
schematic view of the elongated pickup tool 100 of FIG. 1 in an
open orientation with a flexible bag, typically a thin plastic bag
130 being installed thereupon. The bottom 132 of plastic bag 130 is
inserted in the space, not specifically identified, between pickup
assemblies 110a, 110b, with the top 134 of plastic bag 130 hanging
below the lower edges, not specifically identified of pickup
assemblies 110a, 110b. Plastic bag 130 forms no part of the
invention and is shown merely to clarify the operation on the novel
elongated pickup tool.
[0046] Once bottom 132 is in place, the bag is pulled up in the
direction shown by arrows 136, essentially being turned inside out
until the plastic bag 130 is installed over pickup assemblies 110a,
110b as shown in FIG. 5. As may readily be seen in FIG. 5, plastic
bag 130 contains an indented, open space 138 between pickup
assemblies 110a, 110b.
[0047] Referring now aso to FIG. 6, extended pickup tool has been
moved to the pet waste or other material 140 to be picked up and
the indented open space 138 is positioned directly over waste
140.
[0048] Extended pickup tool 100 is then moved downwardly as
indicated by arrows 142 until the lower surfaces, not specifically
identified, of flat bottom blades 120a, 120b is positioned against
the surface, not shown, upon which waste 140 is disposed. Once in
position, trigger mechanism 108 is used to move left and right
pickup assemblies 110a, 110b towards one another until left pickup
assembly 110a is under right pickup assembly 110b. It will be noted
that the pickup tool 100 for pet waste or the like may be designed
so that either left pickup assembly 110a or right pickup assembly
110b may be the lower one of pickup assemblies 110a, 110b when the
pickup assemblies 110a, 110b are brought together to form a closed
configuration. Consequently, the invention is not considered
limited to a configuration where either right pickup assembly 110a
or left pickup assembly 110b is lower. Rather, the invention is
intended to include either possible configuration.
[0049] Referring now also to FIG. 8, it may be seen that pickup
assemblies 110a, 110b have been moved under waste 140 with a layer
of plastic bag 130 between pickup assemblies 110a, 110b and waste
140. Bag 130 is now pulled downward in a direction indicated by
arrows 144 while pickup assemblies 110a, 110b are held in a closed
orientation by maintaining pressure on trigger assembly 108.
[0050] Referring now also to FIG. 9, it may be seen that top 132 of
plastic bag 130 is hanging under pickup assemblies 110a, 110b with
waste 140 completely contained in what was originally identified as
indented region 138 of plastic bag 130.
[0051] Referring now also to FIG. 10, a hand 146 of a user of the
extended pickup tool 100 grasps the plastic bag below pickup
assemblies 110a, 110b, presumably twists the down hanging portion
of bag 130, and releases the pressure on trigger assembly 108
thereby opening pickup assemblies 110a, 110b. Bag 130 might be
knotted or sealed with a twist tie, etc., none shown. Plastic bag
130 containing waste 140 may now be discarded in an appropriate
manner. Hand 146 forms no part of the present invention.
[0052] Never does the hand 146 or, for that matter, any other part
of the user, not shown, come in contact with waste 140 during the
use of the novel pickup tool 100. Neither does any part of pickup
tool 100 come in contact with waste 140.
[0053] Since other modifications and changes varied to fit
particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent
to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered
limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and
covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute
departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention.
[0054] Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be
protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequently
appended claims.
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