阅读说明：本技术 动物用厕所 (Toilet for animals ) 是由 高井智世 金子真也 小井户勇树 于 2019-02-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种动物用厕所(1),其具有彼此正交的前后方向、左右方向以及上下方向,该厕所包含：托盘容纳部分(10),其包含具有允许尿液向下通过其中的多个孔(h)的尿液通过部分(11a)和设置在前表面上的插入槽(12f)；以及托盘(30),其具有吸收体安装面(31),在其上安装吸收通过孔(h)的尿液的吸收体(200),并且该托盘通过插入槽(12f)容纳在托盘容纳部分(10)中以使得托盘(30)可以被向前拉出。托盘(30)能在前后方向上的取向被颠倒的情况下容纳于托盘容纳部分(10)中,并且在除吸收体安装面(31)以外的部分中包含辨识部分(34),以用于辨识前后方向上的一侧和另一侧。(Provided is an animal litter box (1) having a front-back direction, a left-right direction, and a top-bottom direction that are orthogonal to each other, the litter box including: a tray accommodating portion (10) including a urine passing portion (11a) having a plurality of holes (h) allowing urine to pass downward therethrough and an insertion groove (12f) provided on a front surface; and a tray (30) having an absorber mounting face (31) on which an absorber (200) that absorbs urine passing through the hole (h) is mounted, and which is accommodated in the tray accommodating section (10) through the insertion groove (12f) so that the tray (30) can be pulled out forward. The tray (30) can be accommodated in the tray accommodating section (10) with the orientation in the front-rear direction reversed, and includes an identification section (34) in a portion other than the absorber mounting face (31) for identifying one side and the other side in the front-rear direction.)

1. An animal litter box having a front-back direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction orthogonal to each other,

the animal litter box includes:

a tray housing containing a urine passing portion and an insertion opening,

the urine passing portion has a plurality of holes through which urine passes downward,

the insertion opening is formed in a front surface of the tray housing; and

A tray including an absorber placement surface on which an absorber for absorbing urine that has passed through the hole is placed,

the tray is accommodated in the tray housing from the insertion opening so that the tray can be pulled out forward,

the tray can be accommodated in the tray housing with the orientation of the tray in the front-rear direction reversed,

the tray includes an identification portion for identifying one side and the other side in the front-rear direction in a portion of the tray other than the absorber placement surface.

2. The animal litter box of claim 1,

the identification portion is provided at a position invisible from the outside in a state where the tray is accommodated in the tray housing.

3. The animal litter box according to claim 1 or 2,

the identification portion is disposed on an upper surface of the tray.

4. The animal litter box of claim 3,

the identification portion is provided in an area of the tray in the left-right direction, the area corresponding to a width of the urine passing portion in the left-right direction.

5. The animal litter box according to any of claims 1 to 4,

the tray has end regions on both sides in the front-rear direction with the absorber placement surface interposed therebetween, each of the end regions including a handle, an

The identification portion is disposed in each of the end regions.

6. The animal litter box of claim 5,

the identification portion is disposed between the handle and the absorber placement surface.

7. The animal litter box of claim 5 or 6,

the identification portion is a protruding portion, and

the protruding height of the identification portion is less than or equal to the height of the handle.

8. The animal litter box of claim 7,

between the handle and the identification portion there is a portion having a height which is smaller than the height of the handle and the height of the identification portion.

9. The animal litter box according to any of claims 1 to 8,

a top portion right above the insertion opening of the tray case is recessed rearward, and

The identification portion passes under the top portion when the tray is pulled out.

10. The animal litter box of claim 9,

the outer shape of the top portion is similar to the outer shape of the identification portion when viewed from the front.

11. The animal litter box according to any of claims 1 to 10,

the tray includes:

a first identification portion on one side in the front-rear direction; and

a second identification portion on the other side in the front-rear direction,

the second recognition portion is different from the first recognition portion,

the tray case includes a case-side identification portion on a front surface, an

The degree of similarity between the case-side identification portion and either one of the first identification portion and the second identification portion is higher than the degree of similarity between the case-side identification portion and the other one of the first identification portion and the second identification portion.

12. The animal litter box of claim 11,

the first identification portion has a shape representing a portion of an upper body of an animal, an

The second identification portion has a shape representing a portion of the lower body of the animal, an

The shell-side identification portion has a shape representing either one of a part of the upper body and a part of the lower body.

13. The animal litter box according to any of claims 1 to 12,

the animal litter box includes an access opening for an animal in the front surface above the urine passing portion,

the entrance opening is provided so as to be displaced toward one side in the left-right direction with respect to a left-right direction center position of the tray case;

the insertion opening is provided so as to be displaced toward the other side in the left-right direction with respect to the left-right direction center position, an

The identification portion does not overlap with the entrance opening in the left-right direction.

14. The animal litter box according to any of claims 1 to 13,

the tray includes a pair of storage portions on both sides in the left-right direction, the storage portions being depressed downward, an

The identification portion is provided at a position: the position is between the pair of storage sections and is higher than the bottom surfaces of the pair of storage sections.

15. The animal litter box according to claim 1 or 2,

The identification portion is either a protruding portion or a recessed portion, an

The identification portion is formed on or in a lower surface of the tray.

16. The animal litter box of claim 15,

a protrusion protruding upward is formed on a surface of the tray case facing a lower surface of the tray,

the identification portion is the projection portion which collides with the projection when the tray is pulled out,

the identification portion is provided on each of one side in a front-rear direction and the other side in the front-rear direction of the lower surface; and

the number of the protruding portions on one side in the front-rear direction is different from the number of the protruding portions on the other side in the front-rear direction.

17. The animal litter box of claim 1,

the identification portion is provided at a position visible from the outside in a state where the tray is accommodated in the tray housing.

18. The animal litter box of claim 17,

the tray includes a handle at each end in the front-rear direction, an

The identification portion is formed in the handle.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an animal toilet.

Background

There is a known animal litter box for animals such as cats, in which a pull-out tray that holds an absorber for absorbing urine is provided below a urine passing portion having a plurality of holes so that the absorber can absorb urine that has passed through the urine passing portion.

Generally, since animals such as cats have a habit of excreting at a fixed position, urine is generally absorbed at the same position in the absorbent body. Thus, urine is generally absorbed by the same portion of the absorbent body, and urine tends to be absorbed in a skewed manner. To this end, for example, patent document 1 discloses an animal litter box having a tray that can be turned upside down in the front-rear direction.

CITATION LIST

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2007-124

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

However, in the above animal litter box, since the front and rear portions of the tray have the same shape, it may be difficult for the user to know the timing to reverse the front and rear portions of the tray or to know the time to replace the absorber. As a result, the user may unnecessarily invert or replace the tray, or urine may leak or smell due to a delay in replacement.

The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an animal litter box that enables a user to easily know whether it is necessary to reverse a tray or replace an absorber.

Solution to the problem

The main aspects of the invention for achieving the above aspects are:

an animal litter box having a front-back direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction orthogonal to each other,

the animal litter box includes:

a tray housing containing a urine passing portion and an insertion opening,

the urine passing portion has a plurality of holes through which urine passes downward,

the insertion opening is formed in a front surface of the tray housing; and

a tray including an absorber placement surface on which an absorber for absorbing urine that has passed through the hole is placed,

the tray is accommodated in the tray housing from the insertion opening so that the tray can be pulled out forward,

the tray can be accommodated in the tray housing with the orientation of the tray in the front-rear direction reversed,

the tray includes an identification portion for identifying one side and the other side in the front-rear direction in a portion of the tray other than the absorber placement surface.

Features of the present invention other than those described above will become apparent by reading the description of the present specification with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Advantageous effects of the invention

The present invention can provide an animal litter box that allows a user to easily know whether or not the tray needs to be inverted or the absorber needs to be replaced.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an animal litter box 1.

Fig. 2 shows the animal litter box 1 as viewed from above in the up-down direction and from the front in the front-back direction.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the animal litter box 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line a-a in fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the lower case 12 and the tray 30.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the tray 30 according to the first embodiment when viewed from above.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line a-a in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows a state where the tray 30 is pulled out.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the tray 30' according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a lower case 12' according to a second embodiment.

Fig. 11A to 11D are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the recognition operation.

Detailed Description

At least the following will become apparent from the description of the specification and the drawings.

An animal litter box having a front-back direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction orthogonal to each other,

The animal litter box includes:

a tray housing containing a urine passing portion and an insertion opening,

the urine passing portion has a plurality of holes through which urine passes downward,

the insertion opening is formed in a front surface of the tray housing; and

a tray including an absorber placement surface on which an absorber for absorbing urine that has passed through the hole is placed,

the tray is accommodated in the tray housing from the insertion opening so that the tray can be pulled out forward,

the tray can be accommodated in the tray housing with the orientation of the tray in the front-rear direction reversed,

the tray includes an identification portion for identifying one side and the other side in the front-rear direction in a portion of the tray other than the absorber placement surface.

With such an animal litter box, the user can easily recognize the front and rear of the tray, and therefore the user can easily know whether it is necessary to invert the tray or replace the absorber. Therefore, unnecessary inversion and replacement of the absorber can be suppressed, and leakage of urine or generation of odor due to a delay in replacement can be suppressed.

In such an animal litter box, it is acceptable that,

the identification portion is provided at a position invisible from the outside in a state where the tray is accommodated in the tray housing.

In such an animal litter box, since the identification portion is not visible from the outside, the identification portion does not affect the appearance.

In such an animal litter box, it is acceptable that,

the identification portion is disposed on an upper surface of the tray.

With such an animal litter box, the visibility of the identification portion can be increased.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the identification portion is provided in an area of the tray in the left-right direction, the area corresponding to a width of the urine passing portion in the left-right direction.

With such animal litter boxes, for example, by pulling the tray slightly, the user can inspect the identification portion through the hole in the urine passing portion.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the tray has end regions on both sides in the front-rear direction with the absorber placement surface interposed therebetween, each of the end regions including a handle, an

The identification portion is disposed in each of the end regions.

With such an animal litter box, the user can quickly notice the identification portion when pulling out the tray.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the identification portion is disposed between the handle and the absorber placement surface.

With such an animal litter box, since the identification portion is not shielded when the user grips the handle, the user can easily notice the identification portion. When pulling out the tray, the user can recognize the orientation of the tray before the absorber is exposed.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the identification portion is a protruding portion, and

the protruding height of the identification portion is less than or equal to the height of the handle.

With such an animal litter box, the identification portion does not cause an obstruction when the tray is stored (inserted) or pulled out by the user.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

between the handle and the identification portion there is a portion having a height which is smaller than the height of the handle and the height of the identification portion.

In such an animal litter box, the identification portion can be made conspicuous.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

a top portion right above the insertion opening of the tray case is recessed rearward, and

the identification portion passes under the top portion when the tray is pulled out.

With such an animal litter box, the user can notice the identification portion more quickly.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the outer shape of the top portion is similar to the outer shape of the identification portion when viewed from the front.

Such an animal litter box can be easily and accurately identified by a user.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the tray includes:

a first identification portion on one side in the front-rear direction; and

a second identification portion on the other side in the front-rear direction,

the second recognition portion is different from the first recognition portion,

the tray case includes a case-side identification portion on a front surface, an

The degree of similarity between the case-side identification portion and either one of the first identification portion and the second identification portion is higher than the degree of similarity between the case-side identification portion and the other one of the first identification portion and the second identification portion.

With such an animal litter box, the user can easily recognize the orientation of the tray.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the first identification portion has a shape representing a portion of an upper body of an animal, an

The second identification portion has a shape representing a portion of the lower body of the animal, an

The shell-side identification portion has a shape representing either one of a part of the upper body and a part of the lower body.

For such animal litter boxes, the orientation of the tray can be made more obvious.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the animal litter box includes an access opening for an animal in the front surface above the urine passing portion,

the entrance opening is provided so as to be displaced toward one side in the left-right direction with respect to a left-right direction center position of the tray case;

the insertion opening is provided so as to be displaced toward the other side in the left-right direction with respect to the left-right direction center position, an

The identification portion does not overlap with the entrance opening in the left-right direction.

With such an animal litter box, even if an animal attempts to enter the animal litter box through the entrance opening when the user pulls out the tray, the user's view is not obstructed by the animal.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the tray includes a pair of storage portions on both sides in the left-right direction, the storage portions being depressed downward, an

The identification portion is provided at a position: the position is between the pair of storage sections and is higher than the bottom surfaces of the pair of storage sections.

For such an animal litter box, the identification portion is conspicuous.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the identification portion is either a protruding portion or a recessed portion, an

The identification portion is formed on or in a lower surface of the tray.

With such an animal litter box, the identification portion does not affect the appearance of the tray, and the user can identify the orientation of the tray by touching the identification portion.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

a protrusion protruding upward is formed on a surface of the tray case facing a lower surface of the tray,

the identification portion is the projection portion which collides with the projection when the tray is pulled out,

the identification portion is provided on each of one side in a front-rear direction and the other side in the front-rear direction of the lower surface; and

The number of the protruding portions on one side in the front-rear direction is different from the number of the protruding portions on the other side in the front-rear direction.

With such an animal litter box, the user can recognize the orientation of the tray according to the number of sounds generated when the user pulls out the tray and the tactile sensation transmitted to the hand.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the identification portion is provided at a position visible from the outside in a state where the tray is accommodated in the tray housing.

With such an animal litter box, a user can recognize the orientation of the tray without pulling out the tray.

In such an animal litter box, it is desirable that,

the tray includes a handle at each end in the front-rear direction, an

The identification portion is formed in the handle.

With such an animal litter box, the user can easily notice the identification portion when the user tries to grip the handle, and can identify the orientation without pulling out the tray.

First embodiment

Integral structure

An animal litter box 1 will be described as an example of the animal litter box according to the present embodiment. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an animal litter box 1. Fig. 2 shows the animal litter box 1 as viewed from above in the up-down direction and from the front in the front-back direction. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the animal litter box 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line a-a in fig. 2. In the following description, as shown in fig. 1, three directions orthogonal to each other are defined as a "left-right direction", a "front-rear direction", and an "up-down direction". The "left-right direction" is a longitudinal direction of the animal litter box 1, and a side on which the slit 25 is formed with respect to a center position CL10 in the longitudinal direction of the animal litter box 1 is defined as "left", and an opposite side is defined as "right". The "front-rear direction" is a lateral direction of the animal litter box 1, and a direction in which the tray 30 is pulled out from the main body 10 is defined as "front", and an opposite direction is defined as "rear". The "up-down direction" is a vertical direction, and an upper side in the vertical direction is defined as "up", and a lower side is defined as "down".

The animal litter box 1 includes a main body 10 (corresponding to a tray housing) for receiving excrement of an animal, a cover 20 removably attached to an upper side of the main body 10, and a tray 30 accommodated in the main body 10.

The main body 10 includes an upper case 11 and a lower case 12. The upper case 11 is a box-shaped member having an upper opening, and an animal such as a cat is excreted in a state where the animal is on the bottom surface 11b of the upper case 11. The upper case 11 (main body 10) according to the present embodiment is shaped like a rectangle when viewed from above, as shown in fig. 2, and the length of the upper case 11 in the left-right direction is larger than the length in the front-rear direction. That is, the long sides of the rectangle extend in the left-right direction, and the short sides of the rectangle extend in the front-rear direction. However, the shape of the upper case 11 (main body 10) is not limited to a rectangle, and may be, for example, an ellipse, a polygon, or the like.

As shown in fig. 4, the bottom surface 11b of the upper case 11 includes inclined portions 11f1 and 11f2 that are inclined from the outside toward the inside (toward the center) in the left-right direction in a funnel shape. At the bottom portion located at the lowest position in the up-down direction, a urine passing portion 11a is formed which enables passage of excrement such as urine excreted by an animal from the upper side toward the lower side in the height direction. The urine passing portion 11a has a plurality of holes h extending therethrough in the up-down direction. The excrement (urine) of the animal passes through the hole h and moves from the upper side to the lower side of the upper housing 11 (toward the lower housing 12). In the present embodiment, the urine passing portion 11a is offset rightward in the left-right direction. That is, the center position CL11a (see fig. 2) in the left-right direction of the urine passing portion 11a is provided so as to be displaced rightward with respect to the center position CL10 in the left-right direction of the main body 10.

When the animal litter box 1 is used, an excrement treatment substance which is a granular material such as cat litter is placed on the upper surface of the urine passing portion 11a (see fig. 4 and the like), and an animal such as a cat is excreted onto the excrement treatment substance. The excrement treatment substance for the animal litter box 1 is a granular material having a porous structure such as zeolite or silica gel. The excrement treatment substance has a deodorizing effect by absorbing ammonia components and has a dehumidifying effect when coming into contact with urine or the like excreted from animals. In order to suppress the particles of the excrement disposal substance from falling through the holes h of the urine passing part 11a, the holes h of the urine passing part 11a preferably have a shape and a size which do not allow the excrement disposal substance to pass therethrough but allow the urine to pass therethrough. For example, in the animal litter box 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the urine passing portion 11a is formed by a plurality of holes h each having a slit-like shape elongated in the left-right direction. The shape of the hole h is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, an ellipse, a polygon, or the like.

A lower housing 12, which is a box-shaped member having an upper opening, is placed below the upper housing 11 and attached to the upper housing (see fig. 3). An insertion opening 12f for inserting the tray 30 is formed in the front surface of the lower case 12. A recessed portion 12K (corresponding to a top portion and a case-side identification portion) recessed rearward is formed right above the insertion opening 12f of the lower case 12. As shown in fig. 2, the concave portion 12K according to the present embodiment is shaped like the head of a cat when viewed from the front. The function of the concave portion 12K will be described below.

The cover 20 has walls 21 that surround four sides in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. Specifically, the cover 20 has a front wall portion 21f and a rear wall portion 21b extending in the left-right direction and forming the long sides of a rectangle, and a right wall portion 21r and a left wall portion 21l on the left side extending in the front-rear direction and forming the short sides of the rectangle. As shown in fig. 1, when the lid 20 is attached to the upper portion of the main body 10, these wall portions of the wall 21 stand upward from the periphery of the bottom surface 11b of the upper case 11, so that four sides of the animal litter box 1 are surrounded by the walls 21.

In the present embodiment, a cutout 25 (corresponding to an entrance opening) is formed in a part of the front wall portion 21f so that an animal such as a cat can enter or exit the animal litter box 1 through the cutout 25.

The tray 30 is a shallow flat box-like casing in which an absorbent sheet (e.g., an absorbent body 200 described below) that absorbs excreted urine or the like is placed. The tray 30 is accommodated in the lower case 12 (main body 10) from the insertion opening 12f of the lower case 12 in such a manner that the tray 30 can be pulled out forward. In the present embodiment, the tray 30 has a rectangular shape, and can be accommodated in the lower case 12 (main body 10) with the orientation in the front-rear direction reversed. The configuration of the tray 30 according to the present embodiment will be described below.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the lower case 12 and the tray 30. Fig. 5 shows a state where the tray 30 is accommodated in the lower case 12 when viewed from above. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the orientation of the tray 30 when the tray 30 is housed in the lower case 12 as shown in fig. 5 (i.e., the orientation of the tray 30 when the tray 30 is housed such that the below-described identification mark 34a is on the front side) will be referred to as "forward orientation". The opposite orientation (the orientation when the tray 30 is accommodated such that the identification mark 34b is on the front side) will be referred to as the "rearward orientation".

In fig. 5, for convenience of description, the position of the urine passing portion 11a when it is superposed on the upper case 11 is shown. The insertion opening 12f (in other words, the tray 30) according to the present embodiment is shifted rightward in the left-right direction.

The absorber 200 placed on the tray 30 is a liquid absorbent sheet member that absorbs urine excreted by an animal such as a cat, and is made of a liquid absorbent material such as pulp fiber, super absorbent polymer, or the like. The absorbent body 200 may contain deodorant microcapsules and an antibacterial agent in order to suppress the emission of odor of absorbed urine and the proliferation of bacteria. In fig. 5, the absorber 200 is shown by hatching. In using the animal litter box 1, in a state where the absorber 200 is disposed on the absorber placement surface 31 (described below) as shown in fig. 5, the center position of the absorber 200 in the left-right direction and the center position CL31 of the absorber placement surface 31 in the left-right direction are substantially the same. That is, the absorber 200 is provided directly below the urine passage portion 11 a.

In the animal litter box 1 having the configuration as described above, urine excreted by an animal such as a cat passes through the urine passage portion 11a and moves downward (falls), and is absorbed by the absorber 200.

Generally, when an animal such as a cat excretes in the animal litter box 1, the animal has a habit of excreting at a fixed place every time. Thus, urine is generally absorbed by the same portion of the absorbent body 200, and urine tends to be absorbed in a skewed manner. For this reason, in the animal litter box 1 according to the present embodiment, the orientation of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction is invertible, so that the user can change the orientation of the tray 30 (in other words, the orientation of the absorber 200) or replace the absorber 200 at an appropriate timing.

However, if the shape of the tray 30 is exactly the same in the front-rear direction, the user may not be able to distinguish front and rear, and may find it difficult to know the timing to reverse the tray 30 or the timing to replace the absorbent body 200. As a result, the user may perform unnecessary inversion or replacement, or a replacement delay may cause leakage of urine or generation of a bad smell.

Therefore, the animal litter box 1 according to the present embodiment enables the user to easily recognize the orientation of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction.

Structure of tray 30

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the tray 30 according to the first embodiment when viewed from above. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line a-a in fig. 6. Hereinafter, the configuration of the tray 30 will also be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

The tray 30 according to the present embodiment has a center region Rc, a first end region Ra, and a second end region Rb.

The center region Rc is a region at the center of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction, and has an absorber placing surface 31.

The absorber placement surface 31 is an upper surface of a portion on which the absorber 200 is placed. As shown in fig. 5, in the state where the tray 30 is accommodated, the center position CL31 in the left-right direction of the absorber placement surface 31 is displaced rightward from the center position CL10 of the main body 10. In the present embodiment, the center position CL31 in the left-right direction of the absorber placement surface 31 and the center position CL11a in the left-right direction of the urine passing portion 11a are substantially the same (see fig. 4 and 5). As shown in fig. 5, the absorber placing surface 31 has an area larger than the area of the urine passing portion 11 a. Therefore, the excrement that has passed through the urine passage portion 11a and dropped onto the absorber placement surface 31 does not leak to the outside of the absorber placement surface 31, and is absorbed by the absorber 200.

The first end region Ra and the second end region Rb are regions with the center region Rc interposed therebetween in the front-rear direction, and are regions at end portions of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction. The first end region Ra and the second end region Rb are symmetrical (identically configured) in the front-rear direction, except for the identification mark 34 (corresponding to the identification portion). Therefore, the tray 30 can be housed in the lower case 12 with the orientation in the front-rear direction reversed. The identification mark 34 is provided in a portion other than the absorber placement surface 31. This is because, if the identification mark 34 is provided on the absorber placement surface 31, the identification mark 34 will be shielded by the absorber 200. The specific location and configuration of the identifying indicia 34 will be described below. Portions of the first and second end regions Ra and Rb having the same configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, the configuration of the first end region Ra will be mainly described.

The first end region Ra is a region on the front side with respect to the absorber placement surface 31 in the state shown in fig. 5 (forward orientation). However, it is also possible to place the first end region Ra on the rear side with respect to the absorber placement surface 31 by reversing the orientation of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction (rearward orientation). The handle 32, the storage portion 33, and the identification mark 34a (corresponding to the first identification portion) are provided in the first end region Ra.

The handle 32 is a portion that a user grips when pulling out the tray 30 from the lower case 12 (main body 10) or inserting the tray 30 into the lower case 12. The handle 32 is provided in the first end region Ra at an end opposite to the absorber placement surface 31 (an end of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction). As shown in fig. 7, the cross-sectional shape of the handle 32 according to the present embodiment is L-shaped. However, the sectional shape is not limited thereto, and may be another shape such as a rectangle.

On both sides of the first end region Ra in the left-right direction, storage portions 33 are provided, which are a pair of portions recessed downward in the first end region Ra. The storage portion 33 may store a fragrance, a deodorant, and the like.

The identification mark 34a is a mark for identifying one side and the other side of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction. The identification mark 34a according to the present embodiment is shaped like the head of a cat.

As shown in fig. 6, the identification mark 34a is provided on the upper surface of the tray 30. Accordingly, visibility is improved, and a user (e.g., an owner of an animal) can easily notice the identification mark 34a when pulling out the tray 30.

The identification mark 34a is disposed in the first end region Ra. Therefore, the user can quickly notice the identification mark 34a when pulling out the tray 30. More specifically, the identification mark 34a is provided between the handle 32 and the absorber placement surface 31. Therefore, when the user grips the handle 32, the identification mark 34a is not shielded by the user's hand, and the user can easily notice the identification mark 34 a. Also, when pulling out the tray 30, the user can notice the identification mark 34a before the absorbent body 200 is exposed. That is, the user can know the orientation of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction without exposing the absorbent body 200. With such an arrangement as described above, when the tray 30 is accommodated in the lower case 12 (main body 10), the identification mark 34a is shielded in the lower case 12 (see fig. 5). That is, the identification mark 34a is provided at a position that is not visible from the outside in a state where the tray 30 is accommodated in the lower case 12 (the main body 10). Therefore, during normal use, the identification mark 34a is not visible and does not affect the appearance of the animal litter box 1.

As shown in fig. 7, the identification mark 34a is a protruding portion protruding above the surrounding area. The protruding height of the identification mark 34a is substantially the same as the height of the handle 32. If the height of the identification mark 34a is higher than the height of the handle 32, the identification mark 34a may contact the lower case 12 or cause an obstruction when the user pulls the tray 30 out of the lower case 12 or inserts the tray 30 into the lower case 12. In contrast, by making the height of the identification mark 34a smaller than or equal to the height of the handle 32, the identification mark 34a does not cause an obstruction when the user stores (inserts) the tray 30 into the lower case 12 or pulls out the tray 30 from the lower case 12.

As shown in fig. 7, there is a portion between the handle 32 and the identification mark 34a having a height smaller than that of each of the handle 32 and the identification mark 34 a. By this portion, the identification mark 34a can be made conspicuous.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the identification mark 34a is provided at a position: this position is between the storage portions 33 (which are on both sides of the identification mark in the left-right direction and are recessed downward) and is higher than the bottom surface of the storage portion 33. Therefore, the identification mark 34a is more conspicuous. Although the identification mark 34a is provided at the center of the tray 30 in the left-right direction in the present embodiment, the identification mark 34a may be displaced leftward or rightward. However, it is preferable that the identification mark 34a is provided in an area of the tray 30 in the left-right direction, which corresponds to the width of the urine passing portion 11a in the left-right direction. Also, it is preferable that the identification mark 34a is located at a position such that the identification mark 34a passes under the concave portion 12K of the lower case 12 when the user pulls out the tray 30. The reason for this will be described below.

In the second end region Rb, an identification mark 34b (corresponding to a second identification portion) is provided as the identification mark 34. An identification mark 34b, which is a similar protruding portion to the identification mark 34a, is provided at a position in the second end region Rb, which corresponds to the position of the identification mark 34a in the first end region Ra. As shown in fig. 6, the shape of the identification mark 34b is different from the shape of the identification mark 34 a. Specifically, the identification mark 34a is shaped like a head of a cat, and the identification mark 34b is shaped like a sole (a paw pad) of a foot of a cat. The shape of the identification mark 34b is not limited to the claw pad, and may be any suitable shape different from the shape of the identification mark 34 a. For example, since the identification mark 34a has a shape of a part (head) of the upper body of a cat, if the identification mark 34b has a shape of a part (tail, for example) of the lower body of a cat, the user can easily know the orientation of the tray. In the present embodiment, since the outer shape of the recessed portion 12K of the lower case 12 and the shape of the identification mark 34a are substantially similar to each other (the head of a cat), if the shape of the identification mark 34b is different from the shape of the identification mark 34a, the user can more easily know the orientation of the tray 30.

In addition, in the second end region Rb, a pair of storage sections 33 is provided on both sides in the left-right direction. Therefore, the storage portion 33 can be used as an aid to recognition by storing a fragrance, a deodorant, or the like in the storage portion 33 of only one of the first end region Ra and the second end region Rb, or by storing a fragrance, a deodorant, or the like of a different type or color in the first end region Ra and the second end region Rb.

Identification of orientation of tray 30

Fig. 8 shows an example of a state where the tray 30 is pulled out.

As described above, the identification mark 34a and the identification mark 34b are each provided between the handle 32 and the absorber placement surface 31, and are not visible from the outside when the tray 30 is housed in the lower case 12. Therefore, in a state where the tray 30 is accommodated in the lower case 12 (main body 10), it is not known whether the orientation of the tray 30 is a forward orientation or a backward orientation.

When the user grasps the handle 32 of the tray 30 and pulls the tray 30 forward, the tray 30 moves forward, and the identification mark 34 passes under the recessed portion 12K, as shown in fig. 8. The user can recognize the orientation of the tray 30 according to whether the identification mark 34 visible at this time is the identification mark 34a or the identification mark 34 b. For example, in fig. 8, since the identification mark 34a is visible, the user can know that the tray 30 is in the forward orientation. If the identifying indicia 34b is visible, the user knows that the tray 30 is in a rearward orientation.

Since the recessed portion 12K of the lower case 12 is recessed rearward, the identification mark 34 (the identification mark 34a or the identification mark 34b) is exposed at an earlier time than in the case where the front surface is flush. Therefore, the recognition can be performed more quickly.

Also, by comparing the concave portion 12K of the lower case 12 with the identification mark 34, the user can more clearly identify. That is, since the recessed portion 12K is shaped like the head of a cat when viewed from the front (see fig. 2), the degree of similarity between the recessed portion 12K and the identification mark 34a is higher than the degree of similarity between the recessed portion 12K and the identification mark 34b (in the present embodiment, the recessed portion 12K and the identification mark 34a are substantially similar to each other). Therefore, when the user slightly pulls out the tray 30 and if the identification mark 34a similar in external shape to the recessed portion 12K is visible, the user can know that the orientations of the lower case 12 and the tray 30 are matched (the tray 30 is in the forward orientation). On the other hand, if the identification mark 34b different in external shape from the recessed portion 12K is visible, the user can know that the orientations of the lower case 12 and the tray 30 do not match (the tray 30 assumes a rearward orientation). Therefore, for example, even if the user forgets which of the identification marks 34a and 34b corresponds to the front or rear, the user can accurately identify the orientation, and the accuracy of identification can be improved.

As described above, the concave portion 12K of the lower case 12 according to the present embodiment has a function of accelerating recognition and a function of improving accuracy of recognition. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the recessed portion 12k may be recessed only rearward (not necessarily having a similar external shape to the identification mark 34). Also in this case, the recognition can be accelerated. In this case, the identification mark on the main body side (housing-side identification portion) may be independently provided at an appropriate position on the front surface of the main body 10.

In positional relationship with the slit 25

Next, the arrangement of the incision 25 (entrance opening) and the identification mark 34 of the animal litter box 1 will be described.

As shown in fig. 4, in the animal litter box 1, the center position CL31 of the absorber placement surface 31 is shifted rightward in the left-right direction with respect to the center position CL10 of the main body 10. Therefore, the tray 30 (in other words, the insertion opening 12f) is provided so as to be displaced rightward in the left-right direction with respect to the center position CL10 (see fig. 2). The handle 32 is positioned on the right side relative to the center position CL 10.

In contrast, as shown in fig. 2, the slit 25 (entrance opening) is provided so as to be shifted leftward with respect to the center position CL 10. That is, in the animal litter box 1, the slit 25 and the tray 30 (absorber placing surface 31) are provided on opposite sides in the left-right direction. As shown in fig. 2, the handle 32 and the cutout 25 do not overlap in the left-right direction. Since the identification mark 34 (the identification mark 34a or 34b) is provided between the handle 32 and the absorber placement surface 31, the identification mark 34 and the slit 25 do not overlap in the left-right direction.

Therefore, for example, even if an animal such as a cat attempts to enter the animal litter box 1 through the slit 25 when the user pulls out the tray 30, the user's view is not obstructed by the animal.

As described above, the animal litter box 1 according to the present embodiment includes: a body 10 including a urine passing portion 11a and an insertion opening 12f formed in a front surface thereof, the urine passing portion 11a having a plurality of holes h that allow urine to pass downward therethrough; and a tray 30 having an absorber placing surface 31 on which an absorber 200 for absorbing urine that has passed through the hole h is placed, the tray 30 being accommodated in the main body 10 from the insertion opening 12f so that the tray 30 can be pulled out forward. The tray 30 can be housed in the main body 10 with the orientation in the front-rear direction reversed, and the tray 30 includes an identification mark 34 (identification mark 34a or 34b) for identifying one side and the other side in the front-rear direction in a portion thereof other than the absorber placement surface 31.

With this configuration, the user can easily recognize the orientation of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction by pulling out the tray 30 only slightly. Therefore, the user can easily know whether the tray 30 needs to be reversed or the absorber 200 needs to be replaced, and unnecessary reversal and replacement can be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, an excrement treatment material which is a granular material such as cat litter is placed on the urine passing portion 11 a. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. By providing the identification mark 34 in an area in the left-right direction of the tray 30, which corresponds to the width in the left-right direction of the urine passing portion 11a, the user can visually recognize the identification mark 34 through the hole h of the urine passing portion 11a by slightly pulling out the tray 30 when the amount of the excrement treatment substance is small or when the excrement treatment substance is not placed.

In the present embodiment, the identifying mark 34a and the identifying mark 34b each have a shape representing a part of the body of the cat. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the indicia may be other graphics, symbols, characters, or numbers. When one of the marks has close similarity (e.g., similar external shape, same number or character, similar color, related shape, etc.) with the recognized portion (in the present embodiment, the recessed portion 12K) of the main body 10 side, the user can easily recognize the orientation of the tray.

In the present embodiment, the identification mark 34 (the identification mark 34a or 34b) is a protruding portion. However, the identification mark 34 may be a recessed portion. The identification mark 34 may be a portion other than a protruding portion or a recessed portion. For example, the identifying indicia 34 may be an adhered imprint, a printed portion, or may be a color-altered portion. Also in this case, the user can easily recognize the orientation in the front-rear direction.

Second embodiment

In the above embodiment, the identification portion (the identification mark 34a or 34b) is provided on the upper surface of the tray. In a second embodiment, the identification portion is disposed on the lower surface of the tray. That is, on the upper surface side of the tray, the tray is symmetrical in both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a bottom side of the tray 30 'according to the second embodiment, and fig. 10 is a perspective view of the lower case 12' according to the second embodiment. Portions having the same configurations as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of such portions will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, as shown in fig. 10, the protrusions 12h protrude upward from the upper surface (the surface facing the lower surface of the tray 30 ') of the lower housing 12'. The projection 12h is a pair of projections arranged in the left-right direction on the front side (the side closer to the insertion opening 12 f) with respect to the center of the lower case 12 in the front-rear direction. The sectional shape of each protrusion 12h in the front-rear direction is substantially triangular, and the slope of the surface of the protrusion 12h on the rear side in the front-rear direction is steeper than the slope of the surface of the protrusion 12h on the front side (see fig. 11).

As shown in fig. 9, a downwardly protruding projection 35 is provided on the lower surface of the tray 30'.

The protruding portions 35 (which protrude downward on the lower surface of the tray 30 ') are provided at a pair of left and right positions determined such that the protruding portions 35 collide with the pair of left and right protrusions 12h of the lower case 12 when the tray 30' is pulled out. The protruding portion 35 is provided on each of one side and the other side in the front-rear direction. As shown in fig. 9, the number of the protruding portions 35 differs between one side and the other side in the front-rear direction. That is, one protruding portion 35 is provided on the one side (here, the front side: the side positioned at the front when the tray 30 'is accommodated in the forward orientation), and two protruding portions 35 are provided on the other side (here, the rear side: the side positioned at the front when the tray 30' is accommodated in the rearward orientation).

Each of the protruding portions 35 has a shape such that the slope of the inside portion thereof is gentle and the slope of the outside portion thereof is steep with respect to the center of the tray 30' in the front-rear direction. That is, the orientation of each of the protruding portions 35 also differs between the front side and the rear side of the tray 30' in the front-rear direction.

When the tray 30' is inserted into the insertion opening 12f of the lower case 12' (accommodated in the lower case 12 '), the protruding portion 35' is inserted into the lower case 12 '. Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the protruding portion 35' is not visible from the outside and does not affect the appearance.

Fig. 11A to 11D are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a recognition operation according to a second embodiment. Here, an area near the protrusion 12h is shown when the tray 30 'is slightly pulled out from a state where the tray 30' is accommodated in a forward orientation.

As shown in fig. 11A, in a state where the tray 30 'is accommodated in the lower case 12', there is a gap between the protruding portion 35 of the tray 30 'and the protrusion 12h of the lower case 12'.

As shown in fig. 11B, when the tray 30' is slightly pulled out forward, the protruding portion 35 of the tray 30' collides with the protrusion 12h of the lower case 12', and the collision emits a sound.

When the tray 30 'is further pulled out forward, the protruding portion 35 of the tray 30' moves over the projection 12h of the lower case 12', and, as shown in fig. 11C, the protruding portion 35 slides down to the front of the projection 12h of the lower case 12' (in fact, this also makes a sound). Then, as shown in fig. 11D, the tray 30' is further pulled out forward.

In contrast, in the case where the tray 30' is accommodated in the rearward orientation, when the user slightly pulls out the tray 30, the two protruding portions 35 on the rear side collide with the projections 12h and move over the projections 12 h. That is, the number of times the protruding portion 35 collides with the protrusion 12h is twice as many as that in the case of the forward orientation. Therefore, the number of sounds emitted when the user slightly pulls out the tray 30 is larger than that in the case of the forward orientation.

Therefore, the user can recognize the orientation of the tray 30 'according to the number of sounds made when the user pulls out the tray 30' or according to the tactile sensation transferred to the hand due to the collision.

In the present embodiment, the projection 12h is provided on the front side with respect to the center of the lower case 12 in the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the protrusion 12h may be provided on the rear side with respect to the center in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the protrusion 12h and the protruding portion 35 of the tray 30' can collide at a position on the rear side with respect to the center. However, in this case, the number of the protruding portions 35 on one side and the other side in the front-rear direction of the tray 30' (the number of the protruding portions 35 on the front side and the number of the protruding portions 35 on the rear side) is opposite to the above-described embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the lower case 12 has a pair of left and right protrusions 12 h. However, the number of the protrusions 12h is not necessarily two. For example, only one protrusion 12h may be provided at the center in the left-right direction of the portion facing the tray 30'. In this case, the protruding portion 35 of the tray 30' may be provided only at the center in the left-right direction.

The projection 12h may be omitted. For example, the user may recognize the orientation by slightly pulling the tray 30 'out and touching the lower surface of the tray 30' with a hand. In this case, the user can recognize the orientation by using the recessed portion instead of the protruding portion 35.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the above embodiments of the present disclosure are merely for facilitating understanding of the present disclosure, and are in no way to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be changed or modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and equivalents thereof are encompassed. For example, modifications to be described below are possible.

In the above embodiment, the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 of the main body 10 of the animal litter box 1 are formed separately. However, these may be integrally formed. The cover 20 and the body 10 may be integrally formed.

In the above-described embodiment, the identification portion (the identification mark 34 or the protruding portion 35) is provided at a position invisible from the outside. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the recognition portion may be disposed at a visible position.

For example, the identification portion may be provided on an end surface (front surface or rear surface) of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction. In this case, the user can recognize the orientation of the tray 30 without pulling out the tray 30.

Alternatively, the identification portion may be provided in the handle 32. In this case, the user can easily notice the recognized portion when the user tries to grip the handle 32, and can recognize the orientation without pulling out the tray.

In the above-described embodiment, the identification portions are provided on one side and the other side of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction, respectively. However, the identification portion may be provided on only one side of the tray 30 in the front-rear direction. Also in this case, the user can recognize the forward and backward orientations according to the presence/absence of the recognized portion.

List of reference numerals

1 an animal litter box for animals,

10 a main body (tray case),

11, 11a urine passing portion, 11b bottom surface,

The 11f1 angled portion, the 11f2 angled portion,

12 lower case, 12f insertion opening, 12k recess portion (top portion, case side identification portion)

12', the lower housing, 12a projection,

20 cover, 21 wall

21f front wall section, 21b rear wall section, 21r right wall section, 21l left wall section,

25 cuts (access openings),

30 trays, 30' trays,

31 an absorber placing surface, 32 a handle, 33 a storage portion,

34 identification mark (identification part)

34a identification mark (first identification portion), 34b identification mark (second identification portion),

35 a protruding portion (identification portion),

200 absorbent body

CL10 center position (body 10),

CL11a center position (urine passing part 11a)

The CL31 center position (absorber placement surface 31),

h, the holes are arranged in the holes,

ra end region, Rb end region, Rc center region