JP7675003B2 - Pet urine collection containers and pet toilets - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pet urine collection container and a pet toilet using the same.

Various pet toilets have been proposed and put to practical use for treating the waste of pets such as cats and dogs indoors. These pet toilets are equipped with a toilet body and a urine-permeable partition layer that divides the inside of the toilet body into an upper layer and a lower layer, and the lower layer is provided with a urine receiving section such as a tray for receiving urine (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

As part of pet health management, the urine excreted by pets is checked or collected to check the health of the pet. This test is effective for early detection of kidney disease, liver disease, lower urinary tract disease, diabetes, etc., and is carried out by measuring the pH value and specific gravity of the urine, and visually observing the color and turbidity of the urine, etc.

As an article or method for easily checking the health condition of a pet, the applicant has proposed a urine collection container (see Patent Document 1) that has multiple urine collection sections separated by partition walls, and a pet urine collection set (see Patent Document 2) in which a non-absorbent member is placed in the urine collection section so that it faces the partition layer when the pet urine collection set is in use.

Patent Document 3 also discloses a urine testing container that includes a bottom, a peripheral wall that surrounds the bottom and defines a urine receiving area that opens upward together with the bottom, and a handle that protrudes outward from the peripheral wall, with the bottom and the peripheral wall forming an obtuse angle.

JP 2019-083701 A JP 2020-080788 A JP 2021-042995 A

Incidentally, a pet's health condition can be understood based on its urine by taking into account the amount of urine and its color. For example, the amount of urine and changes in urine color vary depending on the relationship between the amount of water ingested, the function of the kidneys that produce urine, and the function of the urinary system. The technologies in Patent Documents 1 to 3 all focus on understanding either the amount of urine or the color of the urine, and there is room for improvement in understanding a pet's health condition more accurately.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a pet urine collection container that allows the amount and color of urine excreted by a pet to be grasped and the health condition of the pet to be more accurately understood, and a pet toilet using the same.

The present invention relates to a urine collection container for pets.
The urine collection container preferably has a bottom wall portion that forms a bottom surface, and a side wall portion that surrounds the entire periphery of the bottom wall portion.
The urine collection container preferably includes a plurality of urine collecting sections, each section being partitioned by a partition wall on the inside of the side wall and configured to collect urine from a pet.
The partition wall is preferably provided with a color sample box that serves as an indicator for judging the color of the animal's urine.
It is preferable that, when the partition wall of the urine collection container is viewed in cross section along a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the partition wall, the height of the partition wall decreases from its upper end towards the urine collection section.

The present invention also relates to a pet toilet comprising the pet urine collection container and a toilet body.
The pet urine collection container is preferably disposed so as to be removable from the toilet body.

The present invention allows you to grasp the amount and color of urine excreted by your pet, and more accurately understand your pet's health condition.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a pet urine collection container according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a pet toilet. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of a pet urine collection container of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 5(a) to 5(c) are cross-sectional views each showing a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the partition wall. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a pet urine collecting container according to an embodiment of the present invention used together with a pet toilet, with the excrement treating material omitted. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which an excrement treating material is disposed in one embodiment in which the pet urine collecting container of the present invention is used together with a pet toilet. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic arrangement of a pet urine collection container and a partition layer 3 in a plan view in one embodiment in which the pet urine collection container of the present invention is used together with a pet toilet.

The present invention will be described below based on a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, parts having equivalent configurations are given the same reference numerals, and unless otherwise specified, the explanation of the items to which the same reference numerals are given applies as appropriate. The drawings are basically schematic, and the ratios of the dimensions may differ from the actual ones.

The present invention can be used for treating or collecting excrement from animals kept as pets, such as dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters. The present invention is particularly useful as a toilet or urine collection container for pets kept indoors, for example by placing it indoors.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a pet urine collection container 10 according to the present invention together with a pet toilet 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in Fig. 1, a pet urine collection container 10 is preferably used together with a pet toilet 1 that includes a toilet body 2. In addition, the pet urine collection container 10 is preferably capable of being housed within the toilet body 2 and is preferably disposed so as to be removable.

The pet toilet 1 shown in FIG. 1 preferably includes, in addition to the toilet body 2, a urine-permeable partition layer 3 that divides the toilet body 2 into an upper layer portion A and a lower layer portion B. When the pet toilet 1 is in use, the pet urine collection container 10 is disposed in the lower layer portion B, so that pet urine that permeates through the partition layer 3 and moves downward can be collected in the pet urine collection container 10.

In addition, it is also preferable that a tray 4 constituting a urine receiving portion for receiving urine is disposed in the lower portion B so as to be removable from the toilet body 2. A large number of excrement treatment materials (not shown) in the form of granules or pellets having a porous structure are laid on the partition layer 3.
In this embodiment, the pet urine collection container 10 has a smaller planar area than the tray 4. When the pet toilet 1 equipped with the pet urine collection container 10 is in use, the tray 4 is accommodated in the toilet body 2 by placing one or more pet urine collection containers 10 on the tray 4, and the pet urine collection containers 10 are also similarly accommodated in the toilet body 2.

The toilet body 2 includes a rectangular box-shaped outer container 5 with an open top, and a rectangular tray-shaped inner container 6 that is detachably attached to the outer container 5. The pet toilet 1 has a generally rectangular shape in plan view, with a longitudinal direction X and a lateral direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. The pet toilet 1 also has a height direction Z perpendicular to the XY plane. Thus, like the pet toilet 1, the outer container 5 and the inner container 6 each have a longitudinal direction X, a lateral direction Y, and a height direction Z.
1, the outer container 5 has a flat outer container bottom wall 51 that forms the bottom surface, and outer container side walls 52 that rise from the periphery of the outer container bottom wall 51 and form the side surfaces of the outer container 5. The inner container 6 and the tray 4 are housed in the inner portion surrounded by the outer container bottom wall 51 and the outer container side walls 52.

1, like the outer container 5, the inner container 6 has an inner container bottom wall 61 and an inner container side wall 62. A large number of excrement treatment materials are placed on the partition layer 3 in the inner portion surrounded by the inner container bottom wall 61 and the inner container side wall 62. The inner container bottom wall 61 is a portion that functions as the urine-permeable partition layer 3, and like the pet toilet 1, has a longitudinal direction X and a lateral direction Y.
The inner-container bottom wall 61 is made of a substantially rectangular plate-like member, and a plurality of elongated rectangular slit-shaped through-holes 63 are vertically formed through the inner-container bottom wall 61. The through-holes 63 are regularly arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal and lateral directions, and are formed over the entire area of the inner-container bottom wall 61 in a plan view. The width of each through-hole 63 is set to a size that does not allow granular excrement treatment material to pass through.

The tray 4 has a flat tray bottom wall 41 that forms the bottom surface, and tray side walls 42, 43 that rise obliquely from the periphery of the tray bottom wall 41 and form the sides of the tray 4, and is configured as a container that is approximately rectangular in plan view. Here, the bottom wall 41 of the tray 4 has an area equivalent to that of the outer container bottom wall 51 of the outer container 5. The height of each tray side wall 42, 43 is set to a value such that the upper end does not come into contact with the inner container bottom wall 61 of the inner container 6 serving as the partition layer 3. In addition, the height of each tray side wall 42, 43 is the same as the height of the pet urine collection container 10, or is formed higher than the height of the urine collection container 10.

Each tray side wall 42 extends in the lateral direction Y of the tray 4, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X of the tray 4 (the direction along the pull-out direction Xa of the tray 4, which will be described later). One tray side wall 42 is located at the front end side of the pull-out direction Xa of the tray 4, and the other tray side wall 42 is located at the rear end side of the pull-out direction Xa. Both tray side walls 43 extend in the pull-out direction Xa of the tray 4.

As described above, the tray 4 can be inserted and removed from the toilet body 2 (outer container 5), and as shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular slit-shaped opening 52a elongated in the width direction is formed in a portion located on one side of the longitudinal direction (X direction in FIG. 1) of the outer container side wall 52 (the front end side of the tray 4 in the pull-out direction Xa). Therefore, the tray 4 can be pulled out from the toilet body 2 in the pull-out direction Xa by passing through the opening 52a, and the pulled-out tray 4 can be inserted into the opening 52a and pushed in the opposite direction to the pull-out direction Xa to store the tray 4 in the toilet body 2 (outer container 5). Here, the shape and size of the opening 52a formed in the outer container 5 are set to be approximately the same as the shape and size of the cross section of the tray 4 in the horizontal direction Y perpendicular to the pull-out direction Xa. In addition, the length of the tray 4 in the longitudinal direction X is set to be equal to the length of the outer container 5 in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view of one embodiment of the pet urine collection container 10, and FIGS. 3 and 4 each show a schematic cross-sectional view of the pet urine collection container 10 in FIG. 2 at a predetermined position.
The pet urine collection container 10 is formed in a flattened, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with an opening at the top, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In a plan view, the pet urine collection container 10 has a rectangular shape with a longitudinal direction that is a first direction X1 and a lateral direction that is a second direction Y1 that is perpendicular to the first direction X1.
The pet urine collection container 10 has a flat bottom wall portion 11 that forms the bottom surface of the pet urine collection container 10, and a side wall portion 12 that surrounds the entire periphery of the bottom wall portion 11 and forms the peripheral surface of the pet urine collection container 10.
The shape of the pet urine collection container 10 is formed line-symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal isolating line as an axis in a plan view, and is also formed line-symmetrically with respect to a lateral isolating line as an axis.

The bottom wall portion 11 of the pet urine collection container 10 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view having a longitudinal direction which is a first direction X1 and a lateral direction which is a second direction Y1 perpendicular to the first direction X1, similar to the external shape of the pet urine collection container 10.
As shown in Fig. 2, the side wall 12 of the pet urine collection container 10 has longitudinal side wall portions 12a, 12a located on both sides of the bottom wall portion 11 along the longitudinal direction, which is the first direction X1, and lateral side wall portions 12b, 12b located on both ends along the second direction Y1 perpendicular to the first direction X1. Each side wall portion 12a, 12b is independently erected along the height direction Z or erected at a predetermined inclination from the height direction Z. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 to 4, each side wall portion 12a, 12b is erected at a predetermined inclination toward the outside from the side edge of the bottom wall portion 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pet urine collection container 10 has a plurality of urine collection areas 17 partitioned by partition walls 15 inside the side wall 12. The urine collection areas 17 are flat areas partitioned by only the partition walls 15 or by the partition walls 15 and the side wall 12, and each urine collection area 17 is at least adjacent to the partition wall 15. The partition walls 15 are convex areas in cross section that protrude upward from an imaginary plane on which the urine collection areas 17 exist. The partition walls 15 may be solid or hollow in the cross-sectional area partitioned by the partition walls 15 and the placement surface of the pet urine collection container 10.

In the present embodiment, the pet urine collection container 10 is integrally formed with a bottom wall 11, a side wall 12, a partition wall 15, and a urine collection section 17. The partition wall 15 is divided into a first partition wall 15a extending in a first direction X1 and a second partition wall 15b extending in a second direction Y1, and the first partition wall 15a and the second partition wall 15b are formed independently, either singly or in multiples.
2, the first partition wall 15a is disposed alone so as to extend along the first direction X1 in the lateral central region of the pet urine collection container 10 in a plan view. The second partition walls 15b are disposed at intervals in the first direction X1 so as to all extend along the second direction Y1. The first partition wall 15a and the second partition wall 15b intersect with each other.

2 form a plurality of urine collection section rows 17G in the second direction Y1, in which a plurality of urine collection sections 17 are arranged along the first direction X1, in a plan view of the pet urine collection container 10. In this embodiment, adjacent urine collection sections 17 in the plurality of urine collection section rows 17G arranged in the second direction Y1 are arranged side by side in the second direction Y1. That is, in a plan view of the pet urine collection container 10, the plurality of urine collection sections 17 are arranged in a lattice pattern. Furthermore, each urine collection section 17 in this embodiment is arranged adjacent to each of the first and second partition walls 15a and 15b.
The pet urine collection container 10 of this embodiment has two urine collection section rows 17G, one row formed on each side of the first partition wall 15a, as shown in Fig. 2. Each urine collection section row 17G has three urine collection sections 17.

3 and 4, when the partition wall 15 is viewed in cross section along a direction perpendicular to its extension direction, the height of the partition wall 15 decreases from its upper end toward the urine collection section 17. In detail, as shown in FIG. 3, when the first partition wall 15a is viewed in cross section along the second direction Y1, which is a direction perpendicular to its extension direction, the height of the first partition wall 15a decreases stepwise or continuously from its upper end toward the urine collection section 17. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, when the second partition wall 15b is viewed in cross section along the first direction X1, which is a direction perpendicular to its extension direction, the height of the second partition wall 15b decreases stepwise or continuously from its upper end toward the urine collection section 17.

By configuring the partition wall 15 as described above, even if urine to be collected falls onto the partition wall 15, it can be easily guided to move toward the urine collection section 17, making it easier to accurately grasp the amount of urine within the urine collection section 17 and allowing the pet's health condition to be accurately and easily grasped. In particular, compared to the conventional technology in which the upper surface of the partition wall is horizontal, less urine remains on the partition wall 15, making it possible to accurately grasp the amount of urine and also prevent the generation of unpleasant odors caused by urine.

The connection between each partition wall 15a, 15b and the urine collection section 17 may be connected to have a ridge line, or may be smoothly connected to have no ridge line. Similarly, the connection between each partition wall 15a, 15b may be connected to have a ridge line, or may be smoothly connected to have no ridge line. Similarly, the connection between each partition wall 15a, 15b and the side wall section 12 may be connected to have a ridge line, or may be smoothly connected to have no ridge line.

The cross-sectional shape of each partition wall 15a, 15b may be, for example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a semicircular or semielliptical shape, or other convex shape, formed by an arc-shaped curve without a ridgeline on the upper surface of the partition wall 15, and the height of the partition wall may decrease continuously from the upper end of the partition wall. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5(a), the partition wall may be formed in a convex shape by a combination of a straight portion extending upward from the urine collection section 17 along the height direction Z and an arc-shaped curve without a ridgeline located above the straight portion, and the height of the partition wall may decrease continuously. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5(b) or Figure 5(c), the upper end of the partition wall 15 may be a geometric shape having multiple sides and vertices, such as a triangular or trapezoidal shape formed by ridgelines.

In particular, from the viewpoint of efficiently understanding the health condition of a pet by accurately understanding the amount of urine, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of the partition wall 15 is configured such that the upper surface of the partition wall 15 includes an arc-shaped curve without ridgelines, as shown in, for example, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5(a), and it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of the partition wall 15 is formed by an arc-shaped curve without ridgelines, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. With such a configuration, multiple pet urine collection containers 10 can be easily stacked during each process of manufacturing, distributing, and disposing of the pet urine collection containers 10, thereby further saving space and improving convenience of handling.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pet urine collection container 10 has a color sample section 70 on its upper surface. The color sample section 70 is used as an index for judging the color of the urine of animals such as pets collected and accumulated in the urine collection section 17. In this embodiment, the color sample section 70 is arranged on the upper surface of the partition wall 15 of the pet urine collection container 10. The color sample section 70 has a plurality of colored sections 70a colored and partitioned with white, yellow, red, and shades or mixtures of these colors. The colored sections 70a are colored and partitioned with a plurality of colors, such as white, light yellow, yellow, dark yellow, pink, red, a mixture of yellow and red, and brown. The color sample section 70 may be integrally formed on the upper surface of the pet urine collection container 10 by printing or the like, or a separate color sample section 70 may be arranged by joining to the upper surface of the pet urine collection container 10.
By arranging the color sample unit 70 in the pet urine collection container 10, the color of the urine accumulated in the urine collection section 17 can be compared with the color of the color sample unit 70, and the pet's health condition such as kidney function and water intake can be accurately and easily grasped based on the urine color.

In particular, from the viewpoint of making it easier to accurately compare the colored portion 70a of the color sample unit 70 with the color of the urine accumulated in the urine collection unit 17, thereby enabling the pet's health condition to be grasped more accurately and easily, and giving the owner a sense of cleanliness, it is preferable that at least the urine collection unit 17 is white, and it is even more preferable that the entire pet urine collection container 10, excluding the color sample unit 70, is white.
In this specification, "white" refers to an ISO whiteness of 60% or more as measured by a method such as the whiteness test method using diffuse illumination (ISO whiteness).

The partition walls 15 may have the same height or different heights. That is, the first partition wall 15a and the second partition wall 15b may have the same height or different heights.
2 to 4, in the pet urine collection container 10, the height H1 of the first partition wall 15a in the height direction Z is preferably greater than the height H2 of the second partition wall 15b in the height direction Z. It is also preferable that both the height H1 of the first partition wall 15a in the height direction Z and the height H2 of the second partition wall 15b in the height direction Z are less than the height H5 of the side wall portion 12 in the height direction Z.

As a result, when the urine exceeds the capacity of the urine collecting part 17 collecting the urine before it overflows from the pet urine collecting container 10, the urine flows into the urine collecting part 17 adjacent to the urine collecting part 17 and is diffused, so that the urine is effectively prevented from overflowing from the pet urine collecting container 10.
In particular, by making the relationship of "height H1 > height H2" as described above, the urine diffuses into the adjacent urine collection section 17 through the second partition wall 15b, which has a lower height, so this is advantageous in that it allows the direction of urine diffusion to be controlled, making it easier to dispose of the urine.
Furthermore, since the amount of urine can be determined based on the number of urine collecting portions 17 into which urine has flowed, the health condition of the pet can be grasped more accurately and simply.

In terms of the relationship between the height of the color sample unit 70 and the partition wall 15, it is preferable that the color sample unit 70 is arranged on a partition wall 15 other than the partition wall 15 with the lowest height among the multiple partition walls 15. In detail, as shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the color sample unit 70 is arranged on the upper surface of the first partition wall 15a, which is the highest among the partition walls 15, and more preferably in the longitudinal center region of the first partition wall 15a. In addition, it is also preferable that each urine collection section 17 is arranged adjacent to the first partition wall 15a in which the color sample unit 70 is arranged in a plan view. This prevents the color sample unit 70 from being hidden or contaminated by urine, and also makes it easy to compare the color of the color sample unit 70 arranged on the first partition wall 15a with the color of the urine accumulated in the urine collection section 17, making it possible to accurately evaluate the health condition of the pet based on the color of the urine.

When the partition wall 15 has a first partition wall 15a, the height H1 along the height direction Z of the first partition wall 15a is preferably 3 mm or more, more preferably 4 mm or more, preferably 10 mm or less, and more preferably 7 mm or less, provided that the height H1 is higher than the height H2 along the height direction Z of the second partition wall 15b, from the viewpoint of making it easier to collect a predetermined amount of urine in the urine collection section 17.
It is also preferable that the height of the first partition wall 15 a is set to a value such that the upper end portion does not come into contact with the partition layer 3 .

The width W1 along the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the first partition wall 15a is preferably larger than the width of the second partition wall 15b from the viewpoint of facilitating the transfer of urine to the adjacent urine collection section 17 in the direction along the extension direction of the first partition wall 15a and controlling the diffusion of urine to the adjacent urine collection section 17 side through the first partition wall 15a, and is preferably 10 mm or more, more preferably 30 mm or more, preferably 80 mm or less, and more preferably 70 mm or less.

When the partition wall 15 has a second partition wall 15b, the height H2 along the height direction Z of the second partition wall 15b is, independently of one another, preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm or more, preferably 10 mm or less, and more preferably 5 mm or less, from the viewpoint of ease of control of the diffusion direction of urine between the urine collection sections 17.
It is also preferable that the height of the second partition wall 15 b is set to a value such that its upper end does not come into contact with the partition layer 3 .

The width W2 along the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the second partition wall 15b is preferably 5 mm or more, more preferably 10 mm or more, and is preferably 50 mm or less, and more preferably 40 mm or less, from the viewpoint of easily controlling the diffusion of urine through the second partition wall 15b toward the adjacent urine collection section 17.

The height H5 of the side wall 12 is preferably 5 mm or more, more preferably 8 mm or more, and preferably 50 mm or less, and more preferably 45 mm or less, from the viewpoint of preventing urine collected in the urine collection section 17 from easily spilling out of the pet urine collection container 10 when the urine overflows from the urine collection section 17. The side wall 12 may have the same height around its entire circumference, or may have portions with different heights.

The multiple urine collection sections 17 partitioned by the partition walls 15 (first partition wall 15a, second partition wall 15b) are not particularly limited in size and shape, but are preferably the same shape, and more preferably the same shape and size. Examples of the planar shapes of the multiple urine collection sections 17 include a hemisphere, a cylinder, a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, a cone, and a polygonal pyramid.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the multiple urine collection sections 17 are arranged in a lattice pattern by the first partition wall 15a and the second partition wall 15b, and the urine collection sections 17 are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape of approximately the same size. By forming the urine collection sections 17 in a rectangular parallelepiped shape of the same size, for example, the amount of urine that can be collected by each urine collection section 17 becomes the same, which can be used as a guide for knowing the amount of collected urine. For example, the rough amount of collected urine can be known just by visually checking the number of full urine collection sections 17 and the amount of urine that has accumulated halfway in the urine collection sections 17.

The volume of each urine collecting section 17 may be set to a volume equivalent to the amount of urine excreted in one go by a pet in good health, or may be set to the amount of urine excreted in one day by a pet in good health. From the viewpoint of making it easy to take out urine from the urine collecting section 17 and to measure the urine while suppressing evaporation of the urine, the volume is preferably 1 ^cm3 or more, more preferably 2 ^cm3 or more, and preferably 80 ^cm3 or less, and more preferably 20 cm3 or ^less . For example, taking a cat, which is a type of pet, as an example, the amount of urine excreted in one go by a cat in good health is about 15 mL, and the amount of urine excreted in one day is about 60 mL (15 mL x 4 times).

The total number of urine collection sections 17 is preferably 2 or more, more preferably 4 or more, and is preferably 12 or less, and more preferably 8 or less, from the viewpoint of making it easier to evaluate the color of the urine collected in the urine collection section 17 and to make it easier to remove the urine collected in the urine collection section 17 from the urine collection section 17.
From the same viewpoint, the number of urine collecting sections 17 per row of the urine collecting section row 17G is preferably two or more, and more preferably six or less.
From the same viewpoint, the number of urine collecting section rows 17G is preferably two or more, more preferably three or more, preferably ten or less, and more preferably five or less.

Next, we will explain how to collect urine from a pet using the pet urine collection container 10 together with the pet toilet 1. In the following explanation, we will explain how to collect urine from a cat.

First, as shown in Fig. 1, the pet urine collection container 10 is placed on the tray 4, and the tray 4 is housed in the lower part B of the toilet body 2. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, the inner container 6 is placed on top of the upper surface of the outer container 5. Then, as shown in Fig. 7, an appropriate amount of granular excrement treatment material P is placed on the upper surface of the inner container 6 to form a toilet bed for the pet toilet 1. Although not shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the pet urine collection container 10 is housed in the toilet body 2 while placed on the tray 4.
If necessary, a urine absorbent (not shown) such as a urine absorbing sheet may be placed between the pet urine collection container 10 and the tray 4. From the viewpoint of visually checking the excreted urine and making it easy to grasp the color and amount of urine, it is preferable that no other members other than the color sample unit 70 are placed on the pet urine collection container 10.

Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the tray 4, the pet urine collection container 10, and the partition layer 3 in a plan view when the pet urine collection container 10 is housed in the toilet body 2 and the pet toilet 1 is in use. The pet urine collection container 10 is disposed below the partition layer 3, facing the partition layer 3.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 8, a plurality of pet urine collection containers 10 are stored and arranged so that the bottom wall 41 of the tray 4 is almost invisible in a plan view due to the pet urine collection containers 10. The extension direction of the first partition wall 15a of each pet urine collection container 10 and the longitudinal direction X of the pet toilet 1 are arranged so as to intersect or be perpendicular to each other. The extension direction of the second partition wall 15b of each pet urine collection container 10 is arranged substantially along the longitudinal direction X of the pet toilet 1.
The color sample unit 70 is disposed in the tray 4 so as to face the partition layer 3 when the pet urine collection container 10 is in use.

The pet toilet 1 equipped with the pet urine collection container 10 is installed, for example, on a horizontal indoor floor surface as shown in FIG. 7 and is used for the excretion of a pet cat. The cat climbs over the toilet body 2 of the pet toilet 1 and excretes while standing on the excrement treatment material P contained in the inner container 6. The excreted urine falls through the through-hole 63 formed in the inner container bottom wall 61, which is the partition layer 3, and is accumulated on the pet urine collection container 10 arranged opposite the partition layer 3.

In the above-mentioned usage form, excreted urine tends to fall from one end region or one corner of the partition layer 3 rather than from the central region of the partition layer 3 in a planar view. Therefore, when viewed in a planar view during use of the pet toilet 1, it is preferable that the pet urine collection container 10 is arranged so that both longitudinal ends of the partition layer 3 and the color sample area 70 do not overlap each other. It is also preferable that the pet urine collection container 10 is arranged so that the color sample area 70 is located inside the partition layer 3 in a planar view so as not to overlap both longitudinal and lateral ends of the partition layer 3. With this configuration, urine is less likely to fall on top of the color sample area 70, making it easier to accurately compare the colors of urine based on the color sample area 70.

In addition, when the pet toilet 1 is in use and viewed from above, the pet urine collection container 10 is preferably arranged so that the corner 3e of the partition layer 3 and the urine collection section 17 overlap each other. This configuration makes it easier for excreted urine to fall directly onto the urine collection section 17, making it easier to accurately evaluate the urine volume.

After the pet has finished excreting, the urine falls and accumulates on the pet urine collection container 10. The tray 4 is then pulled out from the outer container 5 of the litter box body 2 in the pull-out direction Xa, and the owner observes the color of the urine accumulated on the pet urine collection container 10 in comparison with the color of the colored portion 70a of the color sample body 70, and judges the cat's health condition based on the observed urine color. It is preferable to perform this comparative observation after each excretion in order to grasp the pet's health condition early and with high accuracy.

When the colored portion 70a constituting the color sample unit 70 is colored white, light yellow, yellow, dark yellow, orange, pink, red, or brown, for example, if the urine is yellow or dark yellow, the cat's health condition can be determined to be normal. If the urine is clear, white, or light yellow, kidney disease is suspected, and the cat's health condition can be determined to be abnormal or deteriorated. If the urine is orange, pink, red, or another color that contains red components, hematuria is suspected, and the cat's health condition can be determined to be abnormal or deteriorated. If the urine is brown, bilirubinuria is suspected, and the cat's health condition can be determined to be abnormal or deteriorated.

Similarly, the owner himself/herself judges the health condition of the cat by observing the amount of urine accumulated in the pet urine collection container 10 and based on the observed urine volume. This observation is preferably performed after each excretion from the viewpoint of early and highly accurate understanding of the pet's health condition. For example, if the amount of urine is extremely small, such as a few drops, it can be determined that the cat's health condition may not be normal.
Furthermore, if regular, continuous observation of excretion reveals that the number of urine collection areas containing accumulated urine is greater than normal, and that the amount of urine is increasing, it can be determined that the cat's health may not be normal.

As described above, the health condition of a pet such as a cat can be judged early and simply by comprehensively considering and observing the amount and color of urine accumulated in the pet urine collection container 10. If necessary, the urine accumulated in the pet urine collection container 10 can be collected using a suction device such as a dropper or a urine collection container, and the urine can be taken to a veterinary clinic for detailed examination.
Veterinary clinics perform necessary urine tests by measuring the urine's pH value and specific gravity, evaluating it with urine test strips, visually observing the urine's color, turbidity, etc. These urine tests are effective in early detection of various diseases in cats, such as kidney disease, liver disease, lower urinary tract disease, and diabetes.

Excess urine remaining on the pet urine collection container 10 may be disposed of, for example, by tilting the pet urine collection container 10 and having the excess urine absorbed by a urine absorbent placed below it, or by removing the pet urine collection container 10 from the tray 4 or the toilet body 2 and flushing the urine down the drain. The used pet urine collection container 10 may be disposed of as a so-called disposable type, or may be reused by cleaning, etc.
In either case, after collecting the urine, the urine can be disposed of by removing the pet urine collection container 10 from the tray 4 or the toilet body 2. This reduces contamination of the tray 4 with urine and eliminates the need to clean the tray 4 after collecting urine, reducing the physical burden on the owner.

As shown in FIG. 8, when a plurality of pet urine collection containers 10 are arranged so that the extension direction of the first partition wall 15a is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X of the tray 4, the pet urine collection container 10 can be lifted and tilted so that one longitudinal side wall portion 12a is located below the tilt direction, allowing the accumulated urine to flow out of the pet urine collection container 10 beyond the side wall portion 12. This makes it easy to lift the pet urine collection container 10 and makes it easy to dispose of excess urine by absorbing it in the urine absorber arranged at the bottom of the pet urine collection container 10. In particular, urine tends to accumulate in one of the urine collection section rows 17G separated by the first partition wall 15a among the urine collection section rows 17G extending in the first direction X1 (longitudinal direction), so tilting in the above-mentioned manner is advantageous in that urine can be easily disposed of without being hindered by the tall first partition wall 15a. From the perspective of further improving urine disposal efficiency, it is also preferable to have only one first partition wall 15a.

The above describes a pet urine collection set for collecting urine from a cat and a urine collection method using the same, but the present invention can be similarly applied to collecting urine from any pet other than cats.

The material of the pet urine collection container 10 is preferably one that does not affect the composition and characteristics of urine, or has little effect on them. In terms of being lightweight, easy to handle, and having good moldability, preferred examples include a one-piece molded product made of general-purpose synthetic resins such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, vinyl chloride, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), or a molded product made of paper with a laminated surface. In addition, if necessary, it is more preferable to use a pet urine collection container 10 whose surface has been treated to be water-repellent or antibacterial.

From the viewpoint of ease of handling, the outer dimensions of the pet urine collection container 10 are such that the longitudinal length is preferably 100 mm or more, more preferably 150 mm or more, and is preferably 500 mm or less, more preferably 450 mm or less.
From the same viewpoint, the outer dimensions of the pet urine collection container 10 are such that the horizontal length is preferably 80 mm or more, more preferably 100 mm or more, and is preferably 400 mm or less, more preferably 350 mm or less.
From the same viewpoint, the outer dimensions of the pet urine collection container 10 are preferably 5 mm or more in height, more preferably 8 mm or more, and preferably 50 mm or less, more preferably 45 mm or less in height. The height of the pet urine collection container 10 in this embodiment is synonymous with the height H5 of the side wall portion 12.

There are no particular restrictions on the materials of the components of the pet toilet 1 (the toilet body, tray, etc.) as long as they are corrosion-resistant. In terms of being lightweight, easy to handle, and easy to mold, it is preferable to use components that are integrally molded from general-purpose synthetic resins such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, vinyl chloride, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS). It is also more preferable to use components of the pet toilet 1 with water-repellent and antibacterial surfaces.

When using an excrement treatment material P that is placed in the upper layer A of the pet toilet 1 and forms the toilet bed, it is preferable that the material does not affect the composition and characteristics of the urine or has little effect thereon, from the viewpoint of improving the reliability of urine tests. Such excrement treatment materials are preferably formed into a predetermined shape and are composed of one or more components such as crushed plant-derived materials, synthetic resins, and clay minerals. The shape of the excrement treatment material can be, for example, cylindrical, spherical, cubic, rectangular, etc.

When a urine absorbent is placed between the tray 4 and the pet urine collection container 10, the urine absorbent can be made of a raw material containing one or more components such as pulp fiber, clay mineral material, and polymeric water-absorbing material, formed into a sheet or plate shape.

The present invention has been described above based on a preferred embodiment thereof, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications and combinations of each configuration are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the pet urine collection container 10 is placed on the tray 4, but the pet toilet 1 may be used without using the tray 4, with a single or multiple pet urine collection containers 10 placed in place of the tray 4. Even in such a configuration, the effects of the present invention are fully achieved.

For example, both the first partition wall 15a and the second partition wall 15b in this embodiment are formed to have a constant height, but are not limited to this. In detail, a plurality of parts with different heights may be formed in the first partition wall 15a, and a plurality of parts with different heights may be formed in the second partition wall 15b. In this case, from the viewpoint of controlling the diffusion direction of urine in the pet urine collection container 10, it is preferable that the minimum height of the first partition wall 15a is higher than the maximum height of the second partition wall 15b.
In addition, from the viewpoint of reducing urine contamination, it is also preferable that the color sample unit 70 be disposed on the upper surface of the portion having the maximum height of the first partition wall 15a.

Reference Signs List 1 Pet toilet 2 Toilet body 3 Partition layer 4 Tray 5 Outer container 6 Inner container 10 Pet urine collection container 11 Bottom wall of urine collection container 12 Side wall of urine collection container 15, 15a, 15b Partition wall 17 Urine collection section 70 Color sample section A Upper layer B Lower layer X1 First direction Y1 Second direction X Longitudinal direction Y Lateral direction Z Height direction

Claims (12)

The container has a bottom wall portion that forms a bottom surface, and a side wall portion that surrounds the entire periphery of the bottom wall portion,
A plurality of urine collecting sections are provided on the inside of the side wall section, the urine collecting sections being partitioned by partition walls and configured to collect urine from pets,
The partition wall is provided with a color sample box that serves as an index for determining the color of the animal's urine,
A pet urine collection container, wherein when the partition wall is viewed in cross section along a direction perpendicular to the extending direction thereof, the height of the partition wall decreases from its upper end toward the urine collection section. The pet urine collection container according to claim 1, wherein, when the partition wall is viewed in cross section along a direction perpendicular to its extension direction, the upper surface of the partition wall is formed by a curved line that does not have a ridge line. A plurality of partition walls having different heights are provided,
3. The pet urine collection container according to claim 1, wherein the color sample section is arranged on one of the partition walls other than the partition wall with the lowest height. The pet urine collection container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the urine collection section is white. The pet urine collection container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the urine collection section and the partition wall in which the color sample section is arranged are adjacent to each other in a plan view. In a plan view, the optical fiber has a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
The partition wall includes a first partition wall extending in a first direction and a second partition wall extending in a second direction,
The height of the first partition wall is greater than the height of the second partition wall,
The pet urine collection container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, in a plan view, each of the urine collection sections is formed adjacent to the first partition wall. The pet urine collection container according to claim 6, which has a longitudinal direction that is the first direction and a lateral direction that is the second direction in a plan view. The pet urine collection container according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the color sample section is disposed on the first partition wall. A pet toilet comprising the pet urine collection container according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a toilet body,
The pet urine collection container is disposed so as to be removable from the toilet body. A urine-permeable partition layer is provided to divide the inside of the toilet body into an upper layer portion and a lower layer portion,
The pet toilet according to claim 9, wherein the pet urine collection container is disposed in a lower portion of the toilet body when the pet toilet is in use. The partition layer has a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
The pet toilet according to claim 10, wherein when the pet toilet is in use and viewed in a plan view, the pet urine collection container is arranged so that both longitudinal ends of the partition layer and the color sample section do not overlap each other. The toilet body is provided with a removable tray,
The pet toilet according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the pet urine collection container is disposed on the tray when the pet toilet is in use.