IPWatchdog Info About IPWatchdog Attorney Services Contact Information Consulting Services Home Page Media Relations Practice Areas Antitrust Law Copyright Law Internet Law Patent Law Trademark Law Trade Secret Law IPWatchdog Store IPW Bookstore IPW Education News & Information Breaking News Course Materials Law Library Patent Bar Exam Fun Stuff Obscure Patents » Obscure Patent of the Week - 3/21/05 Flush toilet for a dog [ HMTL ] US Patent No. 6,769,382 Issued August 3, 2004 Perhaps the inventor is on to something here. A flush toilet for dogs could be a huge success. The patent itself reads almost like a Monty Python sketch really. The Background of the Invention starts by explaining that domestic pets such as dogs provide love and companionship to human beings, but they also create the daunting task associated with, shall we say, "maintenance." The inventor laments the failed attempts of others to provide an indoor toilet facility for dogs. Can you see the inventor setting up a non-obvious argument here? If others have failed then the invention cannot be obvious, right? I don't think we need to worry about obviousness for this one though, but I digress. The patent goes on to explain that because dogs "perform" in various standing positions the doggie toilet must be crafted with this uniqueness in mind. The one thing that the inventor seems to leave out of the patent is how one would get the dog to use the toilet in the first place, which would seem to be the real ground breaking invention. After all, most of us are not Bruce Almighty and cannot simply snap our fingers and point to the toilet. Add this Obscure Patent of the Week to your website. The latest patent together with several past patents are available in a RSS feed. XML code. » Patent Abstract The flush toilet is suitable for use by dogs of various physical sizes. The toilet has two high side wall portions to collect the urine ejected by a male dog. A restraint frame is provided for retaining the dog on a leash in the toilet. The position of the restraint frame is adjustable to accommodate a dog of any size such that the excrement will drop in or close to the drain opening of the toilet. A grid pattern is formed on the inner surface of the high side wall to facilitate the male dog from urinating, and a baffle wall is provided at the front edge of the high side walls to avoid the urine from a male dog from splashing outside of the toilet. » Guts of the Invention The broadest claim in this patent, claim 1, reads: 1. A flush toilet for dogs having various physical sizes, comprising a generally flat platform adapted for a dog to stand and deposit excrements thereon, two upstanding opposite high side wall portions extending from a middle portion to a rear end of said platform, two low baffle walls formed at a front edge of said high side wall portions and extending perpendicular to said high side wall portions, said baffle walls being adapted to prevent urine ejected by a male dog against said high side wall portions from splashing out of said toilet, a restraint frame adjustably mounted on said side wall portions and adapted for retaining the dog within said toilet, said restraint frame being adjustable to a selected position for accommodating a dog of any physical size to stand within said toilet, a water duct located within an upper edge portion of said side wall portions, a plurality of water openings formed around said edge portion of said side wall portions and operative for injecting flush water delivered from said water duct for flushing and cleaning said platform, a drain opening located at a middle front position of said platform and adapted to dispose excrements flushed from said platform by said flush water.   Copyright © 2003-2005 All rights reserved IPWatchdog.com   Website designed by Infocreek Website maintained by IPWatchdog.com   Legal Disclaimer Privacy Policy Search IPWatchdog