Pet Waste Tray

Abstract

A pet waste tray including a downward angled ramp of a unified one-piece construction with the tray that holds the front of the tray higher than the back of the tray to prevent a first piece of collected pet waste from falling off the tray when a subsequent piece of pet waste is collected. Additionally, the tray may include one or more holes in a back wall of the tray to allow a user to clean the tray from behind with a stream of water (e.g., from a garden hose) without splashing water and/or pet waste on the user.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a tray for collecting pet waste,   the tray further comprising a top surface, a back, a front, and a downward angled ramp;   wherein the ramp is of a one-piece unified construction with the tray and extends downward from the tray's front to hold the front of the tray higher than the back of the tray to prevent a first piece of collected pet waste from falling off the tray's top surface when a subsequent piece of pet waste is collected onto the tray.   
     
     
         2 . The tray of  claim 1 , further comprising three walls around the top surface, including a back wall and two sidewalls. 
     
     
         3 . The tray of  claim 1 , further being fixed and not independently moveable from a handle attached to a back wall of the tray. 
     
     
         4 . The tray front of  claim 1  further being higher than the tray back when the tray is placed on a flat surface. 
     
     
         5 . The top surface of  claim 1  further comprising a raised ridge to stop a first piece of collected pet waste from falling off the top surface of the tray when a second piece of pet waste is collected. 
     
     
         6 . The raised ridge of  claim 5  further comprising a length. 
     
     
         7 . The length of  claim 6  further being substantially parallel to the front of the tray. 
     
     
         8 . The raised ridge of  claim 5  further being located at, or forward of, the midpoint of the tray's top surface. 
     
     
         9 . The top surface of  claim 1  further comprising a raised bump. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for a pet waste tray, comprising:
 a tray front to receive pet waste, a tray back end; and   a ramp for the tray that holds the tray's front higher than the tray's back end to prevent a first piece of collected pet waste from falling off the tray when a subsequent piece of pet waste is collected.   
     
     
         11 . The ramp of  claim 10  further comprising a downward angle, the angle being selected from one of a range, wherein the range comprises angles from ten degrees to forty-five degrees, inclusive. 
     
     
         12 . The ramp of  claim 10 , further being of a unitary, one-piece, construction with the pet waste tray. 
     
     
         13 . The ramp of  claim 10 , wherein the ramp is removably attachable to the pet waste tray. 
     
     
         14 . The ramp of  claim 10 , wherein the ramp further comprises an engaging structure to hold the ramp to the tray. 
     
     
         15 . The tray of  claim 10  further comprising a raised ridge on a top surface of the tray to prevent a first piece of collected pet waste from falling off the tray when the tray is tilted to collect a second piece of pet waste. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus for a pet waste tray, comprising:
 a raised ridge for a pet waste tray's top surface, wherein the raised ridge is configured to prevent a first piece of collected pet waste located behind the raised ridge from falling off the tray's top surface when a subsequent piece of pet waste is collected onto the tray's top surface.   
     
     
         17 . The raised ridge of claim  17  being positioned substantially parallel to a front edge of the tray. 
     
     
         18 . The raised ridge of  claim 17 , wherein ridge is substantially perpendicular to a side wall of the tray. 
     
     
         19 . A wall for a pet waste collection tray, comprising:
 a back wall for a pet waste collection tray, wherein the back wall further comprises a hole that is configured to receive a stream of water from behind the back wall to pass through the hole and clean a surface of the pet waste collection tray.   
     
     
         20 . The hole of  claim 19 , further comprising a size large enough to accommodate a stream of water from a garden hose to pass through it without hitting the back wall.