Anmal defecate collection apparatus

Abstract

A pet waste disposal device having an open and closed state includes a shaft, a slide, a hinged latch, and a base member. The shaft has a hollow center with one or more cables extending through it. The slide is able to move within a range along the shaft to change between the open and closed state. The cable(s) is connected to the slide. The hinged latch is connected to the shaft that engages the extrusion preventing movement of the slide when in the closed state. The base member is connected to a lower end of the shaft and includes a left tine and a right tine. When in the closed state, the left and right tines are positioned proximate to the center of the base member. When in the open state, the left and right tines are positioned as far away from the base member as possible. In one embodiment, transitioning from the open to closed state flips or rotates outer discrete portions of the base member, where the flipping and movement of the discrete portions of the base members repositions the tines.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pet waste disposal device comprising:
 a shaft having a hollow center with at least one cable extending through the hollow center along a length of the shaft, wherein the at least one cable has a movement range along the length of the shaft, said movement range having a lower range position and an upper range position.   a cable adjustor having a first placement and a second placement, wherein when in the first placement, the at least one cable is in the lower range position, wherein when in the second placement, the at least one cable is in the upper range position, wherein the at least one cable is substantially taunt in the first and second placements;   a base member connected to a lower end of the shaft, said base member having at least five discrete portions, comprising a rightmost portion, a right center portion, a center portion, a left center portion, and a leftmost portion,   wherein, the right center portion is positioned between the center portion and the rightmost portion, and wherein the left center portion is positioned between the center portion and the leftmost portion, the rightmost portion having a right tension anchor disposed therein connected to a right tensioner, the leftmost portion having a left tension anchor disposed therein connected to a left tensioner;   the right tensioner being connected through the right center portion and the center portion to the at least one cable, wherein movement of the at least one cable from the lower range position to the upper range position results in the right tensioner applying a first force in a horizontal plane pulling the rightmost portion and the right center portion towards the center portion causing the rightmost and the right center portions to move in the horizontal plane toward the center portion, wherein movement of the at least one cable from the lower range position to the upper range position results in the right tensioner applying a second force in the horizontal plane pulling the rightmost portion and the right center portion away from the center portion causing the rightmost and the right center portions to move in the horizontal plane away from the center portion;   the left tensioner being connected through the left center portion and the center portion and to at least a portion of the at least one cable, wherein movement of the at least one cable from the lower range position to upper range position results in the left tensioner applying a third force in the horizontal plane pulling the leftmost portion and the left center portion towards the center portion causing the leftmost and the left center portions to move in the horizontal plane toward the center portion, wherein movement of the at least one cable from the lower range position to the upper range position results in the left tensioner applying a forth force in the horizontal plane pulling the leftmost portion and the left center portion away from the center portion causing the leftmost and the left center portions to move in the horizontal plane away from the center portion;   wherein the base member is configured to removably attach and support a flexible waste disposal bag, wherein when attached to the base member the flexible waste disposal bag has a single opening facing substantially upwards relative to a ground surface, which is substantially parallel to the horizonal plane, said opening having a large aperture when the at least one cable is in the lower range position and having a small aperture when the at least one cable adjustor is in the upper range position, wherein said large aperture has a first length in the horizontal plane greater than a second length in the horizontal plane of the small aperture,   whereby the large aperture position is associated with inserting pet waste into the flexible waste disposal bag, wherein the small aperture position is associated with detaching the flexible waste disposal bag from the base member and disposing the waste disposal bag presumed to contain pet waste.   
     
     
         2 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein the cable adjustor is a slide through which the shaft runs. 
     
     
         3 . The pet disposal device of  claim 2 , wherein the slide comprises an extrusion, wherein a locking mechanism is coupled to the shaft that engages the extrusion preventing movement of the slide when in the second placement, wherein in absent of preventing movement of the slide via the locking mechanism, the slide will move resulting in the first placement. 
     
     
         4 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a handle connected to the shaft, wherein the handle includes a storage compartment for flexible waste disposal bags.   
     
     
         5 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one cable is two cables, wherein the right tensioner is connected to a first of the two cables, wherein the left tensioner is connected to a second of the two cables. 
     
     
         6 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one cable is elastic, wherein the movement range along the length of the shaft results from stretching the at least one cable. 
     
     
         7 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein when the cable is in the lower range position, the pet disposal device is in an open state, wherein when in the open state, a horizontal length of the base member is at least a sum of the horizontal length of the rightmost portion, the right center portion, the center portion, the left center portion, and the leftmost portion. 
     
     
         8 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein when the cable is in the upper range position, the pet disposal device is in a closed state, wherein when in the closed state, a horizontal length of the base member is greater than a horizontal length of the center portion but less than a sum of the horizontal length of the center portion and any of the other discrete portions. 
     
     
         9 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein when the cable is in the upper range position, the pet disposal device is in a closed state, wherein when in the closed state, a horizontal length of an aperture of an attached flexible waste disposal bag is less than a horizontal length of any of the discrete portions. 
     
     
         10 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein when the cable is in the lower range position, the pet disposal device is in an open state, wherein when in the open state, a horizontal length of an aperture of an attached flexible waste disposal bag is approximately a sum of the horizontal length of the rightmost portion, the right center portion, the center portion, the left center portion, and the leftmost portion. 
     
     
         11 . The pet waste disposal device of  claim 1 , said rightmost portion comprising a right tine and said leftmost portion comprising a left tine, which form a right and left edge supporting an opening of a flexible disposable bag attached to the base member. 
     
     
         12 . The pet waste disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein transitioning from the lower placement to the upper placement results in a flipping of the leftmost portion and the rightmost portion along a pivot point so that what was previously a backside of the leftmost portion and the rightmost portion relative to the horizontal plane is now a frontside of the leftmost portion and the rightmost portion, wherein the flipping results in the tines previously extending from an outermost region of the rightmost and leftmost portions relative to the center portion changing to an innermost region of the leftmost portion and rightmost portion relative to the center portion. 
     
     
         13 . The pet disposal device of  claim 1 , wherein the pet disposal device is a non-powered mechanical device. 
     
     
         14 . The pet disposal device of claim  14 , wherein the at least one cable being under tension biases the pet disposal device to be in the lower range position in absence of locking the cable adjustor. 
     
     
         15 . A pet waste disposal device comprising:
 a shaft having a hollow center with at least one cable extending through the hollow center along a length of the shaft, wherein the at least one cable is configured within the device to have a movement range along the length of the shaft, said movement range having a lower range position and an upper range position.   a cable adjustor having a first placement and a second placement, wherein when in the first placement, the at least one cable is in the lower range position resulting in an open state for the pet waste disposal device, wherein when in the second placement, the at least one cable is in the upper range position resulting in a closed state for the pet waste disposal device, wherein the cable is substantially taunt in the first and second placement;   a locking mechanism for inhibiting movement of the at least one cable and the cable adjustor to maintain the closed state when locked, wherein when the locking mechanism is unlocked, the pet waste disposal device is in the open state;   a base member connected to a lower end of the shaft, said base member having at least three discrete portions, which are mirrored relative to a vertical plane bisecting a center of the base member, said vertical plane being approximately perpendicular to a horizontal plane approximately parallel to a ground surface, wherein flexible waste disposal bags are attachable to the base member, said at least three discrete portions, comprising:
 a center portion; 
 a rightmost portion having a right tension anchor disposed therein connected to a right tensioner, which is connected to the at least one cable, said rightmost portion having a tine extending approximately parallel to the vertical plane; and 
   a leftmost portion having a left tension anchor disposed therein connected to a left tensioner, which is connected to the at least one cable, said leftmost portion having a tine extending approximately parallel to the vertical plane;   wherein when in the open state, a horizontal length of the base member is approximately the sum of a horizontal length of the discrete portions, wherein a large aperture of an attached one of the flexible waste disposal bags has an aperture horizontal length approximately equal to the horizontal length of the base member;   wherein when in the closed state, a horizontal length of the base member is greater than the horizontal length of the center portion but less than the sum of the length of the center portion and the leftmost portion, wherein a small aperture of the attached one of the flexible disposable base has an aperture horizontal length less than a horizontal length of any of the discrete portions; and   wherein transitioning between the open and the closed state results in a flipping of the leftmost portion and the rightmost portion along a pivot point connecting said portions to the center portion so that what was previously a backside of the leftmost portion and the rightmost portion relative to the horizontal plane is now a frontside of the leftmost portion and the rightmost portion, wherein the flipping results in the tines previously extending from an outermost region of the rightmost and leftmost portions relative to the center portion changing to an innermost region of the leftmost portion and rightmost portion relative to the center portion.   
     
     
         16 . The pet disposal device of  claim 15 , wherein a horizontal length of the rightmost portion approximately equals a horizontal length of the leftmost portion, wherein a horizontal length of the center portion is greater than the sum of the horizontal length of the rightmost and leftmost portions. 
     
     
         17 . The pet disposal device of  claim 15 , wherein the cable adjustor is a slide through which the shaft runs, wherein the slide comprises an extrusion, wherein the locking mechanism is a hinged latch that engages the extrusion preventing movement of the slide when in the closed position. 
     
     
         18 . A pet waste disposal device comprising:
 a shaft having a hollow center with at least one cable extending through the hollow center along a length of the shaft, wherein the at least one cable is configured within the device to have a movement range along the length of the shaft, said movement range having a lower range position and an upper range position;   a slide through which the shaft runs, which is able to move within a range along the shaft, wherein the at least one cable is connected to the slide, wherein said slide has a first placement and a second placement, wherein when in the first placement, the at least one cable is in the lower range position resulting in an open state for the pet waste disposal device, wherein when in the second placement, the at least one cable is in the upper range position resulting in a closed state for the pet waste disposal device, wherein the cable is substantially taunt in the first and second placement, wherein the slide has an extrusion;   a hinged latch connected to the shaft that engages the extrusion preventing movement of the slide when in the closed position; and   a base member connected to a lower end of the shaft, said base member comprising a left tine and a right tine, which form a right and left edge supporting an opening of a flexible waste disposal bag attached to the base member,   wherein when in the closed state, the left and right tines are positioned proximate to the center of the base member, wherein when in an open state, the left and right tines are positioned as far away from the base member as possible.   
     
     
         19 . The pet waste disposal device of  claim 18 , said base member having at least three discrete portions, comprising:
 a center portion;   a rightmost portion upon which the right tine is in a fixed position; and   a leftmost portion upon which the left tine is in a fixed upon, wherein when in the open position, a horizontal length of the base member is a sum of horizontal lengths of the discrete portions, wherein when in the closed state, a horizontal length between the left and right tines is less than a horizontal length of any of the rightmost portion, the leftmost portion, and the center portion.   
     
     
         20 . The pet waste disposal device of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a handle connected to the shaft, wherein the handle includes a storage compartment for unused ones of the flexible waste disposal bags.