FAIRPORT HARBOR, OH, Dec 09, 2009

 

OurPet’s Company (www.ourpets.com) today announced it has been granted a patent (US 7,628,118 B1) for its Self Scooping Cat Litter Box marketed under the SmartScoop® brand.

 

Dr. Steven Tsengas commented, “This notice from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reinforces our belief that the SmartScoop® design is innovative and incorporates many desirable features not found in other automated cat litter boxes. This patented product represents an important addition to our growing product portfolio. As stated previously, we feel confident that the law suit filed against us by our competitor in the fall of 2007 is without merit.”

 

Dr. Tsengas continued, “As a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, we support the Chamber’s activities related to legal reform and welcome the efforts by Ms. Christine Varney, who heads the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and has the solid backing of the White House, to more aggressively pursue antitrust cases and investigate business practices that limit competition. We believe that only through fair and open competition will the consumers’ needs, in terms of quality, innovative and competitively priced products, be best served.”

SmartScoop® incorporates state of the art technology, can utilize any type of clumping cat litter, its modular design can be easily assembled and disassembled for ease of cleaning and maintenance and is very economical to purchase and operate due to its low cost No-Touch Waste Bag™ system.

SmartScoop® accessories include activated carbon filters, easy access ramp, no-stick spray and odor control spray.

 

About OurPet's Company

 

OurPet's designs, produces and markets a broad line of innovative, high-quality accessory and consumable pet products in the U.S. and overseas. Investors and customers may visit www.ourpets.com, for more information about the Company and its products. The Company’s websites include: www.smartscoop.com, www.ecoPureNaturals.com, www.playnsqueak.com and www.flappydogtoys.com. 

 

 

 

SmartScoop No-Stick Spray has been named a winner of the 2008 Pet Product News Editors' Choice Award.  In order to be considered for the award, products must provide new and novel solutions to the needs of pet owners.  PPN's editors review thousands of products every year and considered several hundred finalists for this distiguished award.

 

PPN is the leading monthly pet business trade magazine covering issues and trends affecting all sectors of the pet industry.

 

In addition, No-Stick Spray has also been named a winner of the 2008 Cat Fancy Editors’ Choice Awards.  Cat Fancy reserves this prestigious honor for only the best new products that help promote the health, safety, comfort and enjoyment of our feline companions.

 

FAIRPORT HARBOR, OH, Dec 03, 2008

 

On December 2, 2008 the ITC made its initial determination that OurPet's and its codefendant did not infringe on seven of the eight patent claims Applica Incorporated alleged. The only patent claim OurPet's and its codefendant infringed on relates to a perceived manual function of the SmartScoop Self-Scooping Litter Box. Specifically, when the SmartScoop Self-Scooping Litter Box is first assembled and turned on, the unit performs a cycle to show the user that the product is on and working properly. This action was determined by the ITC to be a manual function, which infringes on one claim of the Applica patent. While this is a minor infringement, OurPet's believes this ruling to be incorrect and intends to appeal the ITC's initial determination. 

 

Dr. Steven Tsengas, PhD, President and CEO, stated, "We are very pleased with the outcome. We work hard to develop products that are unique and creative, and provide pets and their owner's enjoyment. The one patent claim the ITC determined that we infringe is on a minor feature and we are going to appeal. If the ITC still concludes, after review, that we infringe, we will make the necessary programming changes. We continue to work hard on developing better generations of the SmartScoop Self-Scooping Litter Box. With this judgment we feel that our product has been validated and we are excited about this category's future."  

 

 

Check us out on MySpace!  We can be found at www.myspace.com/smartscoop.  We'll be your friend if you'll be ours!

 

 

SmartScoop is also healthy and safe! It eliminates daily contact with a dirty litter box - making it a perfect fit for expectant mothers and families.

SmartScoop stays clean, which encourages your cat to use the box. And, It is a great way to reduce chores as well!

Did you know that SmartScoop has a full line of support accessories? Click on the links above or click here to learn more about our products.