Collection Pan

Abstract

A collection pan has an inside bottom surface, a front lip, a vertical shoulder wall at a back edge of the front lip of the front lip, and back and side walls for holding both liquid and solid waste material. The shoulder retains liquid material wiped across the front lip.

1 . A collection pan, comprising:
 an inside bottom surface, having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges;   a front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, for lying along a floor surface, a back edge of the length of the straight front edge, and parallel to the straight front edge, a width at a right angle to the straight front edge, between the straight front edge and the back edge, and a planar top surface between the straight front edge and the back edge;   a vertical shoulder wall of a shoulder height, extending from the front edge of the inside bottom surface to the back edge of the front lip, along the full length of the back edge of the front lip;   a back wall having a back wall height extending across and joined to the full back edge of the inside bottom surface; and   side walls joined seamlessly to the back wall at each extremity of the back wall, the side walls tapering in height from the back wall height at juncture with the back wal, to a substantially lesser height at each extremity of the front lip;   wherein the planar top surface of the front lip defines an angle with the inside bottom surface, from the straight front edge to the back edge at the top of the vertical shoulder wall, such that waste material urged across the front lip is constrained from escaping the collection plan by the vertical shoulder wall, and is retained in the collection plan.   
     
     
         2 . The collection pan of  claim 1  further comprising a handle extending from the back wall away from the side toward the inside bottom surface, providing a handgrip for a user to manipulate the collection pan. 
     
     
         3 . The collection pan of  claim 2  wherein the handle is of a semi-circular shape, enabling the collection pan to be clipped to a round rod by the handle. 
     
     
         4 . The collection pan of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of right-triangular-shaped vertical webs spaced apart across the inside bottom surface, with one end of each web, less in height than the shoulder height, joined to the shoulder wall, and one edge joined along the inside bottom surface. 
     
     
         5 . The collection pan of  claim 1  further comprising short corner walls between the back wall and each side wall. 
     
     
         6 . The collection pan of  claim 5  wherein at least one of the corner walls comprises a pattern of openings through the corner wall, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle. 
     
     
         7 . The collection pan of  claim 1  further comprising a pattern of openings through one of the back wall and the side walls, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle. 
     
     
         8 . The collection pan of  claim 1  wherein the length of the straight front edge of the front lip is eighteen inches or more. 
     
     
         9 . The collection pan of  claim 1  wherein the back wall height is greater than 2 inches. 
     
     
         10 . A method for collecting and disposing of solid and liquid waste material, comprising:
 wiping liquid and solid waste material from a floor surface with a flexible wiper blade over a front lip of a collection pan, the front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, then across the front lip over a vertical shoulder at a back edge of the front lip, down onto an inside bottom surface of the collection pan; and   constraining the liquid and solid waste material in the collection pan by back and side walls, and the vertical shoulder at the back edge of the front lip.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising holding the collection pan by a handle extending from the back wall of the collection pan. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising draining liquid waste into a separate receptacle by tilting the collection pan, and draining liquid waste through a pattern of openings through one of the back wall or side walls. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the collection pan further comprises back corner walls, and the draining operation is through a pattern of openings through one of the corner walls. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising supporting solid waste on a plurality of web structures extending along the inside bottom surface, and the shoulder wall.