Abstract: A cat litter box having an entrance way opening in the side surface establishing its configuration, with the entrance way opening extending upwardly from a predetermined point above its bottom surface and including inwardly facing edge surfaces providing a brushing function in physically contacting the fur and paws of a cat constrained to enter into and exit from the litter box via the opening.

Abstract: This invention entails the piling of newspapers to be bundled into a stack atop a pair of shelves secured to, and between, rear and side walls of a housing, with the shelves being separated a distance to allow a length of twine, cord, rope, tape or other material to be drawn down from off a roll, under and over the newspapers to be tied in perpendicular directions, without having to lift and rotate the pile. In one embodiment of the invention, the bundling apparatus can be wall-mounted, while in a second embodiment, a lower compartment can be provided to accumulate stacked bundles or to house an additional collection container for glass, plastic, metal, or paper trash so separated, as a free-standing unit.

Abstract: A carryable enclosure having front, back and opposing side walls, at least one of which is provided with an entry opening to admit a kitten or cat to access a litter box supported within by a floor panel. Removable, and preferably, reversible dividers are provided to guide the kitten or cat to, and from, the litter box from the entry opening, over a course designed to trap and gather any litter accumulating on its fur and/or paws following from its use of the litter box. At least one of the walls, and/or an included top cover for the enclosure, is of a see-through construction to allow a breeder to observe the well being of the kittens and cats within the enclosure and the general sanitary conditions there.

Abstract: The apparatus of the invention includes an enclosed housing having a cat litter box within its bottom confines. An opening is provided in the top surface of the housing, through which the cat climbs, onto a lower, intermediate surface level. A partition is there provided, around which the cat is forced to walk, in order to gain entry to the litter box by climbing down through a second opening. The lower, intermediate surface level is of an open-grid construction, so that when the cat reverses its path to leave the litter box, any litter trapped on its paws falls, by gravity, back into the box as the cat walks around the partition, to climb out of the housing through the first opening.

Abstract: A fixture having a channel for accepting a user inserted knife blade, a first, floating plate for holding in place one surface of the bagel, roll or muffin to be sliced, and a second, rigid plate for bearing against the opposite surface of the bagel, roll or muffin, and positionally adjustable with respect to the channel for controlling the thickness of the resulting sliced sections.

Abstract: A method for removing bitumen from mineral particles recovered from bituminous froth recovered as a product of aqueous extraction of tar sands which method comprises scrubbing the minerals with a liquid hydrocarbon solvent containing at least 10 weight percent aromatics and thereafter separating the minerals from the solvent and subsequently drying the minerals.

Abstract: A tank with an upwardly concave bottom, a rotatable center shaft running on the vertical axis of the tank from the top of the tank to the bottom, middlings outlets at the side of the tank, a sands discharge outlet at the bottom of the tank, an overflow means connected at the side of the tank, a sand rake connected to the center shaft to rotate with the shaft and positioned to move settled sand toward the sand discharge outlet and a means for rotating the center shaft, the improvement which comprises a combination of two or more saucer-shaped deflecting baffles located in the cell and concentric with the shaft and affixed thereto, the lowest baffle being located immediately above the sand rake, and inverted to the bottom of the cell and having a skirt extending downward from the outer periphery thereof and at least one other deflecting baffle being located in between the feed well and the lower baffle.

Abstract: A method for reducing the sludge layer in an effluent retention pond associated with hot water extraction of bitumen from tar sands comprising recycling sludge from the retention pond to aid in removing the aqueous effluent discharge from the extraction process and thereby effect a reduction of the volume of the sludge layer in the pond.

Abstract: A method for reducing the sludge layer in an aqueous effluent retention pond associated with hot water extraction of bitumen from tar sands comprising dispersing the aqueous effluent discharge from the extraction process containing bitumen, sand, water, silt and clay over the surface of the pond thereby effecting a reduction in the volume of the sludge layer in the pond.