CA2976250A1 - Animal jacket - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a covering designed for a quadrupedal animal and featuring a removable panel.

Description

ANIMAL JACKET
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to an animal covering. More specifically, the present invention relates to an adjustable animal jacket.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Four-legged or quadrupedal animals, most commonly domesticated pets, may require or benefit from additional protection from the environment than provided by their fur or hair. This protection could be from the weather, such as from the cold or rain, or from sharp or abrasive objects such as rocks, brambles, or a harness. Many roughly tube-shaped jackets have been designed over the years to cover the backs of four-legged animals and generally fasten under the belly and around the chest or neck to stay in place.
Different breeds, such as among dogs, require very specific jacket size specifications to ensure a jacket provides both adequate coverage and attaches securely, around usually both the chest and belly. These jackets, taken individually, generally fit a specific and narrow range of animal, with limited measurements in the back length, the belly girth, and the chest width.

Such jackets also generally do not fit an animal through its full growth or adapt sufficiently to fit changing body sizing as an animal ages after maturity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to an Animal Jacket.

[0004] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a jacket for a quadrupedal animal including:
i) a Back Covering including two complementary front tabs and two complementary side tabs; and ii) a Removable Panel, where the Back Covering is attachable to the Removable Panel by the complementary front tabs and the complementary side tabs; and where the Back Covering is capable of being used in the absence of the Removable Panel by overlapping the complementary front tabs and the complementary side tabs.

[0005] This summary does not necessarily describe all features of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:

[0007] Figure 1 shows a front elevation view of an Animal Jacket in accordance with one embodiment of the invention as worn by, for example, a dog;

[0008] Figure 2 shows a right-side elevation view of the Animal Jacket of Figure 1;

[0009] Figure 3 shows a bottom plan view of the Animal Jacket of Figure 1;

[0010] Figure 4 shows a bottom plan view of the Animal Jacket of Figure 1, with the chest panel removed;

[0011] Figure 5 shows a bottom plan view of the Animal Jacket of Figure 1, with the chest panel employed to expand the circumference of fit of an animal with wider chest and belly girth;

[0012] Figure 6 shows a bottom plan view with the chest panel of the Animal Jacket of Figure 1, employed to expand the circumference of fit of an animal with wider chest girth; and

[0013] Figure 7 shows a bottom plan view with the chest panel of the Animal Jacket of Figure 1, employed to expand the circumference of fit of an animal with wider belly girth.

[0014] Figures 8A-B show a two-dimensional plan schematic of one embodiment of the Animal Jacket with a depiction of the outside of the Back Covering (Figure 8A) and depiction of the outside of the Removable Panel (Figure 8B);
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The present disclosure provides, in part, an Animal Jacket including two separable pieces, a Back Covering and a Removable Panel. The Animal Jacket may be adapted to fit a quadrupedal animal by using the Back Covering alone or in conjunction with the Removable Panel in multiple possible alignments, configurations, and/or orientations.

[0016] The Back Covering may be of any shape or size suitable to cover the back and optionally all or a portion of the sides, hind quarters and/or neck of a quadrupedal animal, such as a horse, dog or cat. The Back Covering includes two lateral tabs positioned forward of the front legs of the quadrupedal animal and two lateral tabs positioned rearward of the front legs of the quadruped animal. In some embodiments, the front lateral tabs tabs may be attached to each other. In some embodiments, the rear lateral tabs tabs may be attached to each other. The tabs may be of any suitable size or shape sufficient to span the girth of the animal and hold the Animal Jacket in place, for example, during vigorous exercise or any other planned use.

[0017] The Removable Panel may be attached to all or some of the tabs of the Back Covering. Such attachment may be mechanical, such as buttons, snaps, pins, clips, or Velcro TM. In some embodiments, the Removable Panel may be sized to fit with the dimensions of an associated Back Covering.

[0018] Sizing of the Back Panel and Removable Panel may be contemplated in several ranges.

[0019] In some embodiments for, for example, cats and dogs, a Back Covering may be of a length (along the back bone and from extended front tabs to the rear) of about 20 to 150 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 cm up to 150 cm, and may be of a width (from back tab to opposite back tab laid out flat) of 20 to 200 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 cm up to 200 cm.
The size range for complementary Removable Panels may be of a length of 15 to 120 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 cm up to 120 cm, and a width of 5 to 30 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 cm. For larger animals such as a horse, a Back Covering may be of a length of 150 to 250 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 150, 160, or 170 cm up to 250 cm, and width of 200 to 300 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 200, 210, 215, or 220 cm up to 300 cm. The size range for the complementary Removable Panels for these larger animals may be of a length of 100 to 200 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 100, 110, 120, or 130 cm up to 200 cm, and a width of 40 to 100 cm, or any value in between such as for example about 40, 45, 50, or 60 cm up to 100cm.

[0020] The Animal jacket may be assembled using any number of different flexible, stretchy, or rigid materials and colors for style and weather conditions, such as cotton, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, plastics, etc. or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the Animal Jacket may be made of, or include, a reflective material, for greater visibility.
In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be made of a durable material.
In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be made of a water-resistant or waterproof material. In some embodiments, the Back Covering may be made of a different material from the Removable Panel. In some embodiments, the Back Covering may be made of a different material from the tabs. In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be made of a substantially inelastic or rigid material. In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be made of an elastic or stretchy material. In some embodiments, the tabs may be made of a substantially inelastic or rigid material. In some embodiments, the tabs may be made of an elastic or stretchy material.

[0021] In some embodiments, the material used in the Animal Jacket may be quilted with insulation for additional temperature protection. In alternative embodiments, the material used in the Animal Jacket may include a separate liner material. The insulation material may be made of, without limitation, cotton, wool, down or synthetic fill.

[0022] The Animal Jacket may provide a combination of options for torso protection and fit for a wide range of quadrupedal animals. In some embodiments, construction of the Animal Jacket may be modular, thus providing for ease of manufacture and separate sizing of the Back Covering and the Removable Panel. For example, the Back Covering and the Removable Panel may be planned, selected individually, matched, and packaged to fit the widest range of quadrupedal animals with the least number of stock parts.

[0023] In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be designed such that a quadrupedal animal, when fitted with the jacket at or near maturity, does not outgrow the Animal Jacket or lose significant protection due to changes in body size or proportion.

[0024] In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be attached quickly and simply without lifting any of the quadrupedal animal's legs. For example, even when the Removable Panel remains attached to one of the tabs of the Back Covering to protect against loss, the Animal Jacket need not require raising a leg of the quadrupedal animal or threading or passing any portion of the jacket over the head or any limb of the quadrupedal animal.

[0025] In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be adjusted in size and at any tab, without removal from the body of the quadrupedal animal.

[0026] In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may be adjusted in size and at any tab, without removal and without engaging complex buckles or attachments.

[0027] In some embodiments, the Removable Panel may be used to cover substantially all or part of the underside of the animal, thus providing additional protection and/or insulation.

[0028] In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket may exclude loose straps or external design elements that may become caught into or snagged by a plant or any other natural or man-made object, thus providing substantial freedom of movement and safety from entanglement.

[0029] In some embodiments, the Animal Jacket does not hinder the ability of the quadrupedal animal to urinate or defecate.

[0030] The following is a description of one embodiment of the Animal Jacket.

[0031] Figure 1 shows a front view of the Animal Jacket with a front tab from each side of the Back Covering (1) attached to one end of the Removable Panel (2) using VelcroTM. When Velcro TM is selected as the means of attachment, its "Hook" and "Loop" binary faces may be used as follows: The front and side tabs attached to the Back Covering may also be designated as "Over" and "Under" Tabs.

[0032] A Front Over Tab (1.2) may have Loop Velcro TM on its interior face. A
Front Under Tab (1.1) may have Hook Velcro TM on its exterior face. The Over or Under Tabs may be configured on either side, and in this particular embodiment, the Front Over Tab (1.2) crosses from the quadrupedal animal's left side (Figure right side). In the configuration shown, the front exterior of the Removable Panel (2) along its end may have Velcro TM Hook, and its interior face may have Velcro TM Loop. This configuration provides for the Front Under Tab (1.1) to be closest to the quadrupedal animal's chest, the Removable Panel (2) to be attached next, and the Front Over tab (1.2) to cover and secure that assembly to the animal.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a right-side elevation view of the Animal Jacket. The tabs on the right and left of the Back Covering (the "Side Tabs") may be mirror images of each other in shape and may also be referred to as "Over" and "Under" Tabs. The Side Over Tabs may have Velcro TM Loop on their interior faces. The Side Under Tabs may have Velcro TM Hook on their exterior faces.
The Removable Panel (2) may have Velcro TM Hook on its outside face and Velcro TM Loop on its interior face. In this pictured embodiment, Back Covering Under Tabs Front 1.1 and Side 1.3 are covered first with the Removable Panel (2) and then the two Over Tabs Front 1.2 and Side 1.4.

[0034] In the bottom view shown in Figure 3, the animal's tabs on the figure left (Front Tab 1.1 and Side Tab 1.3), visible only on the far left, are configured as Under Tabs and are stretched first across the animal's belly.
The Removable Panel (2) is then attached to these tabs. The Back Covering's (1) tabs on the figure right (Front Tab 1.2 and Side Tab 1.4), are configured as Over Tabs and attach to and over the outside of the Removable Panel (2).

[0035] Figure 4 shows a bottom view without the Removable Panel and the Animal Jacket including the Back Covering (1) only. The Back Covering (1) tabs in this configuration provide a relatively smaller range of adjustability, with Front Over Tab 1.2 overlapping Front Under Tab 1.1 and Side Over Tab 1.4 overlapping Side Under Tab 1.3 as shown.

[0036] Figure 5 shows a bottom view with the Removable Panel in one contemplated configuration employed to expand the fit of the Animal Jacket to accommodate an animal with greater chest and belly girth. Similar to Figure 3, but fit onto an animal with a wider overall girth, the Removable Panel is shown here to provide a bridging function between the tabs of the figure right (Front Tab 1.2 and Side Tab 1.4) and figure right Front Tab 1.1 and Side Tab 1.3) of the Back Covering, such that the right Back Covering tabs (Front Tab 1.1 and Side Tab 1.3) attach to the animal-side of the Removable Panel (2) and the left Back Covering tabs (Front Tab 1.2 and Side Tab 1.4) connect to the outside of the Removable Panel (2). This configuration demonstrates the use of the presently disclosed Animal Jacket to extend its fit beyond the reach of the Back Panel tabs used alone, as shown in Figure 4, or fully overlapped with the Removable Panel (2) as shown in Figure 3.

[0037] Where some breeds of animal over their lifetimes develop significantly larger chest muscles, Figure 6 shows a bottom view with the Removable Panel in another contemplated configuration employed to expand the fit of the Animal Jacket to accommodate an animal with greater chest girth. The Removable Panel is shown here (2) to provide a much broader bridging function between the front tabs of the Back Covering, such that the front right Back Covering tab (Front Tab 1.1, hidden from view) attaches to the animal-side of the Removable Panel and the front left Back Covering tab (Front Tab 1.2) connects to the outside of the Removable Panel. The side tabs are used as in Figure 4.

[0038] Where some animals over their lifetimes tend to put on weight or expand in their belly area, Figure 7 shows a bottom view with the Removable Panel in another contemplated configuration employed to expand the fit of the Animal Jacket to accommodate an animal with greater belly girth. The Removable Panel is shown here to provide a much wider bridging function between the side tabs (Side Tab 1.3 and Side Tab 1.4) of the Back Covering (1), such that the figure left side Back Covering tab (Side Tab 1.3) attaches to the animal-side of the Removable Panel (2) and the figure right side Back Covering tab (Side Tab 1.4) connects to the outside of the Removable Panel.
The front tabs are used as in Figure 4.

[0039] Figures 8A-B are a plan view of the two separate and separable elements of the presently-disclosed Animal Jacket. Figure 8A shows the outside or top side of the Back Covering (1) with Front and Side attachment tabs 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4. Tabs 1.2 and 1.4 are shown with their attachments on the reverse, the inside of the Back Panel (1), which in this particular embodiment are strips of Velcro TM Loop (marked "L"). Tabs 1.1 and 1.3 are shown with their attachments on the outside of the Back Panel (1), which in this particular embodiment are strips of Velcro TM Hook (marked "H"). Figure 8B shows a view of the outside of the Removable Panel (2), covered in this embodiment by Velcro TM Hook ("H"). The other side of the Removable Panel (2), which would be fit against the animal, is covered in this embodiment by VelcroTM Loop ("L").

[0040] These arrangements of the Back Covering and Removable Panel allow for considerable adjustment in jacket sizing due to flexibility in the precise location of the attachment areas of the Back Covering (1) and Removable Panel (2). The attachment tabs may be attached to and overlap with each other, or be attached to the Removable Panel (2) in various configurations such that they may not overlap with each other at all. The Removable Panel (2) may thus be used to provide a bridge of various widths between all four or just the front or side tabs of the Back Covering, or not used at all.

[0041] The present invention has been described with regard to one or more embodiments. However, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims (10)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A jacket for a quadrupedal animal comprising:
iii) a Back Covering comprising at least two complementary front tabs and at least two complementary side tabs; and iv) a Removable Panel, wherein the Back Covering is attachable to the Removable Panel by said complementary front tabs and said complementary side tabs; and wherein the Back Covering is capable of being used in the absence of said Removable Panel by overlapping said complementary front tabs and said complementary side tabs.

2. The jacket of Claim 1 wherein said Removable Panel is attached parallel to and along the underside of the quadrupedal animal by attachment to said complementary front tabs and said complementary side tabs.

3. The jacket of Claim 1 wherein said Removable Panel is attached across the chest of the quadrupedal animal and said complementary side tabs are attached to each other.

4. The jacket of Claim 1 wherein said Removable Panel is attached across the belly of the quadrupedal animal and said complementary front tabs are attached to each other.

5. The jacket of any one of Claims 1 to 4 comprising a durable material.

6. The jacket of Claim 5 wherein the durable material is selected from the group consisting of cotton, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, and plastics.

7. The jacket of any one of Claims 1 to 6 comprising an insulating material.

8. The jacket of Claim 7 wherein the insulating material is selected from the group consisting of cotton, wool, down and synthetic fill.

9. The jacket of any one of Claims 1 to 8 comprising a mechanical attachment system.

10.The jacket of Claim 9 wherein the mechanical attachment system is selected from the group consisting of buttons, snaps, clips or Velcro .TM .