WO1998029281A1

WO1998029281A1 - Pet restraining apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1998029281A1
Application number: PCT/SE1997/002216
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nina Mortensen
Original assignee: Nina Mortensen
Priority date: 1996-12-30
Filing date: 1997-12-30
Publication date: 1998-07-09
Also published as: SE9604822L; SE9604822D0; SE508643C2; AU5506798A

Abstract

The invention refers to an apparatus (1) for securely and safely restraining a dog (2) or other pets in vehicles (3) by the conventional automobile seat belt (4) and comprising one, by the dog (2), etc., worn harness (5) and one with a seat belt (4) connecting restraining strap (6) for restraining of said harness (5) to one said seat belt (4). According to the invention are a number of strappings connected to each other embodying to a harness (5) formed restraining apparatus, which is arranged to extend around the shoulder (9) and over the back (10) of a restrained dog (2), and which is arranged in such a way that it distributes the effective (active) force over the whole chest and shoulder (9). A connecting portion (13), e.g. a D-ring, is arranged on the upper rear end of the said harness, and a ring-formed strapping receiver (7) e.g. a quick-link, showing quick release function, is arranged to connect to the harness via the said connecting portion (13) whereby the strapping receiver (7) is arranged freely movable along a seat belt strapping portion (4A) connected to the seat belt buckle (F) for the belt (4) and the dog (2).

Description

PET RESTRAINING APPARATUS

The invention in question refers to an apparatus for securely and safely restraining a dog or other pets in vehicles by the conventional automobile seat belt and comprising one, by the dog etc. worn harness and one with a seat belt connecting restraining strap for restraining of said harness to one said seat belt.

Known arrangements to restrain animals, for instance dogs and cats, in vehicles are proposed among others in WO 93/03610, WO 92/02128 and US, A 4, 896, 630. They require among others a special attachment part in form of a stiff frame, which a car safety belt is connected to and might damage the animal which is restrained in front of the belt and mentioned attachment-frame. Besides, the point of attachment of the animal is placed very low at the meeting-point of the car seat and the support for the back on a constantly low level, respectively on a constantly high level attached to a headrest. This arrangement gives, among others, the animal less space to move and the fixpoint makes the animal somersault in case of a car accident or strong breaking.

Known harnesses are not adapted to the dog. In case of accidents, damages might occur to the dog caused by the belt-construction, in other words, the part of the belt that surrounds the dogs neck, is formed like a ring, which is a big disadvantage and might cause heavy injuries to the dog. All pressure is transformed to the dog's neck whereby the risk of strangling occurs.

Main purpose of this invention is therefore mainly to solve above- mentioned problem safe and efficient with simple methods.

Said purpose is achieved by an apparatus according to the invention, that mainly is characterized by a number of strappings connected to each other embodying to a harness formed restraining apparatus, which is arranged to extend around the shoulder and over the back of a restrained dog, and which is arranged in such way that it distributes the effective (active) force over the dog's whole chest and shoulder, that a connecting portion, is arranged on the upper rear end of the said harness, and a ringformed strapping receiver, showing quick release function, and is a part of the said restraining strap, or a windingaround strap part of the restraining strap, is arranged to connect to the harness via the said connecting portion whereby the strapping receiver or the restraining strap is arranged freely movable along a seat belt strapping portion connected to the seat belt buckle for the belt and the dog. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention describes below the preferred embodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which,

Fig 1 shows a perspective view of a dog safely restrained in a vehicle by means of the restraining apparatus according to the invention,

Fig 2 shows the restraining apparatus in an empty state from one side of the vehicle, Fig 2B also shows the restraining apparatus in an empty state from the other side of the vehicle,

Fig3A is a fragmentary view of a portion of a restraining harness used in the present invention,

Fig3B shows manufacturing process of the harness, Fig3C is a view from underneath of the upper part of the harness sewed together,

Fig 4 is a view of a in the apparatus including restraining strap arranged in an alternative way for safely securing large, heavy dogs,

Fig 4 A- 4 C shows a restraining strap-frame led through a holder, an adjustment slide and a part of the strapping receiver.

Fig 4 D- 4 E shows a restraining strap-frame in different examples of application,

Fig 5 is a perspective view of a dog using the harness to pull e.g. a skier or a sledge, Fig 6 is a view from underneath of the lower part of the harness sewed together, and

Fig 6A-6C shows different manufacturing processes of the above said lower part of the harness A restraining apparatus 1 for securely and safely restraining a dog 2 or other pets in vehicles 3 by the conventional automobile seat belt 4 and comprising one, by the dog 2 or other animal worn harness 5, and one with a seat belt 4 connecting restraining strap 6 for restraining of said harness 5 to one said seat belt 4, comprises according to the invention in question a strong harness 5 and one along a strapping portion 4A in the seat belt 4 freely movable strapping receiver 7 or restraining strap. More precisely are a number of strappings 8°, 8¹, 8², 8³, connected to each other embodied as a harness 5 formed restraining apparatus, which is arranged to extend around the shoulder 9 and over the back 10 and between the front legs 11, 12 of a restrained dog 2. The said harness 5 is arranged in such way that it distributes the effective active force over the whole chest and shoulder 9 of the dog 2. A connecting portion 13, e.g. a D-ring, is arranged on the upper rear end 5 A of the said harness at the end of a movable strap 14.

Furthermore including is a ringformed strapping receiver 7 in the said restraining apparatus 1, which shows quick release function and is a part of said the restraining strap 6, is arranged to connect releasable with the harness 5 via the connecting portion 13. As an alternative can a not shown winding strap part of the strapformed restraining strap 6 work as a receiver of a strap part (4 A) of a safety-belt (4). The said strapping receiver (7), which can be created by a quick-link, preferably by a C-shaped skeleton ( 15 A) which can be opened by a bar ( 15B), a nut or another movable part, or a said windingaround strap part, is arranged to connect to the harness 5, via the said connecting portion ] 3 whereby the strapping receiver 7 or the restraining strap 6 is arranged freely movable along a seat belts strapping portion 4A connected to the seat belt buckle F for the belt 4 and the dog 2. The restraining strap 6, formed by a strap, is connectable to the harness 5 and its connecting portion 13, via a turnable holder 16, preferably a turnable snap-hook. Thereby can the harness 5 always go with the dog 2, while the strap part 6, of the restraining strap always can remain in the car, connected to the safety belt 4 and easy releasable. Snap-hook 16 ensures that the strap 6 not twists around the dog 2 when it moves on seat 17, but only the connecting portion 13 is turning together with the dog 2. The harness 5 is formed by two mutually distanced to a common upper connecting portion 18 fastened V-shaped extending strappings 8°, 8¹ are arranged extending in the direction slant forward 19, 20; 21, 22. whereby the two front strapping parts 8¹, 8¹ extend in an angle α of ca 60° out from the center line 23 and the rear strapping parts 8° extend from the center line 23 with an angle β of ca 75°.

The ends 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D of the said V-shaped strappings 8°, 8¹, are in pairs connected to each other on the common side A respectively B to the strap on the center of the back 18, via one to preferred length adjustable strap 24, 25.

The said straps 24, 25 created by said strapping parts 8². 8³, are connected to each other at its respectively middle 24A, 25A in order to form V-shaped and also completely closed openings 26, 27 on harness 5 at its respective ends 5B, 5A to fit the shoulder 9, respective back and trunk 10 of the dog 2 in question. Thereby can the harness 5 be adapted to different sizes of dogs thanks to its adjustable size and is also easy to take on and off.

Fig 6-6C shows in detail how the lower part 40 of the harness 5 is constructed and manufactured by two folded and crossed twisted straps 50, 51. Hereby forms a front, respectively a back V-shaped opening 26 respective 27, and the angles are ca 90°, respective 125° with the smaller angle for the front opening 26. The straps 50, 51 are sewed along and across, as for instance shown in Fig 6, and a thick soft inside padding 29 that extends sideways outside the border of the strappings to prevent from cutting the dog. The formed lower part of the harness 40 becomes strong and maintains together even in case of great charges and increases its durability. The upper part 18 and the rear V-shaped strap 8° is made up of one joint strapping with very high strength and is sewed to intended shape and muster after folding the strap double and folding out the ends of the strap to V-shape, for instance Fig 3B and 3C. The harness 5 is preferably equipped with thick, soil padding on the inside 29 and external reflector tape 30 to make it soft and comfortable for the dog 2 to wear the harness 5 and to make it easier for road-users to observe the dog 2 in the dark. The said padding extends at least the forward located strappings whole extension and extends sideways outside the border of the strapping to prevent gall or cutting and hurting the dog 2. The strappings are preferably made up by polyester or other strong material, which has been approved to show a strength of at least 1000kg weight after tests done. They are also sewed with thread 28 containing the same material. The strappings 8.... of the harness 5 and the restraining strap 6 are connectable by adjustment slides 31 of known kind and that consist of a strap-connecting transverse bar 32 see Fig 4A-4C, and a pair of strap-pressure sidebars 33, 34 for linking and on-sewing of the strappings, see Fig 4A, respectively folded to wind around through a loop 35 on a snap-hook 16 for instance. This restraining strap 6 is arranged to be adjusted to desired length by the slide 31 , see Fig 4A - 4C, and hereby getting the right distance between the dog and the back of the seat. The restraining strap 6 can especially with heavy dogs be fastened without snap-hook, instead the strap 8 is fastened with a siide after linking through connecting portion 13 and strapping receiver 7.

Accordingly, is a dog 2, who wears a harness 5 according to the invention easily fastened to a safety belt 4, whose strapping part 4A preferably runs slant along the back of the seat 36 or across with a part 4A along a waist-belt 4 thanks to the snap- hook 16, after a strapping receiver 7 already has been connected to the strap part 4A of the safety belt 4. The connecting portion 6 can thereby easily run up 37 and down 38 the strap part 4A, and the force exposed on the harness 5 and the dog 2 in case of strong retardation of the vehicle 3, is evenly distributed, so that no single part of the dog's 2 body has to receive all the pressure and risk to be damaged.

The weight and the material of the quick-link 7 implies that it easily slides along the safety belt without getting caught, when the dog moves sideward or lies down. The weight of the quick-link 7 makes that the connecting strap 6 between the harness and the safety belt always is in the right position in relation to he harness 5, which also means that in case of a car-accident the pulling comes in the longitudinal direction of the harness, see Fig 1. The quick-link 7 is practical since it fits to all safety belts and easily can be opened and closed.

A further ring 39 is sewed on the centre of the upper part of the harness 5, and can be used when for example an ordinary leash is put on the harness 5.

Fig 5 shows how the harness can be used in a pulling function, for example a sleigh. The harness 5 can be used in other situations than above described to securely fasten the dog in, for example vehicles in common, busses, trains and in the back of station wagons.

The idea, development and construction of the harness: The basic idea was to create a safety harness for dogs, which in contrast to the other harnesses, should be of high quality and better fulfilling its function as a traffic secure product and protection for the dog. From the beginning a harness was constructed and plain technically the idea was to not get the pressure on the front part of the neck, instead the forces should be distributed over the chest and shoulders. It was assumed to be solved through the V-shape on the harness, but it appeared to angle too much and the pressure still got on the front part. When the fix-point was moved backwards along the shoulders to the centre of the back and the straps were sewed to get from the breastbone up over the chest, in an angle, the desired effect was fulfilled. A further benefit is that the dog doesn't somersault in a car-accident because the restraining strap is placed at the back of the dog. The connecting strap to the safety belt has to be short, so that the pulling always comes in the dog's horizontal level. In order to adjust the size there are buckles on each side, because the centre strap 40 is not running but fixed and is sewed in an angle. Consequently the restraining strap 6 can be adjusted to get the right distance between the dog and the back of the seat.

Accordingly the main idea of the invention was to create a safety harness for dogs which is secure in the traffic and protects the dog and, of course, preventing the dog from disturbing the driver, or in case of strong retardation, preventing the dog from flying forwards. It avoids pressure on the front part of the dog's neck and distributes the force over the whole chest and shoulder. The fix-points at the shoulders are removed backwards to the centre of the dog's back. The harness is furthermore crash-tested in order to provide a secure product, which endures at least 26G on a dog with the weight of 20kg. It is also multifunctional.

The invention is not limited to above described and on the drawings shown examples, it can also be varied within the claims of the patent without loosing the basic idea of the invention.

Claims

1. A restraining apparatus (1 ) for securely and safely restraining a dog (2) or other pets in vehicles (3) by the conventional automobile seat belt (4) and comprising one, by the dog (2) etc. worn harness (5) and one with a seat belt (4) connecting restraining strap (6) for restraining of said harness (5) to one said seat belt (4), whereby strapping (8°-8⁴) are connected to each other embodied as a harness (5) formed restraining apparatus, which is arranged to extend around the shoulder (9) and over the back (10) on a restrained dog (2), and which is arranged in such way that it distributes the effective (active) force over the whole chest and shoulder (9) of the dog, and that a connecting portion (13), e.g. a D-ring, is arranged on the upper rear end of the said harness, and a ringformed strapping receiver (7) e.g. a quick-link, showing quick release function, and is a part of the said restraining strap, or a windingaround strap part of the restraining strap, is arranged to connect to the harness via the said connecting portion (13) whereby the strapping receiver (7) or the restraining strap (6) is arranged freely movable along a seat belts strapping portion (4A) connected to the seat belt buckle (F) for the belt (4) and the dog (2), characterized by, that two mutually distanced to a common upper connecting portion (18) fastened V-shaped extending strappings (8°, 8¹) are arranged with the V-shaped strapping portions (8°, 8°; 8¹, 8¹) extending in the direction slant forward (19-22), and that the ends (8A-8D) of the said V-shaped strappings (8 , 8 ) are in pairs connected to each other via one to preferred length adjustable strap (29-30), which are connected to each other at respective mid (29) forming V-shaped openings (26, 27) on the harness (5) at its respective ends (5 A, 5B) for the neck and shoulders and the trunk of a dog.

2. A restraining apparatus according to claim 1 , characterized by, that said restraining strap (6) is connected to the rear free end (14) of the upper part (18) of the harness, by preferably a metal ring (13) with very high strength.

3. A restraining apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by, that the upper part (18) and the rear V-shaped strap (8°) is made up of one joint strapping with very high strength and is sewed to intended shape after folding the strap double and folding out the ends of the strap to V-shape.

4. A restraining apparatus according to any of the claims 1-3, characterized by, that the harness (5) is equipped with thick, soft padding on the inside (29) and external reflector tape (30), whereby the padding (29) extends the forward located strappings whole extension and that the padding (29) extends sideways outside the border of the strappings.

5. A restraining apparatus according to any of the claims 1-4, characterized by, that the strappings (8....) are made up by material such as polyester, cotton etc. and are preferably sewed with thread (28) of the same material, and can show a strength of at least 1000kg.

6. The restraining apparatus according to claim 1 , characterized by, that the strapping receiver (7) is formed by a quick-link, preferably a C-shaped frame (15A) with a bar that can be manipulated to open (15B) which can be a spring.

7. A restraining apparatus according to claim 1 , characterized by, that the restraining strap (6), formed by a strap (8), is connectable to the harness (5) and its connecting portion (13) via a turnable holder (16), preferably a turnable snap- hook.

8. A restraining apparatus according to any of the claims 1 -7, characterized by. that the strappings of the harness (5) and the restraining strap (6) are connectable by adjustment slides (31 ) which can show a very high strength and that consist of a strap-connecting transverse bar (32) and a pair of strap-pressure sidebars (33, 34).

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 29 May 1998 (29.05.98) ; original claim 1 amended ; remaining claims unchanged (2 pages) ]

1. A restraining apparatus ( 1 ) for securely and safely restraining a dog (2) or other pets in vehicles (3) by the conventional automobile seat belt (4) and comprising one, by the dog (2) etc. worn harness (5) and one with a seat belt (4) connecting restraining strap (6) for restraining of said harness (5) to one said seat belt (4), whereby strapping (8°-8⁴) are connected to each other embodied as a harness (5) formed restraining apparatus, which is arranged to extend around the shoulder (9) and over the back (10) on a restrained dog (2), and which is arranged in such way that it distributes the effective (active) force over the whole chest and shoulder (9) of the dog, and that a connecting portion (13), e.g. a D-ring, is arranged on the upper rear end of the said harness, and a ringformed strapping receiver (7) e.g. a quick-link, showing quick release function, and is a part of the said restraining strap, or a windingaround strap part of the restraining strap, is arranged to connect to the harness via the said connecting portion (13) whereby the strapping receiver (7) or the restraining strap (6) is arranged freely movable along a seat belts strapping portion (4A) connected to the seat belt buckle (F) for the belt (4) and the dog (2), characterized by, that two mutually distanced to a common upper connecting portion (18) fastened V-shaped extending strappings (8°, 8¹) are arranged with the V-shaped strapping portions (8°, 8°; 8¹, 8¹) extending in the direction slant forward (19-22), and that the ends (8A-8D) of the said V-shaped strappings (8°, 8¹) are in pairs connected to each other on a joint side ( A res. B) to the strap on the center of the back (18) via the lower part (40) that forms a to preferred length adjustable strap (24, 25, 8², 8³) and that is connected at its respective mid (24A, 25A) with each other for the forming of openings (26, 27) at the harness (5) at its respective ends (5B, 5A) at the chest (9) respectively the trunk ( 10) of a dog (2).

2. A restraining apparatus according to claim 1. characterized by, that said restraining strap (6) is connected to the rear free end (14) of the upper part (18) of the harness, by preferably a metal ring (13) with very high strength.

7. A restraining apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by, that the restraining strap (6), formed by a strap (8), is connectable to the harness (5) and its connecting portion (13) via a turnable holder (16), preferably a turnable snap-hook.

8. A restraining apparatus according to any of the claims 1-7, characterized by, that the strappings of the harness (5) and the restraining strap (6) are connectable by adjustment slides (31) which can show a very high strength and that consist of a strap- connecting transverse bar (32) and a pair of strap-pressure sidebars (33, 34).