Patent Application
20160295834
The present invention involves a cat scratching-based attractant and amusement device capable of encouraging a domestic cat to employ a dedicated scratching surface rather than scratching furniture, carpets and drapes and to maintain a cat's interest for prolonged periods of time in doing so.
It is well recognized that domestic cats crave scratching as part of their natural instinctive character. If a dedicated scratching surface is not provided, domestic cats would generally satisfy their need to scratch by turning to furniture, curtains and other articles which can be substantially damaged as a consequence. Often times, pet cats will not only climb over furniture, specially upholster chairs and sofas, but will use such furniture and carpeting to condition their claws through deliberate repeated clawing, pulling and tearing actions specifically with their forepaws. As noted, this clawing activity appears to be an irresistible natural impulse for cats and can be the source of great aggravation to the pet owner.
There are a number of vendors of pet and pet related products that have offered implements dedicated to alleviating the need of a cat to scratch. These include cat scratching posts and pads comprised on of, for example, carpet, sisal, seagrass, rope and cardboard. In most instances, the cat scratching surface is simply made available to the cat relying upon the cat to seek it out on its own. To encourage cats to use a dedicated scratching surface, often times, a pet product manufacturer will infuse catnip or similar attractant into the body of the scratching surface. However, being merely a passive post or pad, cats will often times get bored and engage in destructive activity which could have been avoided if the attempt was made to actively attract a cat to the scratching surface and to keep it engaged with the scratcher by playing upon a cat's natural curiosity to seek out and swat moving objects as it would prey.
It is thus an object to the present invention to provide a cat scratcher attractant device which is capable of maintaining a cat's interest for prolonged periods.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a scratcher which will actively be sought out by a pet to the exclusion of furniture drapes and carpets thus minimizing the cat's tendency to destroy, through scratching, valuable household furniture.
These and further objects will be more readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended claims.
The present invention is directed to a cat scratcher attractant device comprising a vertically extending axis, a housing having a hollow interior, a motor supported by said housing and enclosed within said hollow interior, said motor having a rotatable shaft positioned along said vertically extending axis, a power supply for selectively activating said motor, a wand and an attractant, said wand having first and second ends, said first end being fixed to said rotatable shaft and said second end being fixed to said attractant, said housing further comprising a receiving slot and a scratcher, said scratcher being sized to be received and selectively retained by said receiving slot such that said scratcher extends from said housing and said attractant rotates above a portion of said scratcher when said motor is activated.
The present invention is also directed to a cat scratcher attractant device comprising a vertically extending axis, a housing having a hollow interior, a motor supported by said housing and enclosed within said hollow interior, said motor having a rotatable shaft positioned along said vertically extending axis, a power supply for selectively activating said motor, a wand and an attractant, said wand having first and second ends, said first and being fixed to said rotatable shaft and said second end being fixed to said attractant, said housing further comprising a receiving slot and a scratcher, said scratcher being sized to be received and selectively retained by said receiving slot such that said scratcher extends from said housing and said attractant rotates above a portion of said scratcher when said motor is activated and further comprising a base, said base having a top and bottom, said bottom being configured to reside upon a support surface for said cat scratcher attractant device and said top being configured to receive and support said housing.
Novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration description only and are not intended as definitions of the limits of the invention. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are recited with particularity in the claims.
There has been broadly outlined more important features of the invention in the summary above and in order that the detailed description which follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form additional subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based readily may be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important therefore, that claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Certain terminology and the derivations thereof may be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, words such as “upward,” “downward,” “left,” and “right” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made unless otherwise stated. Similar words such as “inward” and “outward” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of a device or area and designated parts thereof. Reference in the singular tense include the plural and vice versa, unless otherwise noted.
Turning first to
Again turning to
It is further noted that housing 20 includes receiving slot 40 which includes opposing top and bottom surfaces 17 and 18 distanced from one another for frictionally receiving a scratcher. In this regard, reference is made to
As noted, scratcher 56 is frictionally joined to upper housing 20 frictionally within slot 40. As a preferred embodiment, scratcher 56 as assembly 50 including a frame composed of substantially planar bottom 51 and side walls 52, 53, 54 and 55. Such an assembly helps to confine scratching surface debris from being broadcast about the present device is a result of vigorous scratching activity. When such an assembly is adopted, vertically extending side wall 55 is dimensioned such that it fits within slot 40 and can be retained therein by adjusting knob 16 which causes top surface 17 to move forward and away from bottom surface 18 thus selectively “clamping” side wall 55 within slot 40 as depicted in
In turning to
As noted, the embodiment of the present invention depicted by
In comparing housing 10 of
In use, whether the embodiment of
The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensions, relationships, or operations as described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed as suitable without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like. Therefore, the above description and illustration should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
