Patent Grant
11859442
The present invention relates to systems for easily installed secure pet doors with a security panel to prevent unwanted entry along with sealing the pet door from extreme weather conditions and withstanding impacts from airborne objects
In areas that are subject to extreme weather conditions there is a need for a pet door that has the functionality to be sealed closed to prevent the weather from passing through the pet door which includes a seal that reduces and prevents wind, water, ice, and flying objects from passing through the pet door. There is also a need in areas subject to chances of unwanted entries to be able to seal the pet door shut in order to mitigate the chances of an unwanted entry taking place through the pet door.
The prior art does not address these problems effectively and only address the problems of providing security against unwanted entries and preventing only mild to moderate weather conditions from getting past the pet door. The structure and anchoring of the prior art is lacking the ability to prevent extreme weather conditions and airborne object impacts at high speeds from entering through the pet door. The prior art also does not address the above issues to the degree of achieving relevant structural and impact ratings for hurricane sever weather conditions along with mitigating unwanted entries by intruders. Therefore, there is a need for a pet door which can be easily installed and sealed shut to prevent unwanted entries, extreme weather conditions, and flying objects from entering through the pet door that is also up to standard for relevant structural and impact ratings for hurricane sever weather conditions to provide for increased safety and security of users.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention
With the above in mind, embodiments of the present invention are related to a pet travel door system. The pet travel door system according to the present invention may be defined by an embodiment including a door having an integrated pet travel door. The pet travel door system according to the present invention may also be defined by an embodiment including a door panel having an integrated pet travel door that may be configured to be inserted into an existing door. The pet travel door system according to the present invention may further be defined by a kit for retrofitting an existing door with a pet travel door.
The pet travel door system, in one embodiment, may include a door having an integrated pet travel door. The door may include a main body member that may have a lower door panel, a passageway formed through the lower door panel that may be defined as having a top, bottom, and side portions. The integrated pet travel door may include a pet travel door frame, a pet travel door seal, a bumper seal, a flap, and a pair of opposing flap reinforcement members.
The pet travel door frame may be attached to the passageway. The pet travel door seal may be attached to the pet travel door frame. The bumper seal may be connected to the pet travel door seal and may be extending outwardly from the pet travel door seal. The flap may be connected to a portion of the pet travel door frame and may be sized to fit within an interior perimeter of the pet travel door frame. The flap may be able to pivotally move with respect to the pet travel door frame. The pair of opposing flap reinforcement members may be connected to side portions of the flap.
The integrated pet travel door may also include a security panel that may be hingedly connected to a side portion of the pet travel door frame. The security panel may be sized to cover an internal perimeter of the pet travel door frame. The security panel may be moveable between a closed position and an opened position. The closed position of the security panel may be defined as when the security panel is substantially contained within the internal perimeter of the pet travel door frame so that the passageway is covered. The opened position of the security panel may be defined as when the security panel is positioned so that the passageway is at least partially exposed.
The flap may be moveable between an opened position and a closed position when the security panel is in the opened position. The closed position of the flap may be defined as when a bottom portion of the flap is substantially aligned with a bottom portion of the pet travel door frame. The opened position of the flap may be defined as when the bottom portion of the flap is at least partially spaced apart from the bottom portion of the pet travel door frame.
The pet travel door seal may be configured to abut an outer perimeter of the flap when the flap is in the closed position. The pet travel door seal may comprise at least one of felt weather stripping, reinforced those weather stripping, metal weather stripping, plastic weather stripping, foam tape weather stripping, closed cell foam weather stripping, rubber weather stripping, brush pile weather stripping, gray pile weather stripping, and wool pile weather stripping. The security panel may be configured to abut the bumper seal when in the closed position. The bumper seal may comprise V-strip weather stripping.
The security panel may further comprise a lock member carried by a side portion of the security panel. The lock member may be rotatably moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The locked position of the lock member may be defined as when a locking arm of the lock member is positioned to engage a lock slot that is formed in a portion of the lower door panel and adjacent to one of the sides of the passageway. The unlocked position of the lock member may be defined as when the locking arm is disengaged from the lock slot.
The lock member may be configured to increase the pressure of the abutment of the security panel against the bumper seal when the lock member is in the locked position. The lock slot may be angled with respect to the main body member to increase the pressure of the abutment of the security panel against the bumper seal when the lock member is in the locked position.
The lock member may further comprise a key lock. The key lock may be moveable between an unlocked and a locked position. When the key lock is in the locked position, the lock member may not moveable between the locked and the unlocked position. When the key lock is in the unlocked position, the lock member may be moveable between the locked and the unlocked positions.
The security panel may further comprise one or more post members. The post members may be positioned on an outward perimeter of the security panel. The post members may be configured to matingly engage a respective number of receiving channels that are formed within the pet travel door frame, and within the main body member, when the security panel is in the closed position.
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.
In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilled in the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience of the reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in the art should notice this description may contain other terminology to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present invention.
Furthermore, in this detailed description, a person skilled in the art should note that quantitative qualifying terms such as “generally,” “substantially,” “mostly,” and other terms are used, in general, to mean that the referred to object, characteristic, or quality constitutes a majority of the subject of the reference. The meaning of any of these terms is dependent upon the context within which it is used, and the meaning may be expressly modified.
An embodiment of the invention, as shown and described by the various figures and accompanying text, provides a reinforce pet door system that may include a pet travel door 301, illustratively shown in
Referring initially to
Now referencing
The pet travel door 301 may be installed into a body member 201 of the door panel 303. The body member 201 of the door panel 303 that has the pet travel door 301 installed therein may be installed into a main body member 101 of a door 100 that has a portion or all of one of its door panels 105 removed. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that it contemplated that the door panel 105 may be removed after manufacture of the door 100 to allow for installation of the door panel 303 in the door 100, or that the door 100 may be manufactured without the door panel 105 to similarly allow for installation of the door panel 303 having the integrated pet door 301 according to the present invention. The main body member 101 that the body member 201 is installed into may not require that a door panel 105 is removed and may only require removing a portion of the main body member 101 so that the door panel 201 may be matingly installed into the main body member 101. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the door panel 303 having the integrated pet travel door 301 may also be installed into a door 100 that does not include door panels. In such a case, it is contemplated that a passageway will be formed in the door 100 to accommodate installation of the door panel 303 having the pet travel door 301 integrated therein. The body member 201 may comprise of a number of different insulating and non-insulating materials. The insulating materials that may be used as the body member 201 may be, without limitation, fiberglass, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, mineral wool, cellulose, E-glass reinforced fiberglass, S-glass reinforced fiberglass, aramid reinforced fiberglass, carbon reinforced fiberglass, and other materials as recognized by those skilled in the art to be used as and/or in the body member 201 of an embodiment of the present invention.
Moreover, as mentioned further below, the body member 201 may comprise of a door panel that was cut out of a door during the manufacturing process of said door. Door panels that are cut out of a door during the manufacturing process are generally discarded and eventually located in a land fill with other construction waste and debris. The present invention can advantageously repurpose that which would have been wasted or environmentally unfriendly trash/debris, and using it to carry out the goals, features and advantages of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is environmentally friendly and helps to reduce waste.
Continuing to reference
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The reinforcement panel 602 may be affixed to a face on the security panel body member 102, preferably a back-side face of the security panel body member 102. The material used for the reinforcement panel 602 may be, without limitation, polycarbonate. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the reinforcement panel 602 may comprise of a number of different materials while still accomplishing all the goals, features, and advantages of the present invention. The reinforcement panel 602 may be adapted to cover the same area as the face of the security panel body member 102 that the reinforcement panel 602 is attached to. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the frame 302 of the alternative pet travel door 301 illustrated in
The lock member 104 may be carried by a front face of the security panel body member 102, and preferably at a top portion of the front face of the security panel body member 102. The lock member 104 may include a locking arm 601 that may be attached to the lock member 104. The lock member 104 may be rotatably movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The locked position of the lock member 104 may be defined by the locking arm 601 being positioned to extend outwardly from the door and to engage a security panel body member lock slot 701 (discussed in greater detail below). The unlocked position of the lock member 104 may be defined by the locking arm 601 being rotatably positioned so as not to engage the security panel body member lock slot 701.
Those skilled in the art will notice and appreciate that a number of different types of locks may be implemented as the lock member 104 while still accomplishing all the goals, features, and advantages of the system. For example, without limitation, a padlock, a deadbolt, a lever handle, a cam lock, a euro profile cylinder, a mortise lock, a T-handle lock, a rim latch lock, a multi-point lock, a key-operated security lock, a closed shackle lock, a straight shackle lock, an open shackle padlock, a long shackle padlock, electronically operated locks, and many other lock types known by those skilled in the art may be used as the lock member 104 while still accomplishing all the goals, features, and advantages of the system.
The lock member 104 may include a key lock 801 that is connected to the lock member 104. The key lock 801 may be configured so that when the key lock 801 is in a locked position the lock member 104 is restricted from rotatably moving, and when the key lock 801 is not in the locked position the lock member 104 is unrestricted and is free to rotatably move. The security panel body member 102 may include a security panel body member lock slot 701 that may be configured to allow for movement of the locking arm 601 when the lock member 104 is in the locked and/or unlocked positions. Details for the lock member's 104 locking functions follow further below.
Those skilled in the art will notice and appreciate that a verity of different types of locks may be used as the key lock 801 while still accomplishing all the goals, features, and advantages of the present invention. For example, without limitation, the key lock 801 may comprise of a combination lock, a touchscreen security lock, a proximity signal lock, a deadbolt, a fingerprint reader lock, a remote signal lock, a biometric scanner lock, and/or other types of locks as understood by those skilled in the art.
Embodiments of the present invention may not have a key lock 801 included with the lock member 104. Instead, some embodiments of the present invention may include a key lock 801 that is separate and not connected to the lock member 104. The key lock 801 may instead be carried by the security panel body member 102 and/or the body member 201. A key lock 104 that is not connected to the lock member 104 may include the same features and functionality as a key lock 104 that is connected to the lock member 104 as described herein. An embodiment of the present invention may also not include a key lock 104 as a component of the system so that the lock member 104 is the only component of the system with locking functionality, as illustratively shown in
Now additionally referencing
The lower security panel structural member 1003 may be attached to a lower portion of the security panel body member 102 and may include one or more structural post members 901 (also illustrated in
The lower security panel structural member 1003 may be in the shape of a “U” and configured to snugly form around the security panel body member 102 when affixed thereto. The lower security panel structural member 1003 may also be split into separate pieces, or the upper security panel structural member 1001 and the lower security panel structural member 1003 may be connected together as on single monolithic unit as illustratively shown in
Continuing with reference to
The seal members 501 may include a grip member 501a and a sealing lip 501b, as illustratively shown in
The seal members 501 may include, without limitation, a heterogeneous combination of polyvinyl chloride and a flexible material. The flexible material used may be a rubber, plastic, composite, or other material as understood by those skilled in the art to be used as a flexible material that can be used for all or a portion of the seal member 501, the grip member 501a, and/or the sealing lip 501b.
Continuing with to reference
Now referring to
As also illustrated in
As illustrated in
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The unlocked position of the lock member 104 is defined by the locking arm 601 being positioned to disengage the pet travel door frame lock slot 1203, the structural member lock slot 1601, the U-shaped structural member lock slot 1505, the upper security panel lock slot 1104, the upper security panel structural member lock slot 1002, the security panel body member lock slot 701 and/or the door panel lock slot (not shown) or body member lock slot (not shown).
The pet travel door frame lock slot 1203, the structural member lock slot 1601, the U-shaped structural member lock slot 1505, the upper security panel lock slot 1104, the upper security panel structural member lock slot 1002, the security panel body member lock slot 701, and/or a door panel lock slot (not shown) or body member lock slot (not shown) may be configured to be at an angle such that when the locking arm 601 of the lock member 104 is rotatably moved to the locked position the locking arm 601 may encounter increased resistance as it is increasingly rotatably is turned, and may experience a greater amount of friction as the locking arm 601 is rotatably moved to the locked position. The angle referred to above is an angle that is off-center from an imaginary vertical plane traveling between ends of the lock slots 1505 and 1601. In other words, the locking arm 601 may be configured so that when it is rotated into the locked position, the locking arm 601 is off-center from the imaginary plane to increase resistance and provide for a stronger locked position.
Now referring back to
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Referring now additionally to
As discussed in greater detail above, the structural member 1501 and the U-shaped structural member 1502 may have at least one through channel formed through a portion thereof. The at least one through channel may be adapted to be align with a through channel formed in the existing door 100 adjacent to at least one of the top and the bottom of the passageway 304.
The kit 1900 may also include a security panel 502 carried by the container. The security panel 502 may be configured to engage with portions of the pet travel door 301. The security panel 502 may include a security panel body member 102 having a front face and a back face and a lower security panel structural member 1003 connected to a bottom portion of the security panel body member 102 and having a pair of structural post members 901 extending outwardly therefrom. The security panel 502 may also include a lock member 104 carried by a top portion of the security panel body member 102. As described in greater detail above, the lock member 104 is rotatably moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The security panel 502 may also include an upper security panel structural member 1001 affixed to a top of the security panel body member 102. The upper security panel structural member 1001 has an upper security panel lock slot 1002 formed therein and positioned to align with the lock slot formed in the existing door 100.
The kit 1900 may further include a seal member 501 carried by the container 1902. The seal member 501 is adapted to be positioned adjacent an outer peripheral portion of the security panel body member 102. The seal member 501 may also have a lock slot 1104 formed therein and positioned to align with the lock slot formed in the existing door 100.
Now referring to
In the system 1700, the security panel 502 may be configured to be rotatably moved between an opened position and/or a closed position by use of the hinge member 1702. The opened position of the security panel 502 may be defined as when the security panel 502 is rotatably moved so that it is not covering the pet travel door 301, and the closed position of the security panel 502 may be defined as when the security panel is rotatably moved so that it is covering the pet travel door 301.
The system 1700 may include the pet travel door lock slot 1203 being positioned on an inner facing side of the pet travel door frame 302 that is opposite of the hinge member 1702, as illustratively shown in
Now referring specifically to
Alternative embodiments of the present invention may include a system 2500 having a door 100 or door panel 201 including an integrated pet travel door 301 comprising a flap 2608, as illustratively shown in
The pet travel door seal 2602 may be positioned and/or attached to the pet travel door frame 302. The pet travel door seal 2602 may be positioned on an inward perimeter of the pet travel door frame 302. The bumper seal 2604 may be positioned on and/or connected to the pet travel door seal 2602. The bumper seal 2604 may be positioned extending outwardly from the pet travel door seal 2602, which may me such that the bumper seal 2604 extends outwardly less than, further than, or the similarly as the pet travel door frame 302. The flap 2608 may be connected to a portion of the pet travel door frame 302, which may be an upper portion of the pet travel door frame 302. The flap 2608 may be sized to fit within the interior perimeter of the pet travel door 302, which may be such a sized to allow for the flap 2608 to not be constrained from moving with respect to the pet travel door frame 302. The flap 2608 and the pet travel door frame 302 may be configured to allow for the flap 2608 to pivotally move with respect to the pet travel door frame 302. The flap reinforcement members 2606 may be connected to side portions of the flap 2608. The flap reinforcement members 2606 may extend the length of the sides of the flap 2608, and may extend less than the length of the sides of the flap 2608.
The security panel 502 may be attached to a side portion of the pet travel door frame 302. The security panel 502 may be hingedly connected to the pet travel door frame 302. The security panel 502 may be sized to substantially cover an internal perimeter of the pet travel door frame 302. The security panel 502 may also be size to substantially cover the flap 2608. The security panel 502 may be moveable between a closed position and an opened position. The closed position of the security panel 502 may be defined as the security panel substantially contained within the internal perimeter of the pet travel door frame 302, which may be so that the flap 2608 and/or the passageway 304 may be covered by the security panel 502. The opened position of the security panel 502 may be defined as the security panel 502 being positioned so that the passageway 304 is at least partially exposed, and/or when the flap 2608 is at least partially exposed.
The flap 2608 may be moveable between a closed position and an opened position. the closed position of the flap 2608 may be defined as when a bottom portion of the flap 2608 is substantially aligned with a bottom portion of the pet travel door frame 302. The opened position of the flap 2608 may be defined as when the bottom portion of the flap 2608 is at least partially spaced apart from the bottom portion of the pet travel door frame 302. When the security panel 502 is in the closed position, the flap 2608 may not be moveable.
An upper portion of the flap 2608 may be pivotably attached to the pet travel door frame 302, structural member 1501, U-shaped structural member 1502, and the door panel 105, the main body member 101, and/or the body member 201 via a swing rod extending along an upper portion of the passageway 304. The flap 2608 may also include one or more magnets positioned at a lower portion of the flap 2608 that may be used to pull and/or hold the flap 2608 in the closed position by the one or more magnets coming into proximity with other positioned adjacent to a lower portion of the passageway 304.
The pet travel door seal 2606 and/or the flap 2608 may be configured so that the pet travel door seal 2606 abuts an outer perimeter of the flap 2608 when the flap 2608 is in the closed position. When the pet travel door seal 2606 is abutting the flap 2608 there may be a restriction of air or objects from passing through and/or around the flap 2608. The pet travel door seal 2606 may include one or more of felt weather stripping, reinforced those weather stripping, metal weather stripping, plastic weather stripping, foam tape weather stripping, closed cell foam weather stripping, rubber weather stripping, brush pile weather stripping, gray pile weather stripping, and wool pile weather stripping. Preferably, the pet travel door seal 2606 comprises of wool pile weather stripping.
The security panel 502 and/or the bumper seal 2604 may be configured such that when the security panel 502 is in the closed position, the bumper seal 2604 abuts against the security panel 502. When the bumper seal 2604 abuts against the security panel 502, there may be a restriction of air or objects from passing through and/or around the security panel 502 and/or the flap 2608. The bumper seal 2604 may comprise of V-strip weather stripping. As is well understood by those skilled in the art, V-strip weather stripping, also known as a “tension seal,” is a strip of material that is folded to have an elongated “V” shape. The V-strip weather seal may have a flexibility allowing the “V” shape to fold along the elongated “V” shape when a force is applied perpendicular to the V-strip weather stripping. The V-strip weather stripping may also have a shape memory such that when no perpendicular force is applied to the V-strip weather stripping, the V-strip weather stripping readily returns to the elongated “V” shape. When a surface is in contact with, and applies a pressure towards the V-strip weather stripping, the V-strip weather stripping may also apply a force towards the surface to further increase the seal made by the surface against the V-strip weather stripping.
Now additionally referring to
As mentioned further above, the lock member 104 may include a key lock 801. The key lock 801 may be used to restrict the movement of the lock member 104 when the key lock 801 is in the locked position, and the lock member 104 may be free to rotatably move when the key lock 801 is in the unlocked position. Specifically, the key lock 801 may be moveable between an unlocked position and a locked position. When the key lock 801 is in the locked position the lock member 104 may not be moveable between the locked position and the unlocked position, and when the key lock 801 is in the unlocked position the lock member 104 may not be moveable between the locked position and the unlocked position.
Continuing to refer to
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All of the above mentioned and unmentioned, members, components, and pieces of the embodiments of the present invention may be connected, affixed, and/or attached by one or more of bolts, nuts, screws, nails, adhesive, adhesive tape, adhesive double sided tape, cement, epoxy, glue, grout, tar, welding, and/or any other way of connecting/affixing/attaching the members and components of the present invention as understood by those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will notice and appreciate that the members and components of the present invention may be attached in a number of ways and still accomplish all the goals, features, and advantages of the present invention. Preferably, in the embodiments of the present invention any fasteners used to attach, affix, and/or connect the pieces, members, and/or components of the present invention such as, without limitation, nuts, bolts, screws, and/or nails are only accessible from an inside facing side of the present invention.
Embodiments of the present invention may also be adapted to be installed into walls, windows, glass doors, panels, and other surfaces rather than in a door 100 as described herein while still accomplishing all the goals, features, and advantages of the present invention.
Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may be advantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problems not discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan.
While the above description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/667,887 filed on Feb. 9, 2022 and titled PET TRAVEL DOOR SYSTEM, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, except to the extent that the contents therein conflict with the contents herein.
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| 5269097 | Davlantes | Dec 1993 | A |
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| Entry |
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| U.S. Appl. No. 17/667,887, filed Feb. 9, 2022. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230250688 A1 | Aug 2023 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17667887 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 18055885 | US |
