Patent Application
20170020107
The present invention relates to pet harness systems and components therefore and, more particularly, to such pet harness systems used, for example, by groomers and veterinarians to restrain pets (such as dogs and cats) while receiving services.
When a groomer or veterinarian services a pet, it is often necessary to restrain the animal using a harness typically attached to a vertical rigid stand. It is important to effectively restrain the animal so that services can be carried out, but in such a way as to not harm the animal by choking or the like. It is also important to be able to quickly release the animal from the harness in the event that the animal gets agitated and could be injured if retained in the harness.
In one embodiment, a pet harness for use with a stand having a vertical member and a horizontal member comprises an upper cam buckle securable to the horizontal member and a lower cam buckle securable to the vertical member.
One or more elongated members secured together at a first end and at a spaced-apart second end form a closed loop between the first end and the second end and a slide lock is disposed about the loop between the first end and the second end whereby the slide lock can be positioned at a selected location between the first end and the second end where the slide lock resists movement away from the selected location.
A first extension elongated member is secured at the first end and is of a length sufficient to extend from the first end to and beyond the upper cam buckle, and a second extension elongated member secured at the second end and of a length sufficient to extend from the second end to and beyond the second cam buckle.
The harness is used by first locating the slide lock near or at the first end and then gently placing the closed loop around the pet's head and securing the first extension elongated member through the upper cam buckle and the second extension elongated member through the lower cam buckle. The slide lock is then moved to reduce the size of the loop around the animal's neck until it is located at the back of the animal's neck and the first extension strap is pulled through the cam buckle to take up the slack. The second extension elongated member is then pulled through the lower cam buckle until the slack is taken up, making sure there is ample space between the second end of the loop and the animal's neck so as not to create a choking hazard. By being able to secure the lower cam buckle at any selected location on the vertical member of the stand, the harness can be tailored to animals of different sizes and still maintain the spacing that effectively restrains the animal without creating a choking hazard.
In the event that an animal becomes agitated and could be harmed if not quickly released from the harness, the operator simply depresses the cam buckle lever to fully release the animal. It is important to be able to quickly release the upper restraint in the event the animal falls over the edge of the table and hangs there.
The first and second extension elongated members working together with the cam buckles as described above eliminate the need for a plurality of straps of different lengths to accommodate animals of different sizes as is the need in prior art harnesses.
The novel arrangement of elongated members and connection hardware that comprise the harness systems of the present invention provide superior performance and flexibility as compared to prior art systems while providing for the safety of the animals.
The elongated members can be of a variety of materials including, without limitation, rope, webbing, cord and the like. In one embodiment, the elongated member(s) that forms the closed loop that circumscribes the animal's neck are of a rope material having a generally circular cross-section while the extension straps are of flat webbing which works very well with cam buckles. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various other materials could be used without departing from the invention.
The following terms used herein shall be understood to have the following meanings:
“Slide lock”: a device that can be disposed at a selected location along an elongated member and where it will resist movement until manually moved to a different location along the elongated member.
“Cam buckle”: a device that releasably secures an elongated member at a selected location along the length of the elongated member.
Referring to
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the joinder of the elongated members 12 and 13 can be effected by devices other than crimped sleeves 16 and 17, such as by stitching or any one of numerous known devices for joining two elongated members together, such that the invention is not limited to embodiments of crimped sleeves.
A slide lock 22 is formed from a third crimp sleeve 21. After the ends of elongated members 12 and 13 are disposed in crimp sleeve 21, the diameter of crimp sleeve 21 is reduced enough to fully engage the elongated members 12 and 13 but without fixedly securing them together. Rather, the degree of engagement of the crimp sleeve 21 after it is crimped permits it to slide along the length of the first and second elongated members 12 and 13 to any selected location between first end 14 and second end 15 where it will resist movement until manually relocated. By positioning the slide lock 22 along the elongated members 12 and 13, a loop 18a is formed between the slide lock 22 and the second end 15 which will vary in size depending on the location of the slide lock 22. In this way, animals of different sizes can be accommodated without additional elongated members.
While crimp sleeve 21 is an advantageous embodiment of the slide lock 22, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a variety of devices exist and are known that are capable of performing the function of being secured at a selected position between the first and second ends 14 and 15 and manually movable to a different selected position as described for crimp sleeve slide lock 22 such that the invention is not limited to an embodiment of a crimped sleeve slide lock.
In one embodiment, elongated members 12 and 13 are a rope material having a generally circular cross-section which works well with crimp sleeves, both in securing the ends and forming a simple but effective slide lock. Other embodiments using different materials for the elongated members 12 and 13, such as webbing, are possible and within the scope of the invention.
A first extension elongated member 24 is secured by and extends from the first crimp sleeve 16 (first end 14), while a second extension elongated member 26 is secured by and extends from the second crimp sleeve 17 (second end 15). As more fully described below, the first extension elongated member 24 passes through and is secured by an upper cam buckle 37 (
Extending from sleeve 17 is a muzzle connection loop 28. In one embodiment, loop 28 is formed from a portion of elongated member 12 and/or 13. Alternatively, muzzle connection loop 28 is formed from an elongated member separate from elongated member 12 or 13 or is an affixed metal or plastic ring (not shown) secured at sleeve 17.
A commercially available grooming stand 31 is typical and has a vertical member 32 affixed to a clamp fixture 33 that secures the stand 31 to a grooming or examining table 34. A horizontal member 36 of grooming stand 31 extends from vertical member 32 above and over table 34.
Upper cam buckle 37 is secured to and near the end 35 of horizontal member 36 and disposed to receive the first extension elongated member 24. It is common that commercially available grooming stands 31 have one or two apertures 45 in the horizontal member 36 and for an eye bolt 43 to be secured in an aperture 45. Unlike the prior art where the harness system's primary connection to the grooming stand 31 is by a snap hook 42, or the like, directly onto eye bolt 43, in the invention embodiment illustrated, the eye bolt 43 supports upper cam buckle 37 (as described below) which is a primary connection point of the loop 18.
In the embodiment illustrated, cam buckle 37 is secured to horizontal member 36 by a connection strap 39 which connects to a D-ring 41, which, in turn, is secured to snap hook 42 which connects to the eye bolt 43 which is secured in horizontal member 36 at an aperture 45. The invention is not limited to the particular connection arrangement described above for securing cam buckle 37 to eye bolt 43. In one embodiment described below, a novel universal cam buckle bracket secures the cam buckle to either or both of the vertical member 32 and horizontal member 36.
Referring to
Space 56 forms a part of and contains cam buckle 38 including its spring-loaded armature 38a. As is well known in the art, armature 38a is spring-loaded to apply pressure to elongated member 26 and secure it within cam buckle 38 until the armature 38a is depressed, releasing the pressure on the elongated member 26. Space 57 is sized to be larger than the cross-section of vertical member 32 such that vertical member 32 fits inside the essentially enclosed space 57. A clamping screw 60 is threaded through the corner 61 of frame 51 and into space 57. With the vertical member 32 disposed within space 57 (
Space 58 provides a convenient location for attaching an auxiliary strap 63, such as a leash, with a snap hook 64 or the like.
Referring to
While universal cam buckle bracket 47 has certain advantages, it will occur to those skilled in the art that other clamp mechanisms can be joined to a cam buckle whereby the cam buckle can be secured at any selected location on a supporting member such that the invention is not limited to the particular integrated clamp-cam buckle combination described herein.
Referring to
The method of the invention is not limited by the particular order of steps described above, as a different order is within the scope of the invention.
Referring to
Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. As such, it is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims.
