Patent Application
20210009244
The invention relates to a novel pet flotation and safety vest device wherein the body section attaches firmly yet comfortably to the pet, and strategically placed mesh panels allow for water drainage. A padded chip strap with drainage aids in keeping the pet's head above water.
The invention most closely corresponds with USPTO Class 119/174 wherein Class 119 relates to animal husbandry and sub-class 174 includes miscellaneous animal items not included in any specific sub-class.
In its simplest form, the invention relates to a novel pet flotation and safety vest device. Essentially a life vest or life preserver for dogs.
The inventive vest is designed not only for optimal floatation, it is also designed to allow water to drain from the vest whereas many pet life vests simply become saturated and floatation is hampered as well as retrieving the pet from the water source is more difficult due to the weight.
A unique feature of the pet floatation and safety device is a separate padded chin strap which aids in holding the pet's head above water. This chin strap also has mesh panels to allow water drainage so the pet wearing the vest is easier to pull from the water than other life vests on the market. A reinforced handle is located on the top of the vest for the pet owner to readily grasp and pull the animal from the water without fumbling with a handhold or potentially having the vest material tear. Of key importance is the handle has been located on the vest in such a way that balances vest and pet so that the vest doesn't slide up against the pet's throat. In a case where the pet may be upside down in the water, an additional strap is located on the underside of the vest for quickly pulling the pet out of the water.
Many dogs don't swim well or naturally and can drown as fast (or faster) than a person. Depending on the breed, the dog can tire easily in water so it is imperative that a pet owner bringing their dog along during water activities should always have the pet secured with a life preserving means.
Even dogs that swim well can tire very quickly, and because they don't understand the concept of resting or treading water—they just continue to swim until they are completely unable to swim any longer. A dog that is heavy on land is going to be much heavier when wet, and thus may be difficult for the pet owner to pull to safety. A flotation device is crucial not only for floatation, but also to aid in rescuing a waterborne dog.
Dogs that swim in large bodies of water such as large lakes or the ocean can also easily be pulled by the water's current. This is especially true of the ocean. Having a life vest allows the dog to float with the current or tides until the pet owner can safely rescue them.
There are many pet life vests on the market, but the problem with most is that they do not drain easily, or they are not configured in such a way as to accommodate varying sizes of dogs. Another problem with current life vests is that they do little to promote the pet's head remaining well above the water. When a dog tires its head will want to naturally droop. This can easily lead to drowning. Most life vests on the market use a one-size fits all model which doesn't allow for specific anatomical consideration related to the animal's weight, rate of fatigue, keeping the dog's head well above the water surface, and efficient drainage of the vest. Applicant's vest has individual sections sewn or quilted in to the top and sides of the vest which contain buoyant material so that not only does the vest drain easily, the individual flotation sections aid in keeping the pet floating and doing so in an upright position. Large sections of buoyant material may be sewn into the vest or smaller quilted in portions to accommodate varying pet weights.
Further to the lack of a separate chin strap section of life vests currently on the market is that most vests simply have a section which fits under a dog's chin but is constructed into the vest as a one-piece continuous section of fabric. This method is not adjustable and thus is not optimized for dogs of various sizes. Nor does this construction offer optimum head buoyancy so that a tired dog can still keep its head above water. The inventive vest has an adjustable chin floatation section which adjusts to the dog as well as contains mesh for drainage of the chin flotation section as does the mesh in the body of the vest.
Finally, Applicant has conducted research into where a lift handle should be located and sewn onto the vest so that when any pet is being pulled from the water they will remain balanced and the vest or chin strap will not slide up and become tight on the pet's throat, or cause an imbalance of both and make retrieval from the water difficult. Applicant has conducted numerous studies before deciding on its top strap placement. Additionally, in rare cases where a pet might end up being upside down in the water, a nylon strap is also located on the bottom or belly side of the vest. Strap placement is a common error in the design of the prior art vests, so Applicants top strap placement, adjustable mesh chin strap, and underside mesh for water drainage must be considered novel.
The invention is described in further detail by reference to nine (9) drawings sufficient in detail to describe the invention in which:
Fig. shows the underside of the vest with the strap portions 40 and without the chin strap. There are two openings 80 for the legs of the animal to be securely strapped into the vest yet allow the legs to move freely when the pet is in the water.
