Patent Application
20250185624
The present invention relates to pet care devices, and in particular related to mats providing a licking surface.
A pet licking mat is a known type of pet care device, and helps calm and soothe a pet, such as a dog, by helping release endorphins through the promotion of licking. Pets under stress will naturally lick almost any available surface, including their own fur or skin which can cause fur loss or skin sores. A specially-provided licking mat provides a safe licking alternative for a pet. Pet licking mats are soothing during stressful times such as vet visits, bath time, nail clipping, and injury recovery, as well as during thunderstorms and fireworks. Just as people can feel stressed or nervous and sometimes bite their nails, dogs use licking to deal with powerful emotions, especially when they cannot control a situation-like during a visit to the veterinarian.
A pet licking mat is also useful for providing a benign activity for easily-bored pets. Pet licking mats are also useful as slow feeders for pets that otherwise gulp meals. Licking mats provide mental stimulation and entertainment like a puzzle toy, as well as aid oral health and help with crate training.
The prior art includes a licking mat made of flexible plastic or silicone, with little patterned raised nubs or bristles on one side of a flat or bowl-shaped surface. The textured surface holds soft treats on and between the nubs to encourage sniffing and licking. The texture not only holds the treat, but it also slows the pet's ability to lick it off and prolongs the pet's enjoyment.
Any food that is “smearable” can be put on a pet licking mat, and some common choices are: peanut butter, aerosol cheese, yogurt, canned dog and cat food, fish paste, and baby food (such as pureed meat or sweet vegetables like carrots or sweet potato).
A common problem with prior art pet licking mats is that smeared food often is dislodged from a vertically-mounted mat and falls to the surface below, making a mess in the bathing vessel or on the examination table, for example, below. No prior art mat provides an integral catchment tray to contain such dislodged particles. Another problem with prior devices is that the nubs are too big to securely engage the food. The licking function is therefore shortened in duration and requires frequent re-smearing.
A need therefore exists for an improved pet licking mat that catches dislodged food when used vertically and securely engages food for long licking sessions.
The present invention provides a solution to the problems of the prior art pet licking mat devices by providing a catchment tray integrally molded into the mat and a novel nub construction having a plurality of nub extensions projecting from each nub base in an array of nubs.
A more complete understanding of the invention and its advantages will be apparent from the Detailed Description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings, in which:
Referring to
The back side 16 of the base 12 is entirely smooth to enable adhesion to a vertical planar surface (not shown).
The front side 14 of the base 12 has a nub array 18 formed of a plurality of spaced nubs 20 extending outwardly from the front side 14 and perpendicular to the front side 14. As best shown in
A catchment tray 38 extends outwardly from the front side 14 of the base 12. The catchment tray 38 has walls 40 forming and open-topped container below the nub array 18.
In operation, the construction of the nubs with nub bases and nub extensions enables improved retainment of food and longer licking episodes. The catchment tray prevents foods from dropping from the device.
Whereas, the present invention has been described with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various changes and modifications will be suggested to one skilled in the art, and it is intended to encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
