Patent Application
20180179046
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of saddles and more specifically relates to saddle cover systems.
The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse. It is not known precisely when riders first began to use some sort of padding or protection, but a blanket attached by some form of surcingle or girth was probably the first saddle, followed later by more elaborate padded designs. Currently, modern saddles come in a wide variety of styles, each designed for a specific equestrianism discipline, and require careful fit to both the rider and the horse. Proper saddle care can extend the useful life of a saddle, often for decades. Saddles may be stored during non-use periods. Saddles may be rubbed, scratched or marred during storage which is not desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,160 to Rita Ellinor Cortesi relates to stirrup and leather covers. The described stirrup and leather cover includes a removable stirrup cover and removable leather cover for providing substantial protection against abrasions and scuff marks of the flap and panel area of an english saddle. The covers consist of smooth, nonabrasive materials that help preserve the value and aesthetics of the English saddle. The stirrup cover is employed during storage of the saddle by placing the stirrup cover over the stirrup providing protection to the saddle. The leather cover is alternatively employed during use of the English saddle by covering the saddle leathers with the leather covers, preventing saddle abrasions created by the leathers rubbing against the panel area.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known saddles art, the present disclosure provides a novel saddle cover system. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a saddle cover which prevents rubbing, scratching or in any way marring the saddle by the stirrup(s) during storage.
A saddle cover system is disclosed herein. The saddle cover system includes a saddle cover including a flexible body defined by an outer surface, an inner volume, a thickness, and an inner surface; the outer surface being integral with the inner surface and separated via the thickness, the flexible body is configured to substantially wrap about a saddle during an in-storage condition to protect the saddle from damage. The flexible body further may have a stirrup-egress-aperture passing through the flexible body on a top side (positioning when used). The saddle cover allows the saddle to be covered via the flexible body substantially within the inner volume, and stirrups are able to egress from the stirrup-egress-aperture to be placed adjacent the outer surface of the flexible body such that the stirrups are isolated from touching the saddle during storage. The stirrups are separated from the saddle via the thickness of the saddle cover.
A method of using saddle cover system is also disclosed herein. The method of using the saddle cover system may comprise the steps of: inserting a saddle within an inner volume of a saddle cover, pulling stirrups through a stirrup-egress-aperture, and placing the stirrups adjacent an outer surface such that the stirrups do not contact the saddle during an in-storage condition.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a Saddle Cover System, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to saddles and more particularly to a saddle cover system as used to improve the effectiveness of saddle storage such that longevity of the host saddle is promoted.
Generally, the saddle cover prevents rubbing, scratching or in any way marring the saddle by the stirrup(s) during storage. The present invention prevents damage to the saddle during storage caused from the stirrups, is easy to get on and off the saddle, will fit under any other saddle cover and has opening for billets if needed. Stirrups are normally slid up the leathers approximately ½ way for storage which increases the risk of damage to the saddle by rubbing or scratching. The saddle cover fits a saddle and has an opening in the top (preferably oval shaped) seamed with elastic for ease of getting the stirrups in and out. At the bottom of the panels a small section of the seam is left open for billet straps. Elastic is also on the front of the saddle cover so that it will virtually fit any saddle. In operation: the cover is placed over the saddle; the stirrups are brought up through the opening and placed on the outside of the cover; billets are placed through the bottom of the flaps seam opening for a close fit. The saddle cover effectively prevents the stirrups from rubbing or marring the saddle panels during storage.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
A stirrup-egress 132 (stirrup-egress-aperture 130) is integrated with the flexible sheet 114; the stirrup-egress 132 including an elastic aperture 134 preferably positioned centric to the outer perimeter 108, the stirrup-egress 132 is dimensioned such that stirrups 20 fixed to the equestrian saddle 10 are able to be passed through the stirrup-egress via the elastic aperture 134 and placed atop the flexible sheet 114 without directly touching the equestrian saddle 10. The present invention provides an isolation means such that stirrups 20 do not contact the equestrian saddle 10.
The stirrup-egress 132 comprises a stirrup-egress-aperture 130; wherein the stirrup-egress-aperture 130 is substantially oval-shaped, as shown. The flexible sheet 114 comprises a substantially triangulated shape with rounded corners defined by the outer perimeter 108. The flexible sheet 114 comprises a flexible body 120 such that it may be contour fit about saddle 10. The substantially triangulated shape comprises ears; wherein the stirrups 20 are positioned adjacent the ears during an in-storage condition (‘in-use’ condition 150).
The stirrups 20 hang in as-ridden-stance when positioned for the in-storage condition (‘in-use’ condition 150) against an outer surface 122 of the flexible sheet 114 (they are pulled ½ way up the leathers, as shown). The cover 112 comprises an inner volume 124 during the in-storage condition (‘in-use’ condition 150). The cover 112 preferably comprises fleece but may comprise other suitably equivalent fabrics and non-fabrics. The cover 112 may further comprise billet-strap-openings in a seam-section. The elastic aperture 134 comprises at least one elastic member (means). The cover is able to fit under a second-cover (not shown). The flexible sheet 114 does not comprise abrasive material but rather preferably soft fabric or the like. As designed, the flexible sheet 114 is readily deformable to fit a host of saddles 10 which differ in shape and size. The flexible sheet 114 absorbs impact and provides means to prevent damage to the saddle 10.
In a preferred embodiment the saddle cover system 100 comprises: a saddle cover 110 including a flexible body 120 defined by an outer surface 122, an inner volume 124 (when formed for use), a thickness 126, and an inner surface 128; the outer surface 122 being integral with the inner surface 128 and separated via the thickness 126. The flexible body 120 is configured to substantially wrap about a saddle 10 during an in-storage condition (‘in-use’ condition 150) to protect the saddle 10 from damage. The flexible body 120 further has a stirrup-egress-aperture 130.
The saddle cover 110 allows the saddle 10 to be covered via the flexible body 120 substantially within the (formed) inner volume 124. The stirrups 20 are to egress from the stirrup-egress-aperture 130 to be placed adjacent the outer surface 122 of the flexible body 120 such that the stirrups 20 are isolated from touching the saddle 10 during storage. The saddle cover system 100 may further comprise a set of instructions and be arranged as a kit with a host saddle 10.
It should be noted that step four 504 is an optional step and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
