Patent Application
20170265433
The present invention is directed to a self-supporting cardboard cat scratcher for providing scratching surfaces of the type used by domestic cats. The device can be shipped and warehoused as a kit of individual parts and which is designed to be easily assembled by a pet owner.
It is well recognized that domestic cats crave scratching as part of their natural and instinctive character. If a dedicated scratching surface is not provided, domestic cats would generally satisfy their need to scratch by turning to furniture, curtains and other articles which may be substantially damaged as a consequence. Often times, pet cats will not only climb over furniture, especially upholstered chairs and sofas, but will use such furniture and carpeting to condition their claws through deliberate repeated clawing, pulling and tearing actions specifically with their forepaws. As noted, this clawing activity appears to be an irresistible natural impulse for cats and can be the source of great aggravation to the pet owner As such, a dedicated scratcher is a necessity for any cat owner
A number of vendors of pet and pet related products have offered dedicated scratching posts and surfaces in order to ameliorate this problem. Scratching posts are generally sold as fully assembled constructs, thus obviating the need to assemble the scratcher from a kit of parts. Vendors of such products generally opt to warehouse and sell assembled scratchers as many owners do not have ready access to the tools necessary for assembly. Furthermore, virtually all cat scratchers are provided with some type of substructure which supports a scratching surface. This substructure, usually composed of wood or plastic, results in an environmental waste burden as the cat owner will discard the scratcher once the scratching surface has been significantly degraded. Even if such products provide for the replacement of scratching surfaces, eventually, the assembly will be discarded, again, resulting in an environmental burden
As noted above, most scratchers are sold as assembled posts and the like There are certainly drawbacks in shipping and promoting for sale fully assembled scratchers Among them are shipping costs which represent a significant fraction of the products' overall price. It has become increasingly common to manufacture such products offshore where labor costs are less than those in this country This is particularly true as it pertains to the manufacture of non-complex or relatively low end products which can be assembled by relatively unskilled labor. However, as manufacturing has shifted offshore, shipping costs have become an increasingly more significant percentage of product pricing.
Typically, manufactured goods produced in Asia are imported into the United States on commercial vessels, These goods are not only manufactured but packaged at Asian factories and multiple units placed within cardboard containers or otherwise bundled in groups for placement within cargo containers which are, in turn, stacked atop one another in appropriately configured vessels. The shipping cost per item is dictated by the number of such items which can be placed within shipping containers as the cost per transoceanic passage substantially remains fixed.
Certain items, such as televisions, stereos, computers and semiconductor chips can be conveniently stacked within rectangular shipping containers as such products are usually enclosed within square or rectangular boxes which optimally stack in such containers. However, self-supporting scratchers, if shipped assembled, cannot be densely packed within transoceanic shipping containers and thus, the cost of shipping such products can be inordinately high. In addition, once such products are received by a retailer, warehousing them can be a challenge as a fully assembled scratcher occupies more warehousing space than is justified by the price of the product This also pertains to the inordinately excessive shelf space that such a product would occupy noting that inefficient shelving negatively impacts profitability.
It is thus an object to the present invention to provide a self-supporting scratcher which is devoid of any supporting substructure, the use of which would result in an environmental burden once the scratcher has been discarded.
It is yet a further object to the present invention to provide a self-supporting cardboard scratcher, an ideal scratching medium for a cat being subject to degradation without harming the cat as the scratcher is employed.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a self-supporting scratcher which can be purchased by a pet owner in kit form and easily assembled without the use of tools or by engaging in complex assembly steps.
Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a scratcher that can be shipped, warehoused and displayed compactly and assembled by a pet owner easily and without the need of tools These and further objects we more readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended claims
A kit for providing a scratcher for use by a pet cat, said kit comprising first and second scratching elements of first and second widths comprising self-supporting cardboard bodies, each having open fluted faces, at least one connector comprising a shaft of a length greater than said first width and less than the combination of said first and second widths, said connector further comprising helical threads along said shaft, at least a portion of said helical threads sized to extend from said shaft to deform flutes of said first and second scratching elements
Novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration description only and are not intended as definitions of the limits of the invention. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are recited with particularity in the claims
There has been broadly outlined more important features of the invention in the summary above and in order that the detailed description which follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form additional subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based readily may be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important therefore, that claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Certain terminology and the derivations thereof may be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, words such as “upward,” “downward,” “left,” and “right” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made unless otherwise stated. Similar words such as “inward” and “outward” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of a device or area and designated parts thereof. Reference in the singular tense include the plural and vice versa, unless otherwise noted.
Turning to
Once scratcher element 12 has been moved from beneath scratcher element 11 as shown in
In returning again to
There are a number of suitable variations of connectors for use herein, those depicted in
As further non-limiting examples of suitable connectors, reference is made to
In turning to
The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensions, relationships, or operations as described Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed as suitable without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like. Therefore, the above description and illustration should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
