Patent Grant
10856526
The present invention relates generally to a size-adjustable animal paw boot and method for donning the boot on a paw. More so, the present invention relates to a paw boot that fits over the paw and lower leg portion of an animal; whereby the boot includes a tubular body member having a paw portion with a bottom side, a top side, and a closed end; whereby the paw portion is sized to surround a paw of an animal; whereby the body member also includes a lower leg portion having an open end that surrounds the lower leg of animal; whereby a cable joins to the lower leg portion for wrapping around and fastening the body member to the lower leg of the animal; whereby an adjustable sole overlays the bottom side of the body member, and is fixedly wrappable to reposition along the bottom and top sides of the paw portion for accommodating narrow and wide paws; and whereby hook and loop fasteners wrap around the paw to secure the sole to the paw portion.
The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
Typically, an animal paw is the foot of a quadruped, such as a dog, that has claws. The paw is characterized by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, which make up the pads. These pads act as a cushion for the load-bearing limbs of the animal. The paw generally has a heart-shaped metacarpal or palmar pad or metatarsal or plantar pad. The paw is generally four load-bearing digital pads, although there can be five or six toes in the case of domestic cats. It is also significant to note that the front paws of the dog, a fifth claw, is the dew claw. Dew claws can splay at an extreme angle when the dog is walking, and one of the benefits of this design of the present invention is that the dew claw is allowed to move quite naturally in the space between the flaps which attach to the front panel, and the cable which wraps around the lower part of the limb.
In many instances, it can be advantageous to don a boot or sock onto the paw. Such paw covering are easier to use than what might be required to thoroughly clean the dog's feet. In other instances, a dog may have injured one or more paws, and so may not have the usual toughness. In such case, the paw sock or boot can be used to protect the affected paw until the paw has healed sufficiently. It is also known that the pad on the paw may be inadequate for traversing the ground when temperatures are particularly severe or environments inhospitable, such as in the case of ice, slush, salt, chemical ice-melting agents and other irritants. For example, search, rescue, and K9 dogs are exposed to a particularly harsh course or environment, and so may also need special protection.
Other proposals have involved boots that fit onto a paw of a dog or cat. The problem with these paw coverings is that they are not adjustable to accommodate both wide paws and narrow paws. Also, they bottom section is not often reinforced with a durable sole material. Those that are reinforced with a durable sole material tend to be very stiff and don't allow the dog to feel the ground under his/her feet. The present invention is unique in that it has a durable sole that is soft enough for the dog to feel what they're walking on, adapts to the contours of the paw underside better than stiff soles, and thus helps with stability and maintenance of a natural gait while walking. Thus, the dog is not walking awkwardly or slipping.
Even though the above cited paw cover devices meets some of the needs of the market, a paw boot that fits over the paw and lower leg portion of an animal; whereby the boot includes a tubular body member having a paw portion with a bottom side, a top side, and a closed end; whereby the paw portion is sized to surround a paw of an animal; whereby the body member also includes a lower leg portion having an open end that surrounds the lower leg of animal; whereby a cable joins to the lower leg portion for wrapping around and fastening the body member to the lower leg of the animal; whereby an adjustable sole overlays the bottom side of the body member, and is fixedly wrappable to reposition along the bottom and top sides of the paw portion for accommodating narrow and wide paws; and whereby hook and loop fasteners wrap around the paw to secure the sole to the paw portion, is still desired.
Illustrative embodiments of the disclosure are generally directed to a size-adjustable animal paw boot and method for donning the boot on a paw. The paw boot fits over the paw and lower leg portion of an animal. The paw boot includes a tubular body member having a bottom side, a top side, a closed end, and an open end. The tubular body member is also defined by a paw portion that is operative to surround the paw of the animal, and a lower leg portion operative to surround the lower leg of the animal. A cable joins to the open end of the body member for securely fastening the lower leg portion of the body member to the lower leg of the animal.
The paw boot further includes an adjustable sole that is fabricated from a durable, friction pad material. The sole overlays the bottom side of the tubular body member. The sole is resilient, and thereby can be positioned across the bottom side and paw portion to accommodate various sizes of paws. The resilient, yet pliable material composition also allows the sole to adjust to a narrow paw or a relatively wider paw.
A pair of hook and loop fastener straps affixed to the sole wrap around the paw. The hook and loop fastener straps fasten to a corresponding hook and loop panel on the body member. The hook and loop fastener straps detachably attach to a corresponding hook and loop panel on the paw portion of the body member, so as to secure the sole to the bottom side of the body member at the desired position on the paw. The sole is adjustable across various sections of the paw portion to accommodate variously sized and dimensioned paws. The sole is also sufficiently flexible to be manipulated for optimal coverage and comfort of various sizes of paws.
In one aspect, a size-adjustable animal paw boot, comprises:
In another aspect, the body member has a tubular shape.
In another aspect, the body member comprises a resilient material.
In another aspect, the cable joins with the lower leg portion.
In another aspect, the cable is flexible.
In another aspect, the hook and loop fastener panel is affixed to the lower leg portion.
In another aspect, the hook and loop fastener panel is defined by a rectangular shape, but can take other shapes. In one embodiment, two top corners can be snipped off at 45° angles so that it's more pleasing to look at without harming functionality.
In another aspect, the sole overlays the bottom side of the paw portion.
In another aspect, the sole comprises a durable, friction pad material.
In another aspect, the sole comprises rubber.
In another aspect, the hook and loop fastener straps lie in a V-shaped position.
In another aspect, the paw is a dog paw.
One objective of the present invention is to protect the paws of an animal from snow, ice, debris, and other irritants.
Another objective is to allow the dew claw to move quite naturally in the space between the flaps which attach to the front panel, and the cable which wraps around the lower part of the limb.
Another objective is to provide a durable sole that is soft enough for the dog to feel what they're walking on, adapts to the contours of the paw underside better than stiff soles, and thus helps with stability and maintenance of a natural gait while walking. Thus, the dog is not walking awkwardly or slipping.
Another objective is to provide an animal paw boot that is adjustable to accommodate both narrow paws and wide paws.
Yet another objective is to enable quick release wearing of the paw boot through use of hook and loop fasteners.
An exemplary objective is to enable the adjustable sole to freely move around the paw portion before securing into a fixed position, so as to accommodate both narrow and wide paws.
Additional objectives are to provide an easy to use paw boot for dogs, cats, hooved animals, and the like.
Other systems, devices, methods, features, and advantages will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims and drawings.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views of the drawings.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “rear,” “right,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
The boot 100 is unique in that an adjustable sole 402 overlays the bottom side 400 of the boot 100. The adjustable sole 402 is free to reposition along different sections of the boot 100. The adjustable sole 402 is also sufficiently resilient to snugly wrap around the paw. In this manner, the repositioning capacity and flexibility of the sole 402 allow the boot 100 to accommodate, both a wide paw 200a, shown in
For purposes of donning the boot 100, the paw 200a-b may be of an animal, including, without limitation, a dog, a cat, a bear, and other animals having a soft foot-like lower leg region of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Further, the paw is characterized by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, which make up the pads. The boot 100 is configured to substantially cover the paw 200a-b to protect against debris, snow, ice, moisture, and irritants.
Turning now to the front perspective view of the boot 100 in
As the front view of the boot 100 in
Continuing, the body member 102 is also defined by a lower leg portion 106 that extends up from the paw portion 104. The lower leg portion 106 has an open end 110 through which the paw passes when donning or removing the body member 102. The lower leg portion 106 substantially surrounds the lower leg 118 of the animal. It is the lower leg portion 106 that can be pulled and tugged to help adjust the positon and orientation of the paw portion 104 and lower leg portion 106 on their respective parts of the paw 200a and lower leg 118.
Turning now to
The boot 100 may further include a hook and loop fastener panel 114 that affixes to the paw portion 104. The hook and loop fastener panel 114 is used for detachable attachment with corresponding hook and loop fastener straps 116a-b to secure an adjustable sole 402 to the body member 102, and the paw portion 104 to the paw, as discussed below. In one non-limiting embodiment, the hook and loop fastener panel 114 is affixed to the lower leg portion 106. The hook and loop fastener panel 114 may have a rectangular shape, and be sufficiently sized to receive the hook and loop fastener straps 116a-b. The relative large size of the hook and loop fastener panel 114 allows for multiple, quick readjustments of the hook and loop fastener straps 116a-b to accommodate wider and narrower paws.
The boot 100 also provides an adjustable sole 402 that overlays the paw portion 104. The sole 402 provides the primary protection for the bottom of the paw 200a of the animal. The sole 402 is also position-adjustable to fit onto variously sized paws. For example, large dogs and small dogs have different paws. And dogs and cats have differently sized and shaped paws. Thus, the sole 402 has unique characteristics that enable fitting onto different sizes and shapes of paws without interchanging the boot 100.
In one non-limiting embodiment, the sole 402 overlays the bottom side 400 of the paw portion 104. The sole 402 is defined by a resilient material that allows the sole 402 to wrap around the paw, whether the paw is wide 200a, or narrow 200b. Additionally, since the sole 402 is independent of the body member 102, the sole 402 can rest across the bottom and top side 300s of the paw portion 104. In this manner, the sole 402 is adjustable to accommodate the size and dimensions of the paw 200a-b. In one non-limiting embodiment, the sole 402 comprises a durable, friction pad material that provides optimal protection for the paw. Suitable materials for the sole 402 may include, without limitation, rubber, polyethylene, polyurethane, and a resilient polymer.
Turning now to
In this capacity, the hook and loop fastener straps 116a-b fixedly fasten the sole 402 over the paw portion 104. And in a second utility, the hook and loop fastener straps 116a-b fixedly fasten the closed end 108 of the paw portion 104 to the paw 200a. The detachable attachability from the use of a hook and loop fastening means allows the fastener straps 116a-b to be fastened multiple times about the fastener panel 114. This helps create an optimal fit of the boot 100 on the paw.
As
For example,
As shown in
In some embodiments, a Step 608 includes overlaying a sole over the bottom side of the paw portion. The durable, resilient composition of the sole creates a reinforcing protective barrier overlaying the body member. A Step 610 comprises slidably adjusting the sole across the bottom side and top side of the paw portion, whereby the sole is adjustable to accommodate differently sized and dimensioned paws. The sole is manipulated across the bottom side, and possible onto the top side of the paw portion to create optimal comfort for the animal, and maximum coverage of the paw—whether wide 200a paw or narrow paw 200b.
The method 600 may further comprise a Step 612 of wrapping a pair of hook and loop fastener straps around the paw portion of the body member.
A final Step 616, shown in
Although the process-flow diagrams show a specific order of executing the process steps, the order of executing the steps may be changed relative to the order shown in certain embodiments. Also, two or more blocks shown in succession may be executed concurrently or with partial concurrence in some embodiments. Certain steps may also be omitted from the process-flow diagrams for the sake of brevity. In some embodiments, some or all the process steps shown in the process-flow diagrams can be combined into a single process.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims and appended drawings.
Because many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalence.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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