Animal husbandry – Grooming – Process
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-26
2001-05-15
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Grooming
Process
C119S625000, C119S628000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230659
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a grooming device for use on fur-bearing animals and more particularly to a grooming device for use on pets so that hair and other debris may be removed and retained by the grooming device.
2. Background of the Art
A variety of grooming devices, generally in the form of combs and brushes, have been utilized for cleaning fur-bearing animals. Typically, to groom dogs or cats, a toothed metal or plastic comb is used for cleaning, tidying, straightening and partially removing excess and dead hair. However, these commercially available grooming devices have not proven successful in solving the grooming problems related to the partial nature of the removal of the animal's loose and dead hair. Hair removed by these devices typically escapes from the tines of the device, falling to the furniture and floor and creating a generally unpleasant house cleaning experience. Additionally these devices are not capable of removing large amounts of hair, particulary when the animal is shedding, as the drag between the hairs on the animal is greater than the drag between the grooming device and the hair. Consequently, loose hair remains in the animal's fur.
Some grooming devices, specifically designed for animals losing or shedding their winter coats in spring, may be from a strip of sheet metal. Edges of the commercially available devices may be machined or die cut with a series of teeth by which is hair stripped or cut from the animal's fur. The irregular teeth of these grooming devices are ragged and have rough edges. As a consequence, these grooming devices not only loosen and remove some of the animal's hair but they also cut the animal's skin and remove living hairs.
Grooming devices have also been fitted with vacuums and adhesives in order to facilitate the removal of loose hair while attempting to minimize the cleanup. These grooming devices have proven to either frighten the animal with their noise or pull living hair from the animal's skin. These experiences tend to prolong the grooming operation. Additionally, these grooming devices are relatively costly and cumbersome.
Pet owners and grooms prefer a grooming device that does not cut the animal's skin, does not need electricity, does not frighten the animal, does not require messy adhesives and does not make a mess of the house and the furniture. The apparatus of the present invention provides pet owners and grooms with a grooming device which efficiently removes dead hair without cutting or frightening the animal while retaining a large amount of the dead hair on the grooming device and obviating or facilitating the cleanup.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, the foregoing advantages have been achieved through the present grooming device for use on a fur-bearing animal. The grooming device may include a body having an integral base with a leading edge having a plurality of space apart tines attached. The plurality of spaced apart tines are preferably substantially parallel tines in which the spacing of the tines allows the passage of the fur or animal's hair. The grooming device also has at least one sleeve proximate to the base such that the sleeve contacts a portion of at least one of the plurality of tines.
The present invention may also include a sleeve having a leading edge, a trailing edge, two side edges, and an inner and outer surface. Optionally, a partial sleeve may be utilized. The inner surface of the sleeve is preferably in fitted contact with at least one tine. More preferably the sleeve may be in fitted contact with a plurality of tines.
Another feature of the present invention may include a sleeve through which at least one tine may be inserted. In this particular embodiment the sleeve acts as an open cap or casing through which one or multiple tines may be inserted in a glove configuration, or preferably, in a mitten configuration. Optionally, the sleeve may contact only a portion of a single tine. A further feature of the present invention is that the sleeve may be in hinged fitted contact at one or both extreme ends of the tines.
The present invention may include multiple sleeves to provide the desired coverage of the combing area. A further feature in accordance with this aspect of the present invention may include sleeves with a plurality of bristles. The stiffness of the bristles and any overlap of the bristles with adjoining sleeves' bristles may be adapted for the type of fur or shedding pattern of the animal, e.g., softer, overlapping bristles for shorter hair or stiffer bristles with a gap for longer hair or shedding.
Another feature of the present invention may use a sleeve that has a naturally textured surface such as elastomeric materials like natural or synthetic rubbers and plastics. Other naturally textured materials such as leathers or fabrics with naps may be used as the sleeve. An additional feature of the present invention would be to use hard materials having a dry coefficient of friction from about 0.5 to about 1.0. Preferably, the textured materials have a dry coefficient of friction from about 0.6 to about 0.9, more preferably from about 0.7 to about 0.8.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing advantages may be achieved by varying the amount of combing surface area covered by the sleeve or multiple sleeves. Broadly, the grooming device may include using a sleeve or multiple sleeves to cover about 5% to about 75% of the combing surface area. Preferably, at least one sleeve or multiple sleeves cover about 20% to about 65% of the combing surface area. More preferably, the at least one sleeve or multiple sleeves cover about 30% to about 50% of the combing surface area.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the grooming device may include a sleeve which is in planar alignment with the tines. Still, another feature of this aspect of the present invention is a grooming device with a sleeve woven between the tines. A further feature of this aspect of the present invention may include the use of multiple sleeves in either planar alignment, woven serpentine between the tines, a basket weaving pattern, or a random weaving pattern.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the sleeve or sleeves may be made of an elastomeric coating. One embodiment of the inventive grooming device includes a body having an integral base with a leading edge, the leading edge having a plurality of space apart tines attached thereon and an elastomeric coating. The coating preferably covers at least about 5% of the combing surface area.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of grooming a fur-bearing animal may include the steps of: guiding a body having an integral base with a leading edge having a plurality of spaced apart tines attached thereon through the animal's hair; stroking the animal's hair; removing hair from the fur-bearing animal and retaining at least some of the hair removed from the animal at the leading edge of the sleeve. The method may include the additional steps of gently lifting the grooming device and rolling it outward, away from the animal's skin. The rolling motion generally promotes longer contact of the leading edge of the sleeve or sleeves with the animal's hair. Thus, more hair may be removed and retained in each stroke.
Still, another aspect of the present invention of grooming a fur-bearing animal may include the steps of: guiding a body having an integral base with a leading edge having a plurality of spaced apart tines attached thereon through the animal's hair; stroking the animal's hair; removing hair from the fur-bearing animal and retaining at least some of the hair removed from the animal at the leading edge of the coating. The method may also include the additional steps of gently lifting the grooming device and rolling it outward, away from the animal's skin. The rolling motion generally promot
Jordan Charles T.
Madan Mossman & Sriram P.C.
Shaw Elizabeth
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