Animal husbandry – Confining or housing – Animal display or open work enclosure
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-24
2001-05-15
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Confining or housing
Animal display or open work enclosure
C119S452000, C119S481000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230655
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a locking assembly for securing a door for a cage, particularly the door for a bird cage.
More particularly, the present invention provides a relatively simple, yet highly effective locking assembly for a bird cage comprising a substantially M-shaped, or scissored-shaped, wire support, with finger grips, for locking the cage door. The M-shaped wire support is also capable of supporting the bird cage door when the door is in an open position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art, generally, includes various latching, closure and hooking articles and assemblies, as broadly represented by Thielepape et al., U.S. Pat. No. 158,334, issued Dec. 29, 1874; Morrison, U.S. Pat. No. 637,643, issued Nov. 21, 1899; Alexander, U.S. Pat. No. 654,044, issued Jul. 17, 1900; Cilley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 1,102,720, issued Jul. 7, 1914; Williamson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,313,969, issued Aug. 26, 1919; Hines, U.S. Pat. No. 2,219,228, issued Oct. 22, 1940; Jason, U.S. Pat. No. 2,312,821, issued Mar. 2, 1943; Ducharme et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,915; Getzin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,557, issued Aug. 13, 1963; Jacobs, U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,961, issued Jan. 4, 1966; and, Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,559, issued Nov. 16, 1971.
The latching and closure assemblies of the cited prior art are for a very wide variety of articles and apparatuses, ranging from cooking vessels, to screen doors and washing machines. Of the art known to the inventor, only U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,920,925 and 3,620,559 would even appear to pertain to cages or the like. Each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,920,925 and 3,620,559 teach the use of latching assemblies which would appear to rely upon a cross-bar to retain the cage door therein in a closed and locked state. Neither of said prior art patents would appear to teach or suggest a cage locking assembly having an M-shape and which is reliant upon a resilient fit between the two lower portions of the M-shaped, or scissored-shaped, article and the vertical bars comprising the cage.
Additionally, none of the prior art known to the inventor provides a latching or locking assembly which is, in the alternative, capable of supporting a conventional bird cage door in an open position.
To date, the prior art has failed to provide a simple and convenient locking assembly for the door of a bird cage, which avoids the unsightly drawbacks inherent with the use of a standard cross-bar and which is capable of being secured and locked by the user utilizing only a single hand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple, yet highly effective locking assembly for a cage door, particularly, a bird cage door, which avoids the unsightly drawbacks that a latching mechanism which relies upon the use of a cross-bar necessarily includes.
It is, yet, a further object of the present invention to provide a simple and highly effective locking assembly for a cage door, particularly, a bird cage door, which would allow the user to readily secure and lock the cage door using only a single hand.
It is, still, an additional object of the present invention to provide a simple and highly effective locking assembly for a cage door, particularly, a bird cage door, which may alternatively be used for supporting the cage door in an open position.
It is an overall object of the present invention to provide a simple and highly effective locking assembly for a cage door, particularly, a bird cage door, which avoids the drawbacks inherent in prior art devices intended for a similar purpose.
The foregoing and related objects are achieved by the present invention for a locking assembly for securing a cage door, such as a bird cage door, wherein the locking assembly, in a preferred embodiment, includes a substantially M-shaped wire support, which may be made of a resilient material, such as a plastic (e.g., polypropylene) or a metal (e.g., stainless steel), having two bottom ends which are each attached to a pivot support of the cage door. The opposite end of the M-shaped wire locking device has two foot-shaped locking feet, which are engagable under two locking slots, or loops, provided in the bird cage adjacent to the cage door.
The locking device of the present invention is further provided with a pair of finger grips which, when squeezed together by a user, cause inward displacement of the locking feet, such that they are removed or displaced from the locking slots or loops of the cage. In this “squeezed” position, the door of the bird cage can be pivoted to an “open” position for allowing entry into the cage.
When it is desirable to re-lock the cage, the cage door is readily pivoted back toward the “closed” position, after which the finger grips are then released by the user for allowing the locking feet of the present invention to re-enter the locking slots or loops, thereby locking the cage door in place.
As can be appreciated, while it is conceivable that a bird may be sufficiently smart and strong to unlock one of the locking feet, it is not seen as being possible for a bird to simultaneously remove the cage door for both locking feet, as a result of which the locking position of the cage door is maintained by the locking device.
In an alternatively, preferred embodiment of the present invention, a slightly differently configured locking device, which operates in a comparable fashion, is also disclosed by the inventor and is within the scope of the present invention. In this alternatively, preferred embodiment, the M-shaped article of the invention is slightly altered so that it has a scissor-like arrangement, which may be made of a resilient material, such as a plastic (e.g., polypropylene) or a metal (e.g., stain-less steel.) Here, a scissor-like arrangement is used, in which when one squeezes the base portion thereof, the locking feet are displaced outwardly from the locking slots or loops of the cage to thereby unlock the cage door.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent when considered in combination with the accompanying drawing figures which illustrate certain preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should, however, be noted that the accompanying drawing figures are intended to illustrate only certain embodiments of the claimed invention and are not intended as a means for defining the limits and scope of the invention.
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patent: 6032614 (2000-03-01), Tominaga
Cai Zjuli
Cohen Alan J.
Senese Vincent J.
Abbott Yvonne R.
Blue Ribbon Pet Products, Inc.
Galgano & Burke
Jordan Charles T.
LandOfFree
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