Animal husbandry – Confining or housing – Often portable – small capacity – roofed housing structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-15
2001-09-11
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3643)
Animal husbandry
Confining or housing
Often portable, small capacity, roofed housing structure
C224S153000, C224S579000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286461
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable animal carrier which permits the safe and humane carrying of a small animal, such as a cat or dog, on a common carrier. When used on an airplane, the portable animal carrier is of a size which can safely accommodate the cat or dog and may be stowed below an airplane seat. The portable animal carrier includes straps which permit the user to tote the carrier in a plurality of modes, which may include a backpack, shoulder bag, and hand carried tote.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to provide a portable animal carrier which is of a suitable size, and appropriately constructed, to obtain airline approval for passage within the main carrier cabin. Such a portable animal carrier contains an enclosure including appropriately connected bottom, top, end, front, and rear walls, with at least one of the walls preferably including an area formed of mesh material for providing appropriate ventilation to the interior of the enclosure. At least one of the walls includes a selectively openable closure means, such as a zippered panel, which provides a sufficiently large opening for the convenient insertion and removal of the animal from within the interior volume of the enclosure. In order to facilitate manual carrying of the portable animal carrier, straps are typically secured to appropriate locations, and extend above the top wall. Such straps may include both a hand tote strap and a shoulder strap, so as to provide a versatility of to table options.
While primarily intended for transporting a cat or dog in an approved manner within an aircraft passenger cabin, it is also desirable to safely and conveniently transport the animal within the carrier while the traveler is in the passenger terminal, or en route to or from the airport. The present invention provides a plurality of straps which are suitably placed and configured to also permit the portable animal carrier to function as a backpack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the plurality of carrier straps which are secured to the portable animal carrier includes a pair of straps which can alternatively function as backpack straps or shoulder bag straps. These straps include two straps which crisscross along the rear wall of the portable animal carrier. One of the straps has its first end at a securement location at the top wall, proximate a first end of the portable animal carrier, with its second end being at a securement location at the bottom wall, proximate the opposed second end of the portable animal carrier. The other strap has its first end at a securement location at the top wall proximate the second end of the portable animal carrier, with its second end being at a securement location at the bottom wall proximate the first end of the portable animal carrier. A pair of ring members are also provided, spaced along the top region of the rear wall. A first one of said ring members is proximate the first end of the portable animal carrier, with an intermediate portion of one of the straps loosely extending therethrough. The other ring member is proximate the second end of the portable animal carrier with an intermediate portion of the other strap loosely extending therethrough. These straps may be freely movable through their respective ring members. By virtue of such movement they may be configured in either a first or second condition. The first condition, which will be the backpack mode, is characterized by the straps being taut against the exterior of the animal carrier between their securement location at the top wall and the ring members, with the remaining lengths of the straps loosely extending between the ring members and their securement location at the bottom wall. The second condition, which will be the shoulder bag mode, is characterized by the straps moving through the rings, such that they will be taut against the rear wall between their securement locations and the bottom wall, with the remaining lengths of the straps loosely extending between the ring members and their securement location at the top wall. Thus by moving this pair of crisscross straps between the ring members, the portable animal carrier may be readily converted between the backpack and shoulder bag modes of operation.
In accordance with another preferable feature of the present invention, another strap is provided between securement locations on the top wall, with the intermediate portion of the strap extending upwards of the top wall to provide a handle portion when it is desired to manually carry the portable animal carrier as a hand tote. Advantageously the handle is also further adapted to receive an automobile safety strap when it is desired to contain the portable animal carrier on an automobile seat, such as during transport to or from the airport.
As a further preferable feature of the present invention, the top wall of the portable animal carrier is of a significantly lesser width than its bottom wall, with the front and rear walls inwardly tapering between the bottom and the top walls. This taper advantageously facilitates the smooth placement of the portable animal carrier against the user's body in the backpack and shoulder modes of operation.
In accordance with another feature of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the interior volume of the portable animal carrier includes a spring biased hook which is adapted to receive a leash ring carried by the animal, for retaining the animal within the interior volume when a portion thereof is opened.
According to still another advantageous feature of the present invention, at least one of the end walls defines a first opening which communicates with the interior volume, and is of a shape and dimension sufficient to facilitate insertion therethrough of the animal into the interior volume and removal therefrom. The opening is associated with a front closure panel having corresponding shape and dimensions whereby the closure panel is movable between a first position which exposes the interior volume through the opening and a second position which closes the opening, such as a zipper around the perimeter of the closure panel.
In accordance with still an additional feature of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the perimeter of the closure panel includes a manually operable retention means for retaining the closure panel in its open condition in a Dutch door type configuration. This will allow the animal to comfortably move its head outside of the portable animal carrier, it being noted that the leash ring will be secured to the spring biased hook in the interior volume of the portable animal carrier, thereby preventing the animal from moving out of the portable animal carrier until the user releases the spring biased hook holding the leash ring.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a portable animal carrier which includes a plurality of carrier straps permitting the animal carrier to function in a plurality of modes, which include a backpack.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a portable animal carrier which may also be used as a shoulder bag.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide such a portable animal carrier in which the same straps can function to convert the unit between a backpack or a shoulder bag.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide such a portable animal carrier which is of a tapered configuration so as to facilitate the smooth placement against the user's body when it is in the backpack and shoulder bag modes of operation.
These as well as other objects of the present invention become apparent upon a description of the following drawings:
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 254631 (1980-04-01), Albright
patent: 3850144 (1974-11-01), Springer et al.
patent: 4273274 (1981-06-01), Freistadt
patent: 4428514 (1984-01-01), Elf
patent: 4977857 (1990-12-01), Slawinski
patent: 4986458 (1991-01-01), Linday
patent: 5176102 (1993-01-01), Tracy
patent: 5277148 (1994-01
Abelman ,Frayne & Schwab
Gayle Martz, Inc.
Nguyen Son T.
Poon Peter M.
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