Carrying Device
A carrying device for carrying small animals incorporates a pouch. The pouch may be closed by a drawstring or a zipper. A harness assembly secures the device around the carrier's shoulders. A zipper unit may be included to fold the pet pocket into a smaller waist pack. Another zipper unit may be included with an expansion panel to provide an expandable pet pocket by elongating the pouch. A comfort pocket is provided to provide comfort to a pet enclosed within the pouch and who may become frightened by the surrounding environment.
This application claims priority of the provisional application No. 60/752,516 filed on Dec. 21, 2005 in the name of Owen Slater, Michael Thompson, Troy Peifer, and Marty Crandall and entitled “Carrying Device for a Small Animal,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELDThis patent generally relates to the field of carrying devices and specifically to carrying devices for carrying items by individuals.
BACKGROUNDThe present invention relates to animal carriers, and more particularly, to a small animal or pet carrier provided with a harness for maintaining the carried animal in front or back of the carrier's torso, leaving the carrier's hands free.
Carrying devices are generally rigid structures having a frame and a handle that can be engaged by the hand of the carrier in much the same way a suitcase is carried. There are some soft carriers that are available, but these carriers are usually designed to be carried in one position, usually on the back or over one shoulder. Since continuously carrying a small animal in a fixed position, such as on the back, can eventually become tiresome for the person carrying the pet, there is a need for a carrying device that can be supported in multiple positions with even weight distribution.
SUMMARYIn one embodiment, a carrying device for a small animal is a hands-free, vest-style carrier that has a pouch, a harness with adjustable straps and a zipper unit that retains the carrying device in a compact size when the device is folded upon itself, providing a small pack. It is easily fitted when it is worn and can be worn by a person on the front or back of the torso.
In another embodiment, a carrying device for small animals has a pouch that includes an extension panel for enlarging the pouch to accommodate a large animal. A zipper unit unzips, releasing the extension panel and enlarging the pouch. When the zipper unit is zipped, the extension panel is retracted and the depth of the pouch is reduced.
In a further embodiment, a carrying device for small animals provides comfort panels. The comfort panels may each include a comfort pocket that allows a person carrying the small animal to provide a comforting hand or other manual contact to the pet through the comfort pocket. The comfort pocket may have a soft liner that is comforting to the pet. The liner of the pocket may be omitted so that an access opening provides direct contact to the pet.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
While the appended claims set forth the features of the present patent with particularity, the patent, together with its objects and advantages, may be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before any embodiments of the carrier are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the carrier is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The carrying device is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. The carrying device may carry items other than pets and may be used to carry books or groceries and the like. Thus, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Referring to the drawings and particularly to
As shown in
A girth belt 144 is joined to the pouch at edges 118. The ends of the girth strap 144 are engageable with a latching member 146 and adjustable in length through the latching member 146. A loop (not shown) may be added to hold the extra length of strap tight against the girth strap 144. The girth belt 144 secures the pouch 120 around the waist of the person wearing the carrier and provides stabilization to the pouch 120.
An inside safety strap and ring 140 may be included on the inside of the pouch 120 and provides additional security for and control of the pet since the safety strap and ring 140 can be connected to a leash or a collar (not shown) on the animal being carried.
As shown in
When the carrying device 100 is not in use, it may be folded in the following manner. Referring first to
To extract the carrying device 100 from the waist pack 160, the above steps are reversed. The slider 157 is moved in a direction that releases the zipper coils 155, 156 from one another and the carrying device 100 is unfolded. The shoulder straps 128 are removed from the pouch 120 and connected to the side of the carrier with the latching members 136.
In another embodiment, a carrying device 300 has a pouch that can be expanded and enlarged.
An expansion panel 314 is attached to a bottom edge 327 of the two upper panels, front panel 312 and rear panel 316. These panels 312, 316 define the circumference of the pet pouch 320. A bottom panel 342 is attached to the lower edge 343 of the expansion panel 314. A zipper unit 350 (see
At the end point 358 of the zipper coil 356 adjacent to the lower edge 343, the overlapping portion of the zipper coil 356 may be attached to a fabric tape 455 that gradually widens as the zipper coil 356 continues around the pouch 320 to a distance halfway across the back of the pouch 320, placing the other end 361 of the zipper coil 356 near the center of the expansion panel 414. Alternatively, the fabric tape 455 may remain at a constant width, but is sewn into the expansion panel 414 gradually moving towards the middle of the expansion panel 414 where the end 361 of the zipper coil 356 is placed. At the back of the pouch 320 may be a seam 460 that is formed where the longitudinal ends of the extension panel 314 meet. The end 361 of the zipper coil 356 may be located about half-way up the seam 460.
Adjacent to the bottom edge 324 of the upper panels 312, 314 (and the upper edge of the expansion panel 314) is the other zipper coil 355. The zipper coil 355 extends all the way around the pouch 320 and overlaps an end point 359 of the zipper coil 355. The end point 359 of zipper coil 355 coincides with the position of the end point 358 of zipper coil 356. The endpoints 358, 359 may be located at any point around the circumference of the pouch 320. Preferably though, the endpoints 358, 359 are located at a position approximately 90 degrees from the beginning of the zipper unit (approximately 450 degrees in rotational travel from the beginning of the zipper to the end points 355, 356).
At the end point 359 of the zipper coil 355, the overlapping portion of the zipper coil 355 is attached to a fabric tape 457 that gradually widens in a direction towards the middle of the expansion panel 314, as the zipper coil 355 continues around the back of the pouch 320 to the seam 460 that may be formed by the longitudinal ends of the expansion panel 314. Alternatively, the fabric tape 457 may have a continuous width, but may be sewn into the expansion panel as described above, gradually progressing towards the middle of the expansion panel 414 where the end 362 of the zipper coil 355 is placed.
The seam 460 for the ends of the expansion panel 414 is shown halfway across the back of the pouch 320, but it may occur anywhere. The zipper coils 355, 356 may be joined at the seam 460. When the pouch 320 is fully extended and the zipper unit 350 is unzipped, the slider 357 is preferably located at the ends 361, 362 where the zipper coils 355, 356 may be permanently joined.
To shorten the pouch 320, the expansion panel 314 is folded inward and the slider 357 is moved along the zipper coils 355, 356 until the zipper coils 355, 356 are fully joined together at the ends 358, 359 of the coils 355, 356. The adherence strength of the zipper coils 355, 356 is sufficient to support the weight of the pet or objects that are carried in the carrier device 300 when in the retracted position. The retracted state of the carrying device 300 is shown in
When the carrying device 300 is used to carry a pet, a larger pet may dictate that the carrying device 300 be in the extended state. The extended state is easily achieved by reversing the travel of the slider 357 around the zipper unit 350 from that described above. The procedure and result are shown in
In some embodiments, a storage pocket 330 may be affixed to at least one side of the carrying device 310. The pocket 330 may provide a small opening 331 for carrying useful items. Alternatively, an additional pocket 330 may be affixed to the other side of the carrying device 310. The pocket 330 may use fastening means such as a zipper, buttons, elastic closures, hook and loop strips or some other means to enclose the pocket 330 so that items within do not fall out.
In a further embodiment,
The front panel 612 may include smaller panels that are joined together to form the front panel 612. Such other panels may include a panel 640 of a mesh material, so that a pet which may be totally enclosed within the pouch can have visual contact with the outside environment.
A comfort pocket 630 may be located anywhere on the carrying device 610 to provide the handler or person carrying the carrier device 610 with access to an animal inside. The comfort pocket 630 may be lined with a soft material. The soft material may provide additional comfort to the animal or pet when the pet carrier's hand is inserted into the comfort pocket 630 to provide a soothing, comforting contact to the pet. In some embodiments of the carrier device 610, the lining may be omitted to provide immediate contact and access between the pet and the pet carrier's hand. The comfort pocket 630 may include an elastic enclosure 632 surrounding the comfort pocket opening for easy hand entry, but it maintains the comfort pocket 630 in a closed state when the pet carrier's hand is removed. The comfort pocket 630 may be provided on other embodiments of a carrier device.
Thus, the carrying device may be used to carry small animals and may be easily folded and stored upon itself in the form of a waist pack. Further, the carrying device can be lengthened or expanded to accommodate a pet which is growing or various sized animals has been provided. Additionally, a comfort pocket on a carrying device with an animal carried within the carrier allows a person carrying the animal to comfort the animal, which has become distressed or is afraid of its surroundings is also provided.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. All suitable modifications and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims are deemed within the present inventive concept.
Claims
1. A carrying device worn about a torso, comprising:
- a pouch;
- a harness having a plurality of straps for holding the pouch next to the torso;
- a release connection that releases the plurality of straps from a side of the pouch;
- a zipper unit that encloses the carrying device when the pouch is folded upon itself.
2. A carrying device worn about a torso, comprising:
- a pouch having a bottom panel and an upper panel;
- a harness having a plurality of straps for holding the pouch next to the torso;
- an extension panel connected between the bottom panel and the upper panel; and
- a zipper unit extending around the extension panel wherein the carrying device is in a non-extended position when the zipper unit is zipped and the carrying device is in an extended position when the zipper unit is unzipped.
3. A carrying device worn about a torso, comprising:
- a pouch;
- a harness having a plurality of straps for holding the pouch next to the torso;
- a pocket fitted alongside the pouch for providing physical contact to a pet within the pouch.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 21, 2006
Publication Date: Jun 26, 2008
Inventor: Owen Slater (Lemont, IL)
Application Number: 11/614,686
International Classification: A45F 4/02 (20060101);