FOOTWEAR SYSTEM FOR ANIMALS

Abstract

A footwear system for animals, particularly the front legs of a canine, that includes protective coverings adapted for both well and sore or injured legs and can be configured for single-leg and two-leg uses. An optional adjustable neck strap assembly provides for a comfortable and snug fit of the protective coverings to the legs and around the shoulder of the dog. A unique cuff assembly facilitates holding the protective covering one or the other of the front legs of the dog while minimizing opportunities for the dog to chew on or remove the footwear.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure is directed to protective coverings for the feet and legs of four-legged animals and, in one representative embodiment, to a single sock or pair of socks detachably connected and configured for the front or rear legs of a canine

2. Description of the Related Art

Owners of injured animals, particularly dogs, cats, and similar household pets, must limit the access of the animal to areas of the animal's own leg or foot after an injury, surgery, or irritation on the limb. One method for preventing access by the animal to the injured area is to use “Elizabethan collars,” a hard plastic or fabric-covered cone that is attached around the neck of the animal with the cone extending outward and around the animal's head and muzzle. Understandably, these cones are uncomfortable and disquieting to the animal, increasing their discomfort and agitation. In addition, the use of these cones on smaller dogs can cause the dog to drag the collar and stumble.

Some pet owners resort to using old human socks held together with safety pins. However, the use of safety pins is also problematic because the animal may chew on the safety pin, potentially causing it to open and injure the animal's mouth.

Commercially available socks and booties for animals are available; however, many of the fabrics used in these products are not gentle on the animal's foot, and they can cause snagging and irritation of the paw pads from the inside of the sock. Also, many socks come in the same size and do not accommodate one of the legs being bandaged, which requires a larger size sock. Moreover, a number of these socks are made of a fabric that is quire slippery on wood or other smooth surfaces, which can cause the animal to slip and reinjure or further injure their foot or leg.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a footwear system for animals in which a pair of protective coverings for the feet and legs of four-legged animals is provided. In one representative embodiment, the footwear system includes first and second protective coverings configured to be received over a respective a first leg and a second leg of the animal, and a strap coupled to the first and second protective coverings and configured to extend around a back of the animal and to hold the first and second protective coverings on the respective first and second legs.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure the strap is removably coupled to the first and second protective coverings.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure the strap has a first end coupled to the first protective covering, a second end coupled to the second protective covering, and a middle section formed of first and second detachable ends.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure the strap comprises first and second ends detachably coupled to the first and second protective coverings.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure the first protective covering is sized larger than the second protective covering to accommodate bandages on the first leg of the animal.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, a footwear system for animals is provided that includes a first protective covering having a first sock member and a first strap member, the first strap member having a free end and a first coupling member on the free end, the first sock member sized and shaped to be received over a first leg of the animal; and a second protective covering having a second sock member and a second strap member extending from the second sock member, the second strap member having a free end with a second connection member attached thereto, the second connection member configured to releasably connect to the first connection member on the first protective covering, the second protective covering sized and shaped to be received over a second leg of the animal. The first and second strap members are configured to be received over the back of the animal and, when connected together, to retain the first and second sock members on the respective first and second legs of the animal.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure at least one tightening strap is positioned around a circumference of the first sock member to enable tightening of the first sock member around the first leg of the animal.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure the first and second connection members comprise, respectively, a hook and a loop of a hook-and-loop fastening system.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure each sock member includes a non-skid toe piece.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure the first and second sock members are sized to be received over the respective first and second leg, including the first and second elbow of the leg of the animal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the footwear system of the present disclosure as worn by a canine;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the footwear system on the canine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric side view of a canine illustrating the parts of a domestic dog;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a pair of protective coverings formed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a neck strap assembly for use with the protective coverings;

FIGS. 6A-6B are top and bottom views of a middle strap section of the footwear system formed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a two well-leg footwear system formed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a well-leg and sore-leg version of the footwear system of the present disclosure in which the neck strap of FIG. 5 is employed;

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate exterior and interior views of a cuff with shoulder strap formed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a right leg footwear system employing the cuff of FIGS. 9A-9B in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a left leg footwear system with neck strap formed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a cuff-side view of a single foot footwear system without neck strap as worn by a canine;

FIG. 13 illustrates the footwear system of FIG. 12 worn on the canine's right leg;

FIG. 14 illustrates the footwear system of FIG. 12 with the optional neck strap in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 15 is a left side view of the footwear system of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures or components or both associated with sewing fabric, including but not limited to types of stitching and machines for sewing the footwear have not been shown or described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” The foregoing applies equally to the words “including” and “having.”

Reference throughout this description to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, shown therein is a footwear system 10 being worn by a canine or dog 12. The footwear system 10 is worn on the front legs 14 of the dog 12 and extends around the shoulder area and withers 16 of the dog's back 18. More particularly, the footwear system 10 includes first and second protective coverings 20, 22 inserted over the left and right legs 14 of the dog 12, respectively, and a strap member 30 extending from the left protective covering across the dog's shoulder 16 toward the strap member 32 on the right protective covering 22, joined together by a middle strap 78 (described below with respect to FIG. 6).

In order to provide clarity to the terminology with respect to canine anatomy reference is had to FIG. 3 which provides an illustration and labeling of the various parts of a dog. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the dog's front legs 14 include paws, pads, and a pastern that leads to a heelknob that in turn forms part of the knee. The forearm connects the dog's knee to the elbow, and the upper arm connects the elbow to the shoulder area. The portion of the back between the shoulders is the withers. Similarly, the back legs include a leg having a lower thigh with an ankle or hock and stifle coupling the lower thigh to the upper thigh. The upper thigh extends downward from the rump at the rear of the dog's back.

Referring next to FIG. 4, shown therein is the footwear system 10 having a first protective covering 20 for a sore or injured leg and foot positioned above a second protective covering 22 for a well leg. These protective coverings 20, 22 are formed of first and second socks 26, 28 and respective first and second strap members 30, 32. In this embodiment, the first strap member 30 is sewn to or integrally formed with the first sock piece 26, and the second strap member 32 is sewn to or integrally formed with the second sock 28. Each sock 26, 28 includes an open top 34, 36, respectively, that provides an opening to an interior of the respective sock 26, 28. Each of the socks 26, 28 has a closed toe 38, 40 respectively, that includes a non-skid toe piece 42, 44.

The left and right strap members 30, 32 also include along substantially their entire length the loop portion of hook-and-loop fasteners. In other words, a loop section 46 is attached to one side of the left strap member 30, preferably the exterior side that faces outward when worn by the canine A corresponding loop section 48 is formed on the second strap member 32. It is to be understood that other forms of connection members may be used, which are well known in the art, including snaps, buttons, zippers, clasps, and the like.

The non-skid toe pieces 42, 44 are preferably formed of a non-skid fabric that will prevent the animal from slipping on hard wood or other smooth, slippery surfaces. The toe pieces 42, 44 are preferably sewn to the exterior of the sock. Alternatively, the non-skid toe piece 42, 44 can itself form the toe of the sock. The socks 26, 28 are sized and shaped along with the respective toe pieces 42, 44 to not be left and right specific but rather to be worn on either front leg 14 of the canine As can be seen in FIG. 4, as well as FIG. 1, the toe pieces 42, 44 wrap from a top surface to a bottom surface of each of the left and right sock pieces 26, 28. As such, the left and right sock pieces 26, 28 are reversible from right to left.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the first sock piece 26 is of a much larger width than the second sock piece 28. This is because the first sock piece 26 is designed to fit over the leg of an animal that has been bandaged or that is in a cast or otherwise is sore and sensitive. To assist in retaining the enlarged sock piece 26 on the injured leg, optional tightening bands 50 can be used around the body of the sock at one or more locations. Ideally hook-and-loop fasteners are attached to the exterior of the first sock piece 26 to circumscribe the leg of the dog, enabling the sock piece 26 to be cinched up snuggly around the leg 14 of the dog 12. In one embodiment the attachment of the bands 50 to the exterior of the sock 26 is done with thread at one or several attachments points such that the tightening band 50 can be easily removed by clipping with a pair of scissors or cut with a knife.

In order to improve the comfort of the animal utilizing the footwear system, the first and second strap members 30, 32 are formed to be as wide as possible. As shown in FIG. 4, the loop sections 46, 48 are preferably two inches wide, and the optional tightening bands 50 on the first sock 26 are approximately ⅝ inch wide. However, it is to be understood that other widths may be used as necessary or desirable for a particular application.

Ideally, the left and right socks 26, 28 are sized in length to fit up over the dog's leg 14 to cover the pastern, heelknob, knee, forearm, elbow, and beginning of the upper arm. When worn over the rear legs, the left and right socks 26, 28, are be sized to fit up over the lower thigh, stifle, and on to the upper thigh, with the left and right strap members 30, 32 extending over the rump of the dog's back.

The following addresses preferred fabrics or any alternatives or optional features to the present disclosure:

1. This design accommodates injuries being on either the right or left side of the animal, simply by turning the socks around from right to left, i.e., the larger sock always is worn on the injured or sore foot.

2. Fabrics: a soft, flexible, breathable fabric is required for the “sock” part itself. This can be fleece or similar fabric. The strap is made of a soft, non-stretchable fabric. The non-skid fabric for the toe area is “Slip-Not” or a similar non-skid fabric.

3. The 2 horizontal tightening straps of hook and loop (such as Velcro) on the sore leg sock are optional.

4. An extender strap for using the sock on the rear legs/paws: This uses the regular sock on the rear leg, but provides an additional strap to connect the rear socks to a purchased harness (harness not included in this disclosure). This extender is sewn similarly to the straps above.

5. Colors of the fabrics may vary.

6. Alternatives: There are approximately 4 or 5 different sizes of the socks to accommodate small to larger dogs.

7. Optional water-proof fabric (like polyester with urethane coating) may be used for the sock for some purposes.

Other alternatives are also possible. For example, the left and right strap members 30, 32 can be replaced with a single strap that has its ends releasably attached to the left and right sock pieces. Alternatively, one end of the single strap can be integrally formed or sewn with one sock piece and the other end can be removably attachable to the other sock piece. In addition, the strap, either in single form or as two strap members, can be formed of elastic-type material, either in whole or in part, to provide room for the animal to move while still preventing sagging or drooping of the sock pieces.

Turning next to FIGS. 5 and 6A-6B, a further design is shown for an optional neck strap assembly 60 in FIG. 5 and middle strap shown in FIGS. 6A-6B.

In FIG. 5, the optional neck strap assembly 60 includes an anchor strap 62, D-ring 64, and elongate flexible neck strap 66. The anchor strap 62 is formed of stretchable fleece that includes a 2 inch section 68 of hook portion attached to one side. A first end 70 of the anchor strap 62 is attached to the D-ring 64, preferably by sewing a loop through the interior and around a portion of the D-ring in a known manner. The elongate neck strap 66 has a first side on which a long section 72 of the loop portion is attached or otherwise formed to permit adjustability in the placement of the neck strap 66 on the animal. The terminal ends 74 of the neck strap 66 each have corresponding hook portions 76 and 75, about 2 inches in length on the opposing sides thereof as shown in FIG. 5 for attachment of hook section 76 to the long section 72 of loop, and for attachment of hook section 75 to a strap member of a respective protective covering 20, 22 or cuff assembly as described more fully below.

FIGS. 6A-6B show top and bottom views respectively of a middle strap 78 that is used to connect to the strap members 30, 32 of the protective coverings 20, 22 or cuff assembly described below and bridge the distance across the dog's back. Two sections 80, 82 of the hook portion are sewn or otherwise attached to the free ends 84, 86, respectively, for attachment to the sections 46, 48 of loop material on the protective coverings 20, 22 or cuff assembly described below.

FIG. 7 illustrates a two-sock footwear system 90 utilizing two protective coverings 92, 94 for well legs and feet coupled together with the middle strap 78. The optional neck strap assembly 60 has the anchor strap 62 attached to the strap member 96 just above the sock opening 98 and the first end 100 of the neck strap 102 attached to the strap member 93 of the other protective covering 94 just above the respective sock opening 104. The second end 106 of the neck strap is attached to the loop section 108 on the neck strap 102 at a location that is comfortable for the dog while retaining the footwear system 90 in place on the dog's body. The middle strap 78 can likewise be positioned to accommodate the distance across the back of the dog.

FIG. 8 illustrates a footwear system 112 in which the components are identical to the system 90 described in FIG. 7 except the second sock 94 is replaced with a sore leg sock 110 that has the tightening bands 114.

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrates a new design feature of a cuff assembly 120 having a cuff 122 and shoulder strap 124 extending from the cuff 122. One side of the shoulder strap 124 is covered with a section 126 of loop for attachment to the hook section 80, 82 of strap 78. The cuff 122 and shoulder strap 124 are preferably sewn together as are the ends of the cuff 122 to have a fixed size. While hook-and-loop fasteners could be used to provide adjustability to the cuff 122, the use of this type of fastener is minimized to avoid snagging of the dog's hair or furniture fabric, irritating the dog's skin, and making the cuff 122 too stiff. Moreover, the sizing and placement of the hook portion is minimized and placed where possible to face away from the dog's coat to avoid the foregoing problems.

FIG. 10 illustrates a single leg footwear system 130 that employs the cuff assembly 120 of FIGS. 9A-9B. The middle strap 78 described above is attached to the shoulder strap 124 of the cuff assembly 120 at one end and to the strap member 132 of a protective covering 134 at the other end. FIG. 11 shows the single leg footwear system 130 used with the neck strap assembly 60 in the manner described above with respect to FIG. 8 except only one protective covering 92 is used. (92 in FIG. 8 is the same as protective covering 134 in FIG. 11.) The cuff 122 has the diameter sized and shaped to slide all the way up the dog's front leg and be held in place in the axilla. Thus, various sizes of the cuff 122 can be constructed and available for use with the appropriate dog.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show the footwear system 130 of FIG. 10 worn by a dog 140. In FIG. 12, the protective covering 134 is placed over the dog's left leg 142 and the cuff assembly 120 is placed over the dog's right leg 144 with the middle strap 78 positioned over the dog's back and connecting the cuff assembly 120 to the protective covering 134. In FIG. 13 the protective covering 134 is place over the dog's right leg 144.

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate the footwear system 130 of FIG. 11 with the optional neck strap assembly 60 worn by the dog 140 on the dog's front left leg 142. In this configuration, the anchor strap 62 is attached to the strap member 136 of the protective covering 134 and the neck strap 66 of the neck strap assembly 60 is attached to the strap member 124 of the cuff assembly 120 and adjusted to fit as described above.

In use, it is recommended that the sore foot of the dog or animal be inserted in the sore leg protective cover 20 and the tightening band or bands 50 adjusted for comfort and fit. The middle strap 78 is then attached at one end to the strap member 30. Next, in a two-legged configuration the second protective covering, either well leg 22 or sore leg covering 20 be placed over the other leg. In a single leg configuration, the cuff assembly 120 is used with the cuff 122 placed over the other leg and the other end of the shoulder strap 78 attached to the strap member 124 of the cuff assembly 120 and adjusted for fit and comfort.

If the neck strap assembly 60 to is used, the middle strap 78 is positioned a sufficient distance above the opening 34, 36 of the protective covering 20, 22, to leave room for the anchor strap 62 and neck strap 66. The anchor strap 62 is attached to either one of the protective coverings 20, 22 or to a cuff assembly 120 as described above, and one end 74 of the neck strap 66 is attached to the other of the protective coverings 20, 22 or the cuff assembly 120 and then adjusted to fit by pulling the neck strap 66 through the D-ring 64 and securing the second end 74 to the loop portion 72.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.

Claims

1. A footwear system for animals, comprising:

first and second protective coverings configured to be received over a respective first and second leg of the animal; and

a strap coupled to the first and second protective coverings and configured to extend around a back of the animal and to hold the first and second protective coverings on the respective first and second legs.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the strap is removably coupled to the first and second protective coverings.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the strap has a first end attached to the first protective covering, a second end attached to the second protective covering, and a middle section formed of first and second detachable ends.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the strap comprises first and second ends detachably coupled to the first and second protective coverings.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first protective covering is sized larger than the second protective covering to accommodate bandages on the first leg of the animal.

6. A footwear system for animals, comprising:

a first protective covering having a first sock member and a first strap member, the first strap member having a free end and a first coupling member on the free end, the first sock member sized and shaped to be received over a first leg of the animal; and

a second protective having a second sock member and a second strap member extending from the second sock member, the second strap member having a free end with a second connection member attached thereto, the second connection member configured to releasably connect to the first connection member on the first protective covering, the second protective covering sized and shaped to be received over a second leg of the animal and the first and second strap members configured to be received over the back of the animal and, when connected together, to retain the first and second sock members on the respective first and second legs of the animal.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the first sock member is larger than the second sock member in order to accommodate bandages on the first leg of the animal.

8. The system of claim 7 comprising at least one tightening strap positioned around a circumference of the first sock member to enable tightening and constricting of the first sock member around the first leg of the animal.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the first and second connection members comprise, respectively, a hook and a loop of a hook-and-loop fastening system.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein each sock member includes a non-skid toe piece.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second sock members are sized to be received over the respective first and second leg, including the first and second elbow of the legs of the animal.

12. The system of claim 1 comprising a cuff assembly having a cuff and a shoulder strap attached to the cuff with a fastener component on the shoulder strap.

13. The system of claim 1 comprising a neck strap assembly having an anchor strap attached to a D-ring and a neck strap configured to be threaded through the D-ring and attached to itself and to a sock member.

14. The system of claim 12 comprising a middle section configured for attachment to the cuff assembly and to at least one sock member.