AU2009202902A1 - Portable Collapsible Cat Enclosure - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 SUSAN LEE DAVIES COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Portable Collapsible Cat Enclosure The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing known to me:- 2 Patent Specifications Cross-Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2008903760 filed on 23 rd July, 2008, the content of which is incorporated herein by 5 reference. Introduction to the Invention This invention relates to cat enclosures, specifically to the safe confinement of domestic cats when the owner is travelling in a caravan or motorhome or the like and stops in 10 caravan parks and camping grounds. Background to the Invention Travelling with cats has always been problematic due to the fact that, unlike dogs, cats generally cannot be tethered and require protection from other cats, dogs, vehicles and 15 people. For this reason most people who are contemplating travel are forced to board the cats, give them away or have them put to sleep. Those who do take their cats with them, for example in a caravan, face several problems. The cats have to be kept in the caravan twenty four hours a day. If temperatures are high this can distress the cats. The owners have to be on their guard constantly to ensure that the cats do not escape 20 and be lost. It would be highly desirable to have an enclosure for the containment of cats when travelling. The object of the invention is to provide a portable collapsible enclosure for cat-owing travellers. 25 Statements of the Invention The invention provides an enclosure for domestic cats, comprising a frame enveloped by a non-stretch durable netting, said frame consisting of a top frame and a bottom frame separated by a plurality of removable uprights with the frame being telescopic thereby enabling the enclosure to be made small enough when collapsed to be stored 30 in the small storage spaces provided in caravans, motorhomes and the like.

3 Each frame is made from a rigid durable round tubing material and consists of a plurality of elbow-shaped corner pieces and a plurality of straight pieces of smaller diameter than the corner pieces which enables them to slide within the corner pieces, thus making each side telescopic. When the frames are expanded the ends of the straight side pieces are held in place within the ends of the corner pieces by locating 5 pins or screws or snap buttons or the like that are inserted into holes in the corner pieces which line up with holes in the straight pieces thereby locking the frame and preventing inadvertent telescoping inwards during use. Each upright is made of rigid durable round tubular material and may be either telescopic: having two pieces of tubing of different diameters with the same locking 10 mechanism as the frame, or is one piece of the tubular material. A fitting is attached to end of the uprights that enables each upright to grip the middle section of the corner pieces of the top and bottom frames thereby holding the frames apart. On the rear, left-hand and right-hand sides of the enclosure two bracing cables are 15 installed diagonally, that is from top left to bottom right and top right to bottom left, each cable incorporating in its length a turnbuckle that can be used to take up slack in the cables thereby rendering the structure resistant to yawing and falling over. The net covering enveloping the frame is made of a flexible non-stretch material which, when the enclosure is erected, tightly covers the frame on the top, bottom and all four 20 sides contributing to the structure's rigidity. The pieces of netting are attached to each other along the seams by suitable fasteners such as cable ties or hog rings or the like and the envelope as a whole is attached permanently with cable ties to the top and bottom frames at each end of the corner pieces. A U-shaped or C-shaped opening is provided on the unbraced side of the enclosure 25 and is large enough to enable a person to enter the enclosure for the purposes of cleaning or placing furniture. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the assembled frame without the netting envelope. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the assembled frame with the netting envelope 30 and zippered entrance. Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the assembled frame without the netting envelope.

4 Figure 4 shows the bracing cable secured to a saddle with a ferrule. Figure 5 shows a plan view of a collapsed inwardly-telescoped frame with the uprights placed diagonally across it. Figure 6 shows the sash cord threaded through the net in preparation for the installation of a zipper. 5 Legend 1 Corner Piece 2 Straight Piece 3 Locking Pin or Screw 4 Zipper head 10 5 Rivet 6 Zipper 14 Saddle 15 Turnbuckle 16 Ferrule 15 17 Upright 18 C-Clip Fitting 19 Cable Tie 20 Hog Ring 21 Bracing Cable 20 22 Netting 23 Portion of Zipper material with holes 24 Hole for retaining pin or screw 25 Sash Cord 27 Top Frame 25 28 Bottom Frame Detailed Description of the Invention The invention will now be described with reference to several embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Both the top frame 27 and bottom frame 28 consist of four elbow-shaped corner pieces 30 1 made from a rigid round tubular material into each end of which fits a straight piece of tubing 2 that is of slightly smaller diameter than the corner piece. Holes 24 are made in 5 each end of both the corner pieces 1 and the straight pieces 2 so that when the frames are expanded to their erected size and the holes are aligned a locking pin or screw 3 is inserted into holes 24 through both pieces thereby preventing the straight pieces 2 from sliding further into the corner pieces 1 while the enclosure is erected. The top frame 27 is slightly smaller than the bottom frame 28 so that when the 5 enclosure is collapsed the top frame fits within the bottom frame making the depth of the collapsed enclosure of minimum size. When the enclosure is erected a plurality of uprights 17 hold the top frame 27 and the bottom frame 28 apart. A coupling in the shape of a "C" 18 is inserted into each end of each upright 17 which then grip the corner pieces 1 of the top frame 27 and bottom 10 frame 28 thereby keeping the frames apart. The upright 17 can be constructed either of a single piece of rigid tubing or of two pieces one of which is of smaller diameter and slides within the other and is secured by a locking pin or screw 3 that is inserted into holes 24 drilled into one end of each piece. Three of the four sides or faces of the enclosure are braced to prevent the erected 15 structure from yawing. The bracing consists of two cables 21 of suitably strong material that are installed diagonally from top left to bottom right and top right to bottom left. Metal saddles 14 are attached to the corner pieces 1 of the frames using rivets 5 and the cable 21 is threaded through them and secured with a ferrule 16 that is crimped onto the cable (Figure 4). Each bracing cable 21 incorporates along its length a 20 turnbuckle 15 secured to the cable with ferrules 16. The turnbuckles 15 are used to take up the slack in the bracing cables 21 thereby keeping the bracing cables 21 taut and preventing the structure from yawing and thereby falling over. The netting envelope (Figure 2) is made of a suitable non-stretch weather-resistant material. It is joined at the seams by fasteners such as cable ties 19 or hog rings 20 or 25 the like to form a cube shape and fits tightly over the frame. It is constructed on the erected frame, not separately from the frame, in order to ensure that the fit is snug and not loose and thereby adds support to the structure. The netting is permanently attached using cable ties 19 to the top frame 27 and bottom frame 28 at each end of each corner piece 1. 30 An opening is provided in the unbraced face of the enclosure by way of a zipper 6 that is flexible and capable of being curved during installation. A length of the zipper 6 material 23 is cut to the required size and a zipper head 4 is installed to one end and small holes are made down each side of the zipper material 23 two centimetres apart and one centimetre from the edge of the material. Thick sash cord 25 similar to that used for the raising and lowering of awnings is used to anchor the zipper to the netting. The sash cord 25 is cut to a length equal to twice the length of the opening required 5 plus twenty centimetres and is then threaded through the netting in the required shape (Figure 6) in two parallel lines leaving one "column" or "row" of netting between the two lines and leaving ten centimetres of each end of the sash cord 25 hanging free. The zipper 23 is then attached to the netting with cable ties 19 that go through the holes in the zipper material 23 and around the sash cord 25. The tails of the cable ties 10 19 are then cut off flush with the heads. The two loose ends of the sash cord 25 are tied together in a double knot and the end of the zipper 23 is installed over the knot. The zipper 23 is then opened to reveal the strands of the free "column" or "row" of netting between the fastenings on each side and these strands are then cut to make the opening. 15 Operation of the Invention In order to erect the enclosure the turnbuckles 15 are first loosened to provide slack in the bracing cables 21. The top frame 27 and bottom frame 28 are then telescoped outwards by sliding the straight pieces 2 out of the corner pieces 1 until the holes drilled in each are aligned, when they are secured by inserting the locking pins or screws 3. 20 While holding up one side of the top frame 27 an upright 17 is inserted between a corner of the top frame 27 and the corresponding corner of the bottom frame 28 then the process is repeated on the other end of the same side. In the same manner the other uprights are inserted into the corners on the opposite side of the enclosure. While manually supporting the structure the turnbuckles 15 are then adjusted to take up 25 the slack in the bracing cables 21. The structure will then be stable and will not fall over under normal conditions and does not require external bracing such as by guy wires. Collapsing the structure consists of loosening the turnbuckles 15 then removing the uprights 17 then removing the locking pins or screws 3 and sliding the straight pieces 2 30 into the corner pieces 1. The invention provides for the first time a cat enclosure that is portable, collapsible, 7 freestanding, strong and durable, large enough for cats to feel comfortable and for ease of ingress by people and small enough when collapsed to be stored easily in the small spaces provided in caravans and motorhomes and the like. 5

Claims (8)

1. An enclosure for the confinement of cats comprising a rectangular bottom frame of round tubular rigid material and a rectangular top frame of round tubular rigid material and between said bottom frame and said top frame there being a 5 plurality of removable perpendicular pylons of round tubular rigid material said pylons fitted with a means of gripping the corners of the said top frame and said bottom frame and thereby holding the said bottom frame and said top frame apart, the whole being enveloped by a flexible and durable netting material on the top and the underneath and all sides. 10

2. An enclosure according to claim 1 wherein the said top frame and the said bottom frame are each comprised a plurality of elbow-shaped corner pieces and a plurality of straight pieces the said straight pieces being of smaller diameter than the said corner pieces enabling the said straight pieces to slide within the said corner pieces such that the said top frame and said bottom frame are 15 telescopic on all sides.

3. An enclosure according to claim 2 wherein the said corner pieces and said straight pieces are held in place relative to each other by a means that prevents the said straight pieces from sliding inwards into the said corner pieces thereby preventing the said top frame and said bottom frame from telescoping inwards. 20

4. An enclosure according to claim 3 wherein the said means for preventing the said straight pieces sliding into the said corner pieces can be removed to allow the telescopic action of the said top frame and bottom frame.

5. An enclosure according to claim 2 wherein the said straight pieces slide fully into the said corner pieces such that said top frame and said bottom frame are 25 reduced to a small size to enable storage in a space of similar dimensions.

6. An enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said netting envelope has an opening on one side of the said enclosure said opening being of a size whereby a person may enter the said enclosure.

7. An enclosure according to claim 1 wherein on each of three sides of the said 30 enclosure, not including the side with the said opening, cables are attached to the said corner pieces of the said top frame and said corner pieces of the said bottom frame in each of two opposing diagonal directions said cables having 3 incorporated into their length a turnbuckle that when closed will cause said cables to shorten and become taut and provide stability to the said enclosure and brace the said enclosure against collapse.

8. An enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 7 substantially as hereinbefore 5 described with reference to the figures. Dated this nineteenth day of July 2009.