Reptile cage liner
OwnerDaniel David Sutherlandinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reptile cage liner is formed as a blank having selective cuts and creases to reduce section modulus to provide a stiff but foldable wall (flap) on each side of a rectangular floor. Flaps fold or bend preferentially along creases to form the liner. Residual stiffness of creases urges edges of the flaps to seal by contacting walls of a cage tray. Corner, funnel tabs tilt downward and extend laterally from each side flap across a corner gap to prevent escape of bedding, food, or other debris into corners or behind the liner. Liners may be easily replaceable and disposable.
Claims20
A method of bedding reptiles, comprising:
- providing a plurality of containers configured as trays closed on five sides;
- providing a rack for holding multiple trays and providing a closure for the top opening of the trays;
- providing a liner for each tray, wherein the liner comprises a floor, end flaps opposite one another, side flaps opposite one another and disposed to extend orthogonally with respect to and between the end flaps;
- inserting the liner in a respective tray;
- and
- releasing the liner to contact at an upper edge of each flap thereof a corresponding container wall in the tray.
An apparatus comprising:
- a habitat for a reptile comprising a rack having vertical supports and lateral supports;
- trays fitted to selectively insert and remove between the lateral supports as stabilizers for the trays against vertical movement;
- a ceiling positioned between the lateral supports and an open top of the tray to secure the tray against escape of an animal contained in the tray;
- and
- a liner configured from a single piece of flat, planar material provided with relief cuts and lines of reduced section modulus defining and separating end flaps, side flaps, and tabs, wherein the liner is foldable along the lines reduced to fit into a bottom portion of the tray, with the structural properties of the liner urging an upper edge of each end flap and side flap against a corresponding wall of the tray.
An apparatus comprising:
- a floor constituted by two parallel layers of a solid material separated by a spacer secured therebetween;
- end flaps extending continuously and contiguously from the floor and formed as extensions thereof;
- side flaps formed as extensions of the floor and extending orthogonally with respect to the end flaps;
- tabs extending from one of the side flaps and the end flaps to effect closure of a gap remaining between each end wall and each side wall adjacent thereto in a deployed configuration, and
- the side flaps and end walls extending simultaneously outward and upward away from the floor, and to close a space by a contacting closure between an upper edge of each of the side flaps and end flaps and corresponding boundaries of a space to be lined by the apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.