Expandable pet cage and method
OwnerMark A. Rutmaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An expandable pet cage for animals, and a method for house-training pets of various sizes comprises two complimentary compartments that are in telescopic relation to each other, thereby providing an adjustable composite volume to house a pet. The adjustable composite volume facilitates using the natural instincts of the pet to resist excreting in the volume of the confinement, thus resulting in house-training the pet. The adjustable volume also can be relied on to hold an animal securely and safely during transporting, and provides an efficient enclosure for drying a pet after grooming. Also, the adjustable composite volume provides the pet owner with the convenience of only having to purchase one cage even if dogs of various sizes are to utilize the cage at different times and for different purposes.
Claims24
An expandable pet cage, comprising:
- first and second movable compartments;
- each of said compartments having an open end and a closed or closeable end;
- said compartments always being positioned in telescoping relation with one another providing a composite volume including both of said open ends;
- and
- a separate substantially liquid-tight sealing member located between said compartments at the bottom thereof.
An expandable pet cage, comprising:
- first and second compartments;
- each of said compartments having an open end and a closed or closeable end;
- said compartments being positioned in telescoping relation providing a composite volume including both of said open ends;
- a slide interconnect between plural compartments to permit relative sliding movement to telescope the compartments to change the size of the interior of the cage;
- and
- a substantially liquid-tight seal between said compartments at the bottom thereof, said seal comprising a seal member of elastomeric material attached to a wall of one of the compartments and positioned to wipe against a wall of the other compartment.
An expandable pet cage, comprising:
- first and second movable compartments;
- each of said compartments having an open end and a closed or closeable end;
- said compartments always being positioned in telescoping relation with one another providing a composite volume including both of said open ends;
- a slide interconnect between said compartments, and along which one of said compartments can slide relative to the other of said compartments to modify the size of said composite volume, said slide interconnect being located between the top and bottom of said compartments, and including portions integral with the sides of said compartments;
- and
- a separate substantially liquid-tight sealing member located between said compartments at the bottom thereof, said substantially liquid-tight seal being maintained during sliding of one of said compartments.
An expandable pet cage, comprising:
- first and second compartments;
- each of said compartments having an open end and a closed or closeable end;
- said compartments being positioned in telescoping relation providing a composite volume including both of said open ends;
- and
- a slide interconnect between said compartments, and along which one of said compartments can slide relative to the other of said compartments to modify the size of said composite volume, said slide interconnect being located between the top and bottom of said compartments, and including portions integral with the sides of said compartments, and including interengageable saw like teeth on respective compartments.
A method of house-training a pet, comprising the steps of:
- placing the pet in a size-adjustable cage which includes a pair of relatively movable compartments, each having an open end and a closed end, whereby the compartments are always in telescoping relation with one another;
- and
- adjusting the size of said cage while maintaining the telescoping relation to confine the pet to a volume that does not permit bodily excretion at a separate area, thereby using the natural instinct of said pet to resist excreting in the volume of said confinement.
A method of confining a pet for travel safety, comprising the steps of:
- placing a pet in a size-adjustable cage, said cage including:
- first and second compartments, each of said compartments movable having an open end and a closed or closable end, said compartments always being positioned in telescoping relation with one another providing a composite volume including both of said open ends, a slide interconnect between said compartments, and along which one of said compartments can slide relative to the other of said compartments to modify the size of said composite volume, said slide interconnect being located between the top and bottom of said compartments, and including portions integral with the sides of said compartments, and a separate substantially liquid-tight sealing member located between said compartments at the bottom thereof, said substantially liquid-tight seal being maintained during sliding of one of said compartments;
- and
- adjusting the size of the cage to limit undesirable movement of the pet therein, whereby said cage provides support to avoid accidental injury from jostling of the pet in the cage during transporting of the cage and the animal.
A method of grooming a pet, comprising the steps of:
- placing a pet in a size-adjustable cage which includes a pair of relatively movable compartments, each having an open end and a closed end, whereby the compartments are always in telescoping relation with one another;
- and
- adjusting the size of said cage while maintaining the telescoping relation to accommodate the pet for a drying part of the grooming procedure, wherein said adjusting further includes substantially minimizing the size of the cage to optimize drying efficiency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.