Portable pet playpen

Abstract

A portable pet playpen 1 for small animals comprising: a base 3 comprising a planar base panel 7, and a peripheral wall assembly 5 which when expanded to be upstanding from the base panel, defines a p

Description

Field This disclosure relates, in one aspect, to a portable pet playpen, particularly but not exclusively to a portable pet playpen for small animals, such as mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, guinea pigs, rabbits and the like. Background Various portable pet playpens have previously been proposed. A typical example is disclosed in US Patent Application No. 2004 / 0139924. This document discloses an animal pen that is for outdoor or indoor use, and is for animals such as dogs. In one arrangement the pen comprises a base that doubles as a bag for the pen, and a plurality of mesh panels that clip together to form a pen wall that - when assembled - defines a space for receiving an animal. The pen wall can be mounted on the base and coupled thereto by means of a plurality of hooks that are each coupled to the base by a cord. It is often the case that a child's first pet is a small mammal, and it is good for the child to interact with the animal, and for the animal to interact with the child. A pen of the type disclosed in the aforementioned US application would be less well suited to use with small mammals, as the holes in the mesh wall are of such a size that they could potentially allow the animal to escape. It is also the case that as the walls of the pen are relatively high, smaller children may struggle to get into and out of the pen, lessening the likelihood of them using it to play with their pet. Another issue is that small children may struggle to clip together the panels of the pen wall, and hence may well require adult assistance - which assistance may not necessarily be immediately forthcoming. Lastly, as the panels are relatively large, it may well be difficult for a child to clip the panels together whilst upright, as the panels may tend to fall over. Aspects of this disclosure have been devised with the foregoing in mind. Summary In one presently preferred implementation of the teachings of this disclosure there is provided a portable pet playpen for small animals, the portable pet playpen comprising: a base comprising a planar base panel, and a peripheral wall assembly locatable on said base so as to be upstanding from said base panel, said peripheral wall assembly being expandable from a collapsed storage configuration to a playtime configuration where the expanded peripheral wall assembly cooperates with the base panel to define a play area for a small animal; wherein said peripheral wall assembly comprises: first and second end panels, a first sidewall assembly connecting proximal regions of the first and second end panels, and a second sidewall assembly connecting distal regions of the first and second end panels, wherein: (i) each said sidewall assembly comprises a plurality of subpanels; (ii) each said subpanel is pivotally coupled to at least one adjacent subpanel, and (iii) the pivotally coupled sidewall subpanels are arranged in a z-fold configuration so that moving the end panels apart causes the peripheral wall assembly to expand from said storage configuration to said playtime configuration. An advantage of this arrangement is that the playpen is readily portable, and can readily be assembled by a child - potentially without adult assistance. In a preferred arrangement, said first and second sidewall assemblies each comprise an even number of subpanels. The first and second sidewall assemblies may each comprise the same even number of subpanels. In one implementation, each of said first and second end panels has a length L, and each said subpanel has a length of less than or equal to L / 2. The playpen may comprise a pivot assembly for pivotally coupling a said subpanel to an adjacent subpanel. The pivot assembly may comprise a first socket for accommodating an end portion of one said subpanel, a second socket for accommodating an end portion of an adjacent subpanel, and at least one pivot coupling the first and second sockets together so that said sockets can pivot relative to one another. Walls of said first and second sockets may define slot-like recesses that are rectangular in longitudinal cross-section. The slot-like recesses may each be sized to closely accommodate respective end portions of two adjacent subpanels. Fixings (e.g. screws or barbed pins) may be insertable through the socket walls and into subpanels accommodated therein to retain the subpanels in the pivot assembly. In one implementation, the pivot assembly is configured to limit the extent to which one said socket can be pivoted relative to the other. For example, the sockets could be configured to be pivoted between: (i) a first position where an angle between the sockets is approximately 0 degrees, the sockets lie adjacent to one another with major faces abutting, and the sockets open in the same general direction, and (ii) a second position where the angle between the sockets is approximately 180 degrees, and the sockets open in generally opposite directions. In one implementation, the sockets may be aligned along an axial line when said sockets are in said second position, and said at least one pivot may be offset from said axial line. In said second position rear faces of the sockets may abut against one another to resist further pivoting. In one envisaged arrangement at least one said sidewall may comprise a plurality of linearly arranged subpanels that have been wrapped in a wrap comprised of a flexible material (e.g. a plastics material (such as PVC) or a rubber material), so that the wrap between adjacent subpanels forms a living hinge. In one arrangement, the base may comprise an upstand extending away from a peripheral region of the planar base panel to define an open-ended cavity between the upstand and the base panel. The peripheral wall assembly may extend beyond the upstand in a direction away from the planar base panel when the peripheral wall assembly is located on said base so as to be upstanding from said base panel. The portable pet playpen may comprise one or more two-part fasteners for coupling the base to the peripheral wall assembly, a first part of said two-part fastener being provided on the base and a second part of said two-part fastener being provided on said peripheral wall assembly. In one arrangement there is provided a plurality of two-part fasteners distributed about said base and peripheral wall assembly so that respective parts of said fasteners can be connected to one another to couple the base to the peripheral wall assembly when the peripheral wall assembly has been expanded from said storage configuration to said playtime configuration. In one configuration, first parts of the fasteners may be coupled to and distributed around said upstand, and second parts of the fasteners may be coupled to and distributed around said peripheral wall assembly, the first and second parts of the fasteners being engageable with one another to couple the peripheral wall assembly to the base. It is envisaged that the portable pet playpen may further comprise a storage bag / carrycase for receiving the peripheral wall assembly and said base once the peripheral wall assembly has been placed in the collapsed storage configuration and the base has been folded- or rolled- up. Other advantages and aspects of the heat transfer system disclosed herein will be apparent from the detailed description provided below. Brief Description of the Drawings The teachings of this disclosure, and arrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a disassembled portable pet playpen with a peripheral wall assembly in a collapsed storage configuration; Figs. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an assembled portable pet playpen with a peripheral wall assembly in a playtime configuration; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a pivot assembly; Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views of a pivot assembly in one orientation; Figs. 6 and 7 are plan views of a pivot assembly in another orientation; Figs. 8 to 11 are schematic representations of the steps in an assembly process for the portable pet playpen; Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of the disassembled portable pet playpen of Fig. 1 with a carrycase; and Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view of another differently configured disassembled portable pet playpen with a carrycase. Detailed Description Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a disassembled portable pet playpen 1 that embodies the teachings of this disclosure. The portable pet playpen 1 comprises a base 3 and a peripheral wall assembly 5. The peripheral wall assembly 5 is shown in Fig. 1 in a collapsed storage configuration. The base 3, in contrast, has been unfolded (unfurled, unrolled or otherwise expanded) and laid out on the floor ready for the assembly of the portable pet playpen. The base 3 comprises a base panel 7, and a peripheral upstand 9 that extends from a peripheral region of the base panel 7 in a direction away from the base panel 7, i.e. upwardly when the portable pet playpen is in use. In this particular implementation of the teachings of this disclosure, the upstand 9 extends around the entire periphery of the base panel 7. In other implementations the upstand may be omitted, or may extend around only a part of the periphery of the base panel 7. Referring additionally to Fig. 2, in an envisaged implementation a plurality of two-part fasteners 11 are provided for coupling the base to the peripheral wall assembly when the portable pet playpen has been assembled. Each two-part fastener 11 comprises a first part carried by one of the base and the peripheral wall assembly, and a second part carried by the other of the base and the peripheral wall assembly. The fasteners may be provided at distributed locations about the periphery of the base and the peripheral wall assembly, which locations are - at least generally - aligned when the portable pet playpen has been assembled. In the illustrative implementation shown in Fig. 1, the base is provided with a plurality of tabs 13 that project from the upstand 9, and each tab carries a part of one two-part fastener, the other part being provided on the peripheral wall assembly. In one convenient arrangement the fasteners may comprise so-called snap fasteners, press studs or pop fasteners. In other arrangements each tab may comprise a buttonhole that a button on the peripheral wall assembly can be pushed through; or one part of a two-part mechanical hook-and-loop fastener such as Velcro™, the other part being carried by the peripheral wall assembly. A variety of other arrangements will be apparent to persons of skill in the art, such as a loop (for example, an elastic loop or so-called bungie) carried by one of the base and the peripheral wall assembly that can be engaged with a hook, peg or other retainer carried by the other. Referring again to Fig. 2, the peripheral wall assembly comprises first and second end walls 17, 19 that each have a proximal end region 17(i), 19(i), a distal end region 17(ii), 19(ii), and a length L. A first sidewall assembly 21 extends between and connects proximal end regions 17(i), 19(i) of the first and second end walls 17, 19, and a second sidewall assembly 23 extends between and connects distal end regions 17(ii), 19(lii) of the first and second end walls 17, 19. The first and second sidewall assemblies 21, 23 each comprise a plurality of subpanels 25. In an envisaged arrangement, the first and second sidewall assemblies each comprise an even number of subpanels 25, for example the same even number of subpanels. In the particular example illustrated, the sidewall assemblies each comprise four subpanels, but it will be appreciated that a larger or smaller even number of subpanels may instead be provided if desired. In the example depicted the subpanels are all substantially the same size, but other arrangements (where the subpanels might not necessarily be the same size) are envisaged. Each subpanel of the sidewall assembly has a length of less than or equal to L / 2, and is pivotally coupled to at least one adjacent subpanel - in one particular implementation by means of a pivot assembly 27 that is later described herein. The pivotally coupled sidewall subpanels of each sidewall assembly are arranged in a z-fold configuration (otherwise known as a concertina fold, or accordion fold configuration) so that the side wall assemblies can be expanded from a collapsed storage configuration (as shown in Fig. 1) where the subpanels lie adjacent to one another in a stack or pile with major faces abutting, to an expanded configuration (as shown in Fig. 2) where the subpanels are arranged generally lineally end-to-end in a line. As shown in Fig. 2, with the sidewall assemblies in their respective expanded assemblies, the expanded peripheral wall assembly is in a playtime configuration in which the peripheral wall assembly cooperates with the base panel to define a play area 29 for a small animal. As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art, as the first and second sidewall assemblies are coupled to distal and proximal regions, respectively, of the first and second end walls; moving the end walls apart tends to cause the peripheral wall assembly to expand from the storage configuration (shown in Fig. 1) to a playtime configuration (shown in Fig. 2) where the expanded peripheral wall assembly cooperates with the base panel to define the play area 29 for a small animal. In one envisaged implementation of the teachings of this disclosure, adjacent subpanels of each sidewall assembly are coupled together by means of a pivot assembly 27 of the type depicted in Fig. 3. The pivot assembly 27 comprises a first slot-like socket 31 that is pivotally coupled by a pair of pivots 33 to a second slot-like socket 35. The sockets 31, 35 are rectangular in longitudinal cross-section, and are sized to closely accommodate respective end portions of two adjacent subpanels 25. Once the subpanels have been slid into the respective sockets of the pivot assembly 27, fixings 37 (e.g. screws or barbed pins for example) are inserted through the socket walls and into the subpanels to retain the subpanels in the pivot assembly 27. Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the first and second sockets 31, 33 are coupled together by pivots 35 that are offset from an axial line 38 along which the sockets are arranged when the pivot assembly has been opened to its’ fullest extent. The effect of this, as shown in Fig 5, is to limit the extent to which the sockets can be pivoted from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5, as rear faces of the sockets abut against one another to prevent further pivoting once one socket has been pivoted through 180 degrees relative to the other. As a consequence of this arrangement, the sockets can be moved between a position where the angle between them is approximately 0 degrees and the sockets lie adjacent to one another with major faces abutting and the sockets opening in the same general direction, and a position where the sockets lie along the aforementioned axial line 38, the angle between them is approximately 180 degrees (as shown in Fig. 5), and the sockets open in opposite directions. Figs. 4 and 5 depict a pivotal connection of one aforementioned z-folded sidewall assembly where the pivotal connection is furthest from the other sidewall assembly when the peripheral wall assembly is in the collapsed configuration depicted in Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 depict an oppositely orientated (but otherwise identical) pivotal connection of one aforementioned z-folded sidewall assembly where the pivotal connection is closest to the other sidewall assembly when the peripheral wall assembly is in the collapsed configuration depicted in Fig. 1. The sidewall assemblies of Figs. 1 and 2 each have two pivotal connections of the type depicted in Figs. 6 and 7, and one of the type depicted in Figs. 4 and 5. As a minimum, each sidewall assembly will have at least one of the pivotal connections depicted in Figs. 6 and 7. An advantage of the aforementioned pivotal connections is that they are sufficiently substantial and robust to impart a degree of rigidity to the sidewall assemblies, which helps keep the sidewalls upright and stop them from falling over whilst the portable pet playpen is being assembled. Furthermore, as the sockets cannot be pivoted through more than 180 degrees relative to one another, stability of the sidewall assemblies is enhanced. As will be appreciated, the pivotal connections can be configured so that the angle between the first and second sockets is less than 180 degrees. For example, the pivotal connections can be used to couple the sidewall assemblies to the end walls, and in this instance the sockets are at approximately 90 degrees to one another. As shown in Fig. 1, the upstand 9 co-operates with the base panel 7 to provide an open-ended cavity 15 (or recess). As shown in Fig. 8, in a first step of the assembly process, the peripheral wall assembly 5 is located on the base and received in the cavity 15 so as to be generally upstanding from the base panel 7. The peripheral wall assembly, when so located, extends beyond the upstand 9 in a direction away from the base panel 7, in one implementation from 20cm to 60cm beyond the upstand. To facilitate the assembly process, once the peripheral wall assembly has been located in the open-ended cavity 15 it is preferred - but not essential - for an end wall of the peripheral wall assembly to be coupled to the base by means of the fasteners so that the fastened end wall is restrained from movement when the other end wall is pulled to expand the peripheral wall assembly. Once the collapsed peripheral wall assembly has been located on the base, the next step in the assembly process - as depicted in Fig. 9 - is to pull one end panel of the peripheral wall assembly away from the other to cause the z-folded sidewall assemblies to unfold. This step of the assembly process is continued, as shown in Fig. 10, until the subpanels 25 of the sidewall assemblies are generally linearly arranged as shown in Fig. 11, whereupon the remaining fasteners can be engaged to securely couple the peripheral wall assembly to the base. As will be appreciated by persons of skill in the art, the pet playpen herein disclosed is eminently portable and can easily be assembled and disassembled as required to provide a safe and secure space for a child, for example, to interact with their pet. Advantageously, the portable pet playpen can readily be assembled by younger children with little adult assistance. In a preferred implementation of the teachings of this disclosure, the portable pet playpen of Fig. 1 is provided with a carrycase 39, shown in Fig. 12, in which the collapsed peripheral wall assembly and folded-up base can be stored. In the particular arrangements shown in Figs. 1 to 12, the portable pet playpen has a generally rectangular footprint. In another envisaged arrangement, shown schematically in Fig. 13, the base and peripheral wall assembly may be configured so that the assembled portable pet playpen has a generally square footprint. In this instance, a carrycase 41 may also be provided. It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, whilst in the particular example shown in Fig. 1 the fasteners are spaced - at least roughly equidistantly from one another - around the entire periphery of the base, other arrangements are envisaged. For example, it might not be necessary to provide fasteners on the sidewalls of the peripheral wall assembly, and / or on both end walls of the peripheral wall assembly. It is also envisaged for the peripheral wall assembly to be permanently attached to the base at one end wall. In addition, whilst it is preferred for subpanels to be coupled together by pivot assemblies of the type described, it is envisaged that the subpanels could be otherwise pivotally coupled. For example, a linearly arranged plurality of subpanels could be wrapped in a plastics material (such as PVC) or a rubber material, so that the wrap between subpanels forms a living hinge. It is also the case that whilst it is preferred for the subpanels of the sidewall assemblies to be solid so that the sidewall assembly as a whole is solid, it is anticipated that the subpanels could instead comprise mesh panels, the size of the mesh being chosen to keep an animal within the playpen. It should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set out particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular combinations hereafter claimed, but instead extends to encompass any combination of features herein disclosed. Finally, it should be noted that any element in a claim that does not explicitly state "means for" performing a specified function, or "steps for" performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a "means" or "step" clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6. In particular, the use of "step of' in the claims appended hereto is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6.

Claims

1. A portable pet playpen for small animals, the portable pet playpen comprising:a base comprising a planar base panel, anda peripheral wall assembly locatable on said base so as to be upstanding from said base panel, said peripheral wall assembly being expandable from a collapsed storage configuration to a playtime configuration where the expanded peripheral wall assembly cooperates with the base panel to define a play area for a small animal;wherein said peripheral wall assembly comprises: first and second end panels, a first sidewall assembly connecting proximal regions of the first and second end panels, and a second sidewall assembly connecting distal regions of the first and second end panels, wherein: (i) each said sidewall assembly comprises a plurality of subpanels; (ii) each said subpanel is pivotally coupled to at least one adjacent subpanel, and (iii) the pivotally coupled sidewall subpanels are arranged in a z-fold configuration so that moving the end panels apart causes the peripheral wall assembly to expand from said storage configuration to said playtime configuration.

2. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 1, wherein said first and second sidewall assemblies each comprise an even number of subpanels.

3. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said first and second sidewall assemblies each comprise the same even number of subpanels.

4. A portable pet playpen according to any preceding claim, wherein each of said first and second end panels has a length L, and each said subpanel has a length of less than or equal to L / 2.

5. A portable pet playpen according to any preceding claim, comprising a pivot assembly for pivotally coupling a said subpanel to an adjacent subpanel.

6. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 5, wherein said pivot assembly comprises a first socket for accommodating an end portion of one said subpanel, a second socket for accommodating an end portion of an adjacent subpanel, and at least one pivot coupling the first and second sockets together so that said sockets can pivot relative to one another.

7. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 6, wherein walls of said first and second sockets define slot-like recesses that are rectangular in longitudinal cross-section.

8. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 7, wherein said slot-like recesses are each sized to closely accommodate respective end portions of two adjacent subpanels.

9. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 8, further comprising fixings (e.g. screws or barbed pins) insertable through the socket walls and into subpanels accommodated therein to retain the subpanels in the pivot assembly.

10. A portable pet playpen according to any of Claims 6 to 9, wherein said pivot assembly is configured to limit the extent to which one said socket can be pivoted relative to the other.

11. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 10, wherein said sockets can be pivoted between:(i) a first position where an angle between the sockets is approximately 0 degrees, the sockets lie adjacent to one another with major faces abutting, and the sockets open in the same general direction, and(ii) a second position where the angle between the sockets is approximately 180 degrees, and the sockets open in generally opposite directions.

12. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 11, wherein said sockets are aligned along an axial line when said sockets are in said second position, and said at least one pivot is offset from said axial line.

13. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 12, wherein in said second position rear faces of the sockets abut against one another to resist further pivoting.

14. A portable pet playpen according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one said sidewall comprises a plurality of linearly arranged subpanels that have been wrapped in a wrap comprised of a flexible material (e.g. a plastics material (such as PVC) or a rubber material), so that the wrap between adjacent subpanels forms a living hinge.

15. A portable pet playpen according to any preceding claim, wherein said base comprises an upstand extending away from a peripheral region of the planar base panelto define an open-ended cavity between the upstand and the base panel.

16. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 15, wherein said peripheral wall assembly extends beyond the upstand in a direction away from the planar base panel when the peripheral wall assembly is located on said base so as to be upstanding from said base panel.

17. A portable pet playpen according to any preceding claim, further comprising one or more two-part fasteners for coupling the base to the peripheral wall assembly, a first part of said two-part fastener being provided on the base and a second part of said two-part fastener being provided on said peripheral wall assembly.

18. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 17, comprising a plurality of two-part fasteners distributed about said base and peripheral wall assembly so that respective parts of said fasteners can be connected to one another to couple the base to the peripheral wall assembly when the peripheral wall assembly has been expanded from said storage configuration to said playtime configuration.

19. A portable pet playpen according to Claim 18 when dependent on Claim 15 or 16, wherein first parts of the fasteners are coupled to and distributed around said upstand, and second parts of the fasteners are coupled to and distributed around said peripheral wall assembly, the first and second parts of the fasteners being engageable with one another to couple the peripheral wall assembly to the base.

20. A portable pet playpen according to any preceding claim, further comprising a storage bag for receiving the peripheral wall assembly and said base once the peripheral wall assembly has been placed in the collapsed storage configuration and the base has been folded- or rolled- up.

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