Tower furniture for companion animals

Abstract

To provide tower furniture for companion animals that can be installed with less labor.SOLUTION: The indoor tower furniture for companion animals includes: a post formed by vertically connecting a plurality of post members; and a top plate 50 that is height-adjustable and provided at an upper end of an uppermost post member 25. The tower furniture further includes: a screw-through fitting 61 provided at the upper end of the uppermost post member 25; an adjust fitting 62 provided on a lower surface of the top plate 50; a long screw 63 having an upper end screwed into the adjust fitting 62 and a lower end inserted through the screw-through fitting 61; a first nut 64 screwed onto an upper part of the long screw 63 and capable of pressing the adjust fitting 62 side; and a second nut 66 screwed onto a lower part of the long screw 63 and capable of pressing the upper end side of the uppermost post member 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 23

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to tower furniture for pets, and particularly to a ceiling suspension structure such as a cat tower.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a cat tower that allows a pet cat, which is prone to lack of exercise, to climb trees and play indoors. This cat tower includes a column formed by vertically connecting a plurality of column members while sandwiching a table or the like, and pedestals and a top plate provided at the lower and upper ends of the column, and can be vertically installed between the floor and the ceiling. The top plate is provided so that its height can be adjusted with respect to the uppermost column member. When installing the cat tower, after assembling the cat tower, it is vertically stood on the floor with the height of the top plate slightly lowered, and then the height of the top plate is adjusted and pressed against the ceiling and installed in a locked state.

[0003] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the height adjustment structure (ceiling lock structure) of the top plate 1 of the conventional cat tower will be described. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the upper part of the cat tower installed between the floor and the ceiling 15, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the uppermost column member in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the top plate height adjustment portion. In FIGS. 1 to 3, a cylindrical lid member 3 made of plastic is fitted to the upper end portion of the upper column member 2, and a nut 4 as a female screw fitting is embedded on the lower surface side of the through hole 3a in the center of the lid member 3. A wooden disk-shaped upper end plate 5 is placed on the column member 2. A non-threaded hole 5a is formed in the center of the upper end plate 5, and the non-threaded hole 5a, the hole 3a of the lid member 3, and the nut 4 are arranged coaxially.

[0004] The top plate 1 is made of wood, and an adjustment fitting 7 as a female screw fitting projects downward and is mounted at the center of the lower surface of the top plate 1. The adjustment fitting 7 is a bottomed fitting with a female screw. The upper end of a long screw 8 is screwed into the adjustment fitting 7. Two first nuts 10 are screwed onto the upper part of the long screw 8 so as to press the adjustment fitting 7 with a washer 9 interposed therebetween. The lower end of the long screw 8 is screwed into a nut 4 through a non-threaded hole 5a of the upper end plate 5 and a hole 3a of the lid member 3. Two second nuts 12 are screwed onto the lower part of the long screw 8 so as to press the upper end plate 5 downward with a washer 11 interposed therebetween. The reaction force received from the upper end plate 5 is transmitted to the top plate 1 through the long screw 8, and the top plate 1 is pressed against the ceiling 15 and locked.

[0005] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 11 and FIG. 1, a conventional top plate height adjustment method will be described. First, two first nuts 10 are screwed onto the upper part of the long screw 8 with a washer 9 interposed therebetween, and two second nuts 12 are screwed onto the lower part of the long screw 8 with a washer 11 interposed therebetween, and the lower side is inserted into the non-threaded hole 5a of the upper end plate 5 (FIG. 4(1)). Then, the upper end of the long screw 8 is screwed into the adjustment fitting 7 of the top plate 1, and the two first nuts 10 are turned with a wrench to strongly press the adjustment fitting 7, integrating the top plate 1 and the top plate height adjustment portion (FIGS. 4(2) and (3)).

[0006] Next, the lower end of the long screw 8 attached to the top plate 1 is inserted into the hole 3a of the lid member 3 of the uppermost column member 2 of the cat tower (at this time, the upper end plate 5 contacts the upper end surface of the column member 2 by descending along the long screw 8), and while rotating the top plate 1 and the long screw 8 integrally around the axis, the lower part of the long screw 8 is screwed into the nut 4 (FIGS. 5 and 6). As a result, the top plate 1 is supported by the column member 2. The top plate 1 is rotated a number of times in the downward direction so that the nut 12 comes close to the upper end plate 5 (FIG. 7). Once, try to vertically stand the cat tower on the floor. If the distance between the top plate 1 and the upper end of the uppermost column member 2 is too large and the top plate 1 is likely to hit the ceiling 15, turn the two second nuts 12 to move the long screw 8 upward (FIG. 8), and then turn the top plate 1 in the same direction as before to lower it (FIG. 9). Conversely, if the distance between the top plate 1 and the upper end of the column member 2 is too small, turn the top plate 1 counterclockwise to raise it.

[0007] In this way, when the appropriate height at which the top plate 1 does not hit the ceiling 15 is set, the cat tower is set vertically on the floor, placed on a step ladder, and the top plate 1 is turned many times in the reverse direction to raise the top plate 1 (Fig. 10). Then, when the top plate 1 comes into contact with the ceiling 15 (Fig. 11), the second nut 12 is turned with a wrench to tighten it to the upper end plate 5, and the first nut 10 is also tightened to the adjusting fitting 7. The reaction force received from the upper end plate 5 is transmitted to the top plate 1 via the long screw 8, and the top plate 1 is pressed against the ceiling 15 and locked (Fig. 1).

[0008] However, in the structure of the conventional top plate height adjusting portion described above, when the top plate 1 is supported by the column member 2 in advance, or after the cat tower is set upright on the floor and placed on a step ladder to adjust the height of the top plate 1, the top plate 1 with a long screw and the second nut 12 have to be rotated many times, which is a troublesome operation that takes time and effort. Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a tower furniture for pets that does not require much labor during installation. Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In the invention described in claim 1 An indoor tower furniture for pets, comprising a column formed by connecting a plurality of column members vertically, and a height-adjustable top plate supported by the uppermost column member, A screwless hole portion provided at the upper end portion of the uppermost column member, A female screw fitting provided on the lower surface of the top plate, A long screw having an upper end screwed into the female screw fitting and a lower end inserted through the screwless hole portion, A first nut screwed onto the upper portion of the long screw and capable of pressing the female screw fitting side or the lower surface side of the top plate, A second nut screwed onto the lower portion of the long screw and capable of pressing the upper end side of the uppermost column member, It is characterized by comprising In the invention according to claim 2, An upper end plate is placed on the upper side of the uppermost column member, A screwless hole portion through which the lower part of a long screw is inserted is provided in the upper end plate, The upper end side of the uppermost column member can be pressed via the upper end plate by a second nut screwed onto the long screw above the upper end plate, which is characterized by In the invention according to claim 3, One or a plurality of groove portions are provided on the circumferential surface of the second nut for inserting a minus driver and enabling rotation around the axis, which is characterized by In the invention according to claim 4, A pedestal is attached to the lower side of the lowermost column member, An anti-vibration gel member is provided on the lower surface of the pedestal and the upper surface of the top plate, which is characterized by

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, when installing the tower furniture for pets between the floor and the ceiling, for example, the upper end portion of a long screw with a first nut screwed onto the upper part and a second nut screwed onto the lower part in advance is screwed into the female screw fitting on the lower surface of the top plate to integrate the top plate and the long screw. The lower part of the long screw with the top plate is directly inserted into the screwless hole portion provided at the upper end portion of the uppermost column member without turning. After standing the tower furniture vertically, place it on a stepladder and pull it straight up from the uppermost column member together with the long screw without rotating the top plate around the axis. When the top plate abuts against the ceiling, turn the second nut to press the upper end side of the uppermost column member, and the top plate can be easily locked to the ceiling. Therefore, for adjusting the height of the top plate, it is not necessary to turn the top plate and the long screw many times, and the installation work can be easily carried out in a short time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, the best mode of the present invention will be described based on examples.

Example 1

[0014] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 25. FIG. 12 is an external view of a cat tower according to an example of the present invention, FIGS. 13 to 15 are explanatory diagrams of the assembly method of the lower part of the cat tower, FIG. 16 is an exploded view of the top plate height adjustment part in FIG. 12, FIGS. 17 to 19 are explanatory diagrams of the assembly method of the upper part of the cat tower, and FIGS. 20 to 25 are explanatory diagrams of the top plate height adjustment method. In this example, an example in which the upper end plate 5 of FIG. 1 is omitted will be described. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 20 denotes a cat tower installed indoors so that a cat can climb and play indoors. This cat tower 20 is formed by linearly connecting five cylindrical support members 21 to 25 vertically while sandwiching teardrop-shaped tables 26 to 28 and a spaceship hammock plate 29 with a hemispherical transparent capsule therebetween, a support column 30, a square pedestal 40 attached to the lower end of the lowermost support member 21 of the support column 30, a top plate 50 provided on the upper end side of the uppermost support member 25 of the support column 30, and a top plate height adjustment portion 51 provided between the support member 25 and the top plate 50.

[0015] Referring to FIGS. 13 to 15, the structure and assembly method of the lower part of the support column 30 will be described. Cylindrical support members 21, 22, 23, 24 have low-height cylindrical lid members 31, 32 made of plastic fitted to their upper and lower ends, and female screw fittings 33, 34 made of nuts are attached to the back sides of holes 31a, 32a formed in the centers of the lid members 31, 32. As shown in FIG. 16, the uppermost cylindrical support member 25 has a high-height cylindrical lid member 60 made of plastic fitted to its upper end and a low-height cylindrical lid member 34 made of plastic fitted to its lower end, and a long cylindrical screw-through fitting 61 as a non-threaded hole portion is attached to the center of the upper lid member 60. After a bolt 43 is inserted through a washer 42 from below into a central hole 41 of the square pedestal 40, the male thread of the bolt 43 is screwed into the female screw fitting 34, whereby the pedestal 40 is fixed to the lower end of the lowermost support member 21 (see FIGS. 13 and 14).

[0016] After screwing the lower part of a short screw 80 into the female screw fitting 33 of the lid member 31 at the upper end of the support member 21, the short screw 80 is passed through a hole 26a formed near one end of the table 26 from above. By screwing the female screw fitting 34 of the lid member 32 at the lower end of the second-stage support member 22 onto the upper part of the short screw 80 exposed above, the support members 21 and 22 are linearly connected with the table 26 sandwiched therebetween (see FIGS. 14 and 15). Similarly, on the support member 22 as well, the support members 23, 24, 25 are connected while sandwiching the tables 27, 28 and the spaceship hammock plate 29, thereby forming a long linear support column 30 (see FIG. 12).

[0017] The top plate 50 is made of wood, and at the center of the lower surface of the top plate 50, an adjustment fitting 62 as a female screw fitting projects downward and is mounted. The adjustment fitting 62 is a bottomed fitting with a female screw. The top plate 50 can be adjusted in height with respect to the support member 25 by a top plate height adjustment portion 51 provided between the top plate 50 and the uppermost support member 25. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the top plate height adjustment portion 51 includes a long screw 63, two first nuts 64, 64 mounted on the upper part of the long screw 63, a spring washer 65, a large-diameter second nut 66 and a spring washer 67, and a washer 68 mounted on the lower part of the long screw 63. The second nut 66 is composed of a metal member on the inner side and a plastic member that can be grasped by hand on the outer side, and vertical groove portions 66a are formed at three locations on the circumferential side at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. By inserting a minus driver into this groove portion 66a, the second nut 66 can be rotated around the axis.

[0018] The upper part of the long screw 63 can be screwed into the adjustment fitting 62 of the top plate 50, while the lower part of the long screw 63 can be inserted into the non-threaded through hole 61a of the screw-through fitting 61 mounted on the lid member 60 fitted to the upper end portion of the uppermost support member 25. The screw-through fitting 61 is formed without a female screw that engages with the long screw 63 and is formed to be insertable and removable in the straight axial direction without rotating the long screw 63.

[0019] Next, with reference to FIGS. 17 to 25, an assembly method of the upper part of the cat tower 20 and a height adjustment method of the top plate 50 will be described with explanatory drawings. First, sandwich the spring washer 65 between the upper part of the long screw 63 in advance and screw two first nuts 64, screw the second nut 66 onto the lower part, fit the spring washer 67 and the washer 68, and screw the upper end portion of the long screw 63 into the adjustment fitting 62 of the top plate 50. Then, turn the first nuts 64, 64 with a wrench and tighten them toward the adjustment fitting 62 side to strongly press, integrating the top plate 50 and the top plate height adjustment portion 51 (see FIGS. 17 and 18).

[0020] Next, insert the lower end of the long screw 63 with the top plate 50 into the screw-through hole 61a of the screw-through fitting 61 provided at the center of the lid member 60 at the upper end of the uppermost strut member 25 lying horizontally on the floor. The second nut 66 abuts against the lid member 60 with the spring washer 67 and washer 68 sandwiched therebetween. At this time, since there is no female screw in the screw-through hole 61a that engages with the long screw 63, it is only necessary to simply insert the lower part of the long screw 63 straight in the axial direction into the screw-through hole 61a of the screw-through fitting 61 without rotating the top plate 50 many times around the axis together with the long screw 63 (see FIGS. 18 and 19). If the distance between the top plate 50 and the upper end of the strut member 25 is too large and the top plate 50 is likely to collide with the ceiling 15 (see FIG. 12) when the cat tower 20 is erected, turn the second nut 66 to move it upward along the long screw 63 (see FIG. 20), and then lower the top plate 50 downward together with the long screw 63 (see FIG. 21).

[0021] With the top plate 50 at an appropriate height where it does not hit the ceiling 15, lower the pedestal 40 and stand the cat tower 20 on the floor 16 (see FIG. 12). Have it rest on the stepladder, pull up the top plate 50 together with the long screw 63 from the upper end of the uppermost strut member 25, and pull out the lower part of the long screw 63 upward from the screw-through hole 61a. At this time, since there is no female screw in the screw-through hole 61a, it is only necessary to simply pull it out straight without rotating the top plate 50 many times around the axis (see FIG. 22). As the top plate 50 moves upward, the second nut 66 also moves upward. When the top plate 50 abuts against the ceiling 15 (see FIG. 23), turn the second nut 66 by hand to move it downward along the long screw 63, tighten it against the upper end side of the uppermost strut member 25, and press it against the lid member 60 with the spring washer 67 and washer 68 sandwiched therebetween. As a result, the top plate 50 presses the ceiling 15 upward by reaction (see FIG. 24). Finally, insert a minus driver 70 into the three vertical grooves 66a formed on the circumferential side surface of the nut 66 and turn it to tighten it further (see FIG. 25), strongly press the top plate 50 against the ceiling 15, firmly fix the cat tower 20 between the floor 16 and the ceiling 15, and install it. Thereby, the top plate 50 can be easily locked to the ceiling 15.

[0022] According to this embodiment, a screw-through fitting 61 without a female screw is provided at the center of the lid member 60 fitted to the upper end of the uppermost support member 25. With respect to this screw-through fitting 61, the long screw 63 of the top plate height adjustment portion 51 can be inserted and removed straight in the axial direction without rotating around the axis. When installing the cat tower 20 between the floor 16 and the ceiling 15, the upper end portion of the long screw 63 with the first nut 64 screwed thereon in advance and the second nut 66 screwed thereon at the lower portion is screwed into the adjustment fitting 62 as a female screw fitting on the lower surface of the top plate 50. At the same time, the first nut 64 is tightened to press the adjustment fitting 62, integrating the top plate 50 and the long screw 63. The lower portion of the long screw 63 with the top plate 50 is inserted straight into the screw-through hole 61a without a screw of the screw-through fitting 61 provided at the upper end of the uppermost support member 25 without turning. Then, after the cat tower 20 is set upright, stand on a step ladder and pull up straight together with the long screw 63 without rotating the top plate 50 around the axis from the upper end of the uppermost support member 25. When the top plate 50 abuts against the ceiling 15, turn the second nut 66 to move the long screw 63 downward and press it against the upper end side of the uppermost support member 25. By pressing the top plate 50 against the ceiling 15 due to the reaction, the top plate 50 can be easily locked to the ceiling 15. Therefore, for adjusting the height of the top plate 50, it is not necessary to turn the top plate 50 together with the long screw 63 many times, and the installation work can be easily performed in a short time.

[0023] In the above-described embodiment, the long screw is inserted through the upper end of the uppermost support member. However, as in the cat tower 20A shown in FIG. 26, a disk-shaped upper end plate 5 of a separate member similar to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is placed on the upper side of the uppermost support member 25, and the lower portion of the long screw 63 is inserted into and removed from the screwless hole (see reference numeral 5a in FIG. 1) as the screwless hole portion formed at the center of the upper end plate 5. When the second nut 66 is tightened, the upper end side of the uppermost support member 25 may be pressed through the upper end plate 5.

[0024] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 27(1), a top plate 50, a top plate height adjustment part 51, and an upper end plate 5 are prepared. First, two first nuts 64 are screwed onto the upper part of the long screw 63 with a spring washer 65 sandwiched therebetween, and a second nut 66 is screwed onto the lower part. A spring washer 67 and a washer 68 are fitted, and the lower side is inserted into the non-threaded hole 6a of the upper end plate 5 (Fig. 27(2)). Then, the upper end part of the long screw 63 is screwed into the adjusting fitting 62 of the top plate 50, and the first nuts 64, 64 are turned with a wrench and tightened against the adjusting fitting 62 side to strongly press, integrating the top plate 50 and the top plate height adjustment part 51 (Fig. 27(3)).

[0025] Next, the lower end part of the long screw 63 with the top plate 50 attached is inserted through the non-threaded through hole 61a of the threaded-through fitting 61 provided at the center of the lid member 60 at the upper end part of the uppermost strut member 25 lying horizontally on the floor. The second nut 66 abuts against the lid member 60 with the upper end plate 5, the spring washer 67, and the washer 68 sandwiched therebetween. At this time, since there is no female thread for screwing with the long screw 63 in the non-threaded through hole 61a, it is only necessary to simply insert the lower part of the long screw 63 straight in the axial direction into the non-threaded through hole 61a of the threaded-through fitting 61 without rotating the top plate 50 many times around the axis together with the long screw 63 (see Figs. 28 and 29).

[0026] With the top plate 50 in a state at an appropriate height where it does not hit the ceiling 15, lower the pedestal 40 and stand the cat tower 20A on the floor 16 (see Fig. 12), place it on the stepladder, and pull up the top plate 50 together with the long screw 63 from the upper end part of the uppermost strut member 25, pulling out the lower part of the long screw 63 upward from the non-threaded through hole 61a. At this time, since there is no female thread in the non-threaded through hole 61a, it is only necessary to simply pull it out straight without rotating the top plate 50 many times around the axis. As the top plate 50 moves upward, the second nut 66 also moves upward (see Fig. 30). When the top plate 50 abuts against the ceiling 15 (see Fig. 31), turn the second nut 66 by hand to move it downward along the long screw 63, tighten it against the upper end plate 5, and press it against the lid member 60 on the upper end side of the uppermost strut member 25 through the spring washer 67, the washer 68, and the upper end plate 5. Thereby, the top plate 50 presses the ceiling 15 upward by reaction (see Fig. 32). Finally, insert a minus driver 70 into the three longitudinal grooves 66a formed on the circumferential side surface of the nut 66 and turn it to further tighten (see Fig. 32), strongly press the top plate 50 against the ceiling 15, and firmly fix the cat tower 20 between the floor 16 and the ceiling 15 for installation. Thereby, the top plate 50 can be easily locked to the ceiling 15 (see Fig. 26).

[0027] Further, an anti-vibration gel member may be attached to the upper surface of the top plate 50 and the lower surface of the pedestal 40. Further, when the adjusting fitting 62 is embedded on the lower surface side of the top plate 50 and the first nut 64 screwed onto the long screw 63 is tightened, the first nut 64 may be pressed against the lower surface side of the top plate 50. Moreover, it may be used as a tower furniture for pets such as puppies other than cats and hamsters.

Industrial Applicability

[0028] The present invention is applicable to tower furniture for pets such as cats and puppies kept indoors that can exercise.

Explanation of Signs

[0029] 5 Upper end plate 15 Ceiling 16 Floor 20, 20A Cat tower 25 Support member 30 Support pillar 50 Top plate 51 Top plate height adjustment part 60 Cover member 61 Screw-through fitting 62 Adjusting fitting 63 Long screw 61a Non-screw through hole 66 Second nut 66a Groove part

Claims

1. An indoor tower furniture for pet animals, comprising a column formed by vertically connecting a plurality of column members, and a height-adjustable top plate provided at the upper end of the uppermost column member, a threaded hole portion provided at the upper end of the uppermost column member, a female screw fitting provided on the lower surface of the top plate, a long screw having an upper end screwed into the female screw fitting and a lower portion inserted through the non-threaded hole portion, a first nut screwed onto the upper portion of the long screw and capable of pressing against the female screw fitting side or the lower surface side of the top plate, a second nut screwed onto the lower portion of the long screw and capable of pressing against the upper end side of the uppermost column member, and the non-threaded hole portion is formed without a female screw that engages with the long screw and is formed to be insertable and removable in a straight axial direction without rotating the long screw, characterized in that it is an indoor tower furniture for pet animals.

2. placing an upper end plate on the upper side of the uppermost column member, providing a non-threaded hole portion in the upper end plate for inserting the lower portion of the long screw, and enabling the upper end side of the uppermost column member to be pressed via the upper end plate by a second nut screwed onto the long screw above the upper end plate, characterized in that it is the tower furniture for pet animals according to Claim 1.

3. One or a plurality of groove portions are provided on the circumferential side surface of the second nut for inserting a minus driver and enabling rotation around the axis, characterized in that it is the tower furniture for pet animals according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. a pedestal is attached to the lower side of the lowermost column member, and shock-absorbing gel members are provided on the lower surface of the pedestal and the upper surface of the top plate, characterized in that it is the tower furniture for pet animals according to Claim 1 or 2.

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