Adjustable Elizabethan collar

Abstract

A mechanism will be introduced that allows for the deformation of a portion of the bell-shaped Elizabethan collar. [Solution] An Elizabethan collar comprising: a transparent plastic fan-shaped sheet (20) divided into five sections, with shallow cuts (23) made between the second two sections from each end and the central section to form three petal sections (24); a connector (30) for detachably connecting the sections (22) at both circumferential ends of the sheet and holding them in a funnel shape; three tapes (40) with one end fixed near the outer edge of each of the three petal sections, and locking portions provided from the other end to the central area of ​​the tapes for detachably joining the folded tapes to each other; and a tape passage section (50) provided near the inner edge of the sheet so as to be located outside the funnel shape, characterized in that when in use the petal sections to which the tapes are fixed can be bent back toward the outside of the funnel shape.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a deformable Elizabethan collar. [[Background Art]]

[0002] When dogs or cats suffer trauma due to surgery or injury, an Elizabethan collar serving as a protective device is worn to prevent the animal from licking the wound itself and worsening the injury. However, since the Elizabethan collar needs to be worn constantly for a certain period until the wound heals, it has the disadvantage that it may impose additional stress on the animal. For example, when a dog goes out for a walk while wearing an Elizabethan collar, the edge of the collar repeatedly catches on concrete grooves on the ground, which compresses the throat and skin of the animal. In addition, when the animal eats, the Elizabethan collar collides with the floor or the food bowl, preventing the animal from lowering its head and forcing it into an inconvenient posture. Furthermore, repeated exposure to these burdens may cause inflammation due to friction on the skin of the animal's neck.

[0003] For this reason, besides the recommended funnel-shaped "bell-shaped Elizabethan collar", there is also the option of using a soft cushion "doughnut-shaped Elizabethan collar", but changing the collar every time the animal goes for a walk or eats is time-consuming and also causes stress to the animal. Furthermore, compared to bell-shaped Elizabethan collars, doughnut-shaped Elizabethan collars use opaque materials, which not only narrows the animal's field of vision, but also has a shape that allows the animal to easily lick its body, so the doughnut-shaped collar cannot be used at all times.

[0004] As a prior art relating to bell-shaped Elizabethan collars, Utility Model Registration No. 3235515 (Patent Document 1) has a structure in which a plurality of petal portions, each containing a cushion material and a thin plastic plate for shape maintenance inside a cloth bag, are connected to form a corolla shape. A cloth with high strength and elasticity is arranged on the inner peripheral portion that contacts the animal's neck, and a detachable connector is provided so that the collar forms a funnel shape when worn on the animal. However, this collar does not have a mechanism that allows the funnel shape to be deformed.

[0005] Furthermore, Utility Model Registration No. 3126976 (Patent Document 2) describes a configuration comprising: a mesh member formed from mesh material into a horseshoe shape by cutting out a portion of a ring shape having the required inner and outer diameters; a reinforcing frame member formed from a flexible thin plate material to follow the entire length of the horseshoe-shaped periphery of the mesh member and attached to the periphery of the mesh member; and a connector for detachably connecting the circumferential ends of the horseshoe-shaped mesh member to hold the mesh member in a funnel shape. This configuration is lightweight and has excellent breathability, while maintaining the funnel shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3235515 (Publication) [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3126976 Gazette [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Even though Elizabethan collars are originally designed to restrict an animal's behavior, we aimed to solve this problem by inventing an Elizabethan collar that wouldn't interfere with activities like walks or meals, and wouldn't cause the animal unnecessary stress. We also aimed to make it a simple and easy-to-use item that wouldn't be a burden for the human owner.

[0008] The objective of this invention is to develop a new Elizabethan collar that does not cause stress to animals, while maintaining the conventional bell-shaped Elizabethan collar shape that makes it difficult for animals to lick their wounds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A mechanism will be introduced that allows some conventional bell-shaped Elizabethan collars to be reshaped to prevent contact with surrounding obstacles during activities such as walks and meals.

[0010] More specifically, the Elizabethan collar of the present invention comprises the following components.

[0011] In other words, the present invention provides an Elizabethan collar comprising: a fan-shaped sheet formed by cutting out the center and part of the surface of a transparent plastic disc at a predetermined angle, which is divided into five sections by making four folds at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and further forming three petal sections by making shallow cuts between the second two sections from each end and the central section; a connector for detachably connecting the sections at both ends of the sheet in the circumferential direction and holding them in a funnel shape; three tapes, one end of which is fixed near the outer edge of each of the three petal sections, with a locking portion provided from the other end to the central area of ​​the tape for detachably joining the folded tapes to each other; and a tape passage portion provided near the inner edge of the sheet so as to be located outside the funnel shape for passing the tape through and folding it back, wherein when in use, the tape can be pulled out to extend the folded width and change the joining position closer to the outer edge, so that the petal section to which the tape is fixed can be bent back toward the outside of the funnel shape.

[0012] In the Elizabethan collar of the present invention, a fabric material with an elastic body inside is fixed along the inner periphery of the sheet, and a configuration that provides cushioning is preferred.

[0013] In the Elizabethan collar of the present invention, a configuration is preferred in which a tape passage is provided on the upper part of the fabric material fixed to the inner periphery.

[0014] In the Elizabethan collar of the present invention, it is preferable that the inside of the plastic sheet of the connecting section is hollowed out and a mesh material is attached to that section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The sheet is attached to the animal's neck, and the other end of the tape is pulled out to the outer edge of the sheet by an appropriate amount. Then, the fastening parts, such as a pair of zippers, are joined together, causing the sheet to curve like a flower petal. The curved part prevents the animal from bumping into things during walks or meals. By returning the tape to its original position, it functions as a normal Elizabethan collar.

[0016] While normally maintaining the shape of a typical bell-shaped Elizabethan collar, when going for a walk, for example, the amount of tape pulled out can be adjusted to bend the plastic sheets of the first, second, and third petals that touch the ground outwards. As a result, the edges of the plastic sheets become rounded, preventing them from getting caught on uneven surfaces or grooves in the ground during walks.

[0017] Furthermore, by only bending the second petal, which forms the bottom, during mealtime, the animal's mouth is exposed more than usual, preventing the Elizabethan collar from touching the floor or food bowl, and allowing the animal to assume a more comfortable position for eating.

[0018] As described above, the petals can be easily reshaped by manipulating the tape, eliminating the need to put on and take off the Elizabethan collar for feeding and other purposes, thus reducing stress for both the owner and the animal. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing an overall embodiment of the Elizabethan collar of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the pre-deformation state of the Elizabethan collar when it is fitted to an animal. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the deformed state of the Elizabethan collar after it has been fitted to an animal. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing the details of the tape, which is a component of the Elizabethan collar of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Hereinafter, the structure and usage of the Elizabethan collar of the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the deformable Elizabethan collar mainly comprises: a sheet having a shape obtained by cutting out the center of a disk and a part of the surface over a predetermined angle (hereinafter referred to as "sector shape"), a cloth material provided on an inner peripheral edge of the sheet, three tapes each having one end fixed to an outer peripheral edge of the sheet at regular intervals, and three passing portions provided on the cloth material for allowing the other end of each tape to be folded back and passed through.

[0022] The sheet is made of transparent plastic, and is evenly provided with four creases as shown in FIG. 1, thereby being divided into five sections. Notches each having a length of about one quarter in the radial direction of the sector shape are formed on the outer edges of the two creases between the first petal portion and the second and third petal portions, thereby forming three petal-shaped sides.

[0023] A connecting member, exemplified by a snap button, is attached to the section at one end of the sheet (first connecting section) in two circumferential rows. A connecting member that is coupled with the connecting member of the first connecting section is also attached to the section at the other end of the sheet (second connecting section) in two circumferential rows. The connecting members are not limited to only two rows, and more rows can be provided, as long as when the Elizabethan collar is worn around the back side of the animal's neck, a row can be selected for connection according to the size of the neck. The connecting member is not limited to a snap button, and for example, a fastener tape may also be used.

[0024] In addition, in order to prevent the Elizabethan collar from rotating due to the movement of the animal itself, an inner mesh material and a plastic material forming an outer frame are used in combination for the first connecting section and the second connecting section, making the sections lighter than the three petal portions. In this way, by using the mesh material in a part of the connecting sections, the air permeability is improved due to the mesh structure, the overall weight of the connecting sections is reduced, and unexpected rotation of the Elizabethan collar during wearing can be suppressed.

[0025] The inner edge of the sheet is the part that comes into contact with the animal's neck, and fabric is attached to this area. Inside the fabric, an elastic material, such as sponge, is provided to cushion the neck and throat, preventing excessive strain if the tip of the Elizabethan collar bumps into an object and compresses it. In this way, the fabric is fixed along the inner edge of the sheet, increasing frictional resistance and providing a non-slip function, while the elastic material inside the fabric distributes pressure and reduces the load on the part of the animal's skin that comes into contact with the sheet. If the fabric itself is made of an elastic material, the internal elastic material can be omitted.

[0026] Furthermore, a passage section, with both ends fixed to cushions, is attached to the top of the fabric material (the outside of the funnel shape) for passing the tape through. By providing the tape passage section on top of the fabric material in this way, the smooth movement of the tape can be facilitated. Note that the position of the passage section is not limited to the fabric material, but may also be provided on the plastic material near the inner edge of the sheet.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, the tape has a first fastener surface (loop) along most of its length, but a second fastener surface with a loop (hook) opposite to the first fastener surface is attached to one end, forming a locking section. One end of the tape is fixed near the outer edge of the first, second, and third petal sections, and the other end extends radially in a fan shape, passes through the passage section, and is folded back so that it can be surface-joined with the pair of fastener surfaces. Note that the locking section is not limited to a pair of fastener surfaces; for example, magnetic joining such as magnetic tape may also be used.

[0028] By attaching the sheet around the neck of an animal like a dog and securing the connector in the appropriate position, a funnel-shaped Elizabethan collar like the one shown in Figure 2 can be created. The animal will basically live in the configuration shown in Figure 2. Note that in Figures 2 and 3, the positional relationship between the side of the tape and the outer edge of the sheet (second petal section) is drawn with a slight gap for clarity, but this is for illustrative purposes only; in reality, the two are firmly fixed together.

[0029] For example, when going for a walk, as shown in Figure 3, the ends of the three tapes that have passed through the passage and been folded back are pulled out toward the outer edge of the plastic sheet. This operation causes the outer edges of the first, second, and third petal sections to curl outwards. After pulling out an appropriate length, the pair of fastener surfaces can be joined together to fix the tape in the curled state. Thus, the specific configuration of the locking mechanism is not limited as long as it is designed to allow switching between joining the tapes when the petal sections are not curled (first joining state) and joining the tapes when the petal sections are curled (second joining state).

[0030] Additionally, during mealtimes, the second petal section can be bent back by pulling out only the tape on the bottom petal. To return to the normal Elizabethan collar shape, simply detach the joined ends of the tape. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] Elizabethan collar 10 Sheet 20 Fold 21 First connected section 22a Second connected section 22e 23 cuts First petal section 24a Second petal section 24b Third petal section 24c Mesh material 25 Connector 30 Tape 40 Loop 40a Hook 40b Passing section 50

Claims

1. A fan-shaped sheet formed by cutting out the center and part of the surface of a transparent plastic disc at a predetermined angle, dividing it into five sections by making four folds at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and further forming three petal sections by making shallow cuts between the second two sections from each end and the central section, A connector for removably connecting the sections at both circumferential ends of the sheet and holding them in a funnel shape, Three tapes, one end of which is fixed near the outer edge of each of the three petal sections, and the other end of each tape extending to the central area for detachably joining the folded tapes together, The sheet is equipped with a tape passage section located near the inner edge, positioned on the outside of a funnel shape, for passing the tape through and folding it back. This Elizabethan collar features a design that allows the petal portion to which the tape is attached to be bent outwards towards the funnel shape by pulling out the tape and extending the folded width to change the position of the attachment closer to the outer edge during use.

2. The Elizabethan collar according to claim 1, characterized in that a fabric material with an elastic body inside is fixed along the inner periphery of the sheet, thereby functioning as a cushion.

3. The Elizabethan collar according to claim 2, characterized in that a tape passage is provided on the upper part of a fabric material fixed to the inner periphery.

4. The Elizabethan collar according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inside of the plastic sheet of the connecting section is hollowed out and a mesh material is attached to that section.

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