Dog swimming aids

Abstract

To provide swimming aids for dogs that can swim easily, even if they cannot swim on their own or are not very good swimmers. [Solution] The device comprises a flexible body 2 having a ring-donut-shaped outer form, and a string 6 for holding opposing parts of the body 2 in close proximity. The string 6 holds the opposing parts of the body 2 in close proximity, causing the body 2 to bend into a U-shape, forming a front support part 10 that supports the neck area, a rear support part 11 that supports the torso area, and a through hole 4 between the front support part 10 and the rear support part 11 that allows the front legs to protrude downward.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an auxiliary device for a dog to swim, which is attached to the dog's body when the dog swims to provide buoyancy and make it easier for the dog to swim.

Background Art

[0002] Pet dogs are sometimes made to swim in a pool, a pond or the sea. At this time, there are dog breeds that are good at swimming just like humans, and there are also dog breeds that are not good at swimming. For humans, if they are not good at swimming, they can use a floating bag or a beat board for assistance. However, since a dog has a different body shape from a human and cannot hold these auxiliary devices with its own hands, a dog that is not good at swimming cannot use a floating bag or the like used by humans. As the most common auxiliary device for swimming, Patent Document 1 of a floating bag is shown. For example, if such a floating bag is used by a human, it can be used to float with the upper body on the floating bag and the lower body in the water in a state of passing through the body. However, it is presumed that if a dog uses a floating bag, it will probably fall out through the hole of the floating bag.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, while using a dog life jacket is an option, dog life jackets are generally designed to fit snugly to the body to allow for easy movement in the water, which inevitably restricts and constricts the dog's body. As a result, dog life jackets are not ideal as an aid for pets to swim freely. Therefore, there was a need for a swimming aid for dogs that could be used as easily as a human using a flotation device, without constricting the dog's body too tightly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a first means to achieve the above objective, the buoyancy device comprises a flexible buoyancy device having a ring-donut-shaped outer form, and a connecting member for holding opposing parts of the buoyancy device in contact with or close proximity to each other. The connecting member holds the opposing parts of the buoyancy device in close proximity, causing the buoyancy device to bend into a U-shape, forming a front support part that supports the neck area, a rear support part that supports the torso area, and an opening between the front support part and the rear support part that allows the forelegs to protrude downward. When this ring-shaped donut buoyancy aid is bent, the resulting U-shape forms a front support section, a rear support section, and an opening between them. The front support section supports the dog's neck and surrounding area, the rear support section supports the dog's torso and surrounding area, and the dog can extend its front legs through the opening into the water below, allowing it to freely perform the so-called doggy paddle. This allows the dog's main body to be supported in the water without being strongly restrained, reducing anxiety for the dog and ensuring freedom of movement for its front legs, enabling it to swim freely. A "ring-donut shape" is, mathematically speaking, a torus on its two-dimensional surface within three-dimensional space, forming a closed ring shape with a single hole inside. In this invention, since it is a swimming aid, the part that makes up the ring has thickness. The "buoyancy body" can be composed of a material that itself possesses buoyancy relative to water, or it can be constructed by housing a material that possesses buoyancy relative to water within a container.

[0006] As a second measure, the buoyancy body is elliptical in shape, and the opposing portions of the buoyancy body are positioned at the major axis. This configuration allows for a greater extension of the structure along the cross-sectional direction of the dog's body, providing more secure support to the dog's body from all sides. As a third measure, the buoyancy body is constructed by housing small spheres made of foamed plastic inside a hollow, ring-shaped, flexible storage bag. By placing numerous foamed spheres, typically made from foamed polystyrene foam produced by the so-called bead method, inside a storage bag to form a ring-donut-shaped outer structure, it is possible to provide buoyancy sufficient to support the weight of a dog. The foamed plastic spheres are lightweight, have high buoyancy, and are also non-absorbent, making them easy to dry and less prone to bacterial growth, thus making them suitable as a material for buoyancy aids. Various materials can be used as foamed plastics, such as foamed urethane foam, NR rubber sponge, polyethylene foam, polypropylene foam, and silicone foam. The small spheres should mainly have a diameter of about 0.5 mm to 5 mm, and it is preferable that the spheres are as uniform in size as possible. Furthermore, as a fourth measure, the storage bag is made of a breathable material. If it's breathable, water can drain freely and air won't accumulate inside, and the buoyancy of the small sphere itself can support the dog's weight. Furthermore, as a fifth measure, the storage bag is provided with an opening for inserting and removing the small spheres. This allows for arbitrary adjustment of the quantity of spheres and replenishment of spheres that have decreased in volume. The input opening can be opened and closed using, for example, a zipper or hook-and-loop fastener.

[0007] The inventions described in means 1 to 4 above can be combined in any way. For example, one may combine all or part of the configuration of the invention described in means 1 with at least part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from means 2 onwards. In particular, it is preferable to combine the invention described in means 1 with at least part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from means 2 onwards. Alternatively, one may extract any configuration from the inventions described in means 1 to 4 and combine the extracted configurations. The applicant of this application intends to acquire rights to inventions including these configurations. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this invention, the main parts of a dog's body can be supported in the water without strongly restraining the dog, reducing anxiety for the dog and ensuring freedom of movement for its front legs, allowing it to swim freely. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A plan view of the deployed state of the dog swimming aid according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Front view of the same dog swimming aid folded into a use position. [Figure 3] A side view of the same dog swimming aid folded into a use position. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 5] (a) is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dog wearing the swimming aid for dogs according to the embodiment, and (b) is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dog wearing the aid and swimming in the water. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Below, an example of a swimming aid for dogs, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described based on the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the dog swimming aid 1 has a main body 2 as a flexible buoyancy body. The main body 2 is equipped with a storage bag 3 made of a mesh fabric with a leno weave made of synthetic fiber (e.g., polyester) which forms the outer skin. The storage bag 3 is constructed to form a ring-shaped bag surrounded by fabric by sewing the edges of two elongated oval-shaped annular fabric members together. To give an idea of ​​the size, the dimensions of this embodiment are approximately 55 cm on the major axis and approximately 30 cm on the minor axis. The storage bag 3 has a perforated hole 4 in the center as an opening. Reinforcement parts 5 are sewn to both ends of the major axis of the storage bag 3, and the ends of a pair of strings 6, which serve as connecting members, are sewn to these reinforcement parts 5. The pair of strings 6 are inserted through a cord stopper 8. The cord stopper 8 is fixed in a predetermined position relative to the strings 6 by a built-in friction member, and by pulling the pair of strings 6 against the cord stopper 8, the reinforcement parts 5 (i.e., the ends of the major axis of the main body 2) are pulled in via the strings 6. At any desired tightening position, the pair of cords 6 are secured by the cord stopper 8. The closer the cord stopper 8 is to the reinforcing part 5, the closer the pair of reinforcing parts 5 will be to each other. The storage bag 3 is filled with numerous small spheres 7 made of foamed polyester, each about 1 mm in diameter. The filling of these spheres causes the storage bag 3 to expand and take on a ring-donut shape. The spheres 7 can be replenished or retrieved through a zipper opening 9 formed on the inside surface of the storage bag 3 when it is folded. By adjusting the amount of spheres 7 stored, the thickness, flexibility, buoyancy, and other mechanical properties of the main body 2 can be adjusted. Figure 4 schematically shows the storage bag 3 almost completely filled with spheres 7.

[0011] By using the cord stopper 8 to tighten the pair of strings 6, the reinforcing parts 5 at both ends of the major axis side of the storage bag 3 are brought closer together, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, causing the main body 2 to bend into an inverted U shape in the front view in Figure 2. At this time, the main body 2 appears U-shaped when viewed from the side in Figure 3. Positions P1 and P2 in the unfolded state of the main body 2 shown in Figure 1 correspond to the positions of the front support part 10 or the rear support part 11 in the bent state. Positions P1 and P2 are in the direction of the minor axis of the elliptical main body 2. Positions P1 and P2 are the lowest positions when the main body 2 is bent.

[0012] The method of using the dog swimming aid 1 configured in this way will now be explained. As shown in Figure 1, the main body 2 of the swimming aid 1 is unfolded on the floor, and the pet dog K that will use it is placed on the main body 2. At this time, the dog K is positioned so that its head extends outward from position P1 or P2, and its front legs are inside the through-hole 4. Thus, the dog K's body is positioned so that it extends outward from position P2 or P1. In this state, the cord stopper 8 is used to pull the pair of strings 6 tightly, bending the main body 2 so that the tip of the long axis of the main body 2 is on the upper side, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Then, as shown in Figure 5(a), the dog K is fitted so that it is wrapped in the dog swimming aid 1. The front legs are free and extend downward from the through-hole 4. Position P1 (or P2) of the main body 2 is positioned on the dog K's chest and becomes the front support part 10, position P2 (or P1) supports the dog K's abdomen, and the hind legs are positioned behind the swimming aid 1 and become the rear support part 11. If the dog K is allowed to walk on its own (or carried by a person) into a pool or pond in this state, as shown in Figure 5(b), the rear of the dog K will droop slightly, and the main body 2 will move slightly forward relative to the dog K's body due to buoyancy, causing the front support part 10 to move to around the area under the dog K's chin. The dog K will be supported and stabilized under its chin and abdomen. As a result, even dogs that are not good swimmers will float due to the buoyancy of the 7 groups of small spheres, allowing dogs that cannot swim on their own or are not very good swimmers to swim easily. Such a swimming aid for dogs, like this one (1), will produce the following effects: (1) It can be easily worn, and even a dog K that cannot swim on its own or is not very good at swimming can swim easily. Since dog K is supported under the chin, it can safely place a single swimming aid. (2) Since the body is not constricted, there is no burden on dog K. (3) The storage bag 3 is made of mesh fabric and has a structure in which air and water do not accumulate inside, so only the buoyancy of the small spheres 7 can be purely utilized, making it easy for dog K to swim. (4) By adjusting the storage capacity of the small spheres 7, the buoyancy can be easily changed, so the buoyancy can be adjusted according to the weight and swimming ability of dog K. (5) Since the main body 2 is elliptical, when bent, it can also surround the side of dog K, so while the body is not constricted, there is also a holding feeling and swimming is stable. (6) Since the small spheres 7 have no water absorption, they dry easily and are clean.

[0013] The above embodiments are merely described as specific embodiments for illustrating the principle and concept of the present invention. That is, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention can also be embodied in a modified form as follows, for example. · In the above, the pair of strings 6 was tightened using the cord stopper 8 to hold the main body 2 in a bent state, but other means may be used. For example, in the above, the reinforcing parts 5 were in a close state, but holes may be made in each and they may be tied with a string. Alternatively, a catch member may be attached instead of a string for connection. · In order to adjust the storage capacity of the small spheres 7, a fastener was used above, but other means may be used. For example, a hook-and-loop fastener may be used. · The size of the main body 2 may be changed according to the size of the dog. This invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments. The constituent elements of each of the above embodiments and modification examples may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Also, any constituent element of each embodiment or modification example may be arbitrarily combined with any constituent element described in the means for solving the invention or a constituent element obtained by embodying any constituent element described in the means for solving the invention. Regarding these, there is also an intention to obtain rights in amendments to this application or changes to patent applications, etc.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0014] 1... Swimming aid for dogs, 2... Main body as a buoyancy body, 4... Through hole as an opening, 6... String as a connecting member, 8... Cord stopper as a connecting member, 10... Front side support portion, 11... Rear side support portion.

Claims

1. A swimming aid for dogs, characterized by comprising a flexible buoyancy body having a ring-donut-shaped outer form, and a connecting member for holding opposing parts of the buoyancy body in contact or close proximity, wherein the connecting member holds the opposing parts of the buoyancy body in close proximity, causing the buoyancy body to bend into a U-shape, forming a front support part that supports the neck area, a rear support part that supports the torso area, and an opening between the front support part and the rear support part that allows the front legs to protrude downward.

2. The dog swimming aid according to claim 1, characterized in that the buoyancy body is elliptical in shape, and opposing portions of the buoyancy body are positioned at the major axis.

3. The buoyancy body is characterized by containing small spheres of foamed plastic inside a hollow, ring-shaped, flexible storage bag, as described in claim 1 or 2 for dogs' swimming aids.

4. The dog swimming aid according to claim 3, characterized in that the storage bag is made of a breathable material.

5. The dog swimming aid according to claim 3, characterized in that the storage bag has an opening for inserting and removing the small spheres into and out of the storage bag.

Images