Standard and Innovation Application Patent Applicants: Wayne & Leanne Reynolds 550 Congupna East Road, Congupna Victoria 3633. Phone: 03 5829 9381 Mobile: Wayne 0412 166 565 Leanne 0407 200 875 Name of Invention Horse rug with inter-changeable bib and added gussets. Name of Inventors Wayne & Leanne Reynolds Page I 1 Invention Description Our horse rug invention has an inter-changeable bib, with added gussets. Our rug has replaced the straps and buckles that other standard rugs on the market have, on the neck, and chest area, with Velcro strips. On our invention there are no straps and buckles at all around the chest area. Instead there are large long Velcro strips sewn onto the body of the rug, running vertically on a 90 degree angle off the shoulder that secures, and keeps the inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, in place. There are two straps that have Velcro sewn on them, which are situated on each side of the bib. These straps loop through a 'D' shaped ring on the main body of the rug, high on the horse just under the whither. Taking the rug on and off the horse, is done quickly, and hassle free by releasing only one of the Velcro straps. By doing this allows the rug to remain intact, and not to be two separate pieces, this making handling the rug easier. Therefore the horse can be eating having its head down and at the same time you can put the rug on quickly. By having the choice to purchase extra inter-changeable bibs, with added gussets, our rug gives the option to continue to use the main body of the rug by only replacing the damaged or ripped front chest piece. Our rug invention saves money, with replacement of the bib part only, instead of throwing the whole rug away, or paying for costly repairs. Our rug invention has several compatible components. There are four small slits in the main body of the rug which allows the belly flap piece to be attached with Velcro straps. The Velcro straps protrude through these slits and attach to the main rug, this follows up the contour of the horse's stomach. The belly flap piece is designed to hug the stomach of the horse to assist in preventing the horse from getting bitten by insects or flies especially, during in the summer months. One of these compatible components is the neck piece, near the head where there are eyelets that an elastic string threaded or weaved through them to be able to attach the hood. During the summer season there are inter-changeable cups that go over the eyes (fly goggles) that can be attached by Velcro. Page 12 - 3 Another bonus of our rug invention is the mix and match option which caters for different breeds, and odd shaped bodies of horses. If you require a larger body of the rug, but your horse needs a smaller neck piece, then our rug design offers a solution to this problem. Therefore you can choose the size that is 5 appropriate for your horse's shape. Other conventional rugs do not do this. For example, five foot nine inches might be too small on a quarter horse as they have a very wide chest. You can combat this by fitting an inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, from a six foot three inches or a six foot six inches rug for a more comfortable fitting rug. 10 The parts that are inter-changeable are the belly flap piece, the neck rug and the inter-changeable bib, with added gussets. According to one form of the present invention, there is provided a removable is bib for use with a protective covering for providing protection of a four legged animal, said protective covering including a main part provided with a first edge and a second edge, the first edge being located to one side of the animal and the second edge being located to the other side of the animal, said main part for covering the back of the animal and the bib for covering the chest region of 20 the animal, the bib comprising a cover portion provided with a first gusset located at or towards a first side of the bib and a second gusset located at or towards a second side of the bib, said first and second gussets allowing for movement of the front legs of the animal when the protective covering is in use on the animal, the bib provided with a first part of a first releasably securable 25 fastener located at or towards the first side of the bib and a first part of a second releaseably securable fastener located at or towards the second side of the bib, the first releasably securable fastener being located more outboard of the first gusset for releasably securing the first side of the bib to the first side of the main part of the covering along the first edge of the bib, the first part of the 30 second releasably securable fastener being located more outboard of the second gusset for releasably securing the second side of the bib to the second side of the main part of the covering along a second edge of the bib, wherein the first side of the main part is provided with a second part of the first releasable securable fastener for cooperatively engaging with the first part of 35 the first releasable securable fastener and the second side of the main part is provided with a second part of the second releasably securable fastener for cooperatively engaging with the first part of the second releasably securable 18/07/13 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU - 4 fastener to releaseably attach the bib to the main part such that the first edge of the bib is in contact with the first edge of the main part and the second edge of the bib is in contact with the second edge of the bib to secure the bib to the main part. 5 Detailed Specification Complete Rug 10 Refer to Fig. 1 in Appendix. The main body of the rug Refer to Fig. 2 & Fig.4 in Appendix for further detail of the following parts. 15 1. Interchangeable bib, with added gussets. 2. Gussets 3. Velcro strips 4. Two 'D' rings, one on each side of rug 20 5. Two Velcro straps attach near the shoulder blade 6. Whither 7. One 'D' ring near whither 8. Leg straps 9. Main body of the rug 25 The inter-changeable bib (No 1), with added gussets (No 2), must wrap around the chest under the neck of the horse, and line up with Velcro strips (No 3) that are sewn vertically on a 90 degree angle down the main body of the rug (No 9). These Velcro strips (No 3) must be sewn on the main body of the rug (No 9), at 30 the point of the horses shoulder for correct alignment of the rug, which also aligns the bib and gussets (No 1 and No 2). The inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, is attached to the main body of the rug (No 9), by using two Velcro straps (No 5) high 18/07/13 44552571 (GHMatter) P92567AU up on the side of the horse's shoulder blade. This is slightly under whither (No6) of the horse (on each side of the horse) with a 'D' shaped ring (No 4). This minimises any soreness to nerve ending points particularly when the horse rolls with the rug on. There are three 'D' rings in total (No 4 and No7) on the main body of the rug. The body of the rug (No9) must exceed, and go past the point of the whither (No 6) of the horse this helps to fit the shape of the horse correctly. The belly flap piece (No23) is attached by four small slits (No27), in the main body of the rug (No9), which Velcro straps (No26), protrude through and fold up and attach to Velcro (No28) sewn on the main body of the rug (No9). By going up the body of the horse's natural shape, the belly flap piece works with the horse's movement. Our winter rug is made up of rip stop material to assist in slowing down rips, and tears throughout normal paddock usage. At the back of the rug there are two leg straps (No 8), which can be criss crossed in between the horse's legs, to help keep the rug in place. Our rugs are designed to be able to put the rug on in a matter of seconds. Neck rug Refer to Fig. 3 in Appendix for further detail of the following parts. 10. Neck rug 11. Two long Velcro straps 12. One thin Velcro strap 13. Eyelets holes used to attach hood 14. Elastic string woven through eyelets Neck rug (Nol0) can be detachable, and becomes separated from the main body of the horse rug (No9) if required, by unlinking the thin Velcro strap (No12), from the 'D' ring (No7), and also the two long Velcro straps Page 1 5 (Noa1) that secure under the neck of the horse. The neck rug is used to help prevent the horse getting annoyed by insects or flies. The neck rug keeps the horse's coat clean if using the animal for events, shows or racing, and also keeps the animal warm in colder climates. The two long Velcro straps (Nol 1) are also used to keep the rug secure around the horse's neck. The eyelets (Nol 3), near the head of the horse are used to attach the neck rug (Nol0) to the hood piece (Nol5), and are kept in place by the elastic string woven through the eyelets (No13). Hood head piece Refer to Fig. 3 in Appendix for further detail of the following parts. 15. Hood head piece 16. Elastic strip on face 17. Eye holes 18. Ear holes 19. Velcro strap for securing head piece to horse 20. Horse's cheek 21. Chin strap 'D' ring 22. Stretchy material By having the hood piece (Nol5), attach to the neck rug (Nol0), with elastic string woven (Nol4) in and out through the eyelets (Nol3), this allows the horse to be able to move, and has the ability to 'give'. If it does happen to get hooked on anything being elastic string weaving (No14), this will break before any injury occurs to the horse. The hood piece is close fitting cloth with an elastic strip running down the nose on the face (Nol6), to stop insects and food lodging up in it. There are holes made on the hood piece for the eyes (Nol7), and ears (Nol8), to pass through when the hood piece is put in place. During the summer season there are inter-changeable cups (fly goggles) that can be attached to the eye area. (No17). Page 1 6 There is a two inch section sewn onto the head piece which runs behind the ears and down each side of the cheek (No 22). This is a stretch material that has 'give' in it, when the horse puts its head down to grace. There is a Velcro strap (No19), to keep the hood piece in place that attaches under the cheek (No20), looped through a chin strap 'D' ring (No2l) and folded onto itself by a Velcro strap (Nol9). Belly flap piece Refer to Fig. 4 for further detail of the following parts. 23. Belly flap piece 24. Begins behind front legs 25. Horse's stomach 26. Velcro straps 27. Total four small slits 28. Velcro strap attaches to the main body of rug This is an inter-changeable part of the rug. The belly flap piece (No23), secures to the main body of the rug (No9). The belly flap piece begins just behind the horses front legs (No24), and this flap continues three quarters of the length of horse's stomach (No25). The belly straps have Velcro on them (No26), which secures the belly flap piece to the main body of the rug by these Velcro straps. These Velcro straps (No26), protrude out of four small slits (No27), in the main body of the rug (No9), which fold up and attach to Velcro (No28) sewn on the main body of the rug (No9). By going up the body of the horse's natural shape, the belly flap piece works with the horse's movement. Page 1 7 - 8 Our rug invention allows people to put their horse's rugs on and off quickly, efficiently, and hassle free without having to do the straps and buckles up along the neck and chest area (like the standard rugs on the market). s Our invention, with the inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, is comfortable for the horse, as it hangs, and is like an apron. Which is less restricting and minimises rubbing on the horse's chest and shoulders which conventional rugs tend to do. Conventional rugs tend to pull the rug around the shoulder and this is restricting the horse's movement. 10 Our rug invention can be put on while the horse has its head down and is eating. When putting our rug invention on the horse, you are in a standing position. is This assists with visibility of your surroundings and minimises injury to the person, (i.e. being knocked over, back injuries or stiffness), when putting the rug on the horse. Safety is of the utmost importance for both parties. While putting on a standard rug that is on the market, which has straps and buckles under the neck, and chest area, you are in a bending down position (at times). 20 If the horse takes fright and spooks then injury can occur with the person being knocked over or trodden on by the horse. Our rug invention has parts that are inter-changeable between sizes, catering for different horse breeds, and odd shaped horse's bodies. Other conventional 25 rugs cannot do this. For example five foot nine inches might be too small on quarter horses as they have a very wide chest, so you can combat this by fitting an inter-changeable bib with added gussets from a six foot three inches or a six foot six inches rug. Making it more comfortable for the horse with a rug that fits properly. 30 18/07/13 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU -9 The main body of the rug The patent is to cover, on our horse rug, the inter-changeable bib, with added gussets. 5 This inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, is unique as it can be replaced with another bib, once the horse damages the chest area part of the rug. The inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, does up high on the shoulder 10 blade near the horse's whither, with two Velcro straps linked through 'D' rings, one on each side of the rug. The inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, secures to the main body of the rug and is kept in place with Velcro strips near the shoulder of the horse. The 15 Velcro strips start at the point of the shoulder and run on a 90 degree angle to the girth area (which is behind the horse's front legs). There is another 'D' ring sewn onto the top of the rug near the horse's whither, this is used to attach the neck rug to the main body of the rug. 20 This makes a total of three 'D' rings sewn onto the main body of the rug. There are four slits in the main body of the rug, which allows Velcro straps to pass through these slits and attach the belly flap piece to the main rug, this 25 follow up the contour of the horse's stomach. Neck Rug There are two long Velcro straps, which are used to attach the neck rug around 30 the horse's neck. Eyelets to attach the hood piece. Elastic string woven through the eyelets that is used to attach the hood head 35 piece to the neck rug. 18/07/13 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU One thin Velcro strap on the neck rug is looped through a 'D' ring on the main body of the rug which keeps it in place. Mix and match component parts of our rug sets, allows you to choose the correct sized rug and other parts. Hood head piece Eyelets on the hood piece attach to the neck rug. Elastic weaving that goes in and out through the eyelets that keep the neck rug to the hood piece. There is a two inch section sewn onto the head piece which is behind the ears and down each side of the cheek. This is a stretchy material that has 'give' in it, allowing the horse to grace. Elastic strip sewn into the hood piece down the nose allows it to be close fitting. It hugs the horse's face and doesn't allow food in, or insects to bite the horse. By covering most of the face this can protect the coat from sun bleaching, and keeps the horses face clean. A strap sewn on one side is long enough to go under the cheek to keep it in place. This strap has Velcro on it that loops through chin strap 'D' shaped ring. During the summer season there are inter-changeable cups (fly goggles) that can be attached by Velcro protecting the eyes from insects. The belly flap piece There are four small slits in the main body of the rug that allows Velcro straps to pass through and attach to the rug following up the contour of the horse. The belly flap is designed to hug the stomach of the horse to assist in preventing the horse from getting bitten by insects or flies especially in the summer. Page | 10 - 11 The belly flap piece is secured to the main rug by the Velcro straps that are going up the horse's stomach. Mix and match option is available to ensure you get the appropriate sized 5 components for the horse. Inter-changeable bib, with added gusset, is convenient and easy to put onto the main body of the rug. 10 The neck rug is easily detachable from the main body of the rug and head piece is also removable. Hood head piece is close fitting with removable eye wear for protection against insects and has stretchy material which allows it to give when grazing. 15 Belly flap piece is close fitting and assists in preventing insects from biting the horse. The main body of the rug 20 We are seeking the patent for the inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, on our horse rug invention. Being able to change once the bib part becomes ripped or damaged. 25 The inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, is secured to the main rug high on the shoulder blade of the horse, using two Velcro straps from the bib, linked through two 'D' rings that have been sewn onto the main body of the rug. The Velcro strips start at the point of the shoulder and run on a 90 degree angle 30 to the girth area (which is behind the horse's front legs). That a Velcro strap from the neck rug is linked through the 'D' ring (near the whither) to keep the two parts attached. 18/07/13 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU There are three 'D' rings in total, sewn onto the main body of the rug. One 'D' ring is high on the horses back near the whither and the other two 'D' rings are on the shoulder blade, on both sides of the rug. There are another two 'D' shaped rings, one on each side of the main body of the rug, that Velcro straps loops through attaching the inter changeable bib, with added gussets, to the main body of the rug. There are four small slits in the main body of the rug that Velcro attach the belly flap piece. Neck rug Two long Velcro straps that bring and hold the neck rug together. These straps join up under the horse's neck Eyelets used to attach the hood piece to the neck rug. Elastic string woven through the eyelets, that keeps the hood piece and the neck rug together. The 'D' ring on the main body of the rug that the thin Velcro strap loops through and attaches to the neck rug. Mix and match option gives people the chance to get the correct sized components of our rug set for their horse. Hood head piece Eyelets on the hood piece attach to the neck rug. Elastic weaving that goes in, and out through the eyelets that keep the neck piece attached to the hood piece. There is a two inch section sewn onto the head piece which runs behind the ears and down each side of the cheek. This is a stretch material that has 'give' in it, when the horse puts its head down to grace. Elastic strip sewn into the hood piece allows it to be close fitting, and will not allow food or flies in. Page | 12 - 13 A strap sewn on one side is long enough to go under the cheek to keep I in place. This strap has Velcro on it that loops through chin strap 'D' shaped ring. During the summer season there are inter-changeable cups over the eyes (fly 5 goggles), that can be attached with Velcro. Belly flap piece There are four small slits in the main body of the rug that allows Velcro straps to io pass through to secure the belly flap piece to the main body of the rug. The belly flap piece has Velcro straps that attach to the rug, and follow up the contour of the horse. is The belly flap piece is designed to hug the stomach of the horse to assist in preventing the horse from getting bitten by insects or flies especially in the summer. There are four Velcro straps that come through the slits provided on the main 20 body of the rug. Once through these Velcro straps fold upward, and this assist in keeping the belly flap piece in place. The belly flap piece begins just behind the horse's front legs, and covers three quarters of the length of the horse's stomach. 25 Having the mix and match alternative available allows people to get the appropriate sized components for their horse. To our knowledge there is nothing like our interchangeable bib, with added 30 gussets invention on the market. Standard rugs on the market have straps with buckles to do the rug up. Our invention removes these straps and buckles altogether, that other rugs do up along the neck and chest areas. 18/07/13 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU Our rug invention is unique as it has an inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, for the front chest area of the horse. The bib secures to the main body of the part rug using Velcro strips that are on an 90 degree angle, on both sides of the horse's shoulders. When putting the rug on you are in a standing up position and have more visibility of your surroundings, making it safer for both parties. Our invention has taken into consideration time management for horse owners. By replacing the straps and buckles with Velcro strips and Velcro straps making the effectiveness of putting our rug invention on and off often becomes faster and easier. If a leg strap fails and the rug moves around, and happens to get caught on anything, the horse can become tangled in the rug. The horse can stand on the front part of our rug invention and because there are Velcro strips which can separate, this minimises injury to the horse. This does not happen with standard conventional rugs on the market today. Our rug invention has separate parts that can be added or taken off depending what is required. The hood piece is detachable from the neck part of the rug, which is also detachable from the main body of the rug, and the belly flap piece can also be removed, therefore if you desire you can put on the main body of the rug without any attachable parts. Our rug invention has parts that can be mixed and matched and are inter-changeable between sizes, which caters for different horse breeds, and odd shaped horse bodies. Other conventional rugs don't do this. For example five foot nine inches might be too small on a quarter horses as they have a very wide chest, so you can combat this by fitting a inter changeable bib, with added gussets, from a six foot three inches or a six foot six inches rug. This will fit the horse more comfortably by choosing the appropriate size rug for that horse's shape. Page 1 14 - 15 The main body of the rug The way our invention works is that the inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, attaches to the main body of the rug using Velcro strips, Velcro straps 5 and D' rings. This inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, is unique as it can be replaced with another bib, once the horse damages the chest area part of the rug. io The Velcro strips start at the point of the shoulder and run on a 90 degree angle to the girth area (which is behind the horse's front legs). The inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, does up high on the shoulder blade under the horse's whither, with two Velcro straps linked through a 'D' ring. is The inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, secures to the main body of the rug and is kept in place with Velcro strips near the shoulder of the horse. There is a third 'D' ring that is used to attach the neck rug to the main body of 20 the rug. There are four small slits in the main body of the rug which allows the belly flap piece to be attached with Velcro straps. The Velcro straps protrude through these slits and attach to the main rug, this follow up the contour of the horse's 25 stomach. The belly flap piece is designed to hug the stomach of the horse to assist in preventing the horse from getting bitten by insects or flies especially, during the in the summer months. 18/07/13 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU Neck rug There are two long Velcro straps that are used to attach the neck rug around the horse's neck. Eyelets to attach the hood piece Elastic string woven through the eyelets. One thin Velcro strap that attaches the main body of the rug to the neck piece. The thin Velcro strap loops through a 'D' ring that has been sewn on the main body of the rug, this keeps the two pieces together. Hood head piece Eyelets on the hood piece attach to the neck rug. Elastic weaving that goes in and out through the eyelets that keep the neck rug to the hood piece. There is a two inch section sewn onto the head piece which runs behind the ears and down each side of the cheek. This is a stretch material that has 'give' in it, when the horse puts its head down to grace. Elastic strip sewn into the hood piece allows it to be close fitting. It hugs the horse's face and doesn't allow food in, or insects to bite the horse. By covering most of the face this can protect the coat from sun bleaching, and keeps the horses face clean. A strap sewn on one side is long enough to go under the cheek to keep it in place. This strap has Velcro on it that loops through chin strap 'D' shaped ring. During the summer season there are interchangeable cup (fly goggles) that can be attached as by Velcro. Page | 16 - 17 The belly flap piece 5 There are four small slits in the main body of the rug that allows Velcro straps to pass through, and attach to the main rug and follow up the contour of the horse. The belly flap is designed to hug the stomach of the horse to assist in preventing the horse from getting bitten by insects or flies especially in the io summer. The belly flap piece is secured to the main rug b the Velcro straps that are going up the belly of the horse. 15 By providing a mix and match range of components people can get the size that is suitable for their horse. When rugging horses regularly our invention is practical, and efficient and is put on and off quickly. If the horse happens to damage or rip the front of the rug 20 anywhere across the chest area, our invention, the inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, is able to be removed, and replaced with a new bib for a minimum of the cost of repairing the rug. By changing the bib earlier this limits further damage to the remaining body of 25 the rug. This saves money as you are able to continue using the same original body of rug. Our inter-changeable bib, with added gussets, has taken into consideration that time management is an important factor in the day to day tasks, morning and 30 night, taking rugs on and off. It is time consuming especially if you have many horses to rug every day. With standard rugs the cost of repairing tends to make people outlay more money than needed and purchase a new rug. With our rug a new bib makes 35 repairing your rug once again a viable option. 18/07/13 44552571_ (GHMatters) P92567AU - 18 The main body of the ruq Inter-changeable bib with added gussets to replace damaged or ripped chest piece, instead of throwing out the whole rug. This helps save money as you are s getting the most out of your rugs without costly repairs. By having an inter-changeable bib with added gussets, it allows the horse to move about with ease. 10 We have a horse rug with a detachable bib with gussets, the bib attaches to the main body of the rug with Velcro straps, Velcro strips and 'D' rings. The 'D' rings are positioned high on the shoulder blade of the horse on each side of the rug. The Velcro strips start at the point of the shoulder and run on a 90 degree angle to the girth area (which is behind the horse's front legs). 15 The 'D' shaped ring sewn on to the main body of the rug is situated high on the horses back near the whither area. A total of three 'D' rings have been sewn onto the main body of the rug. 20 There are four small slits in the main body of the rug. This allows Velcro straps to protrude through these slits provided which attached the belly flap piece to the main body of the rug. 2S Our rug invention caters for odd shaped horses that standard rugs on the market do not supply. With our rugs, the separate optional parts can be mixed and matched. For example if the horse has a short body, but the neck area is thicker set, you can purchase a smaller rug for the body of the horse and a larger neck piece to suit the horse. 30 There is an added safety aspect of minimal bending under the front of the horse limiting both the risk of back injury and being pushed over by the horse. Our invention is designed to put rugs on, and off the horse with ease, as time 35 management is a high priority whether you have one horse to rug or a stable full. 18/07413 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU - 19 Advantages Our claim is, our rug has an inter-changeable bib, with added gussets. This s replaces the hard to reach straps and buckles that are required to do up the standard rugs on the market have today. Performing the exercise of putting our rug invention on and off easier and faster and if the horse damages the chest part of the rug, this can be replaced by purchasing another bib. Rugs are costly at the best of times and you want the rug to last the winter season. You have 10 the option of repairing or replacing at a fraction of the cost of a new rug, making the most for your dollar instead of having to repair or replace the whole rug. Repairing rugs takes time and most horses require rugging continuously throughout the year, in all sorts of weather. With our invention there is not long waiting periods while the rug is getting repaired. It is as simple as taking one 15 bib off, and putting the new bib on. With two bibs, you can get one repaired while the other is being used on the horse. 18/07/13 4455257_1 (GHMatters) P92567.AU