AU2012203387B2

AU2012203387B2 - Visors for animals

Info

Publication number: AU2012203387B2
Application number: AU2012203387A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Dennis Joseph Gialanze
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-06-10
Filing date: 2012-06-08
Publication date: 2015-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2032-06-08
Also published as: AU2012203387A1

Abstract

A visor 13 for an animal, such as a dog, and preferably a racing greyhound. The visor has a flexible elongated transparent sheet 17 to cover and protect the eyes 5 of the animal. The sheet 17 has fastening means attached at opposing ends of the sheet. The fastening means is in the form of hook and loop fastenings 19 of the type marketed under the trade mark VELCRO TM, which are adapted to attach the sheet 17 to, or detach the sheet 17 from, a frame 15 fixedly attached to the head of the animal. Document5\\ THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: WATERMARK PATENT & TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS Document5\\ 19a 19b 19a 19b 27

Description

1 VISOR FOR ANIMALS This invention relates to a visor for use with animals in racing that has particular utility in greyhound racing. 5 Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. 10 BACKGROUND The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. It should be appreciated that the 15 discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application. Although animals have evolved biologically to protect their eyes in their 20 natural habitat, domesticated animals, like humans, live in a modified environment from their natural habitat. Consequently, depending upon the particular environment in which they find themselves in, their eyes may require protection in the same way as humans seek protection for their eyes in the form of glasses, shades or visors. 25 Where animals are used in a competitive environment such as racing, it has been found that the competitive performance of an animal can be adversely affected by the surrounding environment, if their eyes are not protected in some way. 30 For example, in horse racing, a blinker arrangement has been developed for horses to shield their eyes from adjacent movement, which can be distracting and affect the performance of certain horses.

2 Although adaptations such as blinkers have developed for horse racing, there does not appear to have been any consideration given to any adaptation or protection for the eyes in other competitive and/or commercial animal racing activities. One industry that has had very little consideration given to the performance or welfare of animals in racing harness, and where innovation may be able to improve performance, is that of greyhound racing. In greyhound racing, in the majority of races, the dog that gets to the front remains in the lead, and it is rare for a dog running behind the pack to move through the pack to lead and win a race. It is even more rare for a dog that has led and drops behind, to 'kick on' another time and regain the lead to win a race. It has been observed, however, that a lot of dirt gets thrown behind in a tight pack of dogs when racing, and it can take trainers several days after a race to remove grit and dirt from around the eyes of a dog that has been caught behind the pack in a race. It would seem, from the evidence, that the proliferation of dirt and grit being thrown by leading dogs in a pack would be a deterrent to the performance of a greyhound that initially trails the pack, and may be a contributing factor at least for a quick dog getting a poor start, rarely being able to win a race from the rear of a pack. Accordingly, there would appear to be an unmet need for providing some form of eye protection to greyhounds when racing to shield their eyes from flying dirt and grit with a view to possibly improving their performance. A further problem is that providing an effective form of eye protection for greyhounds in racing harness is not a straightforward issue due to the shape of the head of the greyhound and the dynamic action of the head and body of the greyhound whilst it is racing.

3 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide for eye protection to animals, which has particular utility with animals that are in competition with each 5 other or which have a lot of head movement. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a visor for use with an animal in racing including: a flexible elongated transparent sheet to cover and protect the eyes of the animal, the sheet having opposing ends, each defining a side of the sheet; and 10 fastening means attached to the opposing ends of the sheet; wherein the fastening means is adapted to attach the sheet to, or detach the sheet from, a frame fixedly attached to the head of the animal. Preferably, the fastening means is a hook and loop fastener comprising: one hook set and loop set component of longitudinal extent attached to, with side 15 edges parallel with, the one end of the sheet, and another hook set and loop set component of longitudinal extent attached to, with the side edges parallel with, the other end of the sheet; each component comprising: (i) a pair of tabs of one set, each tab attached to an opposing side of the sheet face adjacent the side of an end of the sheet to which the 20 component thereof is attached; and (ii) a strip having one longitudinal half of the strip to be fixedly attached to one of the tabs on one face of the sheet, substantially in opposed juxtaposition to the tab thereof, and another part of the strip projecting beyond the edge of the sheet, and being capable of 25 wrapping around a segment of said frame for attachment thereto, and detachable fastening to the other tab thereof.

4 Preferably, the sheet is of an isosceles trapezoidal shape, whereby the ends of the sheet are the opposing unparallel sides of the trapezoid and the sides of the sheet are the parallel sides of the trapezoid of sufficient and unequal length to allow the visor to sit in an arched position across the eyes of the animal and in 5 a tapered manner towards the nose of the frame. Preferably, the frame is a muzzle having an elongated frame portion adapted to circumscribe the lateral face and nose of the animal, the fastening means being detachably fastenable to the frame portion adjacent to the eyes of the animal. 10 In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an eye protection assembly for animals, including: a visor having a flexible elongated transparent sheet, to cover and protect the eyes of the animal, the sheet having opposing ends, each defining a side of the sheet, and fastening means attached to the opposing ends of the sheet; and 15 a frame for fixed attached to the head of the animal, the frame having a segment to which the visor can be releasably attached; wherein the fastening means is adapted to attach the sheet to, or detach the sheet from, the segment of the frame to position the visor over the eyes of the animal. 20 Preferably, the fastening means comprising: (i) a pair of tabs of one set, each tab attached to an opposing side of the sheet face adjacent the side of an end of the sheet to which the component thereof is to be attached; and (ii) a strip having one longitudinal half of the strip to be fixedly attached 25 to one of the tabs on one face of the sheet, substantially in opposed juxtaposition to the tab thereof, and another part of the strip 4a projecting beyond the edge of the sheet, and being capable of wrapping around the segment of said frame for releasable attachment thereto, and fastening to the other tab thereof. 5 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood in the light of the following description of one preferred embodiment. The description is made with reference to the following drawings, wherein: 10 FIG 1 is an upper perspective view of the visor per se, flexed into the position it would adopt when attached to a muzzle of a racing greyhound; FIG 2 is a similar view to FIG 1, but showing the visor attached to a muzzle; 15 FIG 3 is a series of perspective views of the visor laid out flat; wherein: FIG 3A is a view of the underside of the visor; FIG 3B is a view of the outerside of the visor; FIG 3C is a similar view to FIG 3A, but showing the fastening arrangement in the form of a VelcroTM strip, with the hook component separated from the loop 20 component which is adhered to the visor; FIG 4 is a series of orthogonal views of the visor laid out flat; wherein: 5 FIG 4A is a plan view of the underside of the visor; FIG 4B is a plan view of the outerside of the visor; FIG 4C is a side view of the visor; FIG 5 is a side view of the visor attached to the muzzle; FIG 6 is a rear perspective view showing the visor attached to the muzzle; FIG 7 is a cross sectional end view showing a fragmentary portion of the visor with the fastening means attached to the muzzle in an operative position. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode for carrying out the invention is described with respect to one specific embodiment, which as shown in the drawings. The embodiment is directed towards an eye protection assembly 11 including a visor 13 and muzzle frame 15 for a racing greyhound. The visor 13 is specially designed from a flexible transparent sheet 17 or film made from plastic, which may or may not be tinted with a hue to provided additional protection from the sun. The sheet 17 is elongated of an isosceles trapezoidal shape, where the ends of 17a of the sheet are the opposing unparallel sides of the trapezoid and the sides 17b of the sheet are the opposing parallel sides of the trapezoid. The opposing ends 17a of the sheet 17 have fastening means fixedly attached thereto by adhesive or other bonding arrangement. The fastening means are in the form of hook and loop fastenings 19 of the type marketed under the trade mark VELCROTM. Each fastener comprises a hook set and a loop set component so that one hook set and loop set component 19a is attached to one end 17a of the sheet and another hook set and loop set component 19b is attached to the other end 17a of the sheet. Each component 19a and 19b comprises a strip 21 of the hook set and a tab 23 of the loop set. When juxtaposed, each component is shaped 6 correspondingly to the shape of a marginal portion of the sheet along an unparallel end 17a, so that the components are of longitudinal extent with side edges parallel with the corresponding end 17a to which they are attached. The ends of the components are bevelled with oblique edges intersecting with a medial axis of the longitudinal extent of the component. One end of the component is formed with a convex bevel and the other end with a concave bevel. The oblique edges of opposing bevels on the same side of the component relative to the medial axis are parallel with each other, as shown in the drawings. The tab 23 of each component is divided into two symmetrical, longitudinal tab strips 23a and 23b along the medial axis, both of which are respectively adhered on their underside to opposing faces of the sheet with the loop set exposed. Moreover, the opposing bevel edges each tab strip are juxtaposed to the edges 17b of the marginal end of the sheet, and the outer longitudinal edge of the tab strip where the tab was divided along the medial axis, is juxtaposed to the edge of the outer end 17a of the sheet. Each strip 21 is disposed externally of the corresponding tab 23 and is arranged so that the hook set is effectively on the inner side of the strip relative to the sheet. In this manner one longitudinal half of the strip 21 is fixedly attached to the corresponding tab 23a adhered to a corresponding end of the sheet on the intended inside of the visor, substantially in opposed juxtaposition to the tab, and the other longitudinal half of the strip is arranged to project beyond the edge of the sheet. As this other longitudinal half of the strip 21 is commensurate in size and shape to the juxtaposed tab strip 23b at the same end on the intended outer side of the visor, it is capable of wrapping around a portion of the frame 15 for attaching the visor to the frame. When fastening this other longitudinal half of the strip 21 to the tab strip 23b along both components, the fastening means locks both ends 17a of the visor 13 to the frame 15, as best shown in Figures 2 and 5 to 7 of the drawings.

7 The frame 15, as shown in Figs 1 and 3 of the drawings, comprises the standard wire frame muzzle that is fixedly attached to the head of a racing greyhound and is a compulsory accessory for greyhounds to wear in racing harness. As shown in Figures 2, 5 and 6 of the drawings, the muzzle comprises an upper wire segment 25, from which the circumscribing wires 27 of the muzzle depend. The muzzle is fixedly attached to the head of the dog by way of resilient bands (not shown) in known manner. The upper wire segment 25 extends around the face and nose of the dog and provides the portion around which the projecting part 23b of each tab can wrap and secure itself to the corresponding strip at each end of the sheet 17. In this manner, the sheet 17 is curved around in an arched manner to form the visor 13 as shown in the drawings. When fastening the sheet 17 to the frame 15 in order to form the visor 13, the shorter side 17b of the sheet is disposed towards the front of the muzzle and the longer side 17b is disposed towards the rear of the muzzle. In this manner, the arch shape of the visor tapers towards the nose to follow the contour of the head of the dog when fitted and optimise protection from flying dirt or sand and when racing in rainy and windy conditions. Consequently the visibility of the eyes of the dog through the visor is maintained, whilst simultaneously providing protection to the eyes. It is believed that once dogs become accustomed to the protection afforded by the visor, they will become less intimidated by racing through flying dirt and provide for enhancement of performance during the race, where being located back in the pack will not have the same detrimental effect as is presently the case. Further, with acceptance of the visor as a proven ameliorative device for the safety and condition of dogs when racing, it is envisaged that the visor will become a noted gear change within the greyhound racing industry, similar to the 8 situation within the horse racing industry with blinkers, tongue ties, nose rolls and winkers, etc. It should be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described, and that other embodiments may be envisaged that do not depart from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, the fastening means may not be limited to a hook and loop fastener but may include other suitable types of fasteners such as a press stud or lacing arrangement. In addition, the visor can be made in different sizes, such as small, medium and large, in order to suit typical head sizes of differently sized dogs. Further still, the visor may not be limited to use with dogs, but may find application with other animals requiring eye protection and which have a head shape that does not facilitate the attachment of conventional glasses.

Claims

1. A visor for use with an animal in racing comprising: a flexible elongated transparent sheet to cover and protect the eyes of the animal, the sheet having opposing ends, each defining a side of the sheet; and fastening means attached to the opposing ends of the sheet and being adapted to attach the sheet to, or detach the sheet from, a frame fixedly attached to the head of the animal; wherein the fastening means is a hook and loop fastener comprising: one hook set and loop set component of longitudinal extent attached to, with side edges parallel with, the one end of the sheet; and another hook set and loop set component of longitudinal extent attached to, with the side edges parallel with, the other end of the sheet; and wherein each component comprises: (i) a pair of tabs of one set, each tab attached to an opposing side of the sheet face adjacent the side of an end of the sheet to which the component thereof is to be attached; and (ii) a strip having one longitudinal half of the strip to be fixedly attached to one of the tabs on one face of the sheet, substantially in opposed juxtaposition to the tab thereof, and another part of the strip projecting beyond the edge of the sheet, and being capable of wrapping around a segment of said frame for attachment thereto, and detachable fastening to the other tab thereof.

2. A visor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet is of an isosceles trapezoidal shape, whereby the ends of the sheet are the opposing unparallel sides of the trapezoid and the sides of the sheet are of sufficient and unequal 10 length to allow the visor to sit in an arched position across the eyes of the animal and in a tapered manner towards to the nose of the frame.

3. A visor as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame is a muzzle having an elongated frame portion adapted to circumscribe the lateral face and nose of the animal, the fastening means being detachably fastenable to the frame portion adjacent the eyes of the animal.

4. An eye protection assembly for use with animals in racing, including: a visor having a flexible elongated transparent sheet, to cover and protect the eyes of the animal, the sheet having opposing ends, each defining a side of the sheet, and fastening means attached to the opposing ends of the sheet; and a frame for fixed attached to the head of the animal, the frame having a segment to which the visor can be releasably attached; wherein the fastening means is adapted to attach the sheet to, or detach the sheet from, the segment of the frame to position the visor over the eyes of the animal; the fastening means comprising: (iii) a pair of tabs of one set, each tab attached to an opposing side of the sheet face adjacent the side of an end of the sheet to which the component thereof is to be attached; and (iv) a strip having one longitudinal half of the strip to be fixedly attached to one of the tabs on one face of the sheet, substantially in opposed juxtaposition to the tab thereof, and another part of the strip projecting beyond the edge of the sheet, and being capable of wrapping around the segment of said frame for releasable attachment thereto, and fastening to the other tab thereof. 11

5. A visor for animals substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate.

6. An eye protection assembly for animals substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate.