GB2572166A

GB2572166A - Animal enclosure

Info

Publication number: GB2572166A
Application number: GB1804460.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tuthill James; Paul Johannes; Nichols Simon; Windham William
Original assignee: Hebe Studio Ltd
Current assignee: Hebe Studio Ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-20
Filing date: 2018-03-20
Publication date: 2019-09-25
Also published as: GB201804460D0

Abstract

An animal enclosure 1 comprising a plurality of panels 3, 5, 7 and a plurality of ring clips 9. Each panel 3, 5, 7 comprises a peripheral wire and a plurality of longitudinal and lateral wires providing a grid of openings within a boundary formed by the peripheral wire. At least one corner region of each panel includes a portion of said peripheral wire that is curved. Each ring clip 9 comprises first and second arms that are moveable relative to one another to close. The ring clips 9 are configured to co-operate with the panel’s curved peripheral to envelope a portion of the curved peripheral wire in adjacent corner regions of first and second coupled panels. Such that the first panel is restrained from translational movement relative to said second panel. The panels may be triangular, square or rectangular.

Description

ANIMAL ENCLOSURE

Field

This invention relates to animal enclosures, particularly but not exclusively to animal enclosures constructed from wire mesh panels and panel connectors.

Background

It has previously been proposed to provide animal enclosures that are constructed from a plurality of square wire mesh panels and a plurality of clips that are used to clip adjacent panels together. Many of these enclosures are sold with an insert that can be fitted into the enclosure once it has been constructed. Enclosures of this type are often known as C & C cages (Cubes and Coroplast/Correx) and are a popular and relatively inexpensive way for owners to build indoor cages for small pets such as rabbits or guinea pigs. One company selling C & C cages is Grendle Enterprises of Unit 4, Clovelly Road Industrial Estate, Bideford, EX39 3HN (see also: wwy.grgndle.co.Ljk). Another entity offering such cages, www.candcguineapigcaqes.co.uk, has also proposed using such cages as outdoor runs.

Whilst enclosures of this type are popular as they allow owners to construct cages to their own design, there are a number of drawbacks. A first concerns the clips that are used to connect adjacent panels together.

These clips comprise a circular cylindrical body that has a slot formed in each quadrant of the periphery of the cylinder, the arrangement being such that the corners of four adjacent panels can each be pushed into a respective slot to couple the panels together in one common plane. In addition, the clip also includes a further four channels that extend laterally from a column that extends longitudinally from the base of the cylinder. The channels are set in a cross shape so that four panels can be fitted together in such a way that the planes defined by the panels are at roughly 90 degrees to one another. In either case the panels are retained in the slots and channels by means of a friction fit between the panel edges and the clip.

This arrangement is disadvantageous as when adjacent panel edges are fitted into the clip there will inevitably be a gap between those edges as the slots and channels are each separated from adjacent slots and channels by a wall of the clip. It is also the case that when less than four panels are push-fitted into the clip, a portion of the clip will extend beyond the panels. In addition, if the panels are not push-fitted into the clip properly, then there is the potential for the panels to come apart. Lastly, there is the point that the clips are relatively large and detract from the overall look of the enclosure.

To address such issues, we have previously proposed coupling wire mesh panels together with a ring clip of the type described in United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2547647. This ring clip is capable of coupling panels together in such a way that there is no appreciable gap between adjacent panels, and once the clip has been fastened it is very difficult to decouple the panels without first undoing the clip. The clip is also relatively small, and thus has less of an effect on the visual appearance of the enclosure as a whole.

Whilst the ring clip that we have previously proposed is much improved in comparison to the panel clips supplied with typical C&C enclosures, it is the case that when such clips are used to couple the four comers of adjacent square or rectangular panels, the panels are relatively loosely coupled in at least one dimension and can slide relative to the clips to a small degree. The effect of this is that whilst the clips function adequately to keep the panels together, the coupling they provide is not sufficiently robust to enable an owner to construct an enclosure using only panels and clips.

Another issue associated with previously proposed C&C enclosures is that when the enclosure is configured for use as an outdoor run, the roof of the enclosure is largely unsupported and thus tends to sag. This problem is exacerbated if a cover should be put onto the roof to provide shelter for animals within the enclosure, as rain falling onto the cover will tend to pool and thereby add to the weight bearing down on the roof. A further issue with such enclosures is that the enclosure itself is typically not sufficiently robust to allow items to be hung from the walls of the enclosure.

Aspects of the present invention have been devised with the foregoing problems in mind.

Summary

In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an animal enclosure comprising a plurality of panels and a plurality of ring clips, the panels being capable of being coupled together by said ring clips to form said enclosure, wherein: each said panel comprises a peripheral wire and a plurality of longitudinal and lateral wires that are coupled to said peripheral wire and co-operate to provide a grid of openings within a boundary formed by said peripheral wire; wherein at least one comer region of each said panel includes a portion of said peripheral wire that is curved; and each said ring clip comprises first and second arms that are moveable relative to one another to close said ring clip; and the ring clips are configured to cooperate with the curved peripheral wire in comer regions of the panels so that a said first panel coupled to a said second panel by a closed ring clip that envelops a portion of the curved peripheral wire in adjacent comer regions of said first and second coupled panels is restrained from translational movement relative to said second panel.

An advantage of this arrangement is that restraining adjacent panels from relative translational movement allows a user to construct a more robust enclosure than was previously possible with the aforementioned C&C type enclosures.

In one implementation the openings of said grid are generally square or rectangular, and said at least one curved portion of peripheral wire co-operates with adjacent ones of said longitudinal and lateral wires to form a non-square or nonrectangular opening.

Preferably an end portion of the ring clip bears upon the curved peripheral wire in said adjacent corner regions when the ring clip is closed about the curved peripheral wires to restrain translational movement of said first and second panels.

Preferably said first and second arms are connected at respective first ends by a hinge, a second end of the first arm defining a first part of a two-part engagement mechanism, and a second end of the second arm defining a second part of said two-part engagement mechanism, the first and second arms being moveable to engage the first and second parts of said two-part engagement mechanism to close said ring clip.

Preferably the ring clip is moveable between open and closed positions.

In one embodiment a said panel includes a removable section configured to enable a connector for an animal tunnel to be coupled to the panel. A said panel may be configured to enable a door assembly to be coupled to the enclosure.

In one embodiment the enclosure comprises a plurality of peripheral walls defining an internal space and a roof that encloses said internal space. A modular strut extending between opposite peripheral walls to support said roof may be provided.

Preferably said ring clips are configured to enable adjacent panels to be coupled together in any of a number of relative orientations.

The enclosure may comprise a modular strut extending between opposite walls of said enclosure as a support for panels extending generally perpendicularly from at least one wall of said enclosure.

The modular strut may comprise a pair of end panels for coupling to respective walls of said enclosure, and one or more intermediate panels coupled to and extending between said end panels.

The enclosure may comprise a shelf panel that comprises a shelf body and a peripheral wire coupled to said shelf body, the peripheral wire including at least one curved portion for interacting with a said ring clip.

The panels may be triangular, square or rectangular.

In one embodiment the animal enclosure comprises a plurality of rectangular panels forming front, rear and opposing side walls of said enclosure; a plurality of square panels forming a roof of said enclosure and a plurality of triangular panels coupled between said side walls and said roof to pitch said roof.

Other features, aspects and advantages of embodiments of the invention are set out and will be apparent from the detailed description provided below.

Brief Description ofthe Drawings

Various aspects of the teachings of the present invention, and arrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an animal enclosure that embodies the teachings of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a ring clip of the type described in UK Patent Application No. 2547647;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the ring clip depicted in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of four panels coupled together with ring clips of the type shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of region A in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the panels in Fig. 4 to which an additional two panels have been attached;

Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the panels in Fig. 4 to which two shelf panels have been attached;

Figs. 8 and 9 are schematic perspective views of the shelf panel depicted in Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a schematic representation of a modular reinforcing strut attached to a wall ofthe enclosure depicted in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 11 is a schematic representation of the strut depicted in Fig. 10 in use as a shelf support.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an animal enclosure 1 that embodies the teachings of the present invention. The enclosure 1 has been constructed from a plurality of panels (in this instance rectangular 3, square 5 and triangular panels 7) and a plurality of ring clips 9 each of which is as described in our copending United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2547647 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference). In this particular example the rectangular panels have been used to construct walls for the enclosure, the square panels have been used to construct a roof for the enclosure, and the triangular panels have been coupled to end walls of the enclosure to pitch the roof. Other arrangements will be immediately apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art, and as such the following detailed description should not be read as being limited only to the particular configuration depicted in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, there are depicted - respectively - a perspective view and an end elevation of a plastics ring clip 9 of the type disclosed in the aforementioned UK Patent Application. Whilst this particular ring clip is preferred, at least in the context of the preferred embodiment, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that other similar ring clips may instead be provided. A brief description of the ring clip is provided below, and the reader is directed to the contents of the aforementioned UK application for a more detailed description of the ring clip.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the ring clip 9 comprises a first arm 11 that is coupled at a first end to a first end of a second arm 13 by a hinge 15. In this example the hinge is a so-called living hinge, but it will be apparent that a different type of hinge could be employed instead. A first part 17 of a two-part engagement mechanism is provided in the vicinity of a second end of the first arm 11, and a second part 19 of the two-part engagement mechanism is provided in the vicinity of a second end of the second arm 13.

In this embodiment the first part 17 of the engagement mechanism comprises an internal channel 21 that has an opening which is constricted by a barb 23 which is inclined towards the channel 21. The second part 19 of the engagement mechanism comprises a plurality of barbs 25 (in this instance 3 barbs) that are oppositely inclined relative to barb

23. As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art, when the first and second arms 11,13 are moved towards one another to close the clip 9, the second end of the second arm 13 moves into the channel 21, whereupon the barbs 23, 25 interact to resist withdrawal of the second end from the channel 21.

To open the clip 9, a user must first disengage the barbs 23, 25 by lifting a tab 27 on the second end of the first arm 11 to widen the entrance to the channel 21. Once the barbs 23, 25 are clear of one another, the second end of the second arm 13 can be withdrawn from the channel 21 and the clip 9 can be opened.

In the foregoing arrangement, the first and second arms 11, 13 are coupled together by means of a hinge 15. In another envisaged arrangement, the hinge could be omitted. In this instance the first and second arms 11, 13 could be contiguous and moveable relative to one another to open and close the ring clip 9 by virtue of the inherent resilience of the arms.

An advantage of the ring clip described above is that the clip can be adjusted to accommodate wires from two or more adjacent panels, and so that the panels lie in any desired orientation. For example, the panels could lie in the same plane (as in the case of the wall panels of the enclosure shown in Fig. 1), or in planes that are set at an angle to one another (as in the case of the wall and roof panels shown in Fig. 1).

Referring now to Fig. 4, there is provided a schematic representation of four panels coupled together with ring clips of the type shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. is an enlarged view of region A in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 4, four square panels 5 are coupled together by a plurality of ring clips 9. Each panel 5 comprises a peripheral wire 29 and a plurality of lateral and longitudinal wires 31, 33 that are coupled to the peripheral wire 29 and co-operate to provide a grid of openings 35 within a boundary that is formed by the peripheral wire 29. Four corner regions 37 of each panel 5 include a portion 39 of the peripheral wire 29 that is curved.

As shown in Fig. 5, when the curved peripheral wires 29 in corner regions 37 of adjacent panels are coupled together with ring clips, the panels are constrained from relative translational movement on account of the fact that the curved peripheral wire bears against an end region of the clips and stops the panels from moving relative to the ring clips and one another. In contradistinction, coupled regions, such as region B of Fig. 4, of adjacent panels where the peripheral wires are parallel (in the absence of coupled curved regions) would allow relative translational movement between the panels.

In the arrangement of Fig. 4, four panels have been coupled together in the same plane. In the arrangement depicted in Fig. 6, a further two panels 5(i) have been coupled to the four panels of Fig. 4 so that those two panels extend generally perpendicularly (i.e. generally horizontally in use) to the plane formed by the four panels of Fig. 4 (which panels will be generally vertical when used to form a wall of an enclosure). In this arrangement the additional two panels 5(i) are constrained from lateral movement (left to right in Fig. 6) relative to the four panels of Fig. 4. As will be appreciated by persons of skill in the art, maintenance of the relative orientation of the two additional panels to the four panels of Fig. 4 can be effected by appropriately supporting the two additional panels - for example by means of support columns on which the two additional panels rest or by coupling those additional panels to sidewalls of the enclosure extending generally perpendicularly from the four panels of Fig. 4. The additional panels could also be supported in an up/down direction (as shown in Fig. 6) by means of a modular reinforcing strut - the likes of which will later be described.

Referring now to Fig. 7, in this arrangement two shelf panels 41 have been coupled to the four panels of Fig. 4 so that the shelf panels, when appropriately supported, extend generally perpendicularly from the panels depicted in Fig. 4.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the shelf panels 41 each comprise a peripheral wire 43 that is coupled to a plurality of tabs 45 which allow the wire 43 to be fixed, in this instance by means of screws 47, to the underside of a shelf body 49 (which may be, for example, of moulded plastics). As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the peripheral wire includes a plurality of curved portions that interact with the aforementioned clips 9 to restrain translational movement of the shelf panel 41 relative to the panel 5 to which it is coupled.

Referring now to Fig. 10, there is depicted a schematic representation of a modular reinforcing strut 51 attached to a wall of the enclosure depicted in Fig. 1. The modular reinforcing strut 51 can be used, inter alia, to reinforce a roof (as in Fig. 1), to support a plurality of panels extending generally perpendicularly from a vertical wall (as in Fig. 6), or to support a number of shelf panels (as in Fig. 7).

The modular reinforcing strut 51 comprises a plurality of end panels 53 (in this instance two end panels) and one or more intermediate panels 55 (in this instance a single intermediate panel) as required for constructing a reinforcing strut of the desired length. The intermediate panel 55 comprises first and second generally parallel wires 57, 58 that extend between first and second end plates 59, 61 and a plurality of wires 63 that extend between the parallel wires 57.

Each end panel 53 comprises an end plate 65, first and second wires 67, 69 that diverge from one another, an intermediate wire 71 that extends from the end plate 65 generally in parallel to the first diverging wire 67; and a plurality of wires that extend between the first diverging wire 67, the intermediate wire 71 and the second diverging wire 69. The diverging and intermediate wires meet at an end wire that includes first and second curved portions 73, 75 which interact with the clips and an adjacent curved portion of a panel to restrain translational movement of the strut relative to the panel to which it is attached.

The end plates of the end and intermediate panels each include one or more apertures through which a fixing (such as a bolt and butterfly nut) can be inserted when the end plates and apertures are aligned to fixedly couple the intermediate panel(s) between a pair of end panels. In this configuration the intermediate wire 71 of each end panel 53 aligns with the second wire(s) 58 of the intermediate panel(s) 55 to form a continuous wire extending through the length of the strut 51.

The modular strut can be extended between upper portions of walls of an enclosure as a support for a roof as illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 10, or it can be extended adjacent or underneath a plurality of horizontal panels or shelf panels as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

In another implementation illustrated schematically in Fig. 11, the modular strut 51 can be used to provide a guard rail for a plurality of panels 5(ii) extending partway up and between walls of an enclosure (one of which is shown). In this arrangement the panels 5(ii) are coupled to the intermediate wire 71 of each end panel 53 and the aligned second wire 58 of the intermediate panel 55 so that part of the strut 51 is upstanding from the panels and functions to reduce the likelihood of objects (such as feeding trays or the like) falling off the panels 5(ii).

As aforementioned, the by virtue of the arrangements herein described it is possible to construct an enclosure that is significantly more robust that previously proposed C&C type enclosures. One consequence of this is that the enclosure may be configured, as shown in Fig. 1, to include a door in one (or more) of the panels that make up a wall of the enclosure. The enclosure is also sufficiently robust to enable items to be hung from the walls of the enclosure. For example, it is envisaged to provide a wall panel with a removable section 79 that, when removed, is configured so that an angled animal tunnel connector of the type described in our co-pending UK application no. 1801810.1 (see, for example, Fig. 14 of that application) can be coupled to the wall of the enclosure.

It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

For example, whilst in the foregoing we have described square and rectangular panels that have curved wires in four corner regions and a triangular panel that has two curved regions, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that different numbers of curved peripheral wire regions may be provided.

It should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set out particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular combinations hereafter claimed, but instead extends to encompass any combination of features herein disclosed.

Finally, it should be noted that any element in a claim that does not explicitly state means for performing a specified function, or steps for performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a means or step clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6. In particular, the use of step of in the claims appended hereto is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6.

Claims

1. An animal enclosure comprising a plurality of panels and a plurality of ring clips, the panels being capable of being coupled together by said ring clips to form said enclosure, wherein:

each said panel comprises a peripheral wire and a plurality of longitudinal and lateral wires that are coupled to said peripheral wire and co-operate to provide a grid of openings within a boundary formed by said peripheral wire; wherein at least one corner region of each said panel includes a portion of said peripheral wire that is curved; and each said ring clip comprises first and second arms that are moveable relative to one another to close said ring clip; and the ring clips are configured to co-operate with the curved peripheral wire in corner regions ofthe panels so that a said first panel coupled to a said second panel by a closed ring clip that envelops a portion of the curved peripheral wire in adjacent comer regions of said first and second coupled panels is restrained from translational movement relative to said second panel.

2. An animal enclosure according to Claim 1, wherein the openings of said grid are generally square or rectangular, and said at least one curved portion of peripheral wire cooperates with adjacent ones of said longitudinal and lateral wires to form a non-square or non-rectangular opening.

3. An animal enclosure according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein an end portion of the ring clip bears upon the curved peripheral wire in said adjacent comer regions when the ring clip is closed about the curved peripheral wires to restrain translational movement of said first and second panels.

4. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein said first and second arms are connected at respective first ends by a hinge, a second end of the first arm defining a first part of a two-part engagement mechanism, and a second end of the second arm defining a second part of said two-part engagement mechanism, the first and second arms being moveable to engage the first and second parts of said two-part engagement mechanism to close said ring clip.

5. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein said ring clip is moveable between open and closed positions.

6. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein a said panel includes a removable section configured to enable a connector for an animal tunnel to be coupled to the panel.

7. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein a said panel is configured to enable a door assembly to be coupled to the enclosure.

8. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein the enclosure comprises a plurality of peripheral walls defining an internal space and a roof that encloses said internal space.

9. An animal enclosure according to Claim 8, further comprising a modular strut extending between opposite peripheral walls to support said roof.

10. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein said ring clips are configured to enable adjacent panels to be coupled together in any of a number of relative orientations.

11. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, comprising a modular strut extending between opposite walls of said enclosure as a support for panels extending generally perpendicularly from at least one wall of said enclosure.

12. An animal enclosure according to Claim 9 or 11, wherein said modular strut comprises a pair of end panels for coupling to respective walls of said enclosure, and one or more intermediate panels coupled to and extending between said end panels.

13. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, further comprising a shelf panel that comprises a shelf body and a peripheral wire coupled to said shelf body, the peripheral wire including at least one curved portion for interacting with a said ring clip.

14. An animal enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein said panels are triangular, square or rectangular.

15. An animal enclosure according to Claim 13, comprising a plurality of rectangular panels forming front, rear and opposing side walls of said enclosure; a plurality of square panels forming a roof of said enclosure and a plurality of triangular panels coupled between said side walls and said roof to pitch said roof.