JP7477881B2 - Pet Tower - Google Patents

Description

Applicable under Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act ●Exhibition dates: January 20th to January 22nd, 2021 ●Exhibition location: 10th Doggyman Hayashi Co., Ltd. 2021 Business Meeting, 1-16-14 Fukae Minami, Higashinari-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture ●Contents of the disclosed invention: Doggyman Hayashi Co., Ltd. unveiled the pet tower invented by Koizumi Rina at the above-mentioned business meeting.

The present invention relates to a pet tower that can create a vertically connected living space for pets by connecting multiple units.

Pet towers are known that form multiple levels of rooms by stacking units that serve as pet rooms vertically. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a pet tower in which, when a lower unit and an upper unit are stacked via supports, the truncated cone-shaped outer wall parts of each unit are continuous to form a truncated cone-shaped tower outer wall.

Utility Model Registration No. 3190374

However, the truncated cone-shaped outer wall is bulky and inconvenient to store and transport. In addition, the outer wall and support parts that make up the first, second, and third tiers have different diameters, so if the outer wall and support part that makes up the second tier, for example, is damaged, the pet tower will no longer function.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pet tower that can be stored and transported compactly, and that can be reconstructed with replacement parts even if it is partially damaged.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides:
a front sidewall member having a wall hole;
a rear sidewall member connected to the front sidewall member to form a peripheral wall;
A lower groove for receiving the upper edge of the peripheral wall from below, and an upper groove for receiving the lower edge of another peripheral wall from above, and a top plate having a ceiling hole,
Connecting other peripheral walls from above the top plate to form a vertically connected living space for pets;
To provide a pet tower characterized by the above.

The pet tower of the present invention preferably further comprises a bottom plate that receives the lower edge of the peripheral wall.

In addition, in the pet tower of the present invention, it is preferable that the upper and lower edges of the peripheral wall have substantially the same diameter.

In addition, in the pet tower of the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom plate has legs that extend outward along the installation surface of the pet tower.

It is also preferable that the pet tower of the present invention further includes a locking mechanism that prevents the front side wall member and the rear side wall member from coming off the top plate.

According to the present invention, the peripheral wall is composed of a front side wall member and a rear side wall member, so it can be stored and transported compactly. Furthermore, if any of the components are damaged, the pet tower can be reconstructed by replacing it with a replacement part.

1 is a perspective view of a pet tower 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a front side wall member 3, a rear side wall member 4, a top plate 5 and a bottom plate 6. FIG. 11A to 11C are diagrams showing a procedure for connecting the front side wall member 3 and the rear side wall member 4. 1 is a diagram showing an example of how multiple peripheral walls 2 are connected via a top plate 5. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a retention mechanism that prevents the peripheral wall 2 (front side wall member 3, rear side wall member 4) from falling off the top plate 5 or bottom plate 6. FIG.

A pet tower according to a representative embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these drawings. The drawings are intended to conceptually explain the present invention, and therefore may exaggerate or simplify dimensions, ratios, or numbers as necessary to facilitate understanding.

For ease of explanation, the XYZ axes are defined as follows. That is, the vertical direction is the Z axis direction, the opening direction of the wall hole is the X axis direction, and the direction where the X axis and Z axis intersect at right angles is the Y axis. In addition, the side where the front sidewall member 3 is arranged is called the front side or front side, the side where the rear sidewall member 4 is arranged is called the rear side or rear side, and the Y axis direction is sometimes called the left-right direction.

The pet tower 1 is a collapsible living space for pets. It is designed for cats, but other animals can also be used.

The pet tower 1 includes at least one each of a front sidewall member 3, a rear sidewall member 4, and a top plate 5. These components are considered as one unit, and the pet tower 1 is constructed by stacking a plurality of units vertically. In the example of Fig. 1, the pet tower 1 includes three units each of the front sidewall member 3, the rear sidewall member 4, and the top plate 5, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Each component of the unit will now be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front side wall member 3 is a curved plate that bulges forward and has a wall hole 31. The wall hole 31 functions as an entrance and exit for pets. Note that the front side wall member 3 does not necessarily have to be located on the front side, but may be located on the rear side.

The rear sidewall member 4 is a plate material that curves so as to bulge backward. The rear sidewall member 4 is disposed to face the front sidewall member 3, and is connected to the front sidewall member 3 to form the peripheral wall 2 (see FIG. 3). The peripheral wall 2 may be formed by connecting two rear sidewall members 4 to each other, or the peripheral wall 2 may be formed by connecting two front sidewall members 3 to each other.

The upper edge 2A (3A, 4A) and the lower edge 2B (3B, 4B) of the peripheral wall 2 (front sidewall member 3 and rear sidewall member 4) have substantially the same diameter. Therefore, when the pet tower 1 is constructed of three tiered units as shown in Figure 1, the front sidewall member 3 and rear sidewall member 4 can be used for any tiered unit.

Now, regarding the connecting mechanism between the front sidewall member 3 and the rear sidewall member 4, a detachable hinge mechanism 32, 42 is provided on one side edge of the front sidewall member 3 and the rear sidewall member 4. The hinge mechanism 32 is composed of an axle tube 32A arranged on the upper part of the side edge of the front sidewall member 3, and an axle 32B arranged on the lower part of the side edge of the front sidewall member 3. Corresponding to this hinge mechanism 32, the hinge mechanism 42 is composed of an axle 42A arranged on the upper part of the side edge of the rear sidewall member 4, and an axle tube 42B arranged on the lower part of the side edge of the rear sidewall member 4. The front sidewall member 3 and the rear sidewall member 4 are connected to each other so that they can rotate freely by engaging the shaft tube 32A of the front sidewall member 3 with the shaft 42A of the rear sidewall member 4 and by engaging the shaft tube 32B of the front sidewall member 3 with the shaft tube 42B of the rear sidewall member 4 (see Figures 3(A) and (B)).

The front sidewall member 3 and the rear sidewall member 4 are provided with locking mechanisms 33 and 43 on the other side edges. The locking mechanism 33 includes alternating projections 33A and recesses 33B. Corresponding to the locking mechanism 33, the locking mechanism 43 includes alternating recesses 43A and protrusions 43B. Therefore, when the front sidewall member 3 and the rear sidewall member 4 rotate relative to each other and the locking mechanisms 33 and 43 are pressed against each other, the projections 33A and recesses 33B of the locking mechanism 33 engage with the recesses 43A and protrusions 43B of the locking mechanism 43, respectively, and the front sidewall member 3 and the rear sidewall member 4 are locked together (see FIG. 3C).

The front side wall member 3 and the rear side wall member 4 are therefore connected via hinge mechanisms 32, 42 (see FIG. 3(A)), rotated relative to each other (see FIG. 3(B)), and locked via locking mechanisms 33, 43 (see FIG. 3(C)), making them usable as the peripheral wall 2.

Next, the top plate 5 will be described. The top plate 5 is a plate member that covers the upper part of the peripheral wall 2 (front side wall member 3 and rear side wall member 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the top plate 5 includes a lower groove 51 that receives the upper edge portion 2A (3A, 4A) of the peripheral wall 2 from below, and an upper groove 52 that receives the lower edge portion 2B (3B, 4B) of the other peripheral wall 2 from above. Therefore, by connecting the peripheral wall 2 from below the top plate 5, connecting the other peripheral wall 2 from above the top plate 5, and further connecting the other top plate 5, a living space for a pet in which multiple units are connected in the vertical direction can be constructed. The lower groove 51 and the upper groove 52 may be formed around the entire circumference of the top plate 5, or may be formed only on a part of the outer periphery of the top plate 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the top plate 5 has a ceiling hole 53. The ceiling hole 53 is an opening for the pet to move to the upper or lower unit. From the viewpoint of securing a place for the pet to live, it is preferable that the ceiling hole 53 is located near the periphery of the top plate 5.

The pet tower 1 may further include a bottom plate 6 that receives the lower edge 2B (3B, 4B) of the peripheral wall 2 (front side wall member 3 and rear side wall member 4). The lower end of the bottommost peripheral wall 2 may be received by the top plate 5, but the bottom plate 6 does not have any openings, making it suitable as the bottom of the bottommost stage.

The bottom plate 6 may have a groove 61 that receives the lower edge 2B (3B, 4B) of the peripheral wall 2 from above. The groove may be formed around the entire circumference of the bottom plate 6, or may be formed only in a portion of the outer periphery of the bottom plate 6.

The bottom plate 6 may have legs 62 extending outwardly along the bottom plate 6. The legs 62 stabilize the pet tower 1 against shaking.

The pet tower 1 may further include a retention mechanism that prevents the peripheral wall 2 (front sidewall member 3 and rear sidewall member 4) from coming off the top plate 5 or bottom plate 6. As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, the retention mechanism includes an engagement hole 34 formed near the upper edge 3A of the front sidewall member 3, an engagement hole 44 formed near the upper edge 4A of the rear sidewall member 4, and protrusions or claws 54, 55 provided on the top plate 5 corresponding to the engagement holes 34, 44. The retention mechanism may also include an engagement hole 35 formed near the lower edge 3B of the front sidewall member 3, an engagement hole 45 formed near the lower edge 4B of the rear sidewall member 4, and protrusions or claws 56, 57 provided on the top plate 5 corresponding to the engagement holes 35, 45. Alternatively, the holding mechanism may include an engagement hole 35 in the front sidewall member 3, an engagement hole 45 in the rear sidewall member 4, and protrusions or claws 63, 64 provided on the bottom plate 6 in correspondence with the engagement holes 35, 45.

In a pet tower 1 having such a configuration, the desired number of pet towers 1 can be easily constructed by stacking units each consisting of a front side wall member 3, a rear side wall member 4, and a top plate 5 one above the other. In addition, the pet tower 1 can be stabilized by using a bottom plate 6.

When the pet tower 1 is not in use, the components of the pet tower 1 can be stored and transported compactly by stacking the front side wall member 3 and the rear side wall member 4.

In the pet tower 1, there is no set tier on which each unit is placed, and the user can place them as they wish. Furthermore, even if any of the components are damaged or lost, the remaining components can be used to build a pet tower 1 with fewer tiers, or the pet tower 1 can be restored to its original state by replacing or replenishing the damaged or lost components.

The above describes typical embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various design modifications are possible, which are also included in the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the peripheral wall is generally cylindrical, but it may be a polygonal prism, such as a triangular prism or a square prism. Also, while the front side wall member and the rear side wall member are described as being divided into two, they may be multi-divided, for example, into three or four parts, or at least a part of them may be bellows-like in shape.

1 Pet tower 2 Periphery wall 3 Front side wall member 4 Rear side wall member 5 Top plate 6 Bottom plate

Claims (5)

a front sidewall member having a wall hole;
a rear sidewall member connected to the front sidewall member to form a peripheral wall;
A lower groove for receiving the upper edge of the peripheral wall from below, and an upper groove for receiving the lower edge of another peripheral wall from above, and a top plate having a ceiling hole,
Connecting the other peripheral walls from above the top plate to form a vertically connected living space for pets;
A pet tower featuring: Further comprising a bottom plate for receiving a lower edge of the peripheral wall;
The pet tower according to claim 1 . the upper and lower edges of said peripheral wall having substantially the same diameter;
The pet tower according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The bottom plate has legs extending outward along the installation surface of the pet tower;
The pet tower according to claim 3 . Further comprising a locking mechanism for preventing the front side wall member and the rear side wall member from coming off the top plate;
The pet tower according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that