WO2005004588A1

WO2005004588A1 - Glove system for washing and/or drying dogs

Info

Publication number: WO2005004588A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/007151
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marinus Pannevis
Original assignee: Mars Incorporated
Priority date: 2003-07-02
Filing date: 2004-07-01
Publication date: 2005-01-20
Also published as: DE10329733B4; DE10329733A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a glove system (6) for washing and/or drying dogs, comprising: a base glove (1), and at least one replaceable pad (4) or cover, which can be arranged on and/or over the base glove for washing and/or drying the dog.

Description

Glove system for washing and/or drying dogs

The present invention relates to a glove system for washing and/or drying dogs.

Very few dogs like being washed or bathed. For this reason, it often requires great effort and trouble on the part of the dog owner. In many cases, it is not even necessary to give the dog a full wash or bath anyway, for example when the dog has only recently been bathed and now only a few parts of its fur are dirty. Frequent bathing is not good for the dog's skin, either, because it can dry out more quickly.

Gloves are known in the general state of the art with which dogs can be dry-brushed. In addition, disposable towels are known, though the dog can only be washed inadequately with these.

The problem on which the present invention is based is to provide a possibility of washing a dog in a simple and rapid manner so thoroughly that extensive bathing can be avoided.

The present problem is solved by a glove system for washing and/or drying dogs, comprising:

- a base glove and

- at least one replaceable pad or cover for arranging on and/or over the base glove, for washing and/or drying the dog.

In this connection, it is preferably provided for the pad or the cover to be releasably attachable to the base glove by means of a Velcro fastening, press-stud fastening, adhesive fastening or the like. In addition, it is preferable for the pad or cover to be made substantially of a sponge-like material.

Apart from that, the invention provides for the sponge-like material to have outwardly pointing knobs, wrinkling or the like on its outer surface.

One embodiment of the invention provides for the pad or cover to be made of washable material.

In a further embodiment, it can be provided for the pad or cover to be made substantially of absorbent material.

In this context, the invention provides for the absorbent material preferably to comprise a super- absorber.

Super-absorbers are generally known in the state of the art and are based substantially on acrylate structures. Super-absorbers are used in particular in products for personal hygiene, such as children's nappies, incontinence products and sanitary towels. Known super-absorbers can absorb up to 1,800 times their own weight in water.

It can preferably be provided for a plurality of pads to be disposed one on top of the other, and for them to be removable individually and one after the other.

One advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the cover to have an opening in each of its longitudinal edges for sticking the thumb of the base glove through.

It is also preferably provided for the base glove to be washable.

In addition, it is preferable for the base glove to be designed for use by either right or left-handed persons.

Finally, it is provided for the base glove to be lined inside with a layer of non-woven material. The present invention is based on the surprising finding that, when the glove system of the invention is used, it is possible to wash a dog in a simple manner, without the exertion of bathing. This not only keeps the dog happy if it does not like being bathed, but also the dog's owner, since it saves him time and effort if he uses the glove system of the invention. The structure of the glove system of the invention, with a base glove and a cover attachable thereto, or a pad, further makes it possible to swap the pads or covers simply, without the need for replacing the base glove every time. Secondly, the base glove can be reused as often as one likes, especially since it is preferably washable, whereas the pads or covers can simply be disposed of if one wishes, even though they are also preferably designed to be washable. Since only the pads or covers have to be disposed of in that case, this reduces the quantity of waste produced.

As explained, the glove system of the invention can be used in order to avoid bathing the dog. Regular use of this system enables the dog to be kept clean all the time, i.e. it is not necessary to wait until the dog is so dirty that it really does have to be put in the bath tub or the like and bathed intensively. The glove system of the present invention provides more of a routine washing system for dogs.

Further features and advantages of the present invention can be seen from the following detailed description, in which two embodiments of the glove system of the invention are illustrated in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In these:

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a base glove in a glove system of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of a sponge-like pad on the base glove of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section through a glove system of the invention according to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows the removal of a pad from the base glove of Fig. 1 after use;

Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of a pad of absorbent material on the base glove of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of a base glove with a sponge-like cover for a glove system of the present invention; and

Fig. 7 shows the cover being rotated around the base glove according to Fig. 6 during use.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a base glove 1 for use in a glove system of the invention, the base glove 1 being provided with Nelcro surfaces 2 in order to enable a pad or cover to be firmly attached to the base glove 1. For a man skilled in the art, however, it will be readily apparent that other means of attachment are conceivable which make a releasable, but firm connection possible between the base glove 1 and the pad. In order to make the base glove 1 comfortable to wear, it is provided with a cuff 3. The base glove 1 is preferably made of washable material. The base glove 1 ought preferably to be made of a material which is water-tight. The material can preferably be the material used in a household glove with a latex/water-resistant coating on the outside. To form a glove system of the invention 6, as shown in Fig. 2 for example, a pad 4 made of a sponge-like material is attached by means of the Nelcro surfaces 2 of the base glove 1 and Nelcro surfaces (not shown) on the back of the pad 4, so that the pad 4 can be held firmly on the base glove 1 without slipping. The pad 4 made of a sponge-like material has outwardly pointing knobs 5 on its surface facing away from the base glove 1. These knobs 5 make it possible to give the dog a massage at the same time as washing it. Apart from knobs 5, a man skilled in the art will be readily aware of other suitable ways of designing the surface of the sponge-like material. The base glove 1 shown in Fig. 2 is a base glove for right-handed persons. It goes without saying that a base glove 1 of this kind can also be designed for use by left-handed persons. Similarly, it is possible to use a base glove which, because of its shape, can be used equally well both by right-handed persons and by left-handed persons. Especially in the case of large dogs which are to be washed with the glove system of the invention, the dog owner can place a glove system of the invention on both his hands and then wash the dog with both hands at the same time.

The pad 4 made of a sponge-like material can be soaked with water or cleansing agents, such as soap, as the need arises, in order to wash a dog simply and quickly, without the need to bath the dog completely. Apart from water or soap, shampoo can likewise be applied to the surface of the pad 4. A number of dry shampoos are available on the market which can be applied without the need to be rinsed off with water afterwards. Similarly, other cleansing solutions which have been developed for animals' fur and/or skin can be applied to the pad 4. Because of the knobs 5 on the pad 4, the dog is additionally given a pleasant massage, so that the dog will experience the use of the glove system of the invention as very pleasant, and washing the dog will be rendered very easy for the dog owner.

Fig. 3 shows a section view through the glove system of the invention 6. As can be seen, the pad 4 is attached to the base glove 1 by means of Velcro surfaces 2. The base glove 1 is lined on its inner surfaces with a non-woven material 7, which creates a pleasant, dry feeling for the user when he has put on the base glove 1 for use. The advantage of the base glove 1 consists in the fact that it protects the user's hand from becoming dirty. It has the further advantage that it does not need to be thrown away, but can be kept. This means that the materials of the pad 4 may exhibit a reduced structural integrity, depending on the structure provided by the base glove 1. For this reason, the materials of the pad 4 may be produced from thinner materials, which results in less waste when the pad 4 is thrown away. Similarly, attaching the pad 4 to the base glove 1 means that the glove system does not roll up during use, but remains flat, so that the entire surface of the pad 4 is effective.

Fig. 4 shows the glove system of the invention 6 after use. The pad 4 made of a sponge-like material, containing dirt and dog hairs, can easily be pulled off the base glove 1 after use, by releasing the Velcro fastening. The pad 4 can then, as desired, either be disposed of or washed for repeated use.

After the glove system 6 according to Fig. 4 has been used with a pad 4 made of a sponge-like material soaked in water, the dog's fur is usually still damp. With a further pad 8, the attachment of which to the base glove 1 is shown in Fig. 5, the dog can then be dried, because the pad 8 substantially comprises an absorbent material, which absorbs the water from the dog's fur when it is rubbed down. The absorbent material of the pad 8 is preferably designed such that it comprises a super-absorber. When the pad 8 is used, the dog can be dried easily and quickly, which is pleasant both for the dog and for the dog owner. The pad 8 is arranged on the base glove 1 in the direction of the arrow and is attached by means of the Velcro fastenings so that it cannot slip. Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of the glove system of the invention. There, a cover 9 is pulled over a base glove 10, which base glove 10 does not necessarily have to be provided with Velcro surfaces. Instead, the cover 9 can already be securely attached by providing openings 11 in each of the longitudinal edges 12 of the cover 9, through which it is possible to stick the thumb of the base glove 10 such that a secure attachment of the cover 9 to the base glove 10 is achieved. Covers that can be used for the base glove 10 are covers made of a sponge-like material or also from absorbent material, such as has already been described for the base glove 1 of Figs. 1 to 5. The cover 9 also makes it possible to give the dog a quick and easy wash and a massage at the same time with knobs which may optionally be present, and the cover 9 made of a sponge-like material can likewise be soaked with water and optionally cleansing agent, such as soap. Unlike the pad 4 made of a spongelike material, the cover 9 can be provided with knobs 5 on both outer surfaces, since the cover 9 can easily be rotated by 180°, so that both outer surfaces of the cover 9 made of a sponge-like material can be used for washing the dog if a base glove 10 for right-handed persons is used, for example, as is shown by way of example in Fig. 7. For this purpose, the cover 9 is first of all pulled off the base glove 10 in the direction of the arrow (step A) and then, in step B, it can be rotated accordingly in the direction of the arrow and pushed back onto the base glove 10. The pad 4 and the cover 9 made of a sponge-like material can be made from the same material. The same applies to a pad or cover of absorbent material.

It goes without saying that the glove system of the invention is not restricted to use for washing and/or drying dogs, but can in fact also be used for other pets, such as cats or horses.

The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the drawings and in the claims and, can be essential to implementing the invention in its various embodiments both individually and in any combination.

Claims

1. A glove system (6) for washing and/or drying dogs, comprising:

- a base glove (1 , 10) and

- at least one replaceable pad (4, 8) or cover (9), which can be arranged on and/or over the base glove for washing and/or drying the dog.

2. The glove system as claimed in Claim 1, characterised by the fact that the pad (4, 8) or the cover is releasably attachable to the base glove (1) by means of a Velcro fastening (2), press-stud fastening, adhesive fastening or the like.

3. The glove system as claimed in either of Claims 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that the pad (4) or the cover (9) is made substantially of a sponge-like material.

4. The glove system as claimed in Claim 3, characterised by the fact that the sponge-like material has outwardly pointing knobs (5), wrinkling or the like on its outer surface.

5. The glove system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the pad (4, 8) or the cover (9) is made of washable material.

6. The glove system as claimed in either of Claims 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that the pad (8) or the cover is made substantially of absorbent material.

7. The glove system as claimed in Claim 6, characterised by the fact that the absorbent material comprises a super-absorber.

8. The glove system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that a plurality of pads (4, 8) can be disposed one on top of the other, and can be removed individually and one after the other.

9. The glove system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the cover (9) has at least one opening (11) in each of its longitudinal edges (12) for sticking the thumb of the base glove (10) through.

10. The glove system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the base glove (1, 10) is washable.

11. The glove system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the base glove (1, 10) is designed for use either by right-handed persons or by left-handed persons.

12. The glove system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the base glove (1, 10) is lined inside with a layer of non-woven material (7).