Animal collar

A pad is designed to form a collar for supporting the neck of an animal. The pad is formed from a resilient, trimmable, and washable material having a top surface and a bottom surface separated by a pad thickness t. The pad is preferably substantially rectangular, having a pair of free ends which embrace the mandible and scapula of the animal, and a pair of engaging ends which overlap. The pad has a pad length L.sub.p between the engaging ends, and a pad width W.sub.p between the free ends. Preferably, the ratio of L.sub.p /W.sub.p is such that 3<L.sub.p /W.sub.p <6. The pad is preferably fabricated from a closed-cell polymer foam, and the top and bottom surfaces preferably form soil-resistant layers. Cross-linked polyethylene foam having a density of between about 2 and 6 lbs/cu.ft. with the thickness t being about 1/4 inch has been found effective. To form a collar, one or more inelastic bands secure the pad about the neck. Each band is preferably a length of surgical adhesive tape, and is preferably of sufficient length to overlap itself when wrapped around the pad.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a restraining collar for household animals 
such as cats and dogs which limits bending of the neck of the animal and 
offers support and protection for the neck of the animal. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
There have been a variety of protective collars which are cone-shaped that 
serve to limit the ability of an animal to lick parts of its body, to bite 
at stitches, or to tear off bandages. These collars are generally either 
difficult to fit onto and remove from the animal, or can be readily 
removed by the animal. This problem has been overcome by the present 
inventor with the collar described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,927. While 
collar of the '927 patent overcomes the problems of fitting and removing 
the collar, the cone-shaped collar extends away from the animal, somewhat 
impairing the mobility of the collared animal, and does not offer support 
for the neck. 
The problem of impaired mobility of the animal associated with cone-shaped 
collars has been addressed by a variety of tubular collars which restrict 
the motion of the head of the collared animal, while not impairing 
mobility. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,307,764 and 5,469,814 teach collars which 
restrict the motion of the head of an animal by wrapping the neck in a 
tubular collar which is made of a hard flexible material. The collar is 
configured such that the edges of the collar press on the neck as the 
animal attempts to move its head. 
A head-engaging neck collar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,283 which 
overcomes some of the comfort problems of earlier collars. This collar has 
a tubular shell of a plastic material and is configured with a curved edge 
to engage the head such that the animal cannot turn its head toward the 
body. To assure comfort, the tubular shell is preferably provided with an 
inside padding of expanded plastic. In the event that padding is not 
employed, then the edges of the collar can be provided with a bevel to 
increase comfort. While such a collar may be more comfortable to the 
animal, it limits not only the mobility of the head but also the jaw of 
the animal, making eating and drinking more difficult with the collar in 
place. 
Additional restraining collars which have designs which should not 
interfere with the comfort of the animal wearing the collar are taught in 
Canadian Patent 1,191,748 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,876. These collars 
provide a pad which is encased to form a neck restraint when applied to 
the neck of an animal. These collars employ hook-and-pile type fasteners 
attached to the end regions of the collars. Hook-and-pile type fasteners 
have been found problematic, since they tend to quickly become clogged 
with fur or other obstructions when worn by animals, and cease to be 
effective. 
While the collars of the '748 and '876 patents can be effective in limiting 
the motion of the head of an animal, the pads are difficult to fabricate 
and, in many cases, may be removed by the animal insistently scratching at 
the collar. 
Furthermore, for all of the collars discussed above, a variety of widths 
must be manufactured to provide the appropriate size for a particular 
animal, and these collars are not well suited to individual tailoring to 
meet the needs of a particular animal. The lack of the ability to readily 
modify a collar increases tooling costs and increases the inventory which 
must be maintained by an animal care provider. Also, as the level of 
comfort to the animal increases, the difficulty in cleaning the collar 
increases. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,328 does address the problem of providing a sizable 
collar and teaches that a polymer sheet collar can be trimmed to some 
extent to vary the length and diameter of the collar. However, it teaches 
that such trimming results in barbed edges and that care should be used to 
avoid contact of the barbed edges with the animal. Furthermore, there is 
no teaching that such a collar could be trimmed to avoid contact with 
sensitized regions of the neck. 
Thus, there is a need for a simple, tubular-type collar which is 
comfortable, securable, trimmable, and effective in restraining the motion 
of the head of an animal, providing support and protection for the neck of 
the animal, and reducing the ability of the animal to lick or bite 
infected or injured regions of its body. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to provide a comfortable tubular collar 
for restraining the motion of the head of an animal. 
It is also an object of the invention to provide a comfortable collar which 
provides support for the neck of the animal. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a continuously adjustable 
restraining collar. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a trimmable restraining 
collar to allow the collar to be fitted to a large range of animal neck 
sizes. 
It is yet another object of the invention to provide trimmable restraining 
collar which can be trimmed to avoid contact with injured regions of the 
neck. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a restraint collar which 
can be trimmed to accommodate a variety of shapes of animal necks. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a padded collar which 
is readily securable such that it may be easily applied and the animal 
cannot readily remove the collar. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a reusable collar which may 
be readily cleaned. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention in its simplest form is a pad which is designed to be 
configured into a collar for supporting the neck of an animal and limiting 
the mobility of the head of the animal. The pad of the present invention 
is formed from a strip of a resilient, trimmable, and washable material. 
The pad has a top surface and a bottom surface which are spaced apart by a 
pad thickness t. 
It is preferred that the pad be substantially rectangular in shape. When 
the pad is substantially rectangular in shape, it is bounded by a pair of 
free ends and a pair of engaging ends. When the pad is wrapped around the 
neck of the animal, the free ends respectively embrace the mandible and 
scapula of the animal, while the pair of engaging ends overlap each other. 
The pad has a pad length L.sub.p which is the distance between the 
engaging ends, and a pad width W.sub.p which is the distance between the 
free ends. 
It is preferred that the ratio of L.sub.p /W.sub.p be maintained such that 
EQU 3&lt;L.sub.p /W.sub.p &lt;6. 
Maintaining this range for the ratio of L.sub.p /W.sub.p typically assures 
that, when the pad is selected having a pad width W.sub.p which spans the 
distance between the scapula and mandible of a given animal, the pad 
length L.sub.p is sufficient for closure of the pad when wrapped around 
the neck of the animal to form a collar. 
It is preferred that the pad be fabricated from a polymer foam, and more 
preferably from a closed-cell polymer foam. Closed-cell foams generally 
offer greater stiffness for equivalent density, as well as providing a pad 
which is non-absorbent of liquids, thereby reducing soiling and 
facilitating cleaning by washing. It has been found that it is preferred 
to employ a foam with density of between about 2 and 6 lbs/cu.ft. 
Stiffeners can be incorporated into the foam material to increase the 
stiffness of the pad at the lower end of the density spectrum. 
To increase the ease with which the pad can be maintained in a state of 
cleanliness, it is preferred that, in addition to employing a closed-cell 
foam material, the top and bottom surfaces of the pad form soil-resistant 
layers. Closed-cell polymeric foam sheets with such surfaces are 
commercially available, the soil-resistant surfaces being created as the 
foam is extruded in sheet form in an oxidizing or chemically treated 
environment. 
It is also preferred to use a closed-cell foam for the pad to enhance the 
trimmability of the pad. The closed-cell foam gives the pad increased 
internal connectivity and lessens the likelihood of tearing as the pad is 
trimmed. 
The pad is designed to be configured into a tubular restraining collar 
which surrounds the neck of an animal and spans the distance between the 
animal's scapula and mandible when placed around the animal's neck. When 
the pad is so configured, the engaging ends of the pad are overlapped 
while the free ends of the tubular collar are positioned to engage the 
scapula region and the mandible region of the animal. 
The resulting collar includes at least one inelastic band having an 
adhesive coating designed to adhesively engage the upper surface of the 
pad and secure the pad about the neck of the animal. The at least one 
inelastic band allows the pad to be adjusted in a continuous manner so as 
to comfortably fit the neck of the animal to which the collar is applied. 
Preferably, the at least one inelastic band is a length of adhesive tape, 
and more preferably surgical adhesive tape. It is further preferred that 
the tape have sufficient length to overlap itself when wrapped around the 
pad to further secure the collar. The adhesive layer on the tape also 
adheres to the pad to prevent motion between the pad and the at least one 
inelastic adjustable band. 
When the top surface of the pad is formed as a soil-resistant layer such as 
discussed above, it has been found that such a surface is readily 
adhesively engaged by a surgical adhesive tape while allowing the tape to 
be peeled from such a surface without damage, to permit re-use of the pad. 
Preferred foams for fabrication of the pad are foamed polymers which are 
cross-linked. One such polymer which is preferred is a cross-linked 
polyethylene. For pads formed from cross-linked polyethylene foams in the 
preferred density range set forth above, it has been found that a pad 
thickness t of between about 3/16 inch and 5/16 inch typically provides 
adequate stiffness when bent into a tube to form a collar to restrain the 
head of the animal, while maintaining the free ends of the collar 
sufficiently compliant so as to avoid pain in the scapula region and 
mandible region of the animal, which the free ends engage. 
It is further preferred that the substantially rectangular pad be provided 
with rounded corners having a minimum radius of at least about 1/2 inch. 
When rounded corners are employed, it is further preferred that both a 
first continuously adjustable band and a second continuously adjustable 
band be employed to maintain the pad in a tubular collar configuration. In 
such cases, it is further preferred that the bands engage the exposed 
rounded corners, thereby further inhibiting relative motion between the 
engaging ends of the substantially rectangular pad and minimizing any 
axial slip of the pair of engaging edges relative to each other.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING THE INVENTION INTO PRACTICE 
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a neck pad 10 of one embodiment of the present 
invention. The neck pad 10 is formed from a strip of a foam, preferably a 
polymeric foam. The pad 10 has a top surface 12 and a bottom surface 14 
(best illustrated in FIG. 2), which are spaced apart by a pad thickness t 
(shown in FIG. 2). The pad 10 is substantially rectangular, and has a pad 
length L.sub.p which spans the distance between a pair of engaging edges 
16, and a pad width W.sub.p which spans the distance between a pair of 
free edges 18. It is preferred that the ratio of L.sub.p /W.sub.p is 
maintained such that 3&lt;L.sub.p /W.sub.p &lt;6. This range for the ratio of 
L.sub.p /W.sub.p is preferred to generally assure that, when the pad 10 is 
chosen to form a collar for a given animal (not shown), and the pad width 
W.sub.p is selected such that the pair of free edges 18 substantially span 
the distance between the scapula and mandible of the animal, the pad 
length L.sub.p is sufficient to allow closure of the pad 10 around the 
neck of the animal, with the pair of engaging edges 16 overlapping. 
FIGS. 3-5 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention, a neck 
pad 50. Again the pad 50 is formed from a foam which, in this embodiment, 
is a cross-linked polymeric foam with a closed-cell structure. Closed-cell 
foams are preferred since they provide a non-absorbent material which does 
not pick up fluids from the animal or from the environment, and thus 
requires less cleaning and can be more readily cleaned by washing. The 
connectivity of closed-cell foams generally provides greater rigidity for 
a given foam density and aids in the trimmability of the pad 50. 
The pad 50 again has a top surface 52 and a bottom surface 54 (best 
illustrated in FIG. 4) which are spaced apart by a pad thickness t (shown 
in FIG. 4). The pad 50 is again preferably substantially rectangular in 
shape, having a pad length L.sub.p which spans the distance between a pair 
of engaging edges 56 and a pad width W.sub.p which spans the distance 
between a pair of free edges 58. It is again preferred that the ratio of 
L.sub.p /W.sub.p is maintained such that 3&lt;L.sub.p /W.sub.p &lt;6 so as to 
generally assure that, when the pad is chosen to assure that the pair of 
free edges 58 span the distance between an animal's scapula and mandible, 
there will be closure of the pad 50 and the pair of engaging edges 56 will 
overlap when the pad 50 is placed around the neck of the animal. 
As illustrated in FIG. 5, which is a detail of the region 5 of FIG. 4, it 
is further preferred that the top surface 52 be provided with an upper 
soil-resistant layer 60, and that the bottom surface 54 be provided with a 
lower soil-resistant layer 62. Such soil-resistant layers (60 and 62) are 
readily formed when the foam material is extruded in sheet form in an 
oxidizing environment or otherwise chemically active environment which 
promotes a surface reaction which toughens and smooths the surfaces (52 
and 54) as the foam material is extruded. Typically, these surfaces (52 
and 54) inherently result from the fabrication process unless the foam is 
formed in bulk and then sectioned to form sheets. 
The pad 50 as described, when fabricated from a reinforced cross-linked 
closed-cell foam having a density between about 2 and 6 lbs./cu.ft., has 
sufficient stiffness to serve as a collar if the pad 50 has a nominal pad 
thickness t of about 1/4 inch. When the pad 50 is formed with the above 
described characteristics, it has been found that the pad 50 can be 
readily trimmed. The broken lines illustrate patterns which might be 
employed. An open region 64 could be included to prevent contact of the 
pad 50 with a region of the neck which may have been injured or infected. 
Similarly, the pair of free edges 58 can be trimmed to form contoured 
edges such as the contoured edge 66 to compensate for any irregularities 
in the scapula and mandible of the animal. The ability to be able to 
readily trim the pad allows the pad 50 to form a collar for a wide variety 
of animal neck shapes. Other contouring of the pad 50 which enhances the 
performance of the pad 50 may be readily provided, such as providing 
rounded corners 68. 
FIGS. 6-8 illustrate a collar 100 which employs a pad 102 which is similar 
to the pad 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and described above. The collar 
100 is shown in FIG. 6 in an exploded isometric view, before the pad 102 
has been conformed to the neck of the animal onto which it will be placed. 
The collar 100 has a single inelastic band 104 formed from a piece of 
surgical adhesive tape. As is illustrated in FIG. 7, which is a detail of 
the region 7 of FIG. 6, an adhesive 106 resides on the side of the band 
104 which is brought into contact with the pad 102. It has been found that 
surgical adhesive tape is well suited for attaching to the pad 102 when 
the pad 102 is formed of a polymer foam material. 
The pad 102 has a pad length L.sub.p between a pair of engaging edges 108, 
and the band 104 of this embodiment has a band length L.sub.b such that 
L.sub.p &lt;L.sub.b. This allows the band 104 to be attached to the pad 102 
in a manner such that the band 104 runs substantially over the pad length 
L.sub.p of the pad 102 while forming an extension 110 of the band 104 
which extends beyond only one of the pair of engaging edges 108. This 
facilitates one scheme for placement of the collar 100 around the neck of 
the animal, which is discussed in greater detail below. 
FIG. 8 illustrates the collar 100 when the pad 102 has been wrapped into a 
tubular shape having a diameter D so as to conform the neck of the animal 
to which it is fitted. To form the collar 100 from the pad 102, the band 
104 is positioned and adhered to the pad 102. The band 104 is positioned 
with respect to the pad 102 so as to create the extension 110 which 
extends over only one of the pair of engaging edges 108. The pair of 
engaging edges 108 are then overlapped and the extension 110 wrapped 
around the collar 100. The extension 110 at least partially overlaps the 
remainder of the band 104 to adhere it to itself. 
Since the band 104 is formed of surgical adhesive tape, the extension 110 
of the band 104 may be readily wrapped and adhered to itself with one 
hand, while the user maintains the pad 102 firmly in place about the neck 
of the animal with the other hand. This allows the collar 100 to be 
quickly and securely applied to the animal. 
FIG. 9 illustrates the collar 100' where another method for applying the 
pad 102 to the neck of an animal is employed. With this technique, the pad 
102 is first wrapped into a tubular shape of diameter D about the neck of 
the animal. A piece of tape 104' is adhered to the pad 102 so as to cross 
the one of the pair of engaged edges 108 which is exposed to secure the 
pad 102 about the neck of the animal. In this case, the tape 104' can be 
significantly shorter that the pad length L.sub.p (shown in FIG. 6). 
FIG. 10 is an isometric view illustrating a collar 150 which forms another 
embodiment of the present invention. The collar 150 employs a pad 152 
which is similar to the pad 50 discussed above, and is formed of a 
closed-cell cross-linked polymer foam material which is provided with 
soil-resistant surfaces 154. The pad 152 is substantially rectangular, 
having a pair of engaging edges 156 (only one of which can be seen) and a 
pair of free edges 158. The pad 152 illustrated has rounded corners 160. 
The collar 150 employs both a first band 162 and a second band 164, which 
are affixed to the pad 152 in close proximity to the pair of free edges 
158. The first band 162 and the second band 164 are preferably positioned 
so as to traverse the rounded corners 160 of the pad 152, further limiting 
axial slip between the pair of engaging edges 156. 
It has been found that providing the soil-resistant surfaces 154 provides 
an additional unexpected benefit in that, while they assure adherence of 
the first band 162 and the second band 164 to the pad 152, the bands (162 
and 164) may be peeled off without degrading the soil-resistant surfaces 
154. This greatly facilitates re-use of the pad 152. 
In this embodiment, the cross-linked closed-cell foam material from which 
the pad 152 is fabricated has a nominal pad thickness t of 1/4 in. This 
material can be readily trimmed to suit a particular application. In the 
example illustrated, the pad 152 has been trimmed to provide an open 
region 166. The open region 166 allows the collar 150 to provide support 
to avoid bending of the neck, but while avoiding direct contact with the 
area of the neck which underlies the open region 166. The pad 152 may thus 
be readily trimmed to allow the collar 150 to be employed on an animal 
having wounds or other aggravated areas on its neck. 
While the novel features of the present invention have been described in 
terms of particular embodiments and preferred applications, it should be 
appreciated by one skilled in the art that substitution of materials and 
modification of details obviously can be made without departing from the 
spirit of the invention.