Scratching apparatus

Scratching apparatus 1 comprising a plurality of scratchable sacrificial elements 7 that can be assembled together to form a tower 5, and a base 3 having a first surface on which the tower 5 can be mounted so that the tower 5 is generally upstanding from the base 3 when the apparatus 1 is in use.

This application claims the priority of foreign Application No. GB2009365.4 filed Jun. 18, 2020. The disclosure of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to scratching apparatus, also colloquially known as scratching posts, particularly but not exclusively to scratching apparatus for felines such as domestic cats.

BACKGROUND

It is well known that felines such as domestic cats have a natural urge to scratch their claws against rough surfaces. The act of scratching is thought to de-stress cats and make them calmer, as well as having other benefits such as removing old material from their claws and enabling them to mark their territory.

As many cat owners will attest, cats often choose items of furniture such as sofas and table or chair legs to scratch their claws against, and in an attempt to discourage such behaviour many owners purchase scratching apparatus, more usually known as scratching posts. A typical example of a previously proposed scratching post is the “Trixie Parla” 62 cm scratching post sold by Amazon.co.uk. This post comprises a generally rectangular covered base, and a post upstanding from the base that has a sisal rope wound around its' peripheral surface.

Whilst such posts can be effective in encouraging cats to scratch against the post instead of an item of furniture, it is the case that the action of the cat scratching on the sisal rope tends to damage the rope over time and makes the post as a whole less effective. If this should happen, the only recourse for the user is to purchase a new replacement scratching post, which is both expensive and unnecessarily wasteful.

To address such issues, it has previously been proposed in United States Patent Application number 2002/0195064 to provide scratching apparatus that comprises a base and upstanding post, as per conventional scratching posts, and a removable and hence replaceable scratchable cover that is attached to the post by means of a hook-and-loop fixing system such as Velcro™.

Whilst this arrangement is more sustainable than scratching apparatus of the Trixie Parla type mentioned above, the cover still needs to be thrown away and replaced when it has been worn out. Furthermore, since the cover has strips of Velcro attached to it, it is no longer fully biodegradable.

To address such issues, it has previously been proposed to provide cardboard scratching mats, such as the Catit Senses 2.0 Oval Scratching Board (available from Petplanet.co.uk). This scratching board is formed of high density corrugated cardboard, and hence is biodegradable. However, whilst this board is more environmentally friendly than the other arrangements mentioned above, it suffers from the disadvantage that as it is configured to be laid on a surface, a cat using the board cannot undertake the full range of stretching activities that are beneficial for felines, such as standing on their hind legs to stretch their back.

An ancillary issue is that as the Catit Senses 2.0 Oval Scratching Board includes a large central recess, the amount of packaging required to ship product to customers is increased as compared, for example, with a flat-packed product. This is both commercially and environmentally undesirable.

The scratching apparatus disclosed herein has been devised with at least some of the aforementioned issues in mind.

SUMMARY

A first embodiment of the present disclosure provides scratching apparatus comprising a plurality of scratchable sacrificial elements that can be assembled together to form a tower, and a base having a first surface on which the tower can be provided so that the tower is generally upstanding from the base when the apparatus is in use. This arrangement has the advantage, as compared with the aforementioned Catit Senses 2.0 Oval Scratching Board for example, that a cat using the scratching apparatus can undertake a larger range of stretching activities. Furthermore, as it is envisaged that the apparatus disclosed herein can be supplied to customers for self-assembly, the size and amount of packaging can be reduced as compared with the abovementioned Catit product, for example, with attendant commercial and environmental benefits.

Adjacent sacrificial elements that form the tower can optionally be coupled to one another. This enhances the structural rigidity of the tower, and hence the apparatus as a whole. To further enhance the structure of the apparatus a plurality of adhesive fixings may be provided for coupling adjacent sacrificial elements together. The apparatus may optionally comprise one or more fixings for coupling the tower to said base. The apparatus may optionally comprise an adhesive fixing for coupling the tower to the base.

The apparatus may comprise one or more rotation-resisting fixings for coupling the tower to the base in such a manner that rotation of the tower relative to the base in use is resisted.

In one envisaged arrangement the apparatus may comprise a support insertable through the sacrificial elements that form said tower to stabilise the tower. The support may be engageable with the base.9. The support may comprise a support base, and a rod upstanding from said support base. Preferably the base includes a recess for accommodating said support base.

In one arrangement the sacrificial elements may each include an aperture, the apertures in said sacrificial elements being alignable to form a passageway for accommodating the rod of said support.

The support may optionally be configured to positively engage with respective elements.

The apparatus may optionally comprise a supplementary support rod and a coupling for engaging said supplementary support rod to the support rod of said support.

In one arrangement the apparatus may comprise a cap and a fixing for coupling the cap to the rod so that the tower is sandwiched between the cap and the base. In another arrangement the apparatus may comprise a cap and a fixing for coupling the cap to the supplementary support rod so that the tower is sandwiched between the cap and the base. In either case, the fixing can optionally be tightened to clamp the tower between the base and the cap.

Preferably said elements are of a biodegradable material, for example of cardboard, and optionally formed from recycled material.

Another aspect of the present disclosure concerns a scratchable tower kit configured for use with the apparatus disclosed herein, the kit comprising a plurality of scratchable sacrificial elements configured for assembly into a tower for coupling to the base of the scratching apparatus of any preceding claim. The scratchable elements may optionally be supplied ready-assembled as a scratchable tower for coupling to said base.

A further aspect of the present disclosure concerns scratching apparatus that comprises a base with a captive nut, and a support rod having a first threaded end that is engageable with the aforementioned nut in the base so that the rod is upstanding from the base, said rod further comprising a second end remote from the first that includes an internal bolt or other coupling with which a fixing can be engaged, the apparatus further comprising a plurality of sacrificial scratchable elements, each including an aperture extending through the element from one major face to another, said sacrificial elements being stackable on the upstanding rod to form a tower of stacked elements; and a cap for coupling to the rod by means of an appropriate fixing, for example a screw, that extends through the cap and into engagement with the coupling in the aforementioned second end of the rod, which fixing being capable of being tightened to clamp the elements between the cap and the base, and thereby reduce the likelihood of elements rotating about the rod when the apparatus is in use.

Other features and aspects of the apparatus are disclosed below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before embarking upon a detailed description of various implementations of the apparatus disclosed herein, it is appropriate to mention that references to orientations (such as “upper”, “lower”, “top” and “bottom”) are intended to refer to the apparatus in normal use, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure—in particular in other circumstances, for example when the apparatus is packaged for sale or transport.

Referring now toFIG.1of the accompanying drawings, there is depicted a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of scratching apparatus1according to the present disclosure.

The apparatus1comprises a base3having a first surface on which a scratchable tower5has been mounted. The tower5comprises a plurality of sacrificial scratchable elements7that have been coupled together, and is provided on the bases so as to extend generally perpendicularly from the aforementioned first surface (which first surface will be uppermost when the apparatus is in use).

In this particular example, the sacrificial elements are coupled together by means of adhesive inserts (not shown), such as a piece of double-sided sticky tape, provided between adjacent elements. The tower5formed by the coupled sacrificial elements is coupled to the base, in this particular arrangement, by means of a similar adhesive insert to secure the tower to the base in an upright position and to stop the tower5from rotating relative to the base3.

The sacrificial elements are of any material that is suitable for being scratched by an animal, such as a cat. In one envisaged implementation, the sacrificial elements are of cardboard, for example of cardboard formed from recycled material such as paper, hemp or the like. The elements are “sacrificial” in the sense that in the course of the apparatus being used, the elements are progressively destroyed.

In the depicted arrangement, the elements are generally triangular and are all of substantially the same shape. In other envisaged arrangements the elements may have a different shape, and need not necessarily all have the same shape. For example, the elements could be circular, or shaped like a lozenge, rhombus, rounded rectangle (as in the example depicted inFIG.8), rectangle, or parallelogram.

In this particular arrangement, the tower is self-supported on the base and it will be appreciated that once the sacrificial elements that make up the tower have been degraded in use, a degraded tower can be unstuck from the base and replaced.

FIG.2is an exploded schematic perspective view of another contemplated arrangement in which the tower is mounted on a support11that helps to maintain the orientation of the tower with respect to the base.

Referring now toFIG.2, in this implementation each of the sacrificial elements7is provided with an aperture9, and the elements7can be aligned so that the respective apertures align to form a channel through the tower5.

The support11comprises a support base13and a support rod15that extends from the base. The base3includes an aperture17, and the rod15of the support11can be passed up through the base until the support base13abuts against one face of the base3, whereupon the rod15will extend from an opposite face of the base3. The support base13can then be attached, for example by means of a plurality of fixings19(in this instance, screws), to the base3, and the rod15can be slid into the channel formed by the aligned apertures9in the elements7that make up the tower5.

In one envisaged implementation the base3includes a recess around the aperture17in which the support base13locates. This arrangement lifts the support base13off a surface on which the scratching apparatus sits (such as a floor for example), and hence reduces the likelihood of the support base13inadvertently scratching that surface.

In this arrangement the tower5is fixed, for example adhered by a piece of double-sided sticky tape21, to the base3to resist rotation of the tower about the support rod15in use, and a cap23is secured to an end of the tower5remote from the base3, in this instance by means of another piece of double-sided tape21. The cap23may comprise a sacrificial element that is without an aperture9and could be marked to indicate to a user assembling the tower that the cap is intended to fit on the top of the tower. In other arrangements, the cap may be of any other suitable material, for example of plastics material.

FIG.3is a schematic perspective view of the underside of the base of another scratching apparatus, andFIG.4is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line A-A ofFIG.3showing part of the apparatus in its' assembled form.

This arrangement is identical in all respects to the arrangement depicted inFIG.2, except for the fact that the apparatus of this particular arrangement includes a plurality of rotation-resisting fixings25, in this instance screws, that can be inserted through holes27in the support base13and corresponding holes in the base3and engaged with at least some of the sacrificial elements7that make up the tower5. In this arrangement, the tape21coupling the tower5to the base3can either be dispensed with or retained, as the user desires. The fixings23assist with maintenance of the orientation of the tower5with respect to the base by resisting rotation of the tower about the support rod15(FIG.4) when the apparatus is in use.

The fixings are generally of such a length as to engage with half a dozen or so of the sacrificial elements of the tower that are closest to the base. Longer or shorter fixings may be employed if desired. For example, the fixings could even be of such a length that they extend through substantially all of the elements that make up the tower. Whilst a plurality of fixings is preferred, it is also envisaged that only one fixing may be required to resist rotation of the tower with respect to the base.

In one arrangement, the sacrificial elements that are intended to engage with the fixings may be provided with appropriately located pilot holes to assist with engagement of the fixings with the tower. In this instance, it is envisaged that those elements which are intended to be engaged with the fixings may be marked, for example by means of a different colour, so that a user assembling the tower5is advised to attach these elements to one another.

As will be appreciated, whilst the support rod can be of any desired length, care should be taken to ensure that the base is large enough to resist toppling of the tower when an animal leans against the tower in use.

Whilst such an arrangement functions adequately, it suffers from the disadvantage that once the elements in a given section of tower have been degraded, the entire tower must be replaced.

To address this issue, it is proposed to provide modular scratching apparatus29as depicted schematically inFIG.5of the accompanying drawings. Features common to this arrangement and other earlier-mentioned arrangements have been denoted with the same reference numeral.

The apparatus of this embodiment comprises, in addition to the components of the apparatus depicted inFIGS.3and4, a supplementary support rod31that can be coupled to the rod15of the support11by means of a suitable coupling33to form an extended support rod. In one envisaged implementation, the coupling comprises a threaded rod that can be screwed into a complementary thread formed in an end of the rod15remote from the support base13and into a complementary thread formed in either end of the supplementary support rod31. Other suitable couplings will be apparent to persons of skill in the art.

The apparatus29further comprises a second tower35that is also formed from a plurality of sacrificial elements7. The second tower35is coupled to the tower5, for example by means of a piece of double-sided sticky tape21, and the cap23is affixed to the free end of the second tower35to form an extended tower. Once assembled, the extended tower (comprised of tower5and secondary tower35) can be fitted over the extended support rod and the fixings25can be engaged with the extended tower to resist rotation of the extended tower about the rod.

As with the arrangement depicted inFIG.2, the rotation-resisting fixings25could be omitted if desired and the extended tower otherwise affixed to the base (for example by means of a piece of double-sided sticky tape) to resist rotation of the extended tower relative to the base.

An advantage of the arrangement depicted inFIG.5is that as the extended tower is longer, an animal using the apparatus can stretch to a greater extent than they can with the apparatus ofFIG.2, for example. Furthermore, as the extended tower is in multiple parts, if one part should be degraded more than the other then only the part that is more degraded need be replaced, thereby reducing wastage.

In the arrangement depicted inFIG.5, the extended support rod is substantially the same length as the extended tower. In another envisaged arrangement, depicted in schematic cross-section inFIG.6, the extended support rod is substantially shorter than the extended tower that it supports. In this configuration a plurality of sacrificial elements37that are without the aperture9of the element7depicted inFIG.2are affixed to the second tower35(between the second tower35and the cap23) to provide a section39of tower that the support does not pass through.

FIG.7is a schematic cross-sectional view of another envisaged arrangement. In this arrangement, the cap23includes a recessed aperture through which a fixing41, such as a threaded bolt, can be passed to engage with the free end of the extended supplementary support rod31. An advantage of this arrangement is that the cap can be tightened against the extended tower to clamp the tower between the cap and the base3, thereby further reducing the likelihood of the tower moving relative to the base in use. It is envisaged that the clamping effect provided by the arrangement may be configured to be sufficient to negate the need to couple adjacent sacrificial elements together and/or to negate the need to couple the tower to the base (either by means of the aforementioned pieces of double-sided sticky tape and/or by means of the rotation-resistant fixings).

This particular aspect of the disclosure could also be applied to the apparatus described above in connection withFIG.2. In other words, a cap of the type employed in the arrangement depicted inFIG.7could be employed with the arrangement depicted inFIG.2.

It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure have heretofore been described, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, equivalents, modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is conceivable that instead of the support simply locating in a channel within the tower, the support could positively engage with the tower. For example, the support could be externally threaded and screwed into the elements that combine to provide the tower.

It is also the case that fixings other than double-sided sticky tape, for example a two-part mechanical hook and loop fastener such as Velcro™, could instead be employed to couple adjacent elements, and/or to couple the tower to the base.

In addition, whilst particular arrangements described above disclose the concept of a single supplementary support rod that is engageable with the rod of the support, it is anticipated that a plurality of supplementary rods could be provided—a first for engagement with the rod of the support that is immediately adjacent the base, and a second for engagement with the first supplementary support rod.

In another envisaged arrangement, the tower could be supplied to a user pre-assembled (that is to say, with the elements coupled together to form the tower). Such an arrangement would facilitate the assembly process, but at the likely expense of being bulkier (and hence more expensive) to transport.

In another envisaged arrangement, the support may simply comprise a rod that is configured to engage directly with the base. For example, an end of the rod may be externally threaded and configured to engage with a captive nut mounted in the base.

In one envisaged implementation, the scratching apparatus may comprise a base with a captive nut, and a support rod having a first threaded end that is engageable with the aforementioned nut in the base so that the rod is upstanding from the base. The rod has a second end remote from the first that includes an internal bolt or other coupling with which a fixing can be engaged. A plurality of sacrificial scratchable elements are provided, each including an aperture extending through the element from one major face to the other. The sacrificial elements can be stacked on the upstanding rod to form a tower of stacked elements. A cap can then be coupled to the rod (with the rod extending through aligned apertures in the elements) by means of an appropriate fixing, for example a screw, that extends through the cap and into engagement with the coupling in the aforementioned second end of the rod. The fixing can then be tightened to clamp the elements between the cap and the base, and thereby reduce the likelihood of elements rotating about the rod when the apparatus is in use.

Such an arrangement has numerous advantages. Firstly, as adjacent elements need not be coupled together, the tower can quickly be assembled by a user. Secondly, a user can replace any one or more of the elements as they are degraded in use. Finally, the components of the apparatus, and indeed replacement tower elements, can be packed particularly efficiently, thereby reducing packaging wastage and transportation costs.

It should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set out particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present disclosure 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.