Abstract:
A portable calming unit for humanely restraining an aggressive animal is configured with a plurality of openings allowing the operator to administer a variety of procedures while reliably, yet harmlessly, restraining the animal.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates to pet restrictors, and more particularly pertains to calming devises or units configured to prevent animals from self-inflicting harm while being aided by an operator.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     In the handling and care of animals, it is customary to have close contact with the animals. Originally, this contact was achieved by using nooses, tranquilizers and catch poles. Further development of a restraining device included a long pole with a snare called a catchpole. While still widely used, the catchpole may cause high levels of stress for the animal. Besides, the effective use of the catchpole is predicated on long hours of practice since as simple as the structure of the catchpole is, in reality, to properly catch the animal and further to contain it requires that the operator possess high levels of concentration and physical ability.  
         [0005]     Later, chutes have been developed that are only slightly wider than the animal. By closing the chute in front and behind a fairly large animal, such as a horse or cow, it is possible to confine it in a space only slightly larger than its own size.  
         [0006]     With an animal confined in the chute, the operator can approach the animal to administer the desirable procedure without fear of injury. Although most chutes originally were permanently constructed at a fixed location, portable chutes now are available that can be moved to the place where the animal is located.  
         [0007]     Regardless of the restraining instrument, it is designed as a shield to protect the operator from an attack by the animal. The rationale behind the entire procedure is to tough the animal, not to calm it down. Exemplification of the protective shield is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,776 and includes an expanding top with a reinforced tip constructed to press against the animal. Restraining the animal with a point-configured shield may be psychologically and physically damaging to the animal.  
         [0008]     Those working with laboratory animals and with animals going to slaughter have found that applying pressure to the whole body when needing to manipulate the animal can vastly decrease stress. These squeeze devices, operating similarly to the structure as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,543, can cost thousands of dollars and involve designing a facility with built in devices.  
         [0009]     From the above discussion, it is clear that previous devices and methods for restraining animals have not provided desirable solutions in many situations. Some of the existing devices are designed without any regard to wellbeing of animals, whereas others are cost inefficient and complicated.  
         [0010]     It is therefore desirable to have a structurally simple and cost-efficient calming device configured to prevent the animal from hurting itself, while allowing the operator to treat the animal he/she would otherwise not be able to treat.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     This objective is attained by a portable calming unit, which includes a panel configured to have a shape and dimensions to provide a full body contact with an animal, which may be, thus, gently forced towards the desired position. The calming unit allows the operator to both see an aggressive animal while gaining control over it, and to treat the animal once it has been restrained.  
         [0012]     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the panel is configured to have a discontinuous smooth outer surface provided with dimensions sufficient to protect an operator while gently pressing a large area of the smooth outer surface against the animal without hurting it. Discontinuity or perforation of the surface is realized by a plurality of spaced throughgoing openings strategically located to help the operator clearly see the animal as well as to form multiple access ports, through which the operator can administer necessary procedures.  
         [0013]     In accordance with one aspect of the invention including the use of the calming unit in a cage or kennel, the panel is adjustable to conform to the inner surface of variously dimensioned cages. As a consequence, the calming unit can be, for example, expanded to fit a large kennel while both reliably shielding the operator and preventing the animal from escaping the kennel. To provide the operator with the maneuverability within the kennel, the calming unit has a means for holding mounted on the panel to help the operator easily rock the animal back into the wall of the cage and easily hold it there.  
         [0014]     As can be understood based on the above disclosure, one of the advantages of the inventive calming unit is its simplicity and effectiveness, which translates into a cost-efficient and effective tool for humanely treating the animal. Still a further advantage of the inventive calming unit is its universal use with newly designed cages and kennel as well as with already existing ones.  
         [0015]     In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the inventive calming unit is configured for use with differently dimensioned cages or kennels. To make the calming unit particularly cost efficient, the panel can be expanded in horizontal and vertical planes to fit the interior of differently dimensioned cages and/or cages. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     The above and other features, objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the detailed description of the invention, accompanied with the following drawings, in which:  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of calming unit configured in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of assembly including a standard cage or kennel and the calming unit of  FIG. 1  of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the inventive calming unit as seen from the outer side thereof;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section of the inventive calming unit taken along lines III-III, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the assembly of  FIG. 2  configured in accordance with a further embodiment of the inventive calming unit; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a calming panel configured in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]     According to the invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , safe and humane handling of aggressive animals in shelter and pound settings is realized by a calming unit  100  configured to gain control over an animal while preventing it from hurting itself. The calming unit  100  includes a panel  10 ′ with a smooth outer side  16 ′ shaped and dimensioned to provide a large area of contact with the animal while observing it through a plurality of perforations  24 ′ traversing the panel  10 ′ between its inner side  18 ′ and outer side  16 ′. While the shape of the panel  10 ′ can vary from circular to oval to polygonal, it is invariably configured to a) establish the largest possible area with the animal, b) protect the animal from self inflicting harm, and c) protect the operator. Thus, the perforated panel  10 ′ provided with a pair of handles  20 ′ can be effectively operated to control and calm down the animal regardless of whether the encounter with the animal occurs on a street or in a relatively small and well defined area, such as a cage or kennel  
         [0024]     Dimensionally, the inventive calming unit  100  can be made in all different sizes—small ones for cat cages, large ones for large dogs placed in kennels. Based on the variety of sizes, one of the aspects of the invention is concerned with a kit having a multiplicity of differently dimensioned panels  10 ′, each of which is configured to handle an animal of predetermined size. Furthermore, in addition to various sizes, the panels  10 ′ constituting the kit may be variously shaped, which, depending on material, can be realized by extrusion.  
         [0025]     Turning to  FIGS. 1A-3 , illustrating the application of the calming unit in a shelter, it is presumed that an animal has been already placed in a kennel or cage  12 . The operator, having stepped into the kennel, can displace a panel  10  towards a rear wall  14  of the kennel  12 . The panel  10  allows the operator to both gain control of an animal while gently pushing it by the panel  10  until creating a space slightly larger than the animal and defined between a smooth outer side  16  ( FIG. 2 ) of the panel and the wall  14 .  
         [0026]     By dimensioning the panel  10  so that the clearances between an outer peripheral edge  22  ( FIG. 2 ) of the panel  10  and the inner surface of the cage  12  are so small that the animal cannot escape, displacement of the animal becomes a relatively simple and stress-avoiding task. To facilitate displacement of the panel  10 , its smooth inner side  18  ( FIG. 1A ) is configured to support one or more handles  20  located so that the operator can balance the panel  10  in response to the inevitable resistance by the animal. Preferably, the handles  20  are positioned in the near center position to provide the operator the desirable maneuverability to manipulate the animal while administering various procedures that, otherwise, would be difficult to accomplish.  
         [0027]     Upon placing the panel  10  within the cage  12 , the operator is able to rock the animal towards the wall  14  while observing and treating the yielding animal through a plurality of holes  24  ( FIGS. 2-3 ) traversing the panel  10 . The holes each may be uniformly dimensioned and shaped to vary from circular to oval to polygonal, advantageously. Advantageously, however, the holes are conical with a relatively large diameter on either one of the outer and inner sides  16 ,  18  of the panel  10  and a relatively small diameter on the opposite side. Preferably, a relatively narrow diameter is formed on the outer side  16  to further localize the desire part of the animal&#39;s body for the desirable procedure, such as an injection. Furthermore, while the outer side  16 ′ of  FIG. 1  is flat, the outer side  16  of the panel  10  of  FIG. 1A  is inwardly concave in at least one of horizontal and vertical planes. The curved outer side  16  may help the animal position itself in the middle of the panel  10 , which, in turn, may facilitate the operator&#39;s job.  
         [0028]     Cages and kennels are usually uniformly shaped but have different dimensions. Accordingly, to provide the calming unit  100  ( FIG. 2 ) with the desirable universality, it is configured to have the panel  10  provided with an adjustable structure including formations  38 . The latter are provided along at least two transversely extending sides  20  and  22  of the panel  10  and configured to selectively receive width- and height-modifying components  32 ,  34 , respectively, to vary the width and height of the panel  10 . To accomplish coupling between the panel  10  and width- and height-modifying components  32 ,  34 , the latter are provided with formations  36  shaped and dimensioned complementary to the formations  38  of the panel  10 . Given only as an example, the formations  36  and  38  may constitute a tongue and dovetail groove formation allowing the components  32 ,  34  and the panel  10  to engagingly slide relative to one another, as indicated by arrows S and S′. Relative displacement of one or more width-modifying components  32  as well as the height-modifying component  34  and the panel  10  allows all of these parts to be removably attached to one another. While the above disclosed structure is composed from separate elements, as a matter of design, the panel  10  and dimension-modifying components may be inseparable from but still displaceable relative to one another.  
         [0029]     A further modification of the adjustable calming unit  100  is illustrated in  FIG. 4  and includes rib-like formations  50  formed on a tongue  54  of width-modifying components and meshing with corresponding formations  52 , which are provided on inner flanks  56  of a groove  58  formed on a panel  60 . In use, troughs  62 , defined by adjacent ribs  64  of either one of the displaceable elements, each are dimensioned to frictionally engage ribs  64  of the other displaceable element. In contrast to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the rib-like formations  50  and  52  of  FIG. 4  may provide a variable width, since the engagement between the main panel and any additional component can be provided not by the entire tongue and groove, but by portions thereof. While the above discussion relates to the width of the calming unit  100 , it is clear that the same relates to the additional components attachable to the top and/or bottom of the main panel to modify the height of the latter. Furthermore, the calming unit  100  is preferably formed by extrusion and made from relatively resilient material, such as plastic or rubber or even sheet metal. As a result, the dimension of the groove  58  may be slightly smaller than the width of the tongue  54 , which, upon its insertion into the groove, spreads the flanks  56  away from one another. Due to the resiliency of the material, the flanks  56  tend to compress toward one another and reliably engage the tongue. Note that the configuration of the tongue and groove assembly can be reversed so that the grooves would be formed on the components and the tongues on the panel  60  of the inventive calming unit.  
         [0030]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the inventive calming unit  100  is configured for use by an operator trying to calm and retain an animal, which is located beyond a cage or kennel. Typically, the operator tries to push the animal towards any surface effectively limiting the degrees of freedom for the animal. Having the concave cross-section of an outer side  70  of a panel  90  and an arrangement of holes  72  affords the animal with all of the advantages discussed above with respect to the case or kennel. However, of course, it is easy to escape the calming unit of  FIGS. 1 and 1 A- 4  if the latter is used in an open space. To reduce such a possibility, the panel  90  has a multiplicity of arms  74  arranged in parallel rows along opposite vertical sides (and/or, if required, along opposite horizontal sides) of the panel  90  and limiting lateral displacement of the animal. Advantageously, the arms  74  are telescopic. To prevent the animal from popping over the panel  10 ′ and  90  ( FIGS. 1 and 5 ), the latter is provided with a lip or collar  80  located on the top of the outer side  16  ( FIG. 1 ). Given only as an example, the lip  80  can be about 2″ for a cat, whereas for a dog, the lip can be about 4″. The length of the arms  74  may be substantial enough to facilitate the process of limiting the animal&#39;s motion by establishing contact between the free ends  76  of the arms and any surface towards which the operator is trying to push the animal. In case of the telescopic structure, to reduce the space between the surface and the smooth outer side  70  to the size slightly larger than the size of the animal, the arms  72  would collapse upon pressing their free ends  76  against the surface. At least some of the arms may have free ends each provided with an enlarged pad  78  to establish a reliable contact with the surface.  
         [0031]     It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but merely as exemplifications of the preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.