Patent Publication Number: US-2023145415-A1

Title: Pet house with climate control

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present innovation relates to pet houses. More particularly, the present innovation relates to pet houses with climate control and methods of providing climate control for a pet house. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Various types of pet houses have been designed to provide suitable shelters for pets, e.g., dog houses. Despite the use of such shelters for decades, a need remains for improved pet shelters that can provide an environment in which pets can stay healthy, comfortable, and happy. Certain climate factors such as temperature and humidity may significantly affect the well-being of pets. For example, a hamster can get overheated during a hot summer day and such overheating is unhealthy. A cold winter day can also be unhealthy for a hamster. Because humans can withstand a greater range of temperatures than some pets, e.g., hamsters, a need remains for providing improved climate control to pets even when they live in the same home as their human owners. As an example, whereas humans can and often do live in homes without air conditioning, living in such a home can be problematic for animals sensitive to overheating. Similarly, whereas humans often live in homes that can have cold or drafty spots during winter, being exposed to such cold drafts can be unhealthy for some pets. A need therefore remains for providing improved climate control for pets. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is directed at pet houses with climate control. A pet house can comprise an enclosure including at least one wall and a ceiling, the enclosure having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface defining an interior chamber, the at least one wall defining a door, the door providing access to the interior chamber from outside the pet house. The pet house can comprise a first layer of fabric bonded to the enclosure and covering the exterior surface, and a second layer of fabric bonded to the first layer of fabric. The first layer of fabric and the second layer of fabric can define a pocket between the first and second layers of fabric, the pocket being proximal to the ceiling, the pocket being sized to removably receive a temperature adjusting unit. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 
         FIG.  1 A  shows a front view of a pet house constructed according to the invention, when a pocket of the pet house is open. 
         FIG.  1 B  shows a rear view of the pet house shown in  FIG.  1 A . 
         FIG.  1 C  shows a side view of the pet house shown in  FIG.  1 A . 
         FIG.  1 D  shows a top view of the pet house shown in  FIG.  1 A . 
         FIG.  1 E  shows a side view of the pet house shown in  FIG.  1 A  during insertion of a temperature adjusting unit into the pocket. 
         FIG.  1 F  shows a front view of the pet house shown in  FIG.  1 A  when the pocket is sealed. 
         FIG.  2 A  shows a front view of an enclosure of the pet house of  FIGS.  1 A- 1 F  constructed according to the invention. 
         FIG.  2 B  shows a top view of the enclosure shown in  FIG.  2 A . 
         FIG.  3 A  shows a top view of a ceiling of the pet house after the ceiling has been covered by a first layer of fabric. 
         FIG.  3 B  shows a top view of the ceiling after a first fastener portion (e.g., a hook side or a loop side of a hook-and-loop seal) has been attached to the first layer of fabric shown in  FIG.  3 A . 
         FIG.  3 C  shows a top view of the ceiling after a second layer of fabric has been added to the configuration shown in  FIG.  3 B . 
         FIG.  3 D  is a front view of the first and second layers of fabric when the pocket is open, taken from the direction indicated by arrow  3 D- 3 D in  FIG.  3 C . 
         FIG.  3 E  is a front view of the first and second layers of fabric when the pocket is empty and closed. 
         FIG.  3 F  is a front view of the first and second layers of fabric when the pocket contains a temperature adjusting unit and the pocket is closed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth regarding the structures, systems, and methods of the disclosed subject matter and the environment in which such structures, systems, and methods may operate, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed subject matter. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without such specific details, and that certain features, which are well known in the art, are not described in detail in order to avoid complication of the disclosed subject matter. In addition, it will be understood that the examples provided below are exemplary, and that it is contemplated that there are other structures, systems, and methods that are within the scope of the disclosed subject matter. 
     The disclosed structures, systems, and methods can provide climate control to one or more pets, so that the one or more pets can stay comfortable despite undesirable climate conditions. A pet house with climate control according to the invention can provide cooling to help prevent a pet from becoming overheated. The pet house with climate control according to the invention can also provide heating to help a pet stay warm during cold days. 
       FIGS.  1 A- 1 F  show a pet house  100  constructed in accordance with the invention. As explained herein, pet house  100  is constructed by attaching fabric to an enclosure.  FIG.  2 A  shows a front view of such an enclosure  110 , which defines a vertical wall  112 , a ceiling  114 , a door  116 , and an interior chamber  120 .  FIG.  2 B  shows a top view of enclosure  110 . As shown in  FIG.  2 B , ceiling  114  preferably contains holes  124 . As explained herein, holes  124  allow evaporation from interior chamber  120  and help prevent chamber  120  from becoming or remaining damp. 
     Returning to  FIG.  2 A , interior chamber  120  is bounded by wall  112  and ceiling  114 . Pet house  100  preferably has no floor, but it can also include a floor. Preferably, enclosure  110  is made from a single piece of plastic. While enclosure  110  is preferably made from a single piece of plastic, other forms of construction may be used and are embraced within the invention. For example, enclosure  110  may be fabricated from five separate pieces of wood that are fixed together, e.g., by screws and/or adhesive. In such an embodiment, each of four vertical walls is formed by a single piece of wood and another piece of wood is used to form the ceiling  114 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS.  2 A- 2 B , wall  112  is a single wall, formed from a single piece of plastic, that extends around all four sides of the rectangular or square enclosure  110 . However, other shapes of pet house  100  are embraced within the invention, e.g., circular or oval shapes. Also, while  FIG.  2 A  shows a single door  116 , additional doors may also be provided. In one preferred embodiment, enclosure  110  is formed from a plastic food storage container with the door  116  and ceiling holes  124  being cut from the container. 
     The enclosure  110  preferably has an area of no more than 50 square inches, but it can also have a larger area. The enclosure  110  preferably has a height of no more than 6 inches, e.g., 4 inches, but it can also have a larger height. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS.  2 A- 2 B , the enclosure  110  generally has a cuboidal shape with a square bottom slightly larger than a square top. Preferably, four sides of the square bottom of the enclosure  110  each range from 5 to 7 inches, e.g., 6 inches in length. The door  116  preferably has a width of no more than 2.5 inches and a height of no more than 3 inches, but it can also have a larger size. In a preferred embodiment, the door  116  is sized for admittance of a pet hamster and has a width of 2 inches and a height of 2 inches. 
     Returning to  FIG.  1 A , pet house  100  is constructed by attaching a first layer of fabric  150  to the enclosure  110 . The first layer of fabric  150  preferably covers all exterior surfaces of enclosure  110 . The first layer of fabric  150  may also be wrapped around the bottom edge of wall  112  and the edge of door  116  so that the first layer of fabric  150  also covers at least a portion of the interior surface of enclosure  110 . First layer of fabric  150  may be attached to enclosure  110  by adhesive, e.g., glue, or by other means, e.g., screws, tacks or other fasteners. 
     After the first layer of fabric  150  has been attached to enclosure  110 , a second layer of fabric  160  is attached to the first layer of fabric  150 . As shown in  FIG.  1 A , the second layer of fabric  160  extends over the ceiling  114  (i.e., over the portion of the first layer of fabric  150  that covers the ceiling  114 ) and an upper portion of the exterior surface of wall  112  (i.e., over the portion of first layer of fabric  150  that covers an upper portion of the exterior surface of wall  112 ). In other embodiments, the second layer of fabric  160  can cover additional parts (e.g., by extending lower down wall  112 ) of the first layer of fabric  150 . The second layer of fabric  160  is preferably attached to the first layer of fabric  150 , e.g., by an adhesive such as glue. However, other techniques, e.g., tacks or screws, may be used for fixing the second layer of fabric  160  to the first layer of fabric  150 . 
       FIGS.  3 D- 3 F  show front views of the portion of the first and second layers of fabric,  150  and  160 , that cover the ceiling  114 . As shown in  FIG.  3 D , the first and second layers of fabric,  150  and  160 , define a pocket  170 .  FIG.  3 D  shows the pocket when it is open.  FIG.  3 E  shows the first and second layers of fabric,  150  and  160 , when the pocket  170  is both empty and closed. In this condition, the second layer of fabric  160  contacts the first layer of fabric  150  over most, if not the entire, ceiling  114 .  FIG.  3 F  shows the first and second layers of fabric,  150  and  160 , when a temperature adjusting unit  190  has been inserted into the pocket  170  and the pocket  170  has been closed.  FIG.  1 E  shows a side view of pet house  100  when temperature adjusting unit  190  is being inserted into the pocket  170 . 
     Returning to  FIG.  3 D , a first fastener portion  172  is attached to a portion of the first layer of fabric  150  and a second fastener portion  174  is attached to a portion of the second layer of fabric  160 . The first and second fastener portions,  172  and  174 , are preferably hook-and-loop type fasteners (e.g., of the type commercially known as VELCRO®). The first fastener portion  172  may comprise the loops and the second fastener portion  174  may comprise the hooks, or vice versa. Also, while hook-and-loop type fasteners are preferred, other mechanisms, e.g., zippers or buttons, may be used for the first and second fastener portions  172  and  174 . The purpose of the fastener portions  172  and  174  is to allow for easy opening and closing of pocket  170 . 
       FIGS.  3 A- 3 C  illustrate a procedure for forming the pocket  170 . As shown in  FIG.  3 A , initially the first layer of fabric  150  is attached to the ceiling  114  (and although not illustrated in  FIG.  3 A , also to other exterior surfaces of enclosure  110 ). As shown in  FIG.  3 B , next the first fastener portion  172  is attached to the first layer of fabric  150 , e.g., by using glue. Next, as shown in  FIG.  3 C , the second layer of fabric  160  is attached to the first layer of fabric  150 . As shown in  FIG.  3 C , the second layer of fabric  160  need not cover the entire ceiling  114  and rather a strip of the first layer of fabric  150  may be left exposed. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG.  3 C , the pocket  170  has a rectangular shape. However, other shapes of pocket  170  are embraced within the invention, e.g., a half-moon shape. As shown in  FIG.  3 C , the second layer of fabric  160  stops short of covering the entire ceiling  114  at edge  178 . Edge  178  in turn defines the edge of the pocket  170 , which may be opened and closed so as to insert or remove a temperature adjusting unit  190 . 
     While  FIG.  3 C  illustrates a preferred embodiment, the second layer of fabric  160  may cover the entire ceiling  114 . In such embodiments, the edge  178  of the pocket may be co-extensive with an edge of the ceiling  114  or, alternatively, the edge  178  of the pocket may be located on the external surface of wall  112 . 
     Temperature adjusting unit  190 , e.g., as shown in  FIG.  1 E , may be implemented using a heating/cooling pack. Such packs are commercially available, e.g., as gel packs, and may be heated, e.g., in a microwave oven, or cooled, e.g., in a freezer or refrigerator. In operation, on a hot day, the temperature adjusting unit  190  may be cooled, e.g., in a freezer, and then inserted into the pocket  170 . Conversely, on a cold day, the temperature adjusting unit  190  may be heated, e.g., in a microwave oven, and then placed in the pocket  170 . In this way, the interior chamber  120  (e.g., as shown in  FIG.  1 A ), may be cooled or heated, as desired, to create a more desirable environment for a pet. The holes  124  (e.g., as shown in  FIG.  2 B ) in ceiling  114  prevent condensation and allow any moisture to conveniently evaporate from interior chamber  120  so as to keep the chamber  120  comfortable and dry. 
     Pet house  100  is preferably sized to fit within larger pet environments, e.g., terrariums. Experience with one hamster reveals that the hamster enters the pet house  100  to cool off on hot days once a cool temperature adjusting unit  190  has been inserted into the pocket  170 . Similarly, experience with that hamster reveals that the hamster enters the pet house  100  to warm up on cool days once a hot temperature adjusting unit  190  has been inserted into the pocket. Pets also enjoy climbing the walls  112  of pet house  100  and resting on the ceiling  114 . An advantage of covering the exterior walls  112  of enclosure  110  with fabric is that pets can conveniently climb the walls  112  to reach the ceiling  114 . In addition to providing a thermally controlled chamber  120 , pet house  100  also provides pets with shelter, e.g., an area in which they can retreat to and feel safe within. Preferably, pet house  100  has only one door  116  so as to enhance the sense of safety a pet feels when inside chamber  120 . However, additional doors may be included. 
     It is to be understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed subject matter is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.