Abstract:
A lightweight sanitary disposable tail cover for pets and animals that provide protection to the injured portion of the tail. The tail cover has elongated optional split access sleeves and resilient cushion enclosure chamber which can be adjustably positioned on the pet&#39;s tail according to length and orientation of the injury thereon.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to pet treatment devices for medical problems which require some form of appliance to be used to cover the injured area and prevent the pet from contact or repetitive injury to assure proper healing. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art devices of this type have been directed to a variety of dressings and covers for pets, such as dogs and cats. The primary known examples are bandage wraps and neck collar cones that keep the pet from chewing the injured area and removing the dressing or wrap. 
     Devices for tail injuries are generally fabricated by the veterinarian or health care worker on the spot simply using a variety of medical grade bandage wraps and tapes. Custom leg splints and casts are also known and available depending on the associated pet injury. A number of orthotic braces have been developed for pets, but there are no known specialty tail protection devices directed towards specific tail injuries on pets such as broken or sprained tails. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,173, 148,367, and GB 2,359,239. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 148,367 is directed to a device to protect horses&#39; tails having a bag with a flap and a retaining strap. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,173 discloses a drinking straw for heated liquids to be cooled. Thereby openings are provided therein so air can be drawn in as liquid is sucked up by the user therethrough for cooling the liquid with multiple chambers inducing air bubbles into the liquid straw forming foam. 
     GB Patent 2,359,239 is a protective sleeve for a dog&#39;s tail. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An integral adjustable tail protection and isolation device for use on injured pet tails. An elongated lightweight yieldable synthetic resin plastic sleeve with an air cushion portion for isolation of the injury site on the tail. The sleeve is split longitudinally for ease of tail placement and insertion with length determinant elements allowing for cutting to accommodate different pet tail lengths and the longitudinally oriented positioning of an enlarged cushion area over the injury on the tail. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the pet tail appliance of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged end plan view thereof. 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevational view showing a user modified length application. 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of an alternate form of the invention illustrating resilient annular adjustment for size tail differentials. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged top plan view of the transition portion of the device between the split sleeve and enlarged cushion chamber illustrating access split sleeve slit orientation thereon. 
         FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view illustration of the invention positioned on a pet&#39;s tail in use. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternate form of the invention utilizing elastic material and integrated cushion enlarged insert for flexible yieldable placement on the pet&#39;s tail. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, a pet tail application device  10  of the invention can be seen having an integral one-piece body member  11  with an elongated cylindrical anterior sleeve portion  12  and a posterior sleeve portion  13 . The respective sleeve portions  12  and  13  are joined by an injury receiving area  14  therebetween which is of an increased annular diameter defining a protection chamber  15  therewithin. 
     Each sleeve portion  12  and  13  is slit longitudinally along its overall length at  16  terminating at the corresponding transition to the enlarged injury receiving area  14  as best seen in  FIG. 5  of the drawings with translateral divergency slit continuation at  17  and  18 . This slit divergency will allow the slit  16  to define sleeve element portions  12 A and  12 B,  13 A and  13 B to be opened along their longitudinal access for placement about a pet&#39;s P tail T as seen in  FIG. 6  of the drawings. The respective sleeve portions  12  and  13  and the injury receiving area  14  of increased transverse annular dimension are formed, in this example, from a lightweight synthetic resin material of a flexible yieldable nature having a material memory that will allow for return after deflection to the original cylindrical shape of the respective sleeve portions  12  and  13 . 
     As noted, given the nature of the material used, the sleeve portions  11  and  12  can be selectively cut transversely to incremental lengths to allow for proper positioning of the protection chamber  15  of the injury receiving area  14  of increased annular dimension over an injured site as illustrated in  FIG. 6  of the drawings on the pet P. 
     Such selective length adjustment maybe noted generally by guide cut lines CL as seen in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, but can occur incrementally at any portion along the respective longitudinal length of the sleeve portions  12  and  13  as required. 
     The protection chamber  15  as defined hereinbefore has a plurality of vent apertures at  20  therein as well as may be made of a non-vented semi-transparent material to afford visual monitoring of the injured area of the tail positioned therewithin. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4  of the drawings, alternate length and diameter adjustment configurations can be seen respectively wherein just the anterior sleeve portion  12  and protection chamber  15  is illustrated in  FIG. 3  of the drawings for those applications in which the tail injury is at the end of the pet&#39;s tail, for example. 
     In  FIG. 4  of the drawings, an enlarged end plan view illustrates an alternate form of the invention wherein overlapping sleeve elements  12 A′ and  12 B′ wherein after principle molding and slitting are drawn together in a resilient fashion allowing for annular dimensional adjustment and retention dependent on the cross-sectional dimension of the pet&#39;s tail to which it is applied. 
     Alternately, the respective sleeve portions  12  and  13  may be used independently of the protection chamber  15  wherein selective lengths of adjustably supportive sleeve material may be needed on the pet&#39;s tail T in accordance with other veterinarian procedures and requirements which may occur and are well known to those skilled in the art such as a simple tail splint. 
     It will be noted that a variety of selective manufacturing materials may be used depending on the application parameters defined by potential user criteria in which, as noted, some materials having a return memory provide for adjustable annular closure about the diameter of the tail T which along with the auxiliary retainment tape AT illustrated in broken lines generally in  FIG. 1  of the drawings as an example of potential placement positioning provide additional retainment assistance on the pet&#39;s tail T. 
     Additionally, the interior surface of the respective sleeves  12  and  13  may have a surface enhancement texture at  21  that will aid in the retention indicated in an alternate form shown for illustrative purposes, but not limited to the structure illustrated in  FIG. 4  of the drawings. 
     It will be evident to those skilled in the art that other types of alternate material may be used beyond that of the preferred synthetic resin material as such referring to  FIG. 7  of the drawings an elastic fabric weave  22  to emulate the respective alternate anterior and posterior sleeve portions at  23  and  24  with a fabric covered and support synthetic foam cushion area of increased dimension at  25  for yieldable injury protection as noted hereinbefore described primary form of the invention. 
     It will thus be seen that a new and novel pet tail injury protection system has been illustrated and described and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore I claim: