Patent Description:
Arrangements embodying the teachings of the invention will be described hereafter with reference to beds for dogs, but this should not be construed as being a limitation of the scope of the invention, as such beds could conceivably be used by a variety of different animals.

Animal beds, such as a dog bed for example, typically comprise a core and a removable cover for the core. A conventional floor-lying bed that is available from Omlet Ltd, Tuthill Park, Wardington, Oxfordshire OX17 1RR, United Kingdom is depicted in <FIG>. This dog bed comprises a padded core and a removable outer cover that includes a peripheral bolster. The cover can be taken off the core for cleaning in a washing machine.

Whilst this illustrative dog bed provides a comfortable bed for a dog, it is the case that some dogs (and indeed their owners) prefer their beds to be elevated from the floor so that the bed is less likely to move around when the dog climbs on and off the bed.

To this end it has previously been proposed to provide items of furniture which essentially comprise a supporting frame, mounted on legs, for an animal bed of the type described above. One illustrative example is the "Raised Wooden Dog Bed" available from Charley Chau Limited, Unit <NUM>, Astra Road, Astra Business Park, Guinness Road, Manchester M17 1SU, United Kingdom. This solid wood product, whilst being fit for purpose, is expensive to ship to customers, large and cumbersome to move around, non-portable, cannot readily be disassembled and is expensive.

It has also previously been proposed to provide more elaborate "pet sofas", for example the Antoinette Pet Sofa available from Lord Lou, Cruquiuszoom <NUM>, <NUM> EW Cruquius, The Netherlands; which again whilst being fit for purpose is expensive (in terms of shipping and purchase), non-portable and cannot be disassembled (which can be a particular problem if the fabric of the sofa (as opposed to the cushion) should be dirtied by the animal).

Another drawback associated with previously proposed floor-lying and raised animal beds is that one cannot readily be converted into the other.

Aspects of the present invention have been devised with the foregoing in mind.

<CIT> provides a pet bed. The pet bed comprises a bed frame, a bed board and a supporting unit which are sequentially connected from top to bottom, at least two groups of mounting holes are formed in the bed plate; the mounting holes are distributed along different circumferences; and the supporting unit is detachably connected with the bed plate through the mounting holes. When the pet bed is used, the supporting unit composed of the supporting legs, the first supporting frame and the second supporting frame is installed on the bed board, the using requirements of old people, young people and adult pets are met by changing the structural form of the supporting unit at the bottom, and practicability is high. Meanwhile, due to the combination of the bed frame, the bed board and different supporting units, the structural form of the pet bed is diversified, and the problem that an existing pet bed is single in shape is solved.

<CIT> discloses a shape-shifting self-draining water-repelling hygienic indoor-outdoor slanting pet tree system that comprises: adjustable legs, a rotatable pedestal, at least one shape-shifting rotatable log, at least one shape-shifting rotatable step, at least one shape-shifting rotatable branch, at least one shape-shifting rotatable hygienic platform, at least one shape-shifting rotatable condo, at least one shape-shifting rotatable hygienic cap, at least one shape-shifting rotatable connector for rotatably connecting all the components of the pet tree together, multiple rotatable wheels to allow the pet tree to be wheeled anywhere, and at least one removable water-repelling cover to cover the components of the pet tree. All the components of the pet tree can rotate <NUM> degrees (by water, wind, pet, and human forces applied on the inside and outside of the pet tree) to allow users to customize the tree shapes, have internal doors to allow pets to move around from one component to another inside the tree, are made of water-repelling material, and have water-draining holes to allow the tree to be hosed down and able to be used indoor and outdoor.

<CIT> discloses a foldable mattress support with legs, which support includes a metal frame with a fabric covering. The metal frame includes first upper and lower frames and second upper and lower frames. Each of the upper and lower frames is pivotally attached to a vertical plate of a hinge. A bolt that is oriented along a first axis passes through the first upper frame and through the vertical plate. A leg attaches through the fabric covering to a base plate of the hinge. The first upper frame pivots about a first axis; the second upper frame pivots about a second axis; the first lower frame pivots about a third axis; and the second lower frame pivots about a fourth axis. Each of the axes is orthogonal to the vertical plate, and the third axis is spaced farther apart from the fourth axis than the first axis is spaced apart from the second axis.

An illustrative embodiment of the present invention is defined in Claim <NUM>. Preferred features of this embodiment are defined in the dependent claims.

Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention are set out elsewhere in the present application.

Various aspects of the teachings of the present invention, and arrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Referring now to <FIG>, there is depicted a schematic representation of the underside of an illustrative conventional animal bed <NUM>, in this instance a dog bed. In this example, the bed <NUM> has a generally rectangular footprint, but it will be appreciated that the shape of the bed may be varied as desired.

The bed <NUM> comprises an outer cover <NUM>, preferably of a fabric material, that defines an internal void within which an inner core <NUM> is enclosed. Typically, the core is compressible, but it needn't necessarily be so. The cover, as will be appreciated, protects the core from damage and helps keep the core clean. In this instance a panel <NUM> forming the underside of the bed <NUM> is detachable (at least in part) from the remainder of the cover so that the core can be removed, and the cover can be cleaned. To that end, it is preferred for the cover to be machine-washable.

Whilst it is preferred for the panel <NUM> to be provided on the underside of the bed <NUM>, it will be appreciated that this is not essential and the panel could comprise a sidewall, or indeed the top wall, of the bed. Similarly, whilst it is preferred for the cover and core to be separable to enable the cover to be cleaned, it is only necessary for the core to be accessible in order to implement the teachings of the present invention.

The panel <NUM> is preferably coupled to the remainder of the cover by means of a zip fastener that extends, in this arrangement around three sides of the panel. In alternative arrangements the panel <NUM> could be secured to the remainder of the cover by another type of fastener, for example buttons, press studs, a two-part mechanical hook and loop mechanism (such as Velcro™) or by any of a variety of alternatives the like of which will be immediately apparent to persons of skill in the art.

The inner core <NUM> comprises, in this example, a rectangular cuboid foam structure configured to fit within the cover <NUM>. It will be appreciated, however, that a variety of different types of core could instead be provided. For example, the core could comprise a padded body (akin to a pillow), memory foam, a bean bag or a variety of other alternatives the like of which will be immediately apparent to persons of skill in the art. In preferred arrangements the core is of a hypoallergenic material that may also include an appropriate biocide and/or stain resistant compound.

Referring now to <FIG> of the drawings, there is depicted a kit <NUM> that embodies a first aspect of the present invention. The kit <NUM> is configured for converting the bed <NUM> of <FIG> into a raised bed and comprises a planar support surface <NUM> (for example of wood, plastics or other stiff material) that can be inserted into the bed <NUM> so that the support surface <NUM> lies between the core <NUM> and the outer cover <NUM>, in one envisaged arrangement between the core <NUM> and the panel <NUM> of the cover that forms the underside of the bed <NUM>. The kit further comprises a plurality of legs <NUM> and fixings <NUM> (shown coupled to the legs <NUM>) enabling the legs to be connected to the support surface through the outer cover to raise the bed. In this instance four identical legs are provided, but it will be appreciated that a fewer or great number of legs may be provided and that they needn't be identical.

The fixings could comprise any of a number of different types of fixing. For example, in one envisaged arrangement they could each comprise a double-ended screw - one end being screwable into a given leg and the other end being screwable into the support surface through the cover.

It is also envisaged that the legs could be moulded around a part of the fixing, leaving the remainder of the fixing extending from the leg so that it can be connected (for example screwed) into the support surface.

To use the kit, a user need only insert the support surface into the bed (for example by releasing panel <NUM> and sliding the support surface into the void) so that it lies on top of the core and between the cover and the core. The user need only then reattach panel <NUM> to the remainder of the cover and affix the legs to the support surface through the cover to provide a raised bed. Advantageously, since the animal bed cores are generally compressible, the kit can be used with many (if not all) different types of animal bed.

Whilst this implementation of the teachings of the invention does allow the bed to be raised, it is recognised that repeated disconnection and reattachment of the legs from the support surface may result in undue wear to the underside of the cover. To that end, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cover <NUM> for an animal bed as shown in <FIG> of the drawings.

In this embodiment, the cover <NUM> includes a panel <NUM> (that forms the underside of the bed in use) that is provided with a plurality of through-holes <NUM>. The through-holes are sized to allow a said fixing to be screwed through the through-holes <NUM> and into the support surface without causing damage to the cover. This arrangement is advantageous in that it allows the bed to be disassembled (for example for cleaning of the cover) and reassembled without affecting the integrity of the cover.

In one particularly preferred embodiment depicted in <FIG>, the kit may comprise a support surface <NUM> that is provided with a plurality of retainers <NUM> that are configured to align with the through-holes <NUM> so that appropriate connectors attached to the legs may be pushed through the through-holes <NUM> to mate and couple with the retainers. For example, the retainers could comprise captive nuts, and the connectors may comprise bolts fittable or pre-fitted to respective legs.

In an envisaged implementation eyelets may be fitted to the cover to reinforce the aforementioned through-holes <NUM>. Alternatively, the respective parts of the cover that surround the through-holes may be reinforced, for example by means of stitching or by affixing a more resilient material to the cover in the vicinity of the through-holes <NUM>.

As before, to use the kit a user need only insert the support surface into the bed (for example by releasing panel <NUM> and sliding the support surface into the void as shown in <FIG>) so that it lies on top of the core and between the cover and the core. The user need only then reattach panel <NUM> to the remainder of the cover and affix the legs to the support surface (as shown in <FIG>) through the cover to provide a raised bed.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that aspects of the present invention readily enable the conversion of a conventional animal bed into a raised animal bed <NUM> such as that which is depicted in <FIG>, in some cases without affecting the integrity of the cover of the bed. Transport of the bed can be facilitated as compared with a ready-made raised bed, and users can switch between raised and floor-lying beds as they wish. Advantageously, the kit also allows any given bed that provides access to the core to be converted into a raised bed. This means that animals can still use beds with which they have become familiar and do not have to get used to a new bed.

It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claim 1:
A raised animal bed (<NUM>) comprising a cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) and a core (<NUM>), wherein said cover defines an internal void in which said core is located, the cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) being openable to permit the core (<NUM>) to be inserted into said void;
the bed further comprising a support surface <NUM> provided within said void between the core (<NUM>) and a part of the cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) that forms the underside of the bed in use, and
a plurality of legs (<NUM>) each having a leg fixing (<NUM>) associated therewith, each leg fixing (<NUM>) being insertable through said part of the cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) and into engagement with said support surface (<NUM>) to couple the legs (<NUM>) to said support surface (<NUM>) through the cover (<NUM>, <NUM>);
wherein the legs and support surface constitute a kit (<NUM>) that is separable from the cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) and core (<NUM>) of the raised bed (<NUM>) so that the raised bed (<NUM>) can be reconfigured so as to be suitable for use as a floor-lying bed.