Stackable pet carrier

• US 5,253,612 A
• Filed: 03/30/1992
• Issued: 10/19/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Doskocil Manufacturing Company Incorporated (Petmate Holdings Co.)
• Original Assignee: Alco Industries Incorporated (Alco Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Goetz, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRICE JR, RICHARD THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/866,889
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 119/17, 119/19
• US Class Current: 119/496
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0245 Boxes or cages

Abstract

A pet carrier having ventilated sidewalls and four supports at the corners of the bottom of the carrier. Each support contains a roller that is selectively retractable into the support or projected outwardly to enable the carrier to be pulled by a pull cord. Four corresponding receptacles are secured to the corners of the top of the pet carrier of slightly greater dimension than said supports so as to snugly receive said supports when like carriers are in stacked position.

Claims

1. A pet carrier comprising a top portion and a bottom portion detachably fastened together, said top and bottom portions having ventilated sidewalls, an end wall of said pet carrier having a door extending into said top and bottom portions, and hinge means extending into said top and bottom portions for pivotally opening said door, a plurality of supports underneath the bottom thereof, a roller contained in each of said supports, means for selectively moving said rollers vertically so that their lower surfaces are selectively moved above or below the bottom of said supports, together with a plurality of receptacles mounted on the top of said carrier and positioned in vertical alignment with said supports, so that when two like carriers are stacked, the rollers of one will be contained within the receptacles of the other, said pet carrier being of substantially rectangular box-like construction of having four supports on the four corners of the bottom thereof and having four rollers, each contained in one of said supports and wherein each of said supports comprises rectangular sidewalls open at the bottom, and a knob connected to the outside of said rectangular sidewalls, and cam means operated by turning of said knob to selectively move said rollers vertically so that the lower surfaces of said rollers are selectively moved and locked in position above or below the bottom surfaces of said rectangular sidewalls.

2. A pet carrier as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of receptacles mounted on the top of said carrier are four in number and having rectangular sidewalls.

3. A pet carrier as recited in claim 2 wherein the bottom of said rectangular sidewalls of said support is serrated.

4. A pet carrier as recited in claim 3 wherein said rectangular box-like construction of the carrier is sub-divided into a top half and a separate bottom half, and manually operated one piece fastening means for clamping said top and bottom halves together.

5. A pet carrier as recited in claim 1 together with a pull cord attached to one end thereof for pulling the carrier when said rollers are locked below the bottom of said supports.

6. A pet carrier as recited in claim 1 wherein said means comprising, for each support, a rotatable know, a bearing for said knob formed on a wall of said support, said roller being eccentrically mounted and rotatable relative to aid bearing.

7. A pet carrier as recited in claim 6 wherein said knob includes a spring biased locking pin, and a pair of slots in said wall of said support concentric with said bearing, wherein one of said pair of slots locks said roller in a retracted position inside said support, and the other of said pair of slots locks said roller in a projected position beyond the bottom of said support to place said rollers in the operative position, when said locking pin is selectively projected into said pair of slots.