Animal restraint system for vehicles

• US 6,827,044 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BOS Automotive Products, Incorporated (BOS GMBH & CO. KG)
• Original Assignee: BOS Automotive Products, Incorporated (BOS GMBH & CO. KG)
• Inventors: Lobanoff, Mark, Gulette, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swiatek, Robert P.
• Application Number:
  US10/254,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20030150400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 119/769, 119/770, 119/771, 119/792, 119/850, 119/856, 119/857, 119/907, 54/791, 54/792
• US Class Current: 119/771
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0263 Harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0272 Boxes, bags, cages, baskets, harnesses especially adapted for transport in or on automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/002 Harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/10 specially adapted for children or animals children's seats B60N2/24
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 119/907 Harness

Abstract

An animal restraint system for a vehicle has a vest having leg holes for front legs of an animal. A top strap is extended across the top of an animal wearing the vest and is looped through a buckle tongue and a webbing adjuster defining top and bottom portions of the top strap. The vest is secured to a seat belt of a vehicle by passing the seat belt between the top and bottom portions of the top strap. The top portion of the top strap can be pulled through the webbing adjuster to shorten the bottom portion to adjust the top strap. In an embodiment, the top strap is rotatably coupled to the vest.

Claims

1. An animal restraint system for a vehicle, comprising a vest having a vest jacket including leg holes for front legs of an animal and a top strap that extends across a back of an animal wearing the vest from a first side of the vest jacket to a second side of the vest jacket when the vest jacket is on the animal to secure the vest to the animal, the top strap rotatably secured to the first and second sides of the vest jacket, the vest removably securable to a seat belt of the vehicle, the top strap including a continuous loop that is looped through a buckle tongue and a webbing adjuster defining top and bottom portions of the top strap extending between the buckle tongue and the webbing adjuster, the top and bottom portions secured together adjacent the buckle tongue, the vest removably securable to the seat belt by passing the seat belt between the top and bottom portions of the top strap.

2. The animal restraint system of claim 1 wherein the top strap is rotatably and removably secured to one side of the vest jacket.

3. The animal restraint system of claim 1 and further including the webbing adjuster rotatably secured to one side of the vest jacket and a buckle rotatably secured to the other side of the vest jacket that mates with the buckle tongue.

4. The animal restraint system of claim 3 and further including a buckle attachment clip secured to the buckle and a webbing adjuster attachment clip secured to the webbing adjuster, the buckle attachment clip and the webbing adjuster attachment strap looped through respective rings secured on opposite sides of the vest jacket to rotatably secure the top strap to the vest jacket.

5. The animal restraint system of claim 4, and further including reinforcing straps secured to the vest jacket, the rings secured to the vest jacket by the reinforcing straps looped through respective ones of the rings.

6. The animal restraint system of claim 1 wherein the vest is symmetrical about the leg holes.

7. The animal restraint system of claim 6 wherein the vest is spherical.

8. The animal restraint system of claim 1 wherein the bottom portion of the top strap is pullable through the webbing adjuster by pulling the top portion of the top strap to shorten the bottom portion of the top strap extending across the back of the animal with the webbing adjuster releasably securing the top strap to prevent the top portion of the top strap from being pulled back through the webbing adjuster.

9. The animal restraint system of claim 8 wherein the top portion and the bottom portion of the top strap are secured together adjacent the tongue to have a predetermined breakaway force.

10. The animal restraint system of claim 9 wherein the top and bottom portions of the top strap are secured together adjacent the tongue by stitches, the predetermined breakaway force determined by at least one of the size of thread, type of thread, type of stitches and number of stitches.

11. An animal restraint system for a vehicle, comprising a vest having a vest jacket including leg holes for front legs of an animal and a top strap that extends across a back of an animal wearing the vest from a first side of the vest jacket to a second side of the vest jacket when the vest jacket is on the animal to secure the vest to the animal, the vest removably securable to a seat belt of the vehicle, first and second attachment straps, each of the first and second attachment straps secured at opposed ends to the vest jacket on opposite sides of the vest jacket, the top strap slidably secured to the first and second attachment straps.

12. The animal restraint system of claim 11 and further including reinforcing straps secured to the vest jacket, the ends of the first and second attachment straps roped and secured to the reinforcing straps.

13. The animal restraint system of claim 12 wherein the vest is symmetrical about the leg holes.

14. The animal restraint system of claim 13 wherein the vest is spherical.

15. The animal restraint system of claim 11 and further including a buckle tongue secured to one side of the top strap and a webbing adjuster secured to an opposed side of the top strap, a buckle attachment strap secured to a buckle and looped around the first attachment strap and a webbing adjuster attachment strap secured to the webbing adjuster and looped around the second attachment strap wherein the buckle attachment strap and webbing adjuster attachment strap can slide between opposed ends of the first and second attachment straps allowing locations where the top strap is secured to the vest jacket to translate with respect to the vest jacket.

16. The animal restraint system of claim 11 wherein the top strap includes a continuous loop that is looped through a buckle tongue and a webbing adjuster defining top and bottom portions of the top strap extending between the buckle tongue and the webbing adjuster, the top and bottom portions secured together adjacent the buckle tongue to have a predetermined breakaway force.

17. The animal restraint system of claim 16 wherein the top and bottom portions of the top strap are secured together adjacent the tongue by stitches, the predetermined breakaway force determined by at least one of the size of thread, type of thread, type of stitches and number of stitches.

18. An animal restraint system for a vehicle, comprising:

a vest having a vest jacket including leg holes for front legs of animal;

a top strap that extends across a back of an animal wearing the vest from a first side of the vest jacket to a second side of the vest jacket to secure the vest to the animal, the top strap including a continuous loop that loops through a buckle tongue and a webbing adjuster defining top and bottom portions of the top strap extending between the buckle tongue and the webbing adjuster, the top and bottom portions of the top strap secured together adjacent the buckle tongue;

a buckle for mating with the buckle tongue, the buckle rotatably coupled to the first side of the vest jacket;

the webbing adjuster rotatably coupled to the second side of the vest jacket;

the top strap adjustable across a back of the animal by pulling the top portion of the top strap to pull the bottom portion of the top strap through the webbing adjuster to shorten the bottom portion, the webbing adjuster releasably securing the top strap to prevent the top portion of the top strap from being pulled through the webbing adjuster; and

the vest removably securable to a seat belt of the vehicle by passing the seat belt between the top and bottom portions of the top strap.

19. The animal restraint system of claim 18 and further including reinforcing straps secured to the vest jacket on both sides of the vest jacket, the reinforcing straps having ends looped through respective rings on the sides of the vest jacket, a buckle attachment clip secured to the buckle and a webbing adjuster attachment clip secured to the webbing adjuster, the buckle attachment clip looped through the ring on one side of the vest jacket and the webbing adjuster attachment strap looped through the ring on the second side of the vest jacket.

20. The animal restraint system of claim 19 wherein the top portion and the bottom portion of the top strap are secured together adjacent the tongue to have a predetermined breakaway force.

21. The animal restraint system of claim 18 and further including at least first and second attachment straps, each of the first and second attachment straps roped and secured at opposed ends on opposite sides of the vest jacket to reinforcing straps secured to the vest jacket, a buckle attachment strap secured to the buckle and looped around the first attachment strap and a webbing adjuster attachment strap secured to the webbing adjuster and looped around the second attachment strap.

22. The animal restraint system of claim 21 wherein the top portion and the bottom portion of the top strap are secured together adjacent the tongue to have a predetermined breakaway force.

23. The animal restraint system of claim 22 wherein the buckle attachment strap and webbing adjuster attachment strap can slide between opposed ends of the first and second attachment straps allowing a location where the top strap is secured to the vest jacket to translate with respect to the vest jacket.

24. An animal restraint system for a system for a vehicle, comprising a vest having a vest jacket including leg holes for front legs of an animal, at least two top straps, each top strap including a continuous loop that is of looped through a buckle tongue and a webbing adjuster defining top and bottom portions for each top strap, the top and bottom portions of each top strap secured together adjacent the buckle tongue through which that top strap is looped, the vest removably securable to a seat belt of the vehicle by passing the seat belt between the top and bottom portions of each top strap, the bottom portion of each top strap pullable through its respective webbing adjuster by pulling the top portion of its respective top strap to shorten the bottom portion of that top strap extending across the back of an animal wearing the vest, the webbing adjusters releasably securing the top strap to prevent the top portions of the top straps from being pulled through the webbing adjusters, and the top portion and bottom portion of each top strap secured together adjacent the tongue through which that top strap is looped to have a predetermined breakaway force.

25. The animal restraint system of claim 24 wherein the top and bottom portions of each top strap are secured together adjacent their respective tongue by stitches, the predetermined breakaway force determined by at least one of the size of thread, type of thread, type of stitches and number of stitches.