Cat furniture with panel elements

Abstract

Cat furniture having at least one three-dimensional structure is composed of at least two panel elements which are connected together at at least one of their panel edges. One individual panel element is provided on at least one of its panel edges with a fastening means by means of which a connection with the fastening means of an adjacent panel element is to be made. The fastening means is attached in a foldable manner to the panel element via a perforation and via at least one groove extending along the perforation.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A cat furniture item (10), comprising: a three-dimensional structure (16) which is composed of at least two panel elements (24) which are connected together at panel edges (26), wherein each of the at least two panel elements (24) is provided on its panel edge with a fastening means (28) by which a connection with a fastening means (28) of an adjacent panel element (24) is made, wherein the fastening means (28) is attached in a foldable manner to the respective panel element (24) via a perforation (36) and via at least one groove (96) extending along the perforation (36).

12. The cat furniture item according to claim 11, wherein the perforation (36) is formed by individual slots (40) having a slot length between 1.0 mm and 1.8 mm.

13. The cat furniture item according to claim 11, wherein the perforation (36) is formed by individual slots (40) having a slot length between 1.3 mm and 1.5 mm.

14. The cat furniture item according to claim 11, wherein the perforation (36) is formed at an end of a panel edge (26) by a slot (40) having a slot length of between 0.5 mm and 0.9 mm.

15. The cat furniture item according to claim 11, wherein the perforation (36) is formed at an end of a panel edge (26) by a slot (40) having a slot length between 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm.

16. The cat furniture item to claim 11, wherein the perforation (36) is formed by individual webs having a web length of between 0.2 mm and 0.8 mm.

17. The cat furniture item to claim 11, wherein the perforation (36) is formed by individual webs having a web length of between 0.4 mm and 0.6 mm.

18. A cat furniture item (10), comprising: at least one three-dimensional structure (16) which is composed of at least two panel elements (24) which are connected together at panel edges (26), wherein each of the at least two panel elements (24) is provided on its panel edge (26) with a fastening means (28) by which a connection with a fastening means (28) of an adjacent panel element (24) is to be made, wherein the fastening means (28) is an adhesive material (80).

19. The cat furniture item according to claim 18, wherein the adhesive material (80) is a double-sided adhesive tape.

20. The cat furniture according to claim 18, further comprising a support element (14, 32) for the three-dimensional structure (16), wherein the adhesive material (80) is adapted to be adhesively bonded to a support surface of the support element (14, 32).

21. The cat furniture item according to claim 20, wherein the support element (14, 32) is adapted to be adhesively bonded to a fastening surface outside the cat furniture (10), such as a building wall.

22. A method for producing cat furniture (10) having at least one panel element (24), which method comprises: providing at least one plastics raw material; producing a plurality of different plies of needle felt from the at least one plastics raw material; felting the plies of needle felt to form a needle felt layer; and compressing the needle felt layer with an input of heat.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the input of heat takes place at a temperature of between 180° C. and 250° C.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the input of heat takes place at a temperature of between 210° C. and 220° C.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] An exemplary embodiment of the solution will be described in greater detail hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method for producing cat furniture.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a side view of a first exemplary embodiment of cat furniture with panel elements.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a front view of the first exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second exemplary embodiment of cat furniture.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a panel element.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a panel element.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a panel element.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a panel element.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a panel element.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a panel element.

[0046] FIG. 11 is a side view of two panel edges with their fastening means and an associated connecting element.

[0047] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the panel element according to FIG. 10 with connecting elements and a second type of fastening means.

[0048] FIG. 13 is a side view of two panel edges with the fastening means according to FIG. 12.

[0049] FIG. 14 is a plan view of two panel elements with their fastening means.

[0050] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a tool for producing a perforation with a groove on a panel element.

[0051] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a perforation with a groove on a panel element in the unfolded state.

[0052] FIG. 17 is an enlarged side view of the perforation with a groove according to FIG. 16.

[0053] FIG. 18 is the view according to FIG. 16 in the folded state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] FIG. 1 shows part of a method for producing cat furniture 10. Four steps A, B, C and D of the method are shown. In step A, plastics raw material of various grades is provided. The plastics raw material is preferably from the recycling of plastics bottles. The plastics chips thereby obtained are preferably made of polyethylene (PE) and/or of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Plastics threads are produced from these plastics chips by means of an extruder machine, and balls of threads are produced from the threads by means of a crimping machine. The balls of threads are processed in a felting machine to form individual plies of needle felt. A plurality of plies of needle felt are then placed in layers one above the other and felted together. This takes place in step B, where the individual plies of needle felt are densified by means of felt needles. A needle felt layer having a thickness of between 1 cm and 4 cm, preferably of between 2 cm and 3 cm thickness, particularly preferably of 2.5 cm thickness, is obtained.

[0055] In a step C, the needle felt layer is compressed by means of a pressing machine with the input of heat. To that end, the needle felt layer is first preheated to a temperature of between 180° C. and 250° C., in particular between 210° C. and 220° C., particularly preferably to a temperature of 215° C. The needle felt layer so heated is then placed between two cold plates of a pressing tool and compressed to a thickness of between 2 mm and 7 mm, preferably between 4 mm and 5 mm, particularly preferably of 4.5 mm thickness. The temperature of the plates is between 10° C. and 30° C., preferably between 15° C. and 25° C., particularly preferably 20° C. With such a temperature input and such compression of the needle felt layer by means of cold plates, the felt fibres of the needle felt layer bond together and consolidate. A single, particularly stable plastics felt layer is obtained.

[0056] In a step D, a panel element 24 is then punched out of this comparatively bending-resistant plastics felt layer by means of a punching machine, which panel element will be described in greater detail hereinbelow.

[0057] FIGS. 2 and 3 show the cat furniture 10 for a cat 12, having a base element 14 and a plurality of three-dimensional structures 16 which together form a type of cat tree. The base element 14 forms a type of support element and comprises two plate-like foot elements 18 and a plate-like trunk element 20. The foot elements 18 are arranged abutting the trunk element 20 at a right angle and form a type of trunk root 22 towards the base. This trunk root 22 is so configured that the base element 14 is prevented from tipping over.

[0058] The three-dimensional structure 16 is composed of a plurality of panel elements 24 in modular form. The panel elements 24 have been produced as described above and are each substantially in the form of a planar polygon. They each have at each of their panel edges 26 a fastening means 28.

[0059] The fastening means 28 of one of the panel elements 24 is in particular connected to the fastening means 28 of an adjacent panel element 24. The panel elements 24 which adjoin the trunk element 20 are fixedly connected to the trunk element 20 by their fastening means 28 facing the trunk element 20. Some of the panel elements 24 have through-openings 30.

[0060] FIG. 4 shows cat furniture 10 in which the support element, in a particularly advantageous manner, is in the form of a single, simple and thus comparatively large wall plate or base plate 32. The associated three-dimensional structure 16 is fixedly connected to the base plate 32, which can also be fastened to a building wall or the like. As in FIGS. 2 and 3, the three-dimensional structure 16 according to FIG. 4 is composed of a plurality of modular panel elements 24. Here too, these panel elements 24 are connected together by means of fastening means 28. The panel elements 24 adjoining the base plate 32 are connected to the base plate 32 by means of the fastening means 28 facing the base plate 32. This cat furniture 10 also has a through-opening, but this is not shown here.

[0061] According to FIGS. 2 to 4, the panel elements 24 allow various, different and variable three-dimensional structures to be created by means of the fastening means 28. The three-dimensional structures 16 can be fastened to base elements 14 of different shapes. It is, however, also possible for a plurality of different three-dimensional structures 16 to be connected to the same base element 14. The base element 14 and the particular three-dimensional structure 16 together form the cat furniture 10. Also possible, but not shown here, is cat furniture which is composed only of a plurality of panel elements 24.

[0062] It is further possible to dismantle the cat furniture 10 into its panel elements 24 and the base element 14 again and, on the basis of the base element 14, to create a new, differently shaped three-dimensional structure 16 by means of the panel elements 24. This new three-dimensional structure 16, together with the base element 14, then forms cat furniture 10 of a different type. Cat furniture 10 that is already known to the cat 12 is thus converted into cat furniture 10 that is new to the cat 12.

[0063] The cat 12 is able to climb onto the cat furniture 10 according to FIGS. 2 to 4. The cat 12 additionally has the possibility of entering the three-dimensional structure 16 through the through-openings 30 and of using the inside of the three-dimensional structure 16 as a resting place, for example. In addition, the cat furniture 10 in particular with its trunk element 20 and also its three-dimensional structures 16 can be used by the cat 12 as a scratching object for sharpening its claws.

[0064] FIGS. 5 to 10 show panel elements 24 in different forms. The panel elements 24 comprise a largely planar base plate 34 which has been produced from a comparatively rigid plastics felt. The base plate 34 is divided by means of a perforation 36 into a basic form 38 and the respective fastening means 28. The basic form 38 is in each case in the form of a planar, convex polygon, at the polygon edges of which the perforations 36 extend.

[0065] The perforation 36 is formed by means of slots, or elongate holes 40 which are rectangular in a plan view, which are oriented linearly and arranged spaced apart from one another. Alternatively, the elongate holes or slots 40 are advantageously in the form of simple, linear longitudinal slots, as will be explained in greater detail hereinbelow. The slots 40 pass through the base plate 34 completely. The perforation 36 weakens the base plate 34 in such a manner that a type of hinge is formed in the associated region. The fastening means 28 can as a result be pivoted at the perforation 36 upwards or downwards out of the plane of the base plate 34.

[0066] In an embodiment which is not shown here, the perforation 36 is formed by means of holes which are round or oval when seen in a plan view. The perforation 36 can further advantageously not pass through the base plate 34 completely but be in the form of a weakening of the thickness of the base plate 34.

[0067] The fastening means 28 attached to the polygon-shaped basic form 38 has a trapezium shape with a first side 42, a second side 44, a third side 46 and a fourth side 48. The first side 42 of the trapezium faces towards the basic form 38, it is attached to the basic form 38 by means of the perforation 36. The third side 46 of the trapezium extends parallel to the first side 42. The second side 44 and the fourth side 48 form a slope towards the third side 46 at the respective ends of the trapezium. The corner angles of this slope are of the same size as the adjacent corner angles of the polygon-shaped basic form 38.

[0068] The fastening means 28 has two fastening points 50 in the respective end regions of the trapezium. The fastening points 50 are in the form of holes in the base plate 34. A connecting element 52 according to FIG. 10 is to be guided through each of these fastening points 50. By means of the connecting element 52, panel elements 24 located next to one another are to be connected together.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows a panel element 24 whose polygon-shaped base form 38 is in the form of a equilateral triangle 54 having a first side length 56.

[0070] FIG. 6 shows a panel element 24 having an isosceles triangle 58 as the polygon-shaped base form 38. The isosceles triangle 58 comprises a base having a first base length 60 and two legs of equal length. The two legs of the isosceles triangle 58 are the same length as the first side length 56 according to FIG. 4.

[0071] According to FIG. 7, the panel element 24 therein is in the form of an isosceles triangle 58, of which the basic form 38 has as the basis the first side length 56 and the two legs have the length of the first base length 60.

[0072] FIG. 8 shows a panel element 24 in which the base plate 34 is composed of two basic forms 38 and four fastening means 28 attached to the two basic forms 38. The basic forms 38, as in FIG. 5, are two equilateral triangles 54 each having a first side length 56. A first basic form 62 of these two basic forms 38 is connected to the second basic form 64 at a connecting edge 66, which is formed by a perforation 36. This perforation 36, as already explained, acts as a type of hinge by means of which the base plate 34 is to be bent approximately in the middle. By means of the bending, a three-dimensional panel structure is thus to be produced.

[0073] The fastening means 28 are coupled to the two basic forms 38 likewise by means of a perforation 36. By means of the fastening means 28, this panel element 24 can then be connected to other panel elements 24 to form a larger three-dimensional structure 16. In addition, the panel element 24 is to be connected by means of the fastening means 28 to a trunk element 20 or a base plate 32.

[0074] The base plate 34 according to FIG. 7, as is not shown here, can also be composed of two isosceles triangles 58 according to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 and with surrounding fastening means 28. The connecting edge 66 has either the first side length 56 or the first base length 60.

[0075] The panel element 24 according to FIG. 8 allows a three-dimensional structure to be constructed more quickly, because the production of a connection of two panel elements 24 according to FIGS. 5 to 7 is not necessary.

[0076] FIG. 9 shows a panel element 24 in which the base plate 34 is composed of three basic forms 38, namely three equilateral triangles 54 and five fastening means 28 attached to the basic forms 38. As in FIG. 8, a first basic form 62 is connected to a second basic form 64 by means of a connecting edge 66. A third basic form 68 is attached to the second basic form 64 by at a further of its polygon edges. Here too, the fastening means 28 are arranged surrounding the assembled basic forms 62, 64 and 68.

[0077] The panel element 24 according to FIG. 9 allows a three-dimensional structure to be constructed even more quickly than with a panel element according to FIG. 8, since the production of two connections of three panel elements 24 according to FIGS. 5 to 7 is not necessary. In an exemplary embodiment not shown here, a panel element 24 is therefore further composed of more than three basic forms 38. This panel element 24 is then formed as a type of bending of the respective three-dimensional structure.

[0078] FIG. 10 shows a panel element 24 according to FIG. 5 in which a circular through-opening 30 is arranged in the middle of the base plate 34. This through-opening 30 is of such a size that it does not extend to any of the polygon edges of the basic form 38. As is also shown in FIG. 2, the through-opening 30 can alternatively have the shape of a triangle. The triangle can advantageously have rounded corners.

[0079] FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a connecting element 52 on two assembled fastening means 28 of two panel edges 26. The connecting element 52 comprises a screw element 70 and a screw 72. The screw element 70 is formed by a screw sleeve 74 having an internal thread 76. A screwdriver 78 can be placed on a head of the screw sleeve 74, and the screw sleeve 74 can thus be turned.

[0080] FIG. 12 shows a form of the panel element 24 according to FIG. 10 in which not only are fastening points 50 provided on the fastening means 28, but an adhesive material 80 is also applied to the panel edges 26. The adhesive material 80 in the form of a double-sided adhesive tape is adhesively bonded to the respective panel edge 26 and covers the entire surface thereof. The adhesive material 80 is so chosen that it can be adhesively bonded either unreleasably or releasably to a panel edge 26 of another panel element 24, to a support surface or support plate of a support element, such as, for example, the trunk element 20, or directly to a wall surface. FIG. 13 shows how, by means of such an adhesive material 80, two panel edges 26 as fastening means 28 are bonded together.

[0081] FIG. 14 shows a so-called point pattern 82 which is formed for the fastening points 50 on panel elements 24 of different types. The point pattern 82 defines a specific spacing 84 between points 86, at which the fastening points 50 can then be arranged as desired. By means of this defined point pattern 82, it is thus possible to fasten panel elements 24 of different shapes in particular to an associated support element.

[0082] FIG. 15 shows a tool 88 which is provided to form the perforations 36 belonging to the respective panel element 24, during or after step D described above. The tool 88 is formed with a bar-like base body 90. Slitting blades 92 project downwards, based on FIG. 15, from the base body 90. The slitting blades 92 are located one behind the other along the longitudinal extent of the base body 90 and project vertically from the base body 92. By means of the slitting blades 92, the above-mentioned slots 40 are formed as simple, linear elongate slots on perforation of the panel element 24.

[0083] At the transition from the base body 90 to the slitting blade 92, the base body 90 further has an elongate groove punch 94, which is V-shaped when seen in cross-section. By means of this groove punch 94, a continuous groove 96 is additionally formed during punching of the perforation 36, which groove is then likewise V-shaped in cross-section. The groove 96 thus extends directly along the perforation 36 and facilitates bending of the panel edge 26 as fastening means 28 on the remainder of the panel element 24.

[0084] Finally, it should be noted that all the features which are mentioned in the application documents and in particular in the dependent claims are also to be accorded independent protection, individually or in any desired combination, despite the formal dependency which has been undertaken.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0085] A providing plastics raw material

[0086] B felting a needle felt layer

[0087] C compressing the needle felt layer with the input of heat

[0088] D punching a panel element

[0089] 10 cat furniture

[0090] 12 cat

[0091] 14 base element

[0092] 16 three-dimensional structure

[0093] 18 foot elements

[0094] 20 trunk element

[0095] 22 trunk root

[0096] 24 panel elements

[0097] 26 panel edge

[0098] 28 fastening means

[0099] 30 through-openings

[0100] 32 floor or wall plate

[0101] 34 base plate

[0102] 36 perforation

[0103] 38 basic form

[0104] 40 slot

[0105] 42 first side

[0106] 44 second side

[0107] 46 third side

[0108] 48 fourth side

[0109] 50 fastening points

[0110] 52 connecting element

[0111] 54 equilateral triangle

[0112] 56 first side length

[0113] 58 isosceles triangle

[0114] 60 first base length

[0115] 62 first basic form

[0116] 64 second basic form

[0117] 66 connecting edge

[0118] 68 third basic form

[0119] 70 screw element

[0120] 72 screw

[0121] 74 screw sleeve

[0122] 76 inside thread

[0123] 78 screwdriver

[0124] 80 adhesive material

[0125] 82 point pattern

[0126] 84 spacing

[0127] 86 point

[0128] 88 tool

[0129] 90 base body

[0130] 92 slitting blade

[0131] 94 groove punch

[0132] 96 groove