DEVICE FOR PROTECTING PAWS

Abstract

A device for protecting paws is described, with an upper part and a lower part which each have a shank portion and a paw portion which are connected to each other in sections at the edges so as to form a shank and a paw holder adjoining the shank. In order to configure a device of the type described at the beginning in such a manner that secure paw protection for digitigrades, in particular for dogs, is made possible without substantially interfering here with the natural sequence of movement or the sense of feel on the undersides of the paws, it is proposed that the paw portion of the lower part is in the form of a semi-oval shape adjoining, along the transverse axis thereof, the shank portion of the lower part, and the paw portion of the upper part is in the form of a semi-oval shape adjoining, along the longitudinal axis thereof, the shank portion of the upper part.

Claims

1. A device for protecting paws, which comprises: an upper part and a lower part, each having a shank portion and a paw portion, wherein the upper and lower parts are connected in sections at the edges, forming a shank and a paw holder adjacent to the shank, wherein the paw portion of the lower part is in semi-oval shape adjoining, along the transversal axis thereof, the shank portion of the lower part, and wherein the paw portion of the upper part is in semi-oval shape adjoining, along the longitudinal axis thereof, the shank portion of the upper part.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein both semi-ovals are arranged symmetrically with respect to the shank axis, and wherein the semi-oval adjoining, along the longitudinal axis thereof, the shank portion of the upper part has, at the end of its transversal axis facing away from the shank portion, an end portion tapered to form an apex.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the shank portion of the upper part has a reinforcement.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the shank portion of the upper part is penetrated by an oval which is closed off by a cover part circumferentially resting on the upper part as reinforcement and which is complemented by cut-outs in the shank portion of the upper part, in the area of the end portions of the longitudinal and transversal axes thereof.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the cover part has a vent opening sealed with a breathable membrane.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising two tension fasteners connecting the upper part to the lower part located in the area of the open shank end on the outside of the shank.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the shank portion of the lower part is extended beyond the open shank end toward a slip-off protection, which in closed position, is tapered conically away from the shank.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the slip-off protection is equipped with a non-slip coating in sections on the inside.

9. The device according to one of the claim 1, wherein the upper and lower parts (1, 2) are made from polyurethane foam.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the polyurethane foam has a material thickness of 1-3 mm and a tensile strength of about 8.1 N/mm.sup.2.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The figures provide an exemplary illustration of the subject of the invention.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a planar view of the device according to the invention in an opened state,

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a larger-scale cross-section along the line II-II of FIG. 1,

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 1 of the device in a closed state,

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a larger-scale cross-section along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, and

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the cutting templates of the upper and lower parts in order to better explain geometric ratios.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] A device for protecting paws according to the invention comprises an upper part 1 and a lower part 2, which are connected in sections at the edges. Both the upper part 1 and the lower part 2 each have a shank portion 3, 4 and a paw portion 5, 6, wherein the upper part 1 and the lower part 2 are connected at the edges so as to form a shank 7 with an open shank end 8 and an adjacent closed paw holder 9 located at the side of the shank 7 opposite the shank end 8.

[0022] According to the invention, both the paw portion 6 of the lower part 2 and the paw portion 5 of the upper part 1 are formed in semi-oval shape adjoining, with the longitudinal or transversal axis thereof, respectively, the respective shank portion 3, 4 of the upper part 1 or the lower part 2, respectively. The paw portion 6 of the lower part 2 is formed in semi-oval shape adjoining, along the transversal axis 10 thereof, the shank portion 4 of the lower part 2, and the paw portion 5 of the upper part 1 is formed in semi-oval shape adjoining, along the longitudinal axis 11 thereof, the shank portion 3 of the upper part 1. The longitudinal axis 11 of the upper part 1 and the transversal axis of the lower part 2 are in parallel, as can be seen in detail from FIG. 5 in particular.

[0023] To avoid wrong running movements or even a twist or rolling-over of the paw into the wrong direction during wear of the paw protection, the semi-oval adjoining, along the longitudinal axis 11 thereof, the shank portion of the upper part 1 has, at the end of its transversal axis facing away from the shank portion 4, an end portion 30 tapered to form an apex. As a consequence, the paw holder curves slightly upwards in the front end portion 30 facing away from the shank 7, so as to guarantee that during running movements, it is always the lower part 2 that comes into bearing contact with the ground, and to avoid rolling-over on to the upper part 1 of the device.

[0024] In the illustrated embodiment, the shank portion 3 of the upper part 1 is penetrated by an oval 12, which is closed off by a cover part 13 circumferentially resting on the upper part 1 as reinforcement. In order to avoid the formation of folds during curvature of the oval cut-out, which inevitably occurs in the paw protection according to the invention, the end portions of the longitudinal and transversal axes of the oval 12 may be complemented by cut-outs 14 in the shank portion 3 of the upper part 1. In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the cover part 13 has a plurality of scattered vent openings 15 which are water-tightly closed with a breathable membrane 16. The intended plurality of vent openings 15 prevents unintentional formation of folds.

[0025] In order to enable adjustment of the device according to the invention to different paw sizes, two tension fasteners 17 connecting the upper part 1 and the lower part 2 are intended to be located in the area of the open shank end 8; which tension fasteners 17 are configured as hook-and-loop fasteners in the illustrated embodiment. When closing the tension fasteners 17 as illustrated in FIG. 3, the lateral transitional area between upper part 1 and lower part 2 may, in a closed state, be folded to form a fold 18, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Reinforcement of the upper part 1 by the cover part 13 causes the folded material of the upper part 1 and the lower part 2 to form only two foldings 19 immediately adjacent to the tension fasteners 17, which prevents disadvantageous formation of folds in the area of the paw holder 9. In the area of the paw holder 9, only the paw portion 6 of the lower part 2 forms a concave indentation 20 between its front limit through the semi-oval and the transversal axis 10 as transitional area to the shank portion 4. Another concave indentation 21 is formed in the shank portion 4 of the lower part 2. Both indentations 20, 21 cause a particularly good fit of the device according to the invention to the anatomy of an animal paw 22, as can be seen in detail in FIGS. 2 and 4. In order to avoid tear at edge portions which are under particular mechanical stress, these may, depending on the material used, be protected by material reinforcement, such as adhered end strips 32.

[0026] In order to avoid unintentional detachment of the paw protection or peel-off through external influence, the illustrated embodiment includes slip-off protection 23, to which the open shank end 8 of the lower part 2 is extended. Said slip-off protection 23 comprises a base part 24 with two adjacent wing-shaped closing parts 25 which may be closed around the animal paw 22 by forming a conus tapered away from the shank 7, as can be seen from FIG. 3. To improve conus formation, both closing parts 25 may be configured to be adjacent to the base part 24 and inclined to the shank axis 26. The closing parts 25 are equipped with a hook-and-loop fastener in order to connect them with one another and with a respective connecting part 27 of the upper part 1, which to that purpose is also equipped with a hook-and-loop fastener. To improve the efficiency of the slip-off protection 23, it may in sections on the inside be equipped with a non-slip coating 31 which also serves as rubbing protection. To prevent tear of the slip-off protection 23, the wing-shaped closing parts 25 are, as described above, not formed integrally with the base part 24 but are adhered to the latter at a plurality of adhesion locations 32.

[0027] In order to be able to avoid the formation of folds and wear and tear in the area of slip-off protection as well, the edge portions of the slip-off protection 23 or its base-part 24 are, in the illustrated embodiment, configured to have circular-shaped cut-outs 28 at the transition to the shank portion 4 of the lower part 2.