Pet harness with integrated scale

Abstract

The present invention provides an animal harness comprising a harness body and a scale. The scale is secured to the harness body by a securement means. The harness can be utilized by a user to provide a specific amount of assistance to an animal using the harness because the scale will provide the user with the exact amount the animal weighs and how much assistance the user is providing the animal.

Claims

1. An animal harness comprising a harness body, a scale, and a scale holder, wherein the scale is secured to the harness body, wherein the scale has a securement means on a bottom of the scale, wherein the scale holder includes a scale aperture and a securement means aperture such that the scale is placeable within the scale aperture of the scale holder and the securement means goes through the securement means aperture to be in a position outside the scale holder.

2. The animal harness of claim 1, wherein the harness body is selected from the group consisting of a rear harness and a full-body harness.

3. The animal harness of claim 1, wherein the scale is a hand-held travel scale.

4. The animal harness of claim 1, wherein the securement means is selected from the group consisting of a hook loop or a carabiner made from metal and/or non-metal materials.

5. An animal harness comprising a harness body, a scale, a scale holder, and at least one arm strap, wherein the scale is secured to the harness body and wherein the at least one arm strap is secured to the harness by the at least one arm strap being wound through at least one pair of strap apertures in said scale holder.

6. The animal harness of claim 5, further comprising two arm straps and two pairs of strap apertures in said scale holder.

7. The animal harness of claim 5, wherein the harness body is selected from the group consisting of a rear harness and a full-body harness.

8. The animal harness of claim 5, wherein the scale is a hand-held travel scale.

9. The animal harness of claim 5, wherein the scale has a securement means on a bottom of the scale, wherein the scale holder includes a scale aperture and a securement means aperture such that the scale is placeable within the scale aperture of the scale holder and the securement means goes through the securement means aperture to be in a position outside the scale holder.

10. The animal harness of claim 9, wherein the securement means is selected from the group consisting of a hook loop or a carabiner made from metal and/or non-metal materials.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a side view of a dog wearing a harness of the present invention wherein the harness body is a full-body type harness body;

(3) FIG. 2 is a side view of a dog wearing a harness of the present invention wherein the harness body is a rear-harness type harness body;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the scale of the harness of the present invention placed in a scale holder without a harness body being secured to the scale; and

(5) FIG. 4 is perspective view of the scale holder of FIG. 3 prior to a scale being placed within the scale holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

(6) An animal harness with an integrated scale is generally indicated by the numeral 10. Animal harness 10 includes a harness body 12 and a scale 14. Scale 14 is secured to harness body 12 by an attachment means 16 on the bottom of scale 14. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, attachment means 16 is selected from the group consisting of a hook loop or a carabiner made from metal and/or non-metal materials of varying shapes In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the attachment means 16 will be secured to a handle 18 of the harness body such as shown in FIG. 1 and in yet other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 2, the attachment means 16 will be secured to harness straps 20 of the harness body. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, harness body 12 is a full body harness that will fit around both the front and rear portions of an animal, such as shown in FIG. 1. In other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 2, harness body 12 is a rear harness that will only fit around the rear or hind portions of an animal. The present invention is not limited by the type of harness body 12 utilized in the harness 10.

(7) In one or more embodiments of the present invention, scale 14 is a portable hand-held travel scale with or without a digital readout. Scale 14 can be set in a scale holder 22 for better hand ergonomic support that allows the user of harness 10 to more comfortably hold the harness 10 by gripping scale holder 22 that surrounds scale 14. In some embodiments, scale holder 22 is made from either a plastic material or a foam material, or a combination of both a plastic material and a foam material. FIG. 3 shows scale holder 22 as being made from foam and in the shape of a bone. A scale 14 set in a scale holder 22 is shown in FIG. 3 without a harness body 12 being secured to scale 14. Scale holder 22 includes a scale aperture 23a and an attachment means aperture 23b located in a position opposite the scale aperture 23a as shown in FIG. 4. Scale 14 is placed within the scale aperture 23a and then the attachment means 16 on the bottom of scale 14 will be placed through the attachment means aperture 23b such that the attachment means 16 is in a position outside the scale holder 22.

(8) In one or more embodiments of the present invention, harness 10 also includes at least one arm strap 24 to allow the user of harness 10 to carry harness 10 by placing their arm in the at least one arm strap 24, such as shown in both FIGS. 1 and 2. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, harness 10 includes two arm straps 24a and 24b such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. If present, the at least one arm strap 24 is secured to harness 10 by being wound through a pair of arm strap apertures 26a and 26b positioned near a top of holder 22 as shown in FIG. 4, or at a position closer to a bottom of holder 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In practice, once the at least one arm strap 24 is wound through the pair of arm strap apertures 26a and/or 26b, the ends of the at least one strap 24 will connect together through the use of a hook and loop connection means located at the ends of the at least one arm strap 24.

(9) To use harness 10, a user would secure harness body 12 to an animal in a conventional manner. Once harness body 12 is secured to the animal, the user can then grasp the scale 14 and scale holder 22 directly. The user can then lift-up on the scale 14 and scale holder 22 and in doing so, the user will lift the animal in the harness body 12. If the user desires to use the at least one arm strap 24 then the user will secure the at least one arm strap through an aperture 26 in scale holder 22, secure the ends of the at least one arm strap 24 together, then slide their arm through the at least arm strap 24 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), then the user can lift up on the at least one arm strap 24, and in doing so, the user will lift the animal in the harness body 12 The user can see exactly how much weight they are lifting off of the animal in harness 10 by reading the scale 14. Therefore, harness 10 can be utilized as an animal scale and/or to know exactly how much weight they are lifting off an animal, and in that manner the user will be able to provide a specific amount of assistance to the animal.

(10) In light of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the present invention significantly advances the art by providing a pet harness with an integrated scale that is structurally and functionally improved in a number of ways. While particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail herein, it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby inasmuch as variations on the invention herein will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of the invention shall be appreciated from the claims that follow.