Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to pet and doll houses and, in particular, to
pet and doll houses which have insulated metal, plastic, or wood structural
members and can be easily assembled and disassembled.
Pet and large doll houses have been well known for some time, and
therefore a simple house generally does not represent ~n advance in the art.
IIowever, many pet and doll houses are fairly permanent structures fabri-
cated from wood in a manner similar to the construction of standard houses.
These structures are cumbersome and heavy and, thus, are very difficult to
move from place to place. Additionally they are expensive, and in our
highly mobile society families often must move and leave the pet or doll
house behind bècause of its awkward shape and weight.
Another disadvantage of the prior art structures i8 this manner of
assembly. It is very conceivable and highly probable that a person needing
a pet or doll house lacks the basic skill to build a conventional pet or doll
house and, thus, must purchase a commercially available product. The
present-day products leave such a person no choice but to either hire some-
one to assemble the structure at additional expense or attack the frustrating
job personally, often with disastrous consequences to the house andlor the
person.
It should also be noted that none of the prior art structures makes
an attempt to warm the animal lodged in a pet house other than an electrical
heating unit, which is a costly and potentially dangerous solution to the
problem of providing a warm, dry shelter for an animal.
The present invention, recognizing the limitations of the prior art
structures, attempts to successfully dispel their shortcomings in a novel,
uncomplex, and inexpensive pet or doll house fabricated from sheet metal,
plastic, or wood components.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an im-
provcd pet or doll house of a lightweight sheet metal, plastic, or wood
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construction with a minimum number of components.
It is further an object of this invention to
provide an improved pet or doll house which can be assembled
and disassembled quickly and easily by someone with no
special skills in constructing such structures.
It is still an object of this invention to provide
an improved pet or doll house, the assembly of which requires
the use of onlr simple tools, such as a screwdriver and pliers.
Finally, it is an object of this invention to
provide an improved pet or doll house which carries
insulation on its component parts so that, when the parts
are correctly joined, a warm, fully insulated pet or doll
house is obtained.
According to the present invention, there is
provided an improved house designed to be easily assembled
and disassembled, the house including a front section and
a rear section, the front section and the rear section each
having a sheet wall, and a frame member disposed along the
bottom of each of the walls. A top portion is associated
with each of the walls, each of the top portions including
a triangularly shaped sheet member having right-angled
framing members extending laterally inwardly therefrom and
attached thereto by suitable fastening means. Securing
framing members and threaded fastening means extend through
the framing member for threadedly connecting each of the
wall members to one of the triangularly shaped members for
attaching the members to one another. Two side wall sections,
are provided which each include a side wall member fabricated
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from a pair of spaced parallel sheets of impervious material.An inclined framing member is attached to the wall surface
of each of the side wall members for providing strength
and rigidity thereto. An angled horizohtal framing member
has a leg thereof attached to the upper edge of each of the
side wall members and an inclined portion extending inwardly
therefrom. A pair of right-angled vertical framing members
is provided for each side wall member, each of the vertical
framing members having a leg portion attached to the wall
surface of one of the side wall members at an end thereof,
the other legs of the vertical framing members extending
inwardly therefrom. The last-mentioned legs engage the
front and rear wall sections and threaded fasteners extending
through the front and rear wall sections and vertical framing
members for securing the front and the rear sections to the
side walls, all of the framing members being turned inwardly.
A roof includes a pair of angularly disposed sheet members
joined along the center portions thereof, the roof being
disposed and supported upon the inwardly extending portions
of the framing members with threaded fastening members
extending through the roof and the inwardly extending portions
for securing the roof to the side walls and the front and
rear section of the house. The front wall has an aperture
defining a doorway, and a door is disposed on the front end
section in front of the opening for permitting the ingress
and egress into the interior of the housing. A layer of
insulating material is mounted to the interior surfaces of
the front section, the end section, the side wall sections,
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and the roof, and located between the spaced parallel sheets.
Means is provided for attaching the insulation layer to the
interior surfaces of the house comprising an adhesive
disposed between the interface of the insulation material
and the interior surface of the house. A floor member is
carried by and attached to the inwardly extended flanges
disposed along the bottom edges of the front and rear wall
sections, and foam-type insulating material underlying and
being secured to the floor member.
Other objects, advantages, and applications of the
present invention will become apparent to those skilled in
the art of pet or doll house consturction when the accompanying
description of one example of the best mode contemplated
for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawing.
The description herein makes reference to the
accompanying drawing in which like reference numerals refer
to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pet house
constructed in accordance with the principles of the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pet house
taken along line 2-2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the
pet house shown in Figure l; and
Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a
wall of the pet house taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3.
Referring now to the drawing wherein there is
illustrated one example of the present invention in the form
of a pet house 10 designed to be
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easily assembled and disassembled with a minimum amount of skill and
effort. The pet house 10 comprises a front end section 12, a back end
section 18, side sections 20 and 22, and a roof 24. All of the sections and
components thereof, as will be described hereinafter, are fabricated from
a sheet metal, plast.c, or wood material having an insulation material 26
(shown only in Figures 3 and 4) which is sandwiched between the interior
and exterior surfaces 27 and 29 of the housing 10 by any suitable means,
such as an Pdhesive, applied to the interface between the interior and ex-
terior walls of the housing and the facing surface of the insulation. It should
10 be noted that the interior surfaces 27 of the housing 10 are only shown in
Figure 3; however, it should be understood that all of the house walls com-
prise an exterior surface 29 which may be a sheet of metal such as alu-
minum, an inner insulation 26 such as a Styrofoam material, and an inner
surface 27 which is also of a sheet metal construction. It should also be
understood that while the description herein refers to sheet metal compo-
nents, other suitable materials may be used for the building walls such as
plastics and wood.
As can best be seen in Figure 3 of the drawing, the front section 12
comprises a rectangularly shaped wall 28 having an arched aperture 30 which
20 defines a doorway, which will be described hereinafter. The lower edge of
the front wall member 28 is attached to an L-shaped frame member 32 by
any suitable fastening means, such as metal screws 34. The upper portion
of the front end section 12 takes the form of a triangularly shaped, apertured
top portion 36 which is formed by two inclined right-angled frame members
38 and 40 and a base frame member 42, all of the members being joined to
a triangularly (or gambrel if desired) shaped metal sheet member 44 by any
suitable means, such as metal screws 46, which pass through the vertical
legs of the framing members 38, 40, and 42 into threaded engagement with
the shcet member 44. Similarly, the triangwlarly (or ~ambrel)shaped top
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portion 36 is attached to the upper edge of the wall member 28 by means of
threaded fasteners 48 extending through the bottom portion of the frame
member 42 into engagement with the wall 28. It should be understood that,
while the fastening members referred to hereinafter are of the sheet metal
screw type, suitable apertures may be formed within the various members
of the pet house 10 through which a threaded screw may extend for attach-
ment to a nut in the conventional manner,
A n~p 50 (or door in the case of a doll house) is mounted on the
interior of the wall 28 in a position corresponding to the doorway aperture
10 30. The flap (or door) is attached to the wall 28 by any suitable means, such
as fastening screws 52, which extend through the wall and engage flap 50.
It can be seen that the flap 50 provides a convenient means for an animal to
enter into the pet house 10, yet one which will automatically close to keep
the elements from entering into the interior of the pet house 10.
The rear section 18 is comprised of the same elements as the front
section, namely, a wall member 28 and an upper triangularly (or gambrel)
shaped portion 36, attached to the wall member 28 by fasteners 48, while
the lower portion of the wall 28 is attached to the L-shaped frame member
32 by fasteners 34. The rear wall 18, however, does not include the arched
20 doorway 30. Since the rear wa~l is substantially identical to the front wall
12, a further detailed description thereof is not necessary; and common
components are hereinafter described by the same numerals throughout the
specification, as well as in the accompanying drawing.
Similarly, the side walls 20 and 22 are identical in construction and,
thus, only the side wall 20 will be described in detail; however, it should be
understood that the description of the side wall 20 refers to the description
of the side wall 22, and similar and like components will be described and
referred to by the same numerals.
~- The side sect;on 20 comprises a metal, plastic, or wood wall
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member 54 which has an inclined frame member 56 attached thereto by
suitable fasteners, such as metal screws 58. The inclined framing member
56 provides lateral and structural support to the wall member 54 to give it
strength and rigidity. The side section 20 further comprises an upper an-
gled framing member 60 which has its lower or verticai leg 62 attached to
the upper edge of the wall 54, while the inclined or extending leg 64 of the
frame memker 60 is adapted to be attached to the roof 24, in a manner to be
described hereinafter. The bottom edge of the wall member 54 is supported
by framing member 65,
The side section 20 further comprises right-angled frame members
66 and 68 which are attached to the opposite edges of the wall 54 such that
the extending or projecting legs 70 of each of the frame mernbers 66 and 68
are adapted to extend around the front edge of the adjacent walls 28 respec-
tively of the front and rear sections 12 and 18, as illustrated in Figure 1 of
the drawing,
The roof section 24 comprises two rectangularly shaped members
72 and 74 which have adjacent edges joined to each other by angled member
76. Suitable fastening members 78 extend through the angled member 76
into threaded engagement with the adjacent edges of the roof members 72
20 and 74.
During assembly the side wall sections 20 and 22 are attached to
the front wall section 12 and the rear wall section 18 by means of the frame
members 66 and 68, while the roof portion 24 is attached to the front section
12, rear section 18, and side wall sections 20 and 22 by means of suitable
threaded fasteners that extend through the roof and into the laterally disposed
legs of the frame members 38, 40 and 60, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the
drawing.
The inwardly extending legs of the front wall frame member 32 may
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bc used to support a floor 80 (Figure 3), or if desired the floor 80 may be
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omitted and the earth or straw or the like placed on the earth may be used
for the animal to lay upon. The floor 80 comprises a hardboard upper sur-
face 81 and a lower Styrofoam portion 83 which provides insulation for the
floor 80.
It can thus e seen that the present invention has disclosed a pet
house which may be quickly assembled with the simplest of tools; namely,
a screwdriver and/or pliers depending upon the type of fasteners used. The
pet house 10 is so constructed that it provides the an;mals w;th a simple and
easy entry into and exit from an insulated shelter. Its easy of assembly and
10 disassembly permits the pet house 10 to be shipped and sold in a knocked-
down state and provides the purchaser with a simple means of assembling a
pet house for use~ In the event it is necessary for the owner to move, the
pet house may be disassembled and packed in a very easy, convenient
manner, thereby the owner does not have to give up the pet house when
moving or incur considerable expense in moving a large pet house, as would
be necessary with the prior art pet houses.
It can thus be seen that the present invention has provided a new
and improved pet house to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art
structures, yet one which, due to its unique structure, is provided with
20 framing members; and, in addition to providing structural support to give
additional strength and rigidity to the pet house, the framing members, when
painted with contrasting colors with respect to the remaining portion of the
walls and roof, provide an attractive hcuse taking on an l~lpine or barn-style
appearance in decoration.
While only one example of the present invention has been disclosed,
it should be understood by those skilled in the art of manufacturing pet house
structures that other forms of the invention may be had, all coming within
the spirit of the present invention and scope of the appended claims.
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