Pet barrier fastener

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9822807-B2
Application number	US-201514926601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 29, 2015
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A fastener system for use to assemble a pet barrier. The fastener system includes a body and a mountable member that is configured to attach two adjacent overlapping wire panels together to erect a pet barrier. Vertical grooves and horizontal grooves are disposed along the periphery of the interior surface of the body. The detents formed within the vertical grooves assist in retaining the vertical wire rods of the distal wire panel so that the body can hang onto the back side of the distal wire panel without the user having to hold it in place which facilitates the assembly of the pet barrier with only a single user. Thus, the fastener system allows a single user to assemble the pet barrier without the assistance of another person.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fastener for attaching a first wire panel to a second wire panel together, the fastener comprising:
a body sufficiently large to cover four wire rods, the body having first, second, third and fourth grooves about a periphery of the body, the first groove and the second groove being parallel to each other and having detents configured to retain the wire rods of the first wire panel in the first and second grooves for holding the body to the first wire panel, the third and fourth grooves being parallel to each other and perpendicular to the first and second grooves and being configured to receive corresponding transverse wire rods of the first wire panel and the second wire panel, the body having a threaded hole; and
a mountable member sufficiently large to cover four wire rods, the mountable member having a threaded protrusion configured to be threaded onto the threaded hole of the body to clamp the first and second wire panels between the mountable member and the body, the mountable member having a handle portion on an exterior side for rotating the mountable member in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction for removably attaching the mountable member to the body.

2. The fastener of claim 1 having a plurality of indentations about the threaded hole and the mountable member having at least two stops that slide over and are disposed in a valley of the indentations when the mountable member is attached to the body and mitigating inadvertent loosening of the mountable member from the body.

3. The fastener of claim 1 wherein the mountable member and the body are sufficiently large to cover a first set of two rods gapped away from each other and parallel to each other and a second set of two wire rods gapped away from each other and parallel to each other, the first and second sets of wire rods oriented perpendicular to each other.

4. A vehicle pet barrier for compartmentalizing an interior of an automobile, the vehicle pet barrier comprising:
a first wire panel having first and second vertical wire rods and first and second horizontal wire rods;
a second wire panel having a first and second vertical wire rods and first and second horizontal wire rods;
a wire panel fastener comprising:
a body sufficiently large to cover the first, second, third and fourth wire rods of the first wire panel, the body having first, second, third and fourth grooves about a periphery of the body, the first groove and the second groove being parallel to each other and having detents configured to retain the first vertical wire rod of the first wire panel in the first groove and the second vertical wire rod of the first wire panel in the second groove for holding the body on the first wire panel, the third and fourth grooves being parallel to each other and perpendicular to the first and second grooves and being configured to receive the first and second horizontal transverse wire rods of the first wire panel and the second wire panel, the body having a threaded hole; and
a mountable member sufficiently large to cover the first, second, third and fourth wire rods of the second wire panel, the mountable member having a threaded protrusion configured to be threaded onto the threaded hole of the body to clamp the first and second wire panels between the mountable member and the body, the mountable member having a handle portion on an exterior side for rotating the mountable member in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction for removably attaching the mountable member to the body.

5. A method of using a fastening device to fasten a first wire panel to a second wire panel, the method comprising the steps of:
latching a body to the first wire panel, the body having a first vertical groove, a second vertical groove, a third horizontal groove, a fourth horizontal groove, and a though-hole centered in the middle of the body with internal threads and the first wire panel has first and second vertical wire rods and third and fourth horizontal wire rods, the latching comprising inserting the first and second vertical wire rods in first and second vertical grooves of the body;
disposing the second wire panel on the first wire panel; and
coupling a threaded protrusion of a mountable member to the threaded hole of the body to clamp the first wire panel and the second wire panel between the body and the mountable member.

Assignees

• Prec Pet Products Inc
• Doskocil Mfg

Inventors

• Link David
• Liang Hongkun

Classifications

• F16B37/043

  with snap action · CPC title

• F16B5/0642

  the plates being arranged one on top of the other and in full close contact with each other · CPC title

• B60P3/04

  for transporting animals {(railway wagons adapted for carrying animals B61D3/163)} · CPC title

• A01K1/0272 Primary

  Boxes, bags, cages, baskets, harnesses especially adapted for transport in or on automobiles · CPC title

• F16B5/0004 Primary

  Joining sheets, plates or panels in abutting relationship (F16B5/01 takes precedence) · CPC title