Collar for animals
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a collar for animals. 
     A collar for animals is known in the form of a cone-shaped stiff device fixed around the animal&#39;s neck. This collar&#39;s cone-opening projects at least partly over the animal&#39;s head. Due to the size and stiffness of this cone-shaped collar, the animal (especially a dog) is greatly hampered in its mobility and is likely to knock against stair-cases, doors, pieces of furniture, etc., because the head is protrudingly jacketed. Furthermore the hearing and visual field of the animal are largely reduced. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a collar which prevents animals after medical treatment from licking parts of their body and from tearing off bandages. This collar is to impede the animal as little as possible and to offer comfort of wearing while providing sufficient stiffness and keeping the head clear to a large extent. 
     This object is obtained by providing a collar that is shaped as a supporting tube closely adjusted to the animal&#39;s neck with a front edge that extends behind the animal&#39;s head, thus preventing the animal from turning its head backward. 
     Such a supporting tube is not bulky, but rather is close-fitting and allows the animal to move naturally with only little hindrance. Furthermore other possible injuries are prevented due to the animal&#39;s free mobility and sight. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an animal collar according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the animal collar shown in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of an animal collar in an open and flat configuration before being placed around an animal&#39;s neck. 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view taken along the line 5--5 in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional view taken along the line 6--6 in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the animal collar shown in FIG. 3 in an open and flat configuration before being placed around the animal&#39;s neck. 
     FIG. 8 is a partial cross sectional view taken along the line 8--8 in FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 9 is a partial cross sectional view taken along the line 9--9 in FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 10 is a partial cross sectional view taken along the line 10--10 in FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 11 is an elongated partial cross sectional view of the animal collar showing the fastener in a fastened condition. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The collar mainly consists of a thin-walled elastomeric synthetic material which is initially flat but which can be formed into a tube-shaped shell. This shell in put around the animal&#39;s neck like a ring and is closed with a fastener 2. 
     The fastener 2 may take various forms, for example, it may be a burr-like fastener such as Velcro, a zipper, laces, removable adhesive tape, a buckle and the like. These fastener provides variable adjustment for adaption to different neck sizes. 
     By providing an adjustable fastener, a snug-fitting, adjustment is achieved which does not only avoid an unpleasant pressure on the animal&#39;s neck and excludes a twist of the collar but extends behind the jaw-bones, thus preventing turning of the animal&#39;s head. 
     The collar has an outside layer 7 of plastic material and an inside padding of expanded plastics 4, which is flat at least along the edge, to improve comfortable wearing. The collar can also be used without the above-mentioned padding. In such a case the edges of the tube may be provided with beveled edges. Ribs running lengthwise 5 are shaped as reinforcement profiles. The collar has holes 6, which provide for circulation of the air so that comfortable wearing is not adversely affected by perspiration of the hide or skin. The padding of expanded plastic also has perforations. 
     The collar is adapted to be worn by animals such as a dog as shown in the drawings. It has a front edge facing the head with a curved part 3 which extends under and behind the animal&#39;s head in a way that it is sufficiently directed to the front. Thus the animal cannot turn back its head towards its body to like wounds, tear off bandages, etc. 
     From the head the tubular collar reaches down to the chest and shoulders of the animal so that it is snug-fitting for the most part and props itself on the stronger body-zones of the chest and neck of the animal so that it cannot be pushed further backward by movements of the head. 
     Unlike the aforesaid prior art collars which extend over the head towards the front and which do not prevent the animal&#39;s licking by protecting the head wall with an umbrella-like arrangement towards the side and the back, thus creating an extremely voluminous and bulky protecting device, the collar of the present invention is relatively snug and natural-fitting and impedes the animal&#39;s mobility only as far as it concerns the backward movement of the head. 
     It is therefore necessary that the structure of the collar fitted to the animal is sufficiently rigid, which is generally achieved by a light construction due to the tubular from of the collar as long as it is adequately rigid against denting, breaking or folding. 
     Material can be provided having a stiff form. Furthermore, collars of synthetic foam can be made with resilient material, light and sufficiently stiff, whereby the thickness of the wall is dependent on the desired rigidity of the form and strain against the animal&#39;s backward turning of its head. 
     As shown in the drawings, the collar is adjusted as well as possible to the animal&#39;s anatomy. This is especially achieved by an outline of the front edge which is best adapted to the animal&#39;s back of the head and nape. A corresponding rear edge outline is provided also around the chest and neck to avoid pressure sores by line-like adaption of the collar edge to the body. 
     In addition to this, the edges of the collar are rounded or padded. In the simplest case the edges or the whole inner collar is underlaid with a pad, i.e. with a layer of expanded plastic which is quick to clean and does not get easily dirty. Thus, even with a relatively strong and thin-walled material of the shell-shaped collar, a sufficient comport of wearing and especially an adequate safety against sores can be achieved. 
     But even without any padding material, the edges can be chamfered by bending them outwardly or backwardly if necessary. A lateral trumpet-like expansion can be achieved with deep-drawn or spray-molded synthetic material. The edge can also be made flexible by cuttings made at right angle to the rim. 
     The collar need not be tightly adjusted to the animal&#39;s neck all over. It is sufficient if the edges at the head and body are a good, end-sided sit on the animal and if the interjacent part in its tube-like form is rigid enough to keep the animal&#39;s head away from its body. 
     Both an adequate width of the collar with a corresponding distance from the animal&#39;s neck and sufficient ventilation openings in the collar surface ensure good air flow without a barrier effect on humidity and heat under the collar. 
     The sue of laces or adhesive tapes for the fastener can provide an infinitely variable adjustment mechanism for the collar. With the use of synthetic material plastic-processing joint techniques could be used, such as fasteners with one-piece plastic hooks and hook-holes on the opposite side or clips which can be pressed together like snap fasteners. These are arranged for easy use and observation preferably in a line, roughly running along the animal&#39;s neckline. By a multiple arrangement of such connecting elements at a right angle to the connecting line, a gradual adjustment of the width of the collar can be provided. 
     With an appropriate adjustment of the width a certain relationship to the length can be achieved in that the body surface of the animal&#39;s head on the one hand and of the trunk on the other hand, provided for the adjustment with the collar, can be made slant or cone-shaped respectively. 
     It is possible to construct such a collar which is variable in its length. In the simplest case, e.g. along the trunk-line intersections, perforations and the like can be provided to shorten the collar. But it is also possible to make the collar of two overlapping longitudinal parts which through a plurality of snaps, through adhesive clasps and the like, can be adjusted to an appropriate length. 
     FIGS. 3-10 show a further embodiment in which FIG. 3 shows the collar in an open and flat condition before it is placed around an animal&#39;s neck. The collar has a material manufactured flat state as shown in FIG. 3 but is flexible so that it can be formed into a tube-like collar so that is can be placed around an animal&#39;s neck as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     The collar consists of a outer plastic layer 10 (for example polypropylene or polyethylene) and an inner padding layer of plastic foam 12 (for example EVA foam) which are joined together by adhesive or the like. Parts of the forward edge 14 and parts of the rear edge 16 of the inner layer 12 extend beyond the respective forward edge 18 and rear edge 20 of the outer layer 10 to define respective marginal edge portions 22 and 24 of foam material. 
     The outer layer 10 is provided with a plurality of indentations 26 which enhance the flexibility of the collar when it is flexible from its flat state in FIG. 3 to a tube-like state around an animal&#39;s neck. 
     A plurality of openings 30 are provided in the outer layer 10 and many of these openings 30 are aligned with oblong opening 32 in the inner foam layer 12 to thereby form through openings which provide ventilation openings in the collar. 
     The outer plastic layer 10 is provided with extending parts 34 and 36 on which fastening means are provided. Thus the extending part 34 which does not have an underlying layer of plastic foam material as shown in FIG. 7, has a plurality of openings 38 which provide for adjusting the diameter of the tube-like collar when it is placed around an animal&#39;s neck. The other extended part 36, which does have an underlying layer of foam material 12, is provided with raised hook-like elements 40 which selectively engage any pair of the pairs of openings 38 in the extended part 34. 
     The extended part 34 may be provided with thickened sections 42 about the openings 38 to enhance the strength in that area. The extended part 34 is also provided with indentations 44 to enhance flexibility. The extended part 36 is also provided with thickened sections 46 to enhance the strength in the area of the hook-like elements 40. 
     The outer plastic layer 10 has a rear edge portion 50 and a front edge portion 54 which are thinner than the remaining portions of the outer plastic layer 10. However, a part of the rear edge portion 50 of the outer plastic layer 10 is provided with a thicker section 56 to enhance the strength in that area. The thickened portion 56 has indentations 57 to enhance flexibility. On the other hand, a part of the forward edge portion 54 of the outer plastic layer 10 is provided with a plurality of spaced parallel slits 60 to enhance flexibility in that area.