Earmuff Invention for Pet Rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
A patent application for “Canine Garments to Cover, Enclose, and Protect Ears from Inclement Weather” was filed in December 2014. It was published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2016/0183495. This application for pet earmuffs went abandoned in October 2017 after a rejection by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office went unanswered. Certain patent drawings caught our attention, which are included, below.
But first, isn’t that a cat pictured above? Yes. But the title says “canine garments.” We’re using the term canine in its broadest sense, which includes cats. So yes, our main image for this post is a cat. This cat pictured with the ears was the closest we could get to the patent drawings, below. And yes, those are yoda ears on the cat, and this post may have other Star Wars references for no apparent reason.
The invention was for earmuffs to keep your pet’s ears warm in cold weather. We’re including Figures 1A and 1B from the patent application for your viewing pleasure.
You want more Star Wars-inspired earmuff pictures? Great, we do have one more. (Princess Leia style earmuffs with a Chewbacca standing nearby.)
Have you noticed that none of these pets look thrilled to be wearing these? Perhaps over time a pet would learn to enjoy wearing something around it’s ears, but from what I’m seeing, earmuffs aren’t going to be their favorite thing.
For Patent Attorneys Only
For the patent nerds who want to know what the patent application’s first independent claim looked like, as published, here is claim 1:
1. A hat for dogs which encloses their ears individually to keep them warm. (FIGS. 1A, 1B & 1C)
a. Hat is fastened by flaps below the dog’s chin (3) using hook and loop material (4). This promotes a good fit while making it very easy for the dog’s owner to put it on and remove.