Collapsible kennel
A collapsible enclosure having a top panel, a bottom panel, two side panels, a front panel having an opening, and a rear panel. The top panel, bottom panel, two side panels, front panel, and rear panel are connected to one another to form a substantially rectangular enclosure having a door in the opening for ingress and egress. The side panels include a peripheral edging containing a looped frame. A method of collapsing the kennel is also disclosed.
1. A collapsible pet kennel comprising:
a body including
a plurality of body panels, including opposed first and second side panels and opposed top and bottom panels;
a plurality of panel frames provided among the plurality of body panels, each of the plurality of panel frames constructed as a stiff, yet resilient continuous loop contained within a pocket formed by an edging of a corresponding one of the plurality of body panels; and
a first end frame and a second end frame opposite the first end frame, the first end frame and the second end frame being formed as a loop circumferentially attached to the plurality of body panels;
a first rigid border member directly attached to at least one of the first end frame and the plurality of panel frames at a first end of the body by engagement of a first plurality of fasteners into the first rigid border member for capturing the body without penetration thereof, wherein the first rigid border member forms a border frame within which a door of a grate-type construction having a plurality of cross bars is retained; and
a second rigid border member directly attached to at least one of the second end frame and the plurality of panel frames at a second end of the body by engagement of a second plurality of fasteners into the second rigid border member for capturing the body without penetration thereof, wherein the second rigid border member forms a border frame within which an air permeable mat is retained;
wherein the collapsible kennel is configured to transition from an expanded position to a collapsed position by collapsing of the first and second rigid border members together in combination with a relative rotation therebetween;
wherein the attachments of the first rigid border and the second rigid border member are maintained through the transition; and
wherein the first rigid border member includes a first latching element and the second rigid border member includes a second latching element, and wherein the first and second latching elements are engageable to retain the collapsible kennel in the collapsed position.
2. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 1 , wherein the first end frame is positioned within a first peripheral edging of stretch-resistant material and the second end frame is positioned within a second peripheral edging of stretch-resistant material.
3. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 1 , wherein each of the first end frame and the second end frame is constructed as a stiff, yet resilient continuous loop.
4. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 1 , wherein the collapsible kennel is configured to transition from the expanded position to the collapsed position by collapsing of the first and second rigid border members together in combination with a 180-degree relative rotation therebetween, such that the first and second latching elements are configured to transition from diametrically opposed positions to aligned positions.
5. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of fasteners and each of the second plurality of fasteners includes a screw and a washer.
6. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 1 , wherein in the expanded position, the body of the pet kennel defines a height and a width at each of the first and second end frames and further defines a length between the first and second end frames, and wherein the length is greater than the height and greater than the width.
7. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second latching elements is a pivotable latch member and the other of the first and second latching elements is a catch member selectively latchable by the latch member.
8. A collapsible pet kennel comprising:
a body having a first end and a second end, the body including
a plurality of body panels extending between the first and second ends, including opposed first and second side panels and opposed top and bottom panels;
a plurality of panel frames provided among the plurality of body panels, each of the plurality of panel frames constructed as a stiff, yet resilient continuous loop contained within a pocket formed by an edging of a corresponding one of the plurality of body panels; and
a first end frame and a second end frame opposite the first end frame, the first end frame and the second end frame each being formed as a continuous loop circumferentially attached to the plurality of body panels; and
a first rigid border member directly attached to the first end frame and the plurality of panel frames at the first end of the body by engagement of a first plurality of fasteners into the first rigid border member for capturing the body without penetration thereof, wherein the first rigid border member forms a border frame within which a door of a grate-type construction having a plurality of cross bars is retained;
wherein the collapsible kennel is configured to transition from an expanded position to a collapsed position by convergence of the first and second ends along a mutual axis in combination with a relative rotation therebetween about the mutual axis; wherein the relative rotation for transitioning from the expanded position to the collapsed position is a 180-degree relative rotation about the mutual axis;
wherein the attachment of the first rigid border is maintained through the transition, and
wherein the first rigid border member is formed with a latching element configured to retain the collapsible kennel in the collapsed position.
9. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 8 , wherein the body further includes a rear panel having a web of material spanning inside a peripheral edging thereof to close the second end of the body.
10. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 9 , wherein the latching element is configured to engage the rear panel in the collapsed position.
11. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 9 , wherein the rear panel material web is a web of perforate material.
12. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 9 , wherein the rear panel material web is a web of imperforate material.
13. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 8 , wherein in the expanded position, the body of the pet kennel defines a height and a width at each of the first and second ends and further defines a length between the first and second ends, and wherein the length is greater than the height and greater than the width.
14. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 8 , further comprising a second rigid border member directly attached to the second end frame and the plurality of panel frames at the second end of the body by engagement of a second plurality of fasteners into the second rigid border member for capturing the body without penetration thereof, wherein the second rigid border member forms a border frame and includes a latching element engageable with the latching element of the first rigid border member to retain the collapsible kennel in the collapsed position.
15. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 14 , wherein one of the latching elements of the first and second rigid border members is a pivotable latch member and the other is a catch member selectively latchable by the latch member.
16. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 8 , further comprising at least one insert panel having a stiff, resilient loop frame and a material web spanning within the loop frame, wherein the insert panel is releasably attachable to at least one of the first and second side panels.
17. The collapsible pet kennel of claim 16 , wherein the at least one insert panel is releasably attachable to at least one of the first and second side panels by respective hook and loop fasteners.