CA1194739A - Cover for the neck and/or head of hoofed animals - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A cover for the necks and/or heads of hoofed animals, especially horses, in a form that is anatomioally matched to the area of application and provided with means of attachment, has an inner surface (10,45) that is nest to the animal's skin, and an outer surface (11,46) of the same knitted or woven, air permesble textile material that is of non-hygroscopic plastic fibres that are suitable for the production of static electricity by friction, and has between 50 and 125 meshes per square centimeter, in which connection these is a flexible and air Permeable intermediate layer (24,43) of porous foam between the two layers. At least 95% of the plastic fibres--that are preferably paraffinated--are polyvinylchloride fibres and at least the inner layer (10, 451 consists of two layers of textile material.

Description

hs Dres3nt invention ralate3 to a co~r for th~ nac~ ar:d/or head area of haoied aniru31s~ D3rticulariy horses, of a sha?e tr,3~ natonlically atched to the a,ea of aoplic3.tion anc'~,~/hi..h is pro~ided with fd3teners.
~?art from warr,~lno olankets, r.ec1. bindings and banQaaes zre used ta reileve cold-t~tpe dito:deFs in horses. these are intended to protect the anim3i rfrom cold temDeratures r-sultin3 fro~ we3tner or eva30ration. The ramili3r droducts are most!u made U3 oE a hS,t-conserving iaqer of wool matSrial and an overlay at lin3n or Dl3.stic. .~.l;h2ugh t`ne famillar blndinns ~nd ~dandaoes orovide a me3sure d~ ordtection against est3rnal co}d f.actors t~ ~ certain degrfa. thsi; efrectiv*nes; is however rsstrioted to suc.i shielding fur.st~ans, since In and of themselve5 t`ney possess no hedt-ar~ducinn ch3r3.cteri-tics Fu}thermore, it is a distinct disadvantage that the intermedtate layers tend to accumulate the ~oisture that results from sweatlna as a resuit of Inadequate disDersai of evaporation moisture, and for this reason create oold spots.
~or many of the disorders that aEfeot the neck area, e.g , catarrh of the upper resDiratory tract, inElammation of the throat, it is frequently desira'ole to orovide heat treatment of the neck area in the vioinity oE the seat of the disorder. Since the familiar bindinQs and bandages are neither conceived for such a purpose, nor possess any therapeutic characteristics, Ur~ *~e,S
the rresent inventlon ~nfrtakes.the task of creating a cover of the sort described above, which, in addition to providing protection against esternal cooling effects, possesses additional heat-producing properties, in which connection neither the protective qualities nor the heat-produoing r,roperties are restrict*d ~y the effects of evaporation ,. .

~9~

According to a broad aspect of the invention there is provided a cover for application to the neck and/or head of a hoofed animal, of a shape anatomically adjusted to the area of application and prov~ded with fastening means, said cover con-sisting of an outer and inner layer of tex-tile material and an intermediate layer made of an elastic, pl~able cushion layer, characterized in that the textile mater~al of both layers is knit or woven so as to be permeable to air, consists of non-hygro-scopic synthetic fibres suitable for generating static electricity and has between about 50 and 125 meshes per square centimeter~
and that the intermediate layer consists of foam permeable to air and moisture.
The cover may cover either the neck area alone, or only the throat area~ or else can be made in one piece to cover both areas. Insofar as it covers at least the neck area, it has been found to be advantageous if the face edges of both layers, which faces the back, be provided with fasteners that can be used to join it to a back blanket that may possibly be used. Insofar as the cover is arranged in the throat and/or forehead area, it preferably has openings for the ears and/or eyes. For those cases in which it is desirable for therapeutic reasons to restrict the movement of the head and/or neck, the cover can incorporate stiff ners that are close to parallel to the spine.
The invention is explained in greater detail on the basis of illustrations of several exemplary version, which are appended hereto. These illustrations are as follows:

~' Figure 1 is a schematic draw~ng of two versions of the collar configured for applicat~on to the throat area and the extended neck.
Figure 2 is a perspective v;ew of a throat collar shown schematically ~n figure 1~
Figure 3 is a cross-sect~on through the throat collar shown in figure 1.

4,~3~3 ~igusa 4 is a simplitied lilustration of a plan view on the inner side oi the throat collar in figure 1, this beinq open and estended.
~ioure 5 is a section on the line I - I in figure 4, shown schematically.
~iaure 6 i5 a oover acoording to the presant invention, for the neck and throat areas and the fDrehead, shown schematically, in which regard fasteners ~SIj used to ioin a back blanket (55), fasteners (52) for ioinina the sides to each other in the area of the throat, and openings (53) for the ears or ror the eves (54), respeotively, are provided.
It oan be seen from fiaure I that the area of application of the oollar e~tends from the throttle 1 aoross the area of the throat 2, and the eatended portion of the neok 3 to the so-called point of the shoulder 4.
Even thouoh it is r,ossible to cover the whole of the neck area 1 - 9 usina a common collar, e.g.,for a general heat treatment, in the case of localised disorders it i5 usually sufficient to provide individual treatment for each such site. Accordingly, figure 1 shows as exemplary versions a throat collar S and a neck collar 6, these being anatomically matched to the throat area 2 and the neck area 3, respectively. The oollar dimensions can be so selected that by using the two collars S and 6 together it is possible to oover the whole of the neck I to 9, should this be necessary, as i5 shown in figure 1. The collars 5. 6 are provided to encircle the lower portion of the neck and for this reason are of axially symmetrioal cut (figures 2, 4) so as to provide equal cover for the right and the left sides. On the other hand, the width w of the gap that is left free on both sides of the neck (naDe) line can be reduced as desired. to the point that there is no gap, or the sides overlap.
In reference to figure 2, the strip-like throat collar 5, that has e~ a~l~
~A cross-section measurements, for erampl~. of 12 E 2 - 2.5 om has an inner 73~

layer 10, an outer layer 11, an upper and a lower edge 12, 13 as well as tapered ends 14, 15. A plastic band 16 that is applied around the neck serves as a means of attachment, and this is attached to the outer side of the collar 11 at an end of the collar 14. The outside of the band 16 is fitted with an adhesive strip 17 at the end, and an adjacent and complementary anchor strip 18.
The other end 15 of the collar is fitted with a fastening and adjusting loop 19, and an anchor strip 20 so that the applied band 16 can be secured either on the anchor strip 20 or to its own anchor strip 18. A brow band 21 can also be pro--vided as an additional fastener, that joins the ends of the collar to each other, as shown. The brow band 21 can be fastened by means of a loop 22 and a self-adhesive fastening and adjusting fastener. Since both stitching and weld-ing processes can be used in the production of the collar 5 the seams 23 that are indicated by dotted lines in the drawings and are used to secure the fast-eners 16, 19 to 22 to the collar 5 can be either stitched seams or welded seams.
As can be seen from the cross-section that is shown in :Eigure 3, the throat collar 5 has on the inside an intermediate layer 24 and on the outside a common covering of a specific textile material 25, that forms the inner and the outer layers 10, 11, of the collar. The properties of the textile material 25 and of the intermediate layer that are essential for the purposes of the inven-tion are explained below.
In conjunction with the heat treatment function that remains to bee~xplained, the throat collar can also exercise a support function that re-stricts the freedom of movement of the head. Should such a support function be particularly desirable for specific disorders, it is possible to reinforce the throat collar 5 with stiffeners 26. The stiffeners 26, of 7~
which only one is shown in fiaure Z, e~tend veriloally between the side edges 12, 13 through the intermediate layer 24, and can be sewn or bonded int~ po3ition where thev emer~e.
~ith reference to figur*s q and 5, the neck coilar 6 consists of two mirror-im3ged halves 31, 32 for the eEtended neck portion 3; these halves can be folded inwards alonc the flsxible middle edge 33. ]n order to ensure a aood fit over the whole area of application the middle edge 33 is curved into an arc shaoe (figure 1). Thb shap2 of the upper and lawer edges 34, 35, as well as the triangular shape of the side edges 36, 37, all serve the same end. Straps 38 ~r~t are attached at the edges on the outside of the one half of the collar 3Z, and these comr,ine with buckles 39 ~figure 1) that are attached to the other collar half 31. The middle edge 33 and the upper edge 34 are covered by protective strips qO, 41 or 42, respectively. The seams 23 that are indicated by dotted lines in figure 4 can, as has already been discussed, oe either stltched or welded seams.
~rom the internal struoture that is illustrated in figure 5, it can be seen that the neck oollar 6 has in intermediate layer 43, this ~einq divided into two parts in the area of the middle edge 33. The intermediate layer 43 is contained in a common oovering of a specifio textile material 44, this forming both the inner layer 45 and the outer layer 46. In the transition area of the middle edge 33 the inner and the outer layer are stitched together and on both sides of this they are stitched or welded along lonqitudinal paral}el seams 23. In addition, the textile 44 oan be stitched or welded to the intermediate 13yer 43 alonq the edges 3q to 37, as is shown in figure 5 for the side edge 37.
As is clear from the illustration of the collars when in position, as in figure 1, thev result in normal protection against outside temperatures.

L9~9 since, ag has already been discussed, thr collars 5, 6 can br: fcrl~ed so as to close comoletelq. Of imPcrtance for the invention is th* fact that the coll3rs 5,6, also possess an additional form as a means of therapeutio treatment for the disorders listed above, whereby in addition to a DC.,c~ c~
protective functicn, a healin~ function is evident. The .oe~u.~r,e~ of this healing effect of the co!lars 5, 6 depends ~n the material and structural properties of the testiles 25, 44 and the intermediate layer ~9, 43.
If the Dreviously described collars 5,6 are fitted with ~
teEtiles 25, 44 of this sort, of a specific structure, and then applied to a horse that is sufferin~, for e~ample, with catarrh, then--most surprisincly--the malady will abate in an unusual!y short time. This healinc process obviously cannot be attriDuted to the generation of warmth in the vicinity of the seat of t}.e infection or simultaneous medicinal treatment. ~ather, it is to be assumed that electrostatic charces on the skin itself and the large electrostatic voltages promote the he2iing process. It is possible that te~tiles of this sort bring about new and formerly unknow:
healinri effects in horses. It has also been established that the te~tile 25, 44, alone do not eEert this healing effect, but that this only occurs in the presence of a suitable intermediate layer 2q, 43, and furthermore that it is particularly effective when not only the innar walls 10, qS that are neEt to the skin, but also the outer walls 11, 46 are of this material.
The teEtiles 25, 4q that have been cited are plastic knits, for which r,araffinated polyvinylchloride fibres have been found to be suitable; 10 -15~ acrylic 4 fibres oan be added to the polyvinylchloride fibres in order to render the material more resistant to tearing. ~nder certain circumstances other synthetic fibres that are suitable for the generatlon cf electricity by ~rictioll can be used to produce the textiles 25, 4~. It is of importance for the healing effect that the charge on the skin and the resulting electrostatic voltage is as high and as long-lasting as possible. As a con-sequence of this, on the one hand the textile should be as thick as possible--for purposes of generating high electrostatic values-- and on the other should have as many meshes as possible so as to permit skin moisture to evaporate easily; such moisture can result from the generation of warmth and be detri-mental to the charge. It has been es-tablished that these requirements are best met by fine-rib and interlock knits with the following parameters. The fine-rib knits are produced from the synthetic fibres cited above at 2.5 to 4 denier on a circular knitting frame at 10 needles to 2 cm. The stitch count is 21 stitches/2 cm long and 15/2 cm wide; 78 meshes/cm2; weight 315 g/m3. In general the most effective stitch count range of 1~ - 25 or 12 - 20 stitches per 2 cm long or wide, respectively, and 310 - 325 g/cm weigh-t range were established for the fine-rib knit. Other circular knitting frames or flat knitting frames can be used to produce it. In the case of interlock knits, the most suitable parameters are as follows: yarn weight, 40000-50000m length/kg, stitch count 20 - 30 stitches/2 cm length and width, area weight 150 - 300 g/m2. Typical for a 40000 m/kg yarn are 26 (25) stitches for 2 cm length (width) and 260 g/m ; for a 50000 m/kg yarn, 25 (24) stitches for 2 cm length (width) and 20Q g/m2. In figure 2 the textile 25 is indicated by way of example as a fine-rib knit.
As has been discussed above, in addition to the textiles 25, 44 des-cribed above, intermediate layers 24, 43 of a specific quality are required so that the collars 5, 6 are therapeutically effective. The main requirement is that the intermediate layers 24, 43 allow the unrestricted passage of air.
This air permeability is essential in order that moist air that is given off by the skin can penetrate the collars 5, 6 from the inside 10, 45 to the outside --S--JL?~ ~3~

11, 46. In addition, the intermecliate layers 24, 43 shall be of a stable elastic shape, so as to ensure an even application pressure of the textile 25, 44 against the skin. This requirement is achieved in general by the use of a foam insert of the polyurethane-foam group as the intermediate layer 24, 43, that is air permeable on account of its open pores, possesses elas-tic form stability, and permits the passage oE moisture. The foam body of the collars 5, 6 tested in practice is 2 cm thick and weighs 40 kg/crn .
It is of course essential that the outer layer 11, 46 is also air per-meable. As tests have shown, the therapeutic effectiveness of the collars 5, 6 increases if instead of any air permeable material, for example, linen, the tex-tile 25, 44 with the previously discussed properties is used for the outer layer 11, ~6. It is of added advantage if two layers of textile, mutually dis-placeable by area surround the foam body insert on all sides, as is shown by way of an example in figure ~ for the neck collar 5. The electrostatic volt-ages that result from this, and are applied to the skin, exceed 30 kV.
The collars 5, 6 can be produced by the following steps:
production of a one- or two-layer textile casing on a knitting machine, inser-tion of the foam body through a side of the casing that is left open and stitch-ing together while stitching on the fasteners 16 to 22, 3~, 39 by using a leather-stitching machine along the seams 23.

_g_ ~ ~9'~73~
It is possible to effeot a considerable reduction in the amount of stitohina as a result oE the surprisinu discover~ that a testile mzterial of the type described abDve can be joined by using the hiqh-irequency welding Drocess famili3r i!l the leather-goods indust}y. In this oonnection, instead oi tnb stitching procedure, the material that is to be joined is pressed tocether between wedge-shaped metal electrcdes and welded by the passage of hign-Erequency energy. A preresuisite for this i5 that not only is a weldable material of this sort used for the production of the collars 5,6, out that a suitable foam is also used, this possessiDg, on the one hand, the above-described structural charaoteristics, on the other being weldable by this process. This entails certain difficulties for the case of the insert 5,6 of polyurethane foam, so for this reason a polyvinylchloride foam is used, this being known by the trade name TROVIPOR; this has the required elastic shape stability, open pore structure, and adequate air permeability.
This TROVIPOR foam can be welded by a high-frequency process and can thus be psocessed together with the above-descrioed testile materiais. In this reaard, a frequency range of approsimately 20 mHz has been found to be suitable; this is the range that is used in familiar high-frequency welding equipment used in the leather-goods industry. During the produotion of the described collar 5,~ by the high-frequency welding process in each instance the one- or two-layer testile structure of the inner layer is applied to the lower electrode of the welding machine, the foam sheet of a total thickness p l~ed .~ of some 10 - 2D mm ~b~ on top of this, the one-or two-layer testile strip of the outer layer applied to this, these pieces being of the required cut and shape. Along the seam ~3 that is to s,e welded at least ODe electrode, Eor esamDle, the upper one, has corresponding ribs with wedge-shaped edges, ~ :~9~3''~
oetween which all the carts of the collar will be pressed toqether when the electrcdes are pressed together The materials c,f the tegtile and the ir,sert will then melt alonc the lines that are pressed together, once high-frequencv energy is applied briefly and will be inseparably joined alonq this welded seam 23. The fasteners 16 to 23. .38, 39 can also ce attached to the outer sides 11, ~S by means of this high-frequency welding technique;
these do not necessarily have to be of a material that is amenable to high-irequency weldinq, for they tan be stitohed onto a weldable base in a separate production stage, this base then beinc, welded to the outside of the collar ',6; thi, can also be done in a production stage with the welding of the remaining collar parts. If thq straps 3a and the proteotive strips ~li, 92 of the neck collar consist of a tough polyvinylchloride material, such as the commercially available synthetic leather 5XAI, these can be welded directlv tc the collar 6.
In the treatment of specific disorders, e.g., swellings, it has been found to be advantageous to apply a cold oompress to the affected part immediately prior to the start of therapeatic electrostatic heat treatment.
In order to simp!ify such prior ccld treatment it i5 possible to prcvide a pocket 50 as is showr" for e~ample for the neck collar in Eigures 4, 5; this pocket estends along the inner side 45 of the neck collar 6. the pocket 50 consists, for example, of a thin plastic foil that encloses the side edge 36 and is secured on the outer side 96 by means of a snap fastener 51, and can thus be removed easi}y. A fleaible, enclosed pad can be inserted in the ^t~
pocket 50, andJpad can be filled with cold water, ice, or another cold liquid. After the cold treatment, which is usually brief, the pocket 50 is 4~
unsn3pped and re~oved with the pad, wherelJpon heat treatm~nt is started imr~ediately. This procedure has been found to ba espeoially effective.
Cold treatment af this kind can also be carried out ~ith the throat collar 5.

Claims (13)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A cover for application to the neck and/or head of a hoofed animal, of a shape anatomically adjusted to the area of application and provided with fastening means, said cover con-sisting of an outer and inner layer of textile material and an intermediate layer made of an elastic, pliable cushion layer, characterized in that the textile material of both layers is knit or woven so as to be permeable to air, consists of non-hygroscopic synthetic fibres suitable for generating static electricity and has between about 50 and 125 meshes per square centimeter, and that the intermediate layer consists of foam permeable to air and moisture.

2. A cover according to claim 1, characterized in that at least 85% of the synthetic fibres are polyvinylchloride fibres.

3. A cover according to claim 2, characterized in that said fibres are paraffinated.

4. A cover according to claim 3, characterized in that at least the inner layer consists of two layers of the textile material.

5. A cover according to claim 3, characterized in that when applied there is a gap between its side edges.

6. A cover according to claim 4, characterized in that side edges of the two layers are provided with fasteners that pass over the neck.

7. A cover according to claim 6, characterized in that the two layers have an end edge that faces the back and is provided with fasteners used to join them to a back blanket.

8. A cover according to claim 7, characterized in that it has openings for the ears of the animal.

9. A cover according to claim 8, characterized in that it has openings for the eyes of the animal.

10. A cover according to claim 1 characterized in that stiffeners are incorporated, these being nearly parallel to the spine of the animal.

11. A cover according to claim 8, characterized in that it is configured as a collar for encircling the extended neck of the animal, this having two halves that can be folded inwards on both sides about an inwardly curved middle line, with in each instance an upper and lower edge that is angled inwards, and triangular side edges, as well as an intermediate layer that is divided in two along the middle line.

12. A cover according to claims 1, 2 or 11, characterized by a removable pocket on the inner layer that is next to the skin, used to contain a pad that contains a cooling medium.

13. A cover according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said animal is a horse.