US4233942 (1980): Animal ear protectors

Many devices have been designed to protect the head and ears of animals, including man. Such protectors have been designed with numerous purposes in mind. For instance, football helmets, bicycling helmets, motorcycle helmets, ski masks, and so on. Animals too have had a variety of head coverings designed for their use. For instance, horses are often equipped with blinders, restricting their vision and focusing their attention as desired. Horses also have been the object of inventions which allow them to be controlled when they are endangered by fire but uncontrollable due to their irrational fear of the fire.

Another class of head coverings seeks to protect the wearer against a hazardous environment, such as toxic fumes, noxious smells, deafening or injurious noise levels, blinding lights, and other such environmental discomforts.

The herein disclosed invention concerns itself with a problem which has been heretofore recognized but inadequately solved. It is the objective of the invention to protect the ears of long eared animals, especially dogs, from coming into contact with their food or drink while they eat.

It is the objective of the invention to provide such a device which does not interfere with the eating of the animal, does not itself come into contact with the animal's food, is light weight, comfortable, and not easily removed by the animal. Further, the invention has as objectives that it be easily put on and taken off the animal, adjustable for a variety of sizes of ears and animal heads, and may be itself decorated so as to enhance the appearance of the animal in the eyes of its owner and of others.

These and other objectives are provided for by a device which provides a generally tubular shaped protector for each ear of the animal. Each protector may be formed of a self biasing plastic sheet which forms a tube, yet can be opened to allow easy insertion of the animals ear. The ear protectors and animal's ears are held away from the head of the animal by two straps, one passing above, one below the head of the animal. The straps are adjustable to accomodate various sizes of animal heads and animal ears, and to allow for the comfortable consumption of food and drink by the animal while wearing the device.

Link to the patent: https://www.google.com/patents/US4233942

Actually... this one is not that bad!

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- Archimedex