For the whole decision click here: o20911
Summary
The invention relates to a protective animal collar which restricts the movement of the animal’s head to prevent it from licking or biting a wound. The collar is worn in a reverse Elizabethan style where a cone is attached around the neck of the animal and flares towards the shoulders. The collar can be made from a template cut-out of a single plastic sheet. The hearing officer found that the shape of the collar, the fastening of the collar, its loose-fit around the neck, its single layer construction, the template cut-out and the aerated collar constructions were independent features having no interaction with each other. He also found that various other features such as the anti-chafing lacing were added to the application after the filing date. Each independent feature was found to be known or obvious and that, in accordance with the guidance from the House of Lords in Sabaf, the dog collar arrangement lacked an inventive step. The application was refused.