Dog carrier for mounting on or in vehicles

Abstract

A detachable carrier for small pets that can be attached to vehicles, such as bicycles, motorcycles, motor scooters, ATV's, golf carts or watercraft. The carrier allows not only for the transportation of the pet, but also for the enjoyment of the ride, by way of an open top hatch through which the pet can extend its head allowing for an “open air” ride and visibility. The carrier for transporting a small pet on a vehicle includes a box-like container provided with an upper opening that forms part of the container top. The opening has padded edges and is large enough so that an animal such as a dog can stand up in the container with his/her front legs on the padded front edge. Anchoring structure on the container bottom is arranged to detachably couple to a luggage rack or support plate on a luggage rack that is mounted on the vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dog carrier adapted to attach to a vehicle, the carrier comprising:
 a generally rectilinear container defining an interior space sized to contain a dog having a bottom wall and side walls with top edges defining a generally horizontal upper opening, the container having a height and the opening being sized so as to permit the dog to stand on the bottom wall and to project its upper body out of the opening, the bottom wall of the container having a series of bolt-receiving slots, and the dog carrier further includes a plurality of bolts and associated fastening hardware for adjustably coupling the container to the vehicle-supported rack;   padding rimming the top edges for the dog to comfortably rest its legs on when its head and front legs extend through the opening; and   a leash attached to an anchor within the interior space of the container to restrain the dog from jumping out of the opening.   
     
     
         2 . The dog carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the container has a height of about 12-16 inches from the bottom wall inside the container to the top edges. 
     
     
         3 . The dog carrier of  claim 1 , further including a top panel detachably mounted to the top edges to cover the upper opening. 
     
     
         4 . The dog carrier of  claim 1 , further including a seatbelt loop on the exterior of the carrier enabling the carrier to be secured within a vehicle interior with a seatbelt. 
     
     
         5 . The dog carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the container is rotation molded in one piece. 
     
     
         6 . The dog carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the padding is as a closed-cell foam extending entirely around the opening on the top edges. 
     
     
         7 . The dog carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the series of bolt-receiving slots on the bottom wall includes a series of spaced lateral slots distributed from a front to a rear of and extending through the container bottom wall. 
     
     
         8 . The dog carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the container has a clamshell configuration with an upper half of the container pivotably mounted about a front edge on a lower half of the container. 
     
     
         9 . The dog carrier of  claim 8 , further including a locking structure between the upper and lower halves. 
     
     
         10 . The dog carrier of  claim 8 , further including a top panel detachably mounted to the top edges to cover the upper opening, the panel being secured from the interior space of the container. 
     
     
         11 . A dog carrier for use with a vehicle, the carrier comprising:
 a molded single-piece container defining an interior space and having a bottom wall and side walls with rounded corners therebetween extending up to top edges defining a generally horizontal upper opening, the container having a height and the opening being sized so as to permit the dog to stand on the bottom wall and to project its upper body out of the opening, the bottom wall of the container having a plurality of apertures molded to extend through the container bottom wall for adjustably coupling the container to a vehicle-supported rack with bolts and associated fastening hardware;   an anchor within the interior space of the container to restrain the dog from jumping out of the opening; and   a top panel detachably mounted within the upper opening to convert the animal carrier to a luggage box, the panel being secured from the inside of the container.   
     
     
         12 . The dog carrier of  claim 11 , wherein the container has a height of about 12-16 inches from the bottom wall inside the container to the top edges. 
     
     
         13 . The dog carrier of  claim 11 , further including a top panel detachably mounted to the top edges to cover the upper opening. 
     
     
         14 . The dog carrier of  claim 11 , further including a seatbelt loop on the exterior of the carrier enabling the carrier to be secured within a vehicle interior with a seatbelt. 
     
     
         15 . The dog carrier of  claim 11 , wherein the container is rotation molded. 
     
     
         16 . The dog carrier of  claim 11 , further including padding rimming the top edges for the dog to comfortably rest its legs on when its head and front legs extend through the opening, the padding being a closed-cell foam extending entirely around the opening on the top edges. 
     
     
         17 . The dog carrier of  claim 11 , wherein the series of apertures on the bottom wall includes a series of spaced lateral slots distributed from a front to a rear of the container bottom wall, the carrier further. 
     
     
         18 . The dog carrier of  claim 17 , wherein the carrier further includes a plurality of bolts and associated fastening hardware for adjustably coupling the container to the vehicle-supported rack. 
     
     
         19 . The dog carrier of  claim 11 , wherein the container has a clamshell configuration with an upper half of the container pivotably mounted about a front edge on a lower half of the container. 
     
     
         20 . The dog carrier of  claim 19 , further including a locking structure between the upper and lower halves.