Patent Application
20180092333
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The disclosure and prior art relates to tethering devices and more particularly pertains to a new tethering device for selectively dispensing and retracting a leash on an animal.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an anchor that may be inserted into ground. A leash unit is removably coupled to the anchor. The leash unit includes a leash that may be attached to an animal thereby restricting movement of the animal. The leash is selectively urged outwardly from the leash unit. Moreover, the leash is selectively retracted into the leash unit.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A leash unit 26 is removably coupled to the anchor 12. The leash unit 26 includes a leash 28 that may be attached to an animal 30 thereby restricting movement of the animal 30. The animal 30 may be a dog or the like. The leash 28 is selectively urged outwardly from the leash unit 26. Moreover, the leash 28 is selectively retracted into the leash unit 26.
The leash unit 26 comprises a first can 32 that has a bottom wall 34 and a peripheral wall 36 extending upwardly therefrom. The peripheral wall 36 has a distal edge 38 with respect to the bottom wall 34 and an inner surface 40. The inner surface 40 is threaded adjacent to the distal edge 38. The bottom wall 34 has an outer surface 42. The bottom wall 34 has a first well 44 extending toward the outer surface 24 of the bottom wall 34.
A collar 46 is coupled to the outer surface 24 of the bottom wall 34. The collar 46 has an inside surface 48 and the inside surface 48 is threaded. The cap 22 threadably engages the inside surface 48 such that the first can 32 is removably coupled to the screw 16. Thus, the first can 32 may be positioned in ground 14 having the distal edge 38 being exposed.
A second can 50 is provided. The second can 50 has a lower wall 52 and an exterior wall 54 extending upwardly therefrom. The exterior wall 54 has an inside surface 56 and the lower wall 52 has an outside surface 58. The second can 50 is removably positioned within the first can 32. A knob 60 is coupled to and extends downwardly from the outside surface 58 of the lower wall 52. The knob 60 engages the first well 44 when the second can 50 is positioned within the first can 32.
A disk 62 is provided that has a top surface 64, a bottom surface 66 and a peripheral edge 68 extending therebetween. The peripheral edge 68 is threaded. The top surface 64 of the disk 62 has a second well 70 extending toward the bottom surface 66. The second well 70 has a lower bounding surface 72. The lower bounding surface 72 has an opening 74 extending through the bottom surface 66 of the disk 62. The peripheral edge 68 threadably engages the inner surface 40 of the first can 32 such that the disk 62 closes the first can 32.
A first rod 76 is coupled to the inside surface 48 of the second can 50. The first rod 76 extends across a center of the second can 50. A second rod 78 is coupled to the inside surface 48 of the second can 50. The second rod 78 is offset from the center of the second can 50. Moreover, the second rod 78 is oriented parallel with the first rod 76. The second rod 78 is positioned between the lower wall 52 and the first rod 76.
A spool 80 is rotatably positioned on the first rod 76. The spool 80 is biased to rotate in a retracting direction. The spool 80 is selectively urged to rotate in a dispensing direction. A pulley 82 is rotatably positioned on the second rod 78.
The leash 28 is wrapped around the spool 80 and the leash 28 has a distal end 84 with respect to the spool 80. The leash 28 extends around the pulley 82 and outwardly through the opening 74 in the second well 70. The distal end 84 of the leash 28 may be coupled to the animal 30. The leash 28 extends outwardly from the opening 74 when the animal 30 moves away from the first can 32. Thus, the leash 28 facilitates the animal 30 to move a selected distance from the first can 32. The spool 80 retracts the leash 28 into the first can 32 when the animal 30 moves toward the first can 32.
A coupler 86 is provided and the coupler 86 is coupled to the distal end 84 of the leash 28. The coupler 86 is coupled to the animal 30. The coupler 86 may engage a collar on the animal 30 or the like. The coupler 86 engages the lower bounding surface 72 of the second well 70 when the spool 80 is urged to rotate in the retracting direction. Thus, the leash 28 is inhibited from being fully retracted into the first can 32.
In use, the anchor 12 is screwed into the ground 14. The first can 32 is threadably coupled to the cap 22. The coupler 86 is urged outwardly from the second well 70 and the coupler 86 is coupled to the animal 30. The leash 28 is drawn outwardly from the leash unit 26 when the animal 30 moves away from the leash unit 26. The leash 28 is retraced into the can when the animal 30 moves toward the can. Thus, the leash 28 is inhibited from getting tangled thereby enhancing the animal 30's mobility and comfort.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
