Patent Application
20170303508
The invention relates to pet toys, and more particularly, to a cat toy with a base that is especially adapted for mounting to material such as cardboard.
Due to the increased commercialization of pet products and particularly pet toys, there are now a wide range of commercially available pet toys with distinct functions. Pet toys can be made from many different types of materials along with a nearly limitless number of shapes and colors.
The most popular pet toys are dog and cat toys, primarily because these remain the most common pets. There is some overlap between dog and cat toys, that is, some pet toys can be used for both dogs and cats. For example, plush toys are commonly sold for both dogs and cats.
One particular type of pet toy unique for cat toys is one that includes a flexible wand or spring that may dangle an attractant such as a plush toy with catnip, feather, or other attractant. The wand or spring provides an unpredictable and random motion for the attractant which draws the attention of a cat.
One particular drawback for these types of cat toys is that the flexible wand or spring must be held by the pet owner to generate play with the cat. Alternatively, the flexible wand or spring may have a stationary mounting base, but because of the potential force that a cat may transfer to the wand or spring, the mounting base must be large and have sufficient weight to withstand the force which therefore makes the toy too large for easy storage. For these reasons, these types of cat toys are not convenient solutions for entertaining an animal such as a cat.
According to the invention, a cat toy is provided with an improved mounting base that may be inserted into a surface that is penetrable with reasonable force applied to insert the mounting base into the surface. According to a special feature of the invention, the mounting base is configured with a plurality of spaced prongs with pointed distal tips that enable the mounting base to be inserted into a surface such as a corrugated material including cardboard.
More particularly, the mounting base includes spaced prongs that are sized such that they frictionally engage the flutes of a cat scratcher made of cardboard material. Cardboard cat scratchers are one type of known material for use with cat scratching devices such as scratching posts or scratching boards. Cardboard material typically includes parallel sheets of relatively thick paper material that are glued to a corrugated or wavy inner medium, sometimes referred to as fluting. For a cat scratching board or post made of cardboard, there is a gap between the corrugated inner medium or layer and the adjacent sheet of paper material. The spaced prongs of the mounting base are sized and spaced so that the prongs may be conveniently inserted in the gaps of the cardboard material, and the increasing width of the prongs as they are inserted within the gaps allows them to be firmly engaged with the corrugated fluting and the parallel sheets of material. The firm engagement between the prongs and the layers of cardboard material result in the cat toy being sufficiently secured to the cardboard material so that a cat playing with the toy can apply considerable force to the cat toy without dislodging the mounting base from the cardboard material.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the prongs of the mounting base may have a generally “T” shaped cross-section. When a prong is inserted within cardboard material, the prong is preferably inserted into the cardboard material such that the stem of the “T” projects substantially perpendicular to one of the parallel sheets of material and the arm of the “T” extends substantially parallel to the sheet. In this way, the stem and arm of the “T” frictionally engages material of the cardboard and therefore, the prong remains sufficiently frictionally engaged to withstand force applied against the mounting base to prevent it from being dislodged.
The mounting base may include a desired number of prongs along with a spacing of the prongs such that engagement of the mounting base with cardboard material is optimized for frictional contact with the cardboard material for holding the mounting base in place.
Also according to preferred embodiments of the invention, a flexible, spring-like, and/or elastomeric extension may protrude from the mounting base, and an attractant is secured to the free end of the extension in order to attract an animal such as a cat. In one particular preferred embodiment, the extension may include a spring, and the attractant may include a receptacle that can store treats to include catnip. Further, the attractant may have a particularly pleasing shape or be constructed of a material which may enhance interaction with a cat. For example, the shape could be that of a mouse or bird, and the materials may include plush fabric, feathers, and others.
According to one aspect of the invention, it may be considered a pet toy comprising: a body having a chamber formed therein; a flexible extension having one end secured to the body; a mounting base secured to an opposite end of the flexible extension, the mounting base including a plurality of spaced prongs, each of the prongs having a stem and an arm extending substantially perpendicular to the stem.
In another aspect of the invention, it may be a pet toy comprising: a body; a flexible extension having one end secured to the body; a mounting base secured to an opposite end of the flexible extension, the mounting base including a plurality of spaced prongs, each of the prongs having a stem and an arm extending substantially perpendicular to the stem, the mounting base is substantially planar and the plurality of spaced prongs extend substantially perpendicular to the mounting base.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, it may be considered a method of entertaining an animal such as a cat, comprising: providing a pet toy including a body, a flexible extension having one end secured to the body, a mounting base secured to an opposite end of the flexible extension, the mounting base including a plurality of spaced prongs, each of the prongs having a stem and an arm extending substantially perpendicular to the stem; providing a mounting surface; securing the mounting base to the mounting surface by inserting the spaced prongs into the mounting surface such that the flexible extension extends substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface; and providing the pet toy to the animal.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a review of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The mounting base 30 has a generally circular shape and includes a plurality of prongs or engaging fingers 32 that extend in a direction opposite from the projection 34. The prongs 32 of the base have a generally “T” shaped cross-section as shown. The prongs 32 are arranged such that the stem of the “T” for each prong extends radially inward from the circumferential edge of the mounting base 30. The arms of the “T” for each prong 32 extend along the peripheral or circumferential edge of the base 30.
Referring to
According to a method of the invention, the pet toy 10 is provided. A user selects a mounting surface, such as a scratching box 40. The user orients the prongs 32 to be inserted within corresponding gaps of the scratching box material 42 such that each of the prongs 32 frictionally engage one or more layers or portions 44, 46 of the mounting surface material. The user may slightly twist the mounting base 30 so that the prongs 32 make a preferred frictional engagement with the mounting surface material 42. One or more attractants may be secured within the body chamber 26, and may be loaded therein by removal of a cap 16 or closure. The pet toy 10 is then presented to the animal. The user may observe how the animal interacts with the pet toy 10, and then may adjust how the base 30 is frictionally engaged with the mounting surface 40, either by removing the base and re-mounting it, or slightly twisting or pushing down on the base so that it further engages the mounting surface.
From the foregoing, it is apparent that a pet toy 10 is provided with an improved mounting base 30 which can be effectively secured to surfaces such as those found with many cat scratching devices 40. Accordingly, the pet toy 10 may further enhance an animal's desire to use the scratching device, thereby preventing damage to an owner's furniture or other belongings which the animal may otherwise decide to scratch.
While the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment, it shall be understood that the invention can be modified commensurate with the scope of the claims appended hereto.
