Patent Application
20160128305
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1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to a device and method for rolling up a leash.
2. Description of Related Art
Such a device is known in the art. For example, US2008/0011895 in the name of Flexi Bogdahn describes a device for rolling up a dog leash on a coil by means of pretension and, against said pretension, unwinding said dog leash from said coil. A dog that is coupled to said leash will easily be able to unwound said leash for obtaining more freedom of movement. The advantage of such device with respect to a traditional dog leash is that the leash will be kept tight all the time, regardless the distance between the dog and his attendant. Of course, the maximum distance is limited to the length of the leash. Due to the winding mechanism, the attendant or any other person will not become entangled, as is the case with traditional leashes. In cases wherein the dog is only allowed to be at a limited distance from the attendant, the Flexi Bogdahn device comprises a stopping mechanism that stops the coil from running. As a consequence, the leash cannot be unwound any further, thus limiting the dog's freedom of movement. However, a disadvantage is that the leash cannot be rolled up either. When the dog moves towards the attendant, the leash will slack, such that the disadvantage of a traditional leash is obtained.
The present invention aims at providing an improved device of the kind mentioned in the preamble. The invention is directed to a device and a method for rolling up and unwinding a leash. The term “leash” relates to any kind of belt or cable that can be wound on a coil, for example flat and round belts or cables. The invention will hereafter be described by means of a dog leash. However, the invention is not limited to such use. The invention is neither limited to a certain shape of said leash, even though the invention will be described mainly with reference to a flat cable, a generally known dog leash. Such cables may be used as a leash, especially for pets like dogs and cats.
The invention especially aims at providing a device as mentioned above providing the possibility of limiting the maximum freedom of movement of an animal, for example a dog, and that effectively prevents the effect of slack of said leash. However, the invention is not limited to dog leashes, as explained before.
The invention especially aims at providing a device with which ease of operation is obtainable between a full freewheeling of the leash for providing the dog the opportunity to use the entire length of the leash and a limited freedom of movement wherein only part of the leash' length is available to the dog.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in part in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating one or more preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:
So as to obtain at least one of the aims mentioned above, the invention provides according to a first embodiment a device comprising the features of claim 1. This device has the advantage that a provision is attained for simply limiting the freedom of movement of a dog. The retaining means may be connected, or clamped, to the leash and will be wound onto the coil, together with the leash. When the leash is unwound, the retaining means, when leaving the winding on the coil and is directed towards the opening, will be retained by said catch means. As a consequence, further unwinding of said leash is prevented. The freedom of movement of a dog is herewith effectively limited.
It is further preferred for the device to comprise a control means for toggling said retaining means between a coupling state and a disconnected state. Then, a user may easily choose between providing the dog with unlimited freedom of movement of limiting said movement. By connecting, or clamping, said retaining means to said leash by means of said control means when a dog has unwound a maximum allowable part of said leash, the limited freedom of movement is set.
A preferred embodiment is obtained by means of a device comprising a coupling actuator that is adjustable between at least two states, chosen from a state wherein said leash is connected to said retaining means and a state wherein said leash is disconnected from said leash. By using two states, a user may choose between the retaining means being coupled to said leash and a state wherein said retaining means is disconnected from said leash.
A simple operation is obtained if said device comprises a control means at an outside of said housing for controlling said coupling actuator.
A secure operation is obtained, with only limited chance of disconnection of said retaining means from said leash, if said retaining means comprises a spring-loaded clamping lever, a clamping end thereof abutting said leash in a spring-loaded state.
So as to be able to easily and quickly disconnect said retaining means, it is preferred that said retaining means comprises a spring-loaded clamping lever, a clamping end thereof being positioned at a distance from said leash in a spring-loaded state.
An efficient movement of the leash towards the coil, especially both when the leash has been wound substantially on said coil and when said leash has been unwound from said coil, is obtained when the catch means comprises an exit directed towards said opening and an entrance directed towards said coil, said catch means being coupled tiltable to said housing, such that the entrance can be directed substantially to a leash's winding position on said coil. The term “a leash's winding position on said coil” refers to the position the leash contacts the coil or the position the leash contacts a part of the leash that has already been wound on said coil. In case of a substantially completely unwound leash said position is more closely to the coil's rotational axis than in case of a substantially wound leash. The angle at which the leash runs from the opening towards the winding on the coil therefore varies widely during winding and unwinding said leash.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for using a leash, comprising the step of providing a device according to any of the preceding claims. As a matter of fact, according to the invention, the method may also comprise the step of connecting an animal to a leash' end positioned outside said device. The aims as mentioned before will be obtained effectively and efficiently.
It is especially preferred for the method to comprise the step of controlling said control means for connecting, more in particular clamping, said retaining means to said leash, so as to limit the maximum freedom of movement of said dog, without obtaining slack in said leash in case the dog moves towards his attendant.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In the figures, the same parts are identified by the same reference numbers. However, for ease of understanding the figures, not all parts that are required for a practical embodiment may have shown. Furthermore, not all parts have been shown in the proper proportion. Some parts have been shown enlarged with respect to other parts in order to ease the explanation of the invention.
The device 1 comprises a coil 3 for winding thereon the leash 2. The winding position 4 is the position where the leash 2 contacts the partially wound coil. A retaining means 5 has been connected to the leash 2. Said retaining means 5 can be connected securely to the leash 2, such that said retaining means 5 is wound on the coil 3 together with the leash 2. Upon unwinding the leash 2 from the coil 3 said retaining means 5 will become released. Further unwinding of said leash 2 makes the retaining means 5 abut a catch means 6, stopping the retaining means 5. Since the retaining means 5 has been securely connected to the leash 2, the leash 2 will no further unwind from the coil. As a result, it is effectively ensured that the leash will only be unwound partially, such that a dog connected to the leash only has a limited freedom of movement.
In the embodiment shown in
The connection (usually a clamping) of retaining means 5 to said leash may be disconnected by acting a force on an end 17, 18 of legs 9, 10 directed away from clamping end 13, 14, at another side of said pivot-axis 11, 12 than the side of said clamping ends 13, 14. As a result, the clamping ends 13, 14 are shifted away from leash 2 such that said clamping action is cancelled and leash 2 may move freely between legs 9, 10 of said retaining means.
The legs 9, 10 are preferably preloaded by means of a compression spring, which ensures that the legs 9, 10 will abut the leash 2 with their clamping ends 13, 14 in non-loaded state.
The guiding legs 7, 8 preferably comprise receiving means 19, 20 that are embodied for cooperation with lugs 21, 22 that are connected to said retaining means 5. By moving the guiding legs 7, 8 towards the leash when the retaining means 5 is positioned between said legs, the lugs 21, 22 will be received in said receiving means 19, 20, with the consequence that said retaining means 5 is clamped in catch means 6. This has the consequence that the leash will be guided freely between the legs of retaining means 5, yielding a maximum freedom of movement. For example, the guiding legs 7, 8 may be positioned against said retaining means by means of a control means to be controlled by a user (not shown in
In
Finally,
The device and the respective parts thereof may be manufactured from a plastic or a metal, or a combination thereof. Also, natural materials may be applied for manufacturing the device or parts thereof.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments as described above and as shown in the drawing. The invention is limited only by the appending claims. The device according to the present may comprise an additional brake allowing the leash at any time to be secured fixedly so as to prevent any further unwinding and/or winding thereof.
The invention also embodies every combination of features that have been described herein independently of each other.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011105 | Jul 2013 | NL | national |
This application is a continuation application of Patent Cooperation Treaty Application No. PCT/NL2014/050449, filed on Jul. 4, 2014, which claims priority to Netherlands Patent Application No. 2011105, filed Jul. 5, 2013, and the specifications and claims thereof are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/NL2014/050449 | Jul 2014 | US |
| Child | 14988300 | US |
