Patent Application
20100018474
The present disclosure relates generally to an adapter system to manage slack in a leash, such as while walking a dog.
The statements in this background section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
It is common practice for owners of dogs and other pets to regularly walk or exercise their pets. Proper control of the pet and laws of many municipalities require that pets be restrained by a leash. Typically, the leash is a piece of material with a handle to be held by the owner or pet walker and a clip for attachment to the pet's collar.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are provided of an adapter system to manage slack in a leash. In one exemplary embodiment, a device attachable to a leash for managing slack in the leash generally includes an elastomeric member and at least one eyelet integral to the elastomeric member. The at least one eyelet includes at least one opening configured to frictionally receive at least a portion of the leash therein. The device may also include a first member integral to the elastomeric member for anchoring, attaching, or engaging to the leash, for example, without requiring or using mechanical fasteners. The device may also include a second member for anchoring, attaching, or engaging to the leash, for example, without requiring or using mechanical fasteners. The elastomeric member, the at least one eyelet, and the first and second member may be comprised of thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic resin material, and the device may be monolithically formed to have a single-piece construction.
In another exemplary embodiment, a system for managing slack in a leash when the leash is attached to a collar worn by an animal generally includes an elastic adapter. The system may also include at least three eyelets operatively associated with the elastic adapter member. Each of the at least three eyelets may include an opening therethrough configured to frictionally receive at least a portion of the leash therein. A first member is adjacent a proximal end portion of the elastic adapter for anchoring, attaching, or engaging to the leash. A second member is adjacent a distal end portion of the elastic adapter for anchoring, attaching, or engaging to the leash.
Other aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods. In one exemplary embodiment, a method of managing slack in a leash generally includes threading a leash through at least three eyelets of an elastic adapter to thereby form a friction fit between the leash and the at least three eyelets of the elastic adapter. The method also includes anchoring, attaching, or engaging proximal and distal end portions of the elastic adapter to the leash.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary and drawings are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that these specific details need not be employed, and should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In the development of any actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints. Such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but is nevertheless a routine undertaking of design, fabrication and manufacture for those of ordinary skill.
As recognized by the inventor hereof, a conventional leash has slack when the pet stops walking or is walking in the “heel” position, or when a leash is mounted to an inanimate stationary object, such as a fence post, gate, etc. The slack in a leash may eventually end up tangled on objects such as bushes, in between the pet's legs, the owner's or pet walker's legs, or both, causing potential harm to both the walker/owner and pet and delays in exercising the pet, or the slack may end up tangling the leash. Leashes with incorporated hardware or built-in hardware, besides having the potential problem with slack, tend to have one or more of the following additional disadvantages: the incorporated hardware or built-in hardware damages the leash, is permanently affixed to the leash, adds weight, metal, or other material that can affect the pet and walker/owner, adds additional tension to the pet, and is geared to correct behavior.
According to various aspects of the present disclosure, there are provided various exemplary embodiments of adapters, devices, and systems to help manage slack in leashes. In an exemplary embodiment, a system, device, or adapter generally includes an elastic adapter which is operable for retracting the leash (e.g., by forming one or more loops in the leash slack, etc.). The system, device, or adapter may include one or more eyelets configured to form a friction fit or interference fit with the portions of the leash frictionally received within the openings of the eyelets. In some embodiments, a leash may be threaded through one or more eyelets to create the friction fit between the adapter and the leash. In addition, end portions of the adapter may be anchored or releasably attached to corresponding portions of the leash solely by a friction or interference fit formed by the frictional engagement of the leash portions and the corresponding openings of the eyelets. As another example, an end portion of the adapter may be attached to a corresponding portion of the leash solely by a knot (e.g., ram's head knot, etc.), which may be formed in the leash by inserting/threading a loop/handle of the leash at least partially through an eyelet of the adapter and then looping/threading the remaining portion of the leash through that portion of the leash's loop/handle sticking out the other side of the eyelet.
In another exemplary embodiment, an adapter is comprised of elastomeric material that is configured to manage the slack in the leash. In various embodiments, an adapter may be integrally molded from or comprise polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic resin, such as hydrogenated styrened isoprene/butadiene block copolymer, a block copolymer, etc. Accordingly, the adapter may thus be monolithically formed to have a single piece construction.
In various embodiments, the end portions of an adapter is anchored, attached, or engaged to portions of a leash, to thereby inhibit or prevent movement of the adapter's end portions relative to the leash portions to which the adapter's end portions are anchored, attached or engaged. An adapter may have one or more members (e.g., enlarged portion or member, ball, cylindrical member, oval member, knot, etc.), such as adjacent or along the respective proximal and distal end portions of the elastic adapter, to facilitate the anchoring, attachment, or engagement of the end portions of the adapter to the leash. The members or enlarged portions may be integral to an adapter, or they may be separately attached to the adapter, such as by adhesives, etc.
In exemplary embodiments, an adapter generally includes an opening, hole, and/or an eyelet or loop with an opening or hole therethrough. In further embodiments, an adapter may include first and second members for anchoring, attaching, or engaging the leash where the first and second members comprise eyelets that are integral to the adapter. In alternative various embodiments, there may be provided a plurality of eyelets in the adapter. The holes through the eyelets may, for example, have diameters that are equal to or less than the dimensional size (e.g., width, diameter, thickness, etc.) of the leash portion threaded into and received therein, in order to create a friction or interference fit between eyelets and a leash. By way of example, an eyelet at one or both end portions of the adapter may be sized so as to create a relatively strong friction fit with the leash, to allow the corresponding end portion of the adapter to be anchored to the corresponding portion of the leash solely by that relative strong friction fit. In another exemplary embodiment, the diameter of the eyelets might vary amongst eyelets in the adapter, such that one eyelet has a larger diameter and one eyelet has a smaller diameter. Alternative embodiments may include adapters with eyelets having all the same diameter.
In further embodiments, one or more eyelets of an adapter may include outer covers. In various embodiments, outer covers may have a variety of diameters depending on the size of eyelet it is covering and the degree of aesthetic additions. Further, in another embodiment, outer covers comprise elastomeric material, similar or identical to the elastic material forming the adapter and eyelets in some embodiments. In yet further embodiments, the elastomeric cover may be integrally molded from or comprise thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic resin, such as hydrogenated styrened isoprene/butadiene block copolymer, a block copolymer, etc. Alternative materials may also be used for eyelet covers, such as non-elastic materials, fabrics, etc.
In further exemplary embodiments, an adapter may include at least a portion that is aesthetically colored and visually perceptible to an observer, whereby the cosmetic appearance of an adapter may be enhanced. In various embodiments, one or more portions of an adapter (or the entire adapter in some embodiments) may be illuminated, configured to reflect light (e.g., a reflective strip or stripe, imbedded reflective materials, etc.) and/or be aesthetically colored (e.g., neon yellow, etc.) to, among other things, ease application and detachment of the adapter in the dark or at night and create better visibility of the pet or walker/owner in the dark or at night. In further embodiments, the adapter may include at least one or more of a red portion, an orange portion, a yellow portion, a green portion, a cyan portion, a blue portion, an indigo portion, a violet portion, and a portion having a non-metallic color. In some embodiments, an adapter may include one or more indicia, and the indicia may be illuminated or reflective in some embodiments.
Other aspects relate to methods of using an adapter with a leash. In one exemplary embodiment, a method generally includes threading a leash through at least one eyelet created in an elastic adapter, to form a friction or interference fit between the leash and the at least one eyelet of the adapter. The method may also include anchoring, attaching, or engaging end portions of the elastic adapter to the leash. Depending on the particular embodiment and manner in which the end portions of the adapter are anchored, attached, or engaged to the leash, the end portions of the adapter may be inhibited or even prevented from moving relative to the corresponding portions of the leash to which the adapter's end portions are anchored, attached, or engaged. By way of example, one or both of the end portions of the adapter may be anchored to the leash by tying one or more knots in the leash, where the one or more knots engage a corresponding portion of the adapter, such as an eyelet, a member, enlarged portion, etc. In some embodiments, an adapter is engaged to a leash by engaging at least one knot in the leash with at least one eyelet of the adapter. As another example, a method may include tying one or more knots in the leash (and/or tying one or more knots in the adapter in some embodiments) to anchor, attach, or engage the adapter to the leash. For example, one or more knots may be tied in the leash generally about corresponding end portions of an adapter (e.g.,
In some method embodiments, the adapter may be comprised of elastomeric material that is configured to manage slack in a leash. The adapter may be integrally molded from or comprise polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic resin, such as hydrogenated styrened isoprene/butadiene block copolymer, a block copolymer, etc.
In some method embodiments, an adapter may include at least a portion that is aesthetically colored and visually perceptible to an observer, whereby the cosmetic appearance of an adapter may be enhanced. In various embodiments, a substantial portion of an adapter is illuminated and aesthetically colored to, among other things, ease application and detachment of an adapter in the dark or at night or create a better visibility of the pet for others or the walkers/owners in the dark or at night. In further embodiments, an adapter includes at least one or more of a red portion, an orange portion, a yellow portion, a green portion, a cyan portion, a blue portion, an indigo portion, a violet portion, and a portion having a non-metallic color.
In various method embodiments, an adapter may include eyelets having holes with diameters that are equal to or less than the corresponding dimensional size of the leash portion to be threaded into and received in the holes, in order to create a friction fit between the eyelets and leash. In another exemplary embodiment, the diameter of the eyelets and/or holes therethrough might vary amongst each other, such that one eyelet has a larger diameter and one eyelet has a smaller diameter. Alternative embodiments may include an adapter with eyelets having all the same diameter. By way of example, an eyelet at one or both end portions of the adapter may be sized so as to create a relatively strong friction fit with the leash, to allow the corresponding end portion of the adapter to be anchored to the corresponding portion of the leash solely by that relative strong friction fit.
In some method embodiments, an adapter's eyelets may be provided with outer covers. Outer covers in various embodiments may have a variety of diameters depending on the size of the eyelet it is covering and the degree of aesthetic additions. Further, in another embodiment, outer covers are made of elastomeric material, similar to the adapter and eyelets. In yet further embodiments, the elastomeric cover may be integrally molded from or comprise thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic resin, such as hydrogenated styrened isoprene/butadiene block copolymer, a block copolymer, etc. Alternative materials may also be used for eyelet covers, such as non-elastic materials, fabrics, etc.
In various embodiments, a method of managing slack in the leash allows for one or more of the following features: attachment and detachment of eyelets or adapters to leashes without using any tools, attachment and detachment of eyelets or adapters to leashes without any mechanical fasteners, and attachment and detachment of eyelets or adapters to leashes without compromising the leash's integrity, or creating or putting holes, indentations, or marks in the leash.
Various embodiments may provide one or more benefits and advantages. For example, various embodiments may provide an adapter that inhibits an existing leash's slack from being caught under the legs of an owner/walker or pet, thus, limiting the chance of injury to the pet or to the person holding the leash and walking the pet. In various embodiments, the adapter may inhibit slack in the leash from getting tangled or dragging on the ground. Various embodiments allow for the conversion of any standard leash to be retrofit with a removable adapter, for example, by way of a friction fit between the leash and the removable adapter, thereby allowing the consumer to use a conventional leash with the removable adapter. Various embodiments provide an adapter that does not require any tools or hardware for attachment or detachment of the adapter to/from the leash, and thus, the attachment/detachment and use of the adapter with the leash does not damage or compromise the integrity of the leash. Plus, an adapter according to embodiments disclosed herein may also be relatively easily and quickly assembled and disassembled. Adapters disclosed herein may also be less expensive to manufacture and package for sale, and avoids assembly, instructions and missing parts issues. Moreover, various embodiments provide less than meaningful tension on the pet and thus, the adapter is less intrusive on the pet, person holding the leash, or inanimate stationary object to which the leash is attached, and diminishes the amount of slack in the leash, and does not add additional appreciable weight or force to affect the well being of the pet, person holding the leash, or inanimate stationary object to which the leash is attached, or necessarily act as a training device.
Referring now to
A leash may be comprised of various materials, including rope, cable, leather, elastic, braided material, etc. Moreover, in various embodiments, a leash is comprised of various lengths. In exemplary embodiment, a leash may be 10 feet (254 millimeters) in length. In another embodiment, a leash is as small as 3 feet (76.2 millimeters) in length. The leash may be more than 3 feet. (76.2 millimeters) and less than 10 feet. (254 millimeters) in length, such that the leash length is suitable for use with an adapter disclosed herein to effectively manage the slack in the leash. Alternatively, adapters disclosed herein may be used with leashes less than 3 feet. (76.2 millimeters) in length or with leashes greater than 10 feet. (254 millimeters) in length.
The adapter system, illustrated in
The attachment piece on a leash, in one exemplary embodiment, is a clasp, hook, etc. located at the proximal end portion of the leash adjacent the dog. As illustrated in
As is further shown in
In various embodiments, the dimensions (e.g., diameter, etc.) of an adapter may be uniform along the length of the adapter, or the dimensions vary depending on the particular application.
In various embodiments, at least a portion of an adapter is aesthetically colored and visually perceptible to an observer, whereby the cosmetic appearance of a system may be enhanced. In various embodiments, a substantial portion of an adapter is illuminated, reflective (e.g., reflective strip or stripe, etc.) and/or aesthetically colored to ease application and detachment from a leash in the dark and at night and for visibility by others, the owner/walker, or pet in the dark or at night for safety purposes. In various embodiments, adapters include at least one or more of a red portion, an orange portion, a yellow portion, a green portion, a cyan portion, a blue portion, an indigo portion, a violet portion, and a portion having a non-metallic color.
In other exemplary embodiments, adapters may vary in length depending on the dimensions of a leash, the weight of the pet, and/or the pet walker's personal preference for the amount of slack to manage. For example, as illustrated in
The illustrated adapter 201 includes twelve eyelets 210 to manage slack in a leash. However, in other exemplary embodiments, adapters may include more than or less than twelve eyelets to manage slack in a leash. For example,
In a further exemplary embodiment, the eyelets 510 may include a cover 509, as illustrated in
In further embodiments, the diameter of the covers may vary.
In various embodiments, the size of eyelets and eyelet covers may differ in one adapter, or an adapter may have eyelets and eyelet covers that are uniform in size throughout. In one exemplary embodiment, eyelets are sized so that the diameter of the holes therethrough are equal to or less than the dimensional size of the leash portions positioned within the eyelet holes.
In further exemplary embodiments, the distance between eyelet covers along the length of an adapter can vary or the distance between eyelet covers can be uniform along the length of an adapter. For example,
In other exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of eyelet covers are aesthetically colored and visually perceptible to an observer, whereby the cosmetic appearance of the system may be enhanced. In various embodiments, covers may comprise suitable ornamentation or decoration such as rhinestones, different colors, or the like. In various embodiments, a substantial amount of eyelet covers are illuminated and aesthetically colored to ease application and detachment of adapters at night or in the dark and for better visibility of the pet and pet walker/owner at night or in the dark for safety purposes. In various embodiments, covers include at least one or more of a red portion, an orange portion, a yellow portion, a green portion, a cyan portion, a blue portion, an indigo portion, a violet portion, and a portion having a non-metallic color.
With reference to
With continued reference to
Adapters may be attached to leashes in such a way as to allow detachment to occur without compromising the integrity of adapters, eyelets, eyelet covers, and/or leashes. In an exemplary embodiment, leashes are threaded through eyelets such that a friction fit is formed between the leash and eyelets. Adapters or eyelets may also be attached or fitted to a leash in other various manners, including knots or some other means. In alternative embodiments, attachment of an adapter to a leash does not involve making or creating holes in a leash or other integrity compromising marks on a leash. In further alternative exemplary embodiments, adapters are removed or detached from a leash by reverse threading and/or untying, or in some other way removing the means of the adapter from the leash. In various embodiments, the process of attaching adapters and detaching adapters does not involve the use of any hardware or tool. Alternatively, the process of attaching adapters and detaching adapters is accomplished without creating or forming holes in the leashes. Further exemplary embodiments may include attachment of the proximal or distal end portion of adapters, eyelets, or first and second members (e.g., eyelets, enlarged portions, knots, etc.) that does not involve the use of mechanical fasteners and may be attached using, for example, knots.
In various embodiments, eyelets are disposed in various locations so that the adapter is operable for managing slack in a leash by forming one or more loops in a leash to dynamically take up slack in a leash. In an exemplary embodiment, eyelets are positioned on a leash such that a leash may be shortened up to 50% or more when an adapter is in a retracted position. In a further exemplary embodiment, eyelets may be positioned on a leash such that a leash is shortened more than 50% when an adapter is in a retracted position. Alternative placement of eyelets on adapters can be used depending on the desired amount of slack the pet owner or walker wants adapters to maintain, the size of the pet, and the dimensions of a leash, etc.
In alternate embodiments, the placement of the adapter, eyelets, and first and second members relative to the leash vary. For example, as illustrated in
If the pet is moving in the “heel” position, stops moving, is attached via a leash to an inanimate stationary object, or for any other reason a leash contains slack, adapters attached to a leash may retract, as illustrated in
Terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “outer,” “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “proximal”, “distal”, “adjacent” and the like when used herein refer to positions of the respective elements as they are shown in the accompanying drawings, and the disclosure is not necessarily limited to such positions. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.
When introducing elements or features and the exemplary embodiments, the articles “a,” “an,” “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of such elements or features. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements or features other than those specifically noted. It is further to be understood that the method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present invention has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. All dimensions and materials set forth here are mere examples and can be varied depending, for example, on the particular end use of the leash and adapter system. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.
