Patent Application
20240365968
The present disclosure relates to an article/pet accessory apparatus having a lockable, bi-stable spring, particularly including a pet accessory such as a brush.
Bi-stable springs have two equilibrium positions, which may also be referred to as stable states. This allows a device with a bi-stable spring to assume two distinct configurations: flat and curled. The most recent widespread use of such a device was the slap bracelet, also called the slap wrap. The slap bracelet consists of layered flexible steel bands sealed within a fabric cover. Typical slap bracelets are roughly one inch in width by nine inches in length. In a first equilibrium position they can be flat. The second equilibrium is typically reached by slapping the flat configuration across the wrist, at which point the bracelet curls around the wrist and stays relatively secure in a roughly circular position. The slap bracelet has been used primarily as a decorative bracelet. However, other uses have included, for example, keeping a pant leg away from a bike chain, or even using a slap bracelet covered with reflective tape for providing increased visibility for pedestrians and bikers at night. Perhaps most usefully, it is quite easy to wrap around a wrist or leg and stays conveniently in place.
In at least one embodiment, a pet accessory apparatus comprises a bi-stable spring, the bi-stable spring having a first equilibrium position and a second equilibrium position, wherein in the first equilibrium position the bi-stable spring is in an elongated state, and in the second equilibrium position the bi-stable spring is in a coiled state; and a hairbrush coupled with the bi-stable spring, wherein, in the elongated state of the bi-stable spring, the hairbrush is arranged to brush hair and, in the coiled state of the bi-stable spring, the hairbrush is arranged within a coil formed by the bi-stable spring.
In at least one embodiment, the pet accessory apparatus further comprises a polymer body which at least partially covers the bi-stable spring.
In at least one embodiment, the polymer body is formed of an elastomer.
In at least one embodiment, the polymer body is overmolded on the bi-stable spring.
In at least one embodiment, the polymer body has a cavity, and the hairbrush is disposed in the cavity.
In at least one embodiment, the hairbrush comprises bristles and a bristle holder, the bristles are coupled to the bristle holder, and the bristle holder is coupled to the bi-stable spring and/or the polymer body.
In at least one embodiment, the bristles have a conical portion.
In at least one embodiment, the bristles have a spherical distal end.
In at least one embodiment, when the bi-stable spring is in the elongated state, the pet accessory apparatus has a proximal end region and a distal end region, and the proximal end region provides a handle of the pet accessory apparatus and the distal end region comprises the hairbrush.
In at least one embodiment, the bi-stable spring is formed of stainless steel.
In at least one embodiment, the pet accessory apparatus further comprises a locking mechanism to lock the bi-stable spring in the elongated state, or unlock the bi-stable spring from the elongated state.
In at least one embodiment, the locking mechanism comprises at least one locking bar which is rotatable relative to the bi-stable spring.
In at least one embodiment, the at least one locking bar is rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position.
In at least one embodiment, the bi-stable spring has a bi-stable spring longitudinal axis and the at least one locking bar has as locking bar longitudinal axis, the at least one locking bar is rotatable to lock the bi-stable spring in the elongated state when the locking bar longitudinal axis is parallel with the bi-stable spring longitudinal axis, and the at least one locking bar is rotatable to unlock the bi-stable spring from the elongated state when the locking bar longitudinal axis is perpendicular with the bi-stable spring longitudinal axis.
In at least one embodiment, the at least one locking bar further comprises a plurality of locking bars which are each rotatable relative to the bi-stable spring.
In at least one embodiment, when the bi-stable spring is in the elongated state, the pet accessory apparatus has a proximal end region and a distal end region, at least one locking bar of the plurality of locking bars is disposed at the proximal end region, and at least one other locking bar of the plurality of locking bars is disposed at the distal end region.
In at least one embodiment, when the bi-stable spring is in the elongated state, the pet accessory apparatus has a front side and a rear side, and the at least one locking bar is disposed at the rear side of the pet accessory apparatus.
In at least one embodiment, when the bi-stable spring is in the elongated state, the bi-stable spring has an arch with the front side of the pet accessory apparatus being a convex side due to the arch and the rear side of the pet accessory apparatus being a concave side due to the arch, and the at least one locking bar is disposed at the concave side of the pet accessory apparatus.
In at least one embodiment, a method of operating a pet accessory apparatus comprises obtaining the pet accessory apparatus, the apparatus comprising a bi-stable spring, the bi-stable spring having a first equilibrium position and a second equilibrium position, wherein in the first equilibrium position the bi-stable spring is in an elongated state, and in the second equilibrium position the bi-stable spring is in a coiled state, a hairbrush coupled with the bi-stable spring, wherein, in the elongated state of the bi-stable spring, the hairbrush is arranged to brush hair and, in the coiled state of the bi-stable spring, the hairbrush is arranged within a coil formed by the bi-stable spring, and a locking mechanism to lock the bi-stable spring in the elongated state, or unlock the bi-stable spring from the elongated state, wherein the locking mechanism comprises at least one locking bar which is rotatable relative to the bi-stable spring, rotating the at least one locking bar relative to the bi-stable spring to lock the bi-stable spring in the elongated state or rotating the at least one locking bar relative to the bi-stable spring to unlock the bi-stable spring from the elongated state.
Reference should be made to the following detailed description which should be read in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like numerals represent like parts.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described (or portions thereof), and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the claims are intended to cover all such equivalents. Various features, aspects, and embodiments have been described herein. The features, aspects, and embodiments are susceptible to combination with one another as well as to variation and modification, as will be understood by those having skill in the art. The present disclosure should, therefore, be considered to encompass such combinations, variations, and modifications.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
As described above, bi-stable springs, used for so-called “slap bracelets”, have two equilibrium positions. This allows an article with a bi-stable spring to assume two distinct configurations: flat and curled. In the first equilibrium position/configuration, the article is arranged flat, which may also be referred to as a (linear) elongated or uncoiled state. In the second equilibrium position/configuration, the article is arranged curled, which may also be referred to as coiled state, in a form of a loop. Transition from the first configuration to the second configuration may be provided by slapping the flat position/configuration against a surface of an object, at which point the bi-stable spring curls around itself or around the object, which ever the case, and stays relatively secure in the curled position/configuration.
Disclosed herein is an article/pet accessory apparatus which comprises a lockable, bi-stable spring. The bi-stable spring of the article/pet accessory apparatus may be covered with a cover/material, and having a pet accessory, e.g., a pet hairbrush, disposed at one end of a top (front) surface of a body of the device. In the flat configuration, the pet accessory of the article/pet accessory apparatus is available for use, while in the curled (coiled looped) configuration, the pet accessory is inside the curl (coiled loop) of the bi-stable spring, and therefore is protected from damage. The article/pet accessory apparatus also contains a mechanism to lock the device in the flat configuration to make the article/pet accessory apparatus rigid for use.
Referring now to the figures,
As shown, article/pet accessory apparatus 10A comprises an elongated spring 40 (shown individually in
In some embodiments, body 50 may be preferably formed of silicone, which may also be referred to as a polysiloxane polymer. However, in a broad context of the present disclosure, other polymeric compositions are contemplated, including thermoplastic polymers and thermoset polymers. The body 50 is contemplated to utilize a stretchable/resilient polymeric material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), that is capable of elastic stretching/elongation and elastic recovery that would allow it to provide the performance features noted herein. In some embodiments, body 50 may be overmolded directly on spring 40, such as by insert injection molding. In other embodiments, body 50 may have an opening to allow spring 40 to be inserted into body 50 and assembled with the spring 40, after being initially separately formed.
Article/pet accessory apparatus 10A, as well as the spring 40 and the body 50, has a first end region 20 and a second end region 30. The first end region 20 of article/pet accessory apparatus 10A, which may also be referred to as the proximal end region, provides a handle for a human user of the article/pet accessory apparatus 10A, while the second end region 30, which may also be referred to as the distal end region, holds or otherwise has the pet accessory 12, e.g., the hairbrush. The first end region 20 and the second end region 30 may each be understood as preferably defining 10% to 20% of an overall length L1 of the article/pet accessory apparatus 10A, including the spring 40 and/or the body 50.
Body 50 contains a cavity 52, which is at least partially disposed in the second (distal) end region 30, which provides for an insert 80, which also may be referred to as a support frame or bristle holder base, to fit within the cavity 52. Cavity 52 is surrounded by a raised wall 56, which provides sufficient depth for the insertion of insert 80.
Insert 80 contains a plurality of slots 82 configured to allow for insertion of bristle holder 100. Bristle holder 100 has raised structures 102, which each provide a four cavity receptacles 104 for bristles 110, to insert into the slots 82 of insert 80, respectively. As shown, insert 80 has eight slots 82 configured to each hold a row of four receptacles 104 for bristles 110 of bristle holder 100.
As shown, each of the bristles 110 comprises a pin 114, with a spherical distal end 115, extending from a conical portion 112 of the bristle 110, which widens towards the pin 114 and spherical distal end 115. Typically, each bristle 110 within the receptacles 104 of the bristle holder 100 will have a single pin 114 disposed proximately centered within the bristle 110/conical portion 112. While the figures illustrate a single injection molded bristle 110 in each respective receptacle 104, it other embodiments, each receptacle 104 may contain a plurality of bristles 110.
In some embodiments, bristle holder 100 may be a single piece disposed within insert 80. As shown, bristle holder 100 is arranged in eight rows with each row having four receptacles 104 configured to hold the bristles 110. In other embodiments, a plurality of bristle holders 100 may be disposed within insert 80, wherein each slot 82 of insert 80 has a single bristle holder 100 disposed within the slot 82. In these embodiments, each bristle holder 100 contains four receptacles 104 configured to hold the bristles 110.
In some embodiments, both insert 80 and bristle holder 100 are comprised of flexible composition or otherwise designed so as to be flexible, to allow article/pet accessory apparatus 10A to curl into the second configuration. Insert 80 may be manufactured of, for example, thermoplastic rubber (TPR) or other thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Bristle holder 100 may be manufactured of, for example, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
In some embodiments, bristle holder 100 may be coupled to spring 40, body 50, and/or insert 80 using a friction fit. In other embodiments, bristle holder 100 may be coupled to spring 40, body 50, and/or insert 80 using an adhesive to form an adhesive bond. In yet other embodiments, bristle holder 100 may be coupled to spring 40, body 50, and/or insert 80 using any other appropriate method as would be known to a person of skill in the art.
In some embodiments, bristles 110 may be coupled to bristle holder 100 using a friction fit. In other embodiments, bristles 110 may be coupled to bristle holder 100 using an adhesive to form an adhesive bond. In still other embodiments, bristles 110 may be coupled to bristle holder 100 using heat to shrink the bristle holder 100 to form an adhesive bond and/or friction fit to bristles 110.
In some embodiments, insert 80 may be coupled to spring 40 and/or body 50 using a friction fit. In other embodiments, insert 80 may be coupled to spring 40 and/or body 50 using an adhesive to form an adhesive bond. In yet other embodiments, insert 80 may be coupled to spring 40 and/or body 50 using any other appropriate method as would be known to a person of skill in the art.
The article/pet accessory apparatus 10A also further comprises a locking/unlocking mechanism 118 for locking/unlocking the device, particularly the bi-stable spring 40, in the flat configuration. As shown, a locking bar 120 is disposed at each of the first end region 20 and second end region 30 of the article/pet accessory apparatus 10A.
The locking bars 120 are rotatably coupled to the body 50 and spring 40 via fastener 130, which is inserted through hole 60. In some embodiments, fastener 130 may be a rivet. In some embodiments, the fastener 130 may be manufactured of aluminum, although other suitable materials may be used, as would be known to one skilled in the art. In other embodiments, fastener 130 may be any other device that may rotatably couple locking bar 120 to body 50 and spring 40. The operation/function of locking bar 120 is further explained in
As shown particularly by
Bristle length dimension L2 is measured from an outer edge of bristles 110 at the end of bristle holder 100 closest to the first end of body 50 to an outer edge of bristles 110 at the end of bristle holder 100 closest to the second end of body 50. Bristle length dimension L2 may be, for example, in a range of 60 mm to 80 mm, and more particularly on an order of 69.7 mm.
Raised wall length dimension L3 is measured from the outer edge of raised wall 56 closest to the first end of body 50 to the outer edge of raised wall 56 closest to the second end of body 50. Raised wall length dimension L3 may be, for example, in a range of 80 mm to 100 mm, and more particularly on an order of 91 mm.
Bristle termination length dimension LA is measured from an outer edge of bristles 110 at the end of bristle holder 100 closest to the second end of body 50 to the second end of body 50. Bristle termination length dimension L4 may be, for example, in a range of 20 mm to 30 mm, and more particularly on an order of 25.7 mm.
Raised wall termination length dimension L5 is measured from the outer edge of raised wall 56 closest to the second end of body 50 to the second end of body 50. Raised wall termination length dimension L5 may be, for example, in a range of 5 mm to 25 mm, and more particularly, on an order of 15 mm.
In some embodiments, body 50 may have a series of ridges 58 extending transverse to the longitudinal length. The spacing between two adjacent ridges 58 is given by ridge spacing length dimension L6. Ridge spacing length dimension L6 may be, for example, in a range of 1 mm to 6 mm, and more particularly on an order of 3 mm.
Locking bars 120 have a width of L7 transverse to the longitudinal axis, which may be, for example, in a range of 5 mm to 15 mm, and more particularly on an order of 10 mm.
The overall width dimension W1 of article/pet accessory apparatus 10A is measured between the outer edges of body 50 transverse to the longitudinal length. The overall width dimension W1 may be, for example, in a range of 24 mm to 36 mm, and more particularly on an order of 32 mm. Raised wall width dimension W2 is measured from the outer edge of raised wall transverse to the longitudinal length. The raised wall width dimension W2 may be, for example, in a range of 25 mm to 35 mm, and more particularly on an order of 30 mm.
Article/pet accessory apparatus 10A has a wall thickness H1 which may be, for example, in a range of 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and more particularly on an order of 2 mm. The ridges 58 of body 50 have a height of H2, which may be, for example, in a range of 0.1 mm to 1 mm, and more particularly on an order of 0.6 mm. Locking bars 120 have a thickness of H3, which may be, for example, in a range of 1 mm to 2 mm, and more particularly on an order of 1.5 mm. Locking bars 120 have a height, including the curvature of the locking bars 120, of H4, which may be, for example, in a range of 1 mm to 2 mm, and more particularly on an order of 1.83 mm.
The height of the ridges 58 is dimension H6, which may be, for example, in a range of 0.5 mm to 1.25 mm, and more particularly on an order of 0.85 mm, while the length of the ridges 58 is dimension L8, which may be, for example, in a range of 0.25 mm to Imm, and more particularly on an order of 0.5 mm.
In some embodiments, the locking bars 120 and the body 50 have a mechanism to prevent the locking bars 120 from disengaging from the locked or unlocked position inadvertently. In some embodiments, the mechanism to prevent the locking bars 120 from disengaging from the locked or unlocked position inadvertently may consist of a series of bumps on a top surface (front side) of body 50 along with one or two detents on the underside of the locking bars 120. In these embodiments, the bumps on the top surface of body 50 would engage with the detents on the underside of locking bars 120 when the locking bars 120 are in either the locked position or the unlocked position, thereby increasing the force required to rotate the locking bars 120. In other embodiments, any other mechanism that prevents unwanted rotation of the locking bars 120 may be used, as would be known to one skilled in the art.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The wire bristles 116 may be constructed from, for example, stainless steel wire with a diameter, for example, in a range of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, and more particularly on an order of 0.3 mm. Wire bristles 116 may have a spherical distal end similar to that of pin 114.
In this exemplary embodiment, wire bristle holder 106 is coupled directly into the cavity 52 of body 50. In some embodiments wire bristle holder 106 may be coupled with body 50 using a friction fit, while in other embodiments wire bristle holder 106 may be coupled with body 50 using an adhesive to form an adhesive bond.
According to one aspect of the disclosure there is thus provided a pet accessory apparatus, the apparatus including a bi-stable spring, the bi-stable spring having a first equilibrium position and a second equilibrium position; a body covering the bi-stable spring, the body having a first end and a second end, and a cavity; an insert to fit within the cavity, wherein the insert is coupled to the body and the bi-stable spring; and a holder coupled to the insert, wherein the holder is configured to hold a plurality of bristles. The cavity is preferably positioned closer to the first end than the second end.
According to another aspect of the disclosure there is thus provided a pet accessory apparatus, the apparatus includes a bi-stable spring, the bi-stable spring having a first equilibrium position and a second equilibrium position; a body covering the bi-stable spring, the body having a first end and a second end, and a cavity; and an insert to fit within the cavity, wherein the insert is configured to hold a plurality of wire bristles. The cavity is preferably positioned closer to the first end than the second end.
Although the exemplary embodiments above illustrate three possible configurations of pet accessories, the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Many other embodiments of the article/pet accessory apparatus with a lockable, bi-stable spring utilizing a variety of other pet accessories are possible within the bounds of the disclosure, as would be known to a person of skill in the art.
As used in this application and in the claims, a list of items joined by the term “and/or” can mean any combination of the listed items. For example, the phrase “A, B and/or C” can mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B and C. As used in this application and in the claims, a list of items joined by the term “at least one of” can mean any combination of the listed terms. For example, the phrases “at least one of A, B or C” can mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B and C.
The term “coupled” as used herein refers to any connection, coupling or link. Such “coupled” components are not necessarily directly connected to one another and may be separated by intermediate components or devices.
Unless otherwise stated, use of the word “substantially” may be construed to include a precise relationship, condition, arrangement, orientation, and/or other characteristic, and deviations thereof as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, to the extent that such deviations do not materially affect the disclosed structures. Throughout the entirety of the present disclosure, use of the articles “a” and/or “an” and/or “the” to modify a noun may be understood to be used for convenience and to include one, or more than one, of the modified noun, unless otherwise specifically stated. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
Although the structures have been described relative to a specific embodiment thereof, they are not so limited. Obviously, many modifications and variations may become apparent in light of the above teachings. Many additional changes in the details, materials, and arrangement of parts, herein described and illustrated, may be made by those skilled in the art.
This non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/500,088, filed May 4, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, to an extent consistent therewith.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63500088 | May 2023 | US |
