The invention relates to pet toys, and more particularly, to a pet toy having a ball holding feature for releasably holding a ball in which the toy is functional for use with or without the ball. The invention also relates to a noisemaking module in the pet toy that can be activated in multiple ways to produce different sounds according to how an animal interacts with the pet toy.
Chewable pet toys are known to provide many benefits for animals. Some of the benefits include keeping an animal occupied to reduce stress or boredom, to exercise the animal's jaws, and to clean the animal's teeth and gums. Flexible or elastomeric balls are well known as both pet and human toys. Balls can facilitate many activities for an animal. An owner can play fetch with the animal, the animal can chew on the ball, etc. A ball can be considered a type of chewable pet toy if the ball is pliable or flexible enough that the animal can repeatedly bite on the ball without destroying it. However, most balls are not intended to be animal chew toys. Recently, rubber balls with a felt covering similar to tennis balls have been used in various types of pet toy configurations. These types of balls are sold by themselves as pet toys, or may be incorporated within other structures.
One example of a pet toy that incorporates a ball with other features includes the U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,640. This reference discloses a bone shaped plastic toy with a tubular central portion and partial spherical sockets on each end of the central portion. The sockets are configured to receive and hold a replaceable play ball, such as a tennis ball.
Another example of a pet toy that incorporates a ball with other structure in a pet toy is disclosed in the US Publication No. 20090255482. This reference discloses a ball having a circumferential groove, and a plush body received within the groove when to join the ball and plush body. The ball is configured in two pieces and the two pieces are attached to one another by a threaded connection. The circumferential groove may be sized to match the thickness of the plush toy.
Another example of a pet toy that incorporates a ball with other structure in the pet toy includes the U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,829. This reference discloses a ball throwing apparatus including an elongated shaft with a half spherical cup attached at its distal end. The cup is designed to easily engage and pick up a ball for throwing without having to touch the ball with the hand or fingers.
There are also a number of pet toys that incorporate noise making devices, commonly referred to as “squeakers”. These types of pet toys are typically made from a flexible elastomeric material, such as rubber, plastic, and various formulations thereof. When an animal chews on the toy, a hollow cavity or interior chamber of the toy is deflected such that air is forced through the squeaker device, thereby producing a sound.
Despite the vast number of pet toys that have been developed, most pet toys have but a single or primary feature which makes it attractive to the animal. Alternatively, such pet toys may have but a single or primary feature that encourages an owner to stimulate the animal with the toy and/or interact with the animal to provide play or exercise for the animal. Accordingly, there is still a need to provide a pet toy that may provide multiple benefits for both the animal and owner incorporated within a single toy in which the toy has distinct yet complementary functional features.
A pet toy is provided having a flexible body, an integral noisemaking module or assembly, and a ball that is releasably received in a recess or cavity in the body of the toy. In one function, the flexible body serves as a receptacle to releasably hold the ball. In another function, the combination of the flexible body and the ball provide an integrated chewable pet toy in which both the body of the toy and the ball can be chewed by an animal. In another function, the ball may be separated from the flexible body so that the owner may independently stimulate the animal with either the ball or the flexible body of the toy.
The pet toy may have the shape of an animal, and the exterior shape of the pet toy may be molded to provide discernible features of an animal such as legs, paws, head, mouth, eyes, teeth, and nose. When the ball is received in the recess or cavity of the body, the ball represents a portion of the front torso of the animal, such as the belly of the animal. When removed, a half spherical or partial spherical shaped recess or cavity is exposed.
In a preferred embodiment, the flexible body has an integral noisemaking module or assembly. The module is located within the hollow interior or chamber of the pet toy. The module is defined by a housing and at least one noise making element or squeaker disposed within the housing. The squeaker is mounted to a wall of the module that is offset or separated from the outer surfaces of the toy resulting in the squeaker being placed in a protected location when an animal contacts the outer surfaces of the toy. Accordingly, pressure placed against the outer surfaces of the pet toy will not result in damage to the squeaker because the squeaker remains in a protected position that prevents forces from being transferred to the squeaker from deflection of the outer surfaces. Further, the housing of the module keeps the squeaker in a supported position so that air may be evacuated from and passes into the module as an animal bites or chews and then releases the toy. The module may have two or more squeakers mounted within respective protective covers of the housing. Multiple squeakers provide options for producing different types of sound that may better stimulate the animal.
The body of the toy is preferably made from a flexible, elastomeric material so that when an animal bites or chews on the toy, the exterior surface of the toy can deflect resulting in a change of shape in the interior chamber of the toy. As the exterior surface of the pet toy is deflected, air is forced to flow through one or more squeakers mounted in the module housing and through a vent opening in the module housing causing the squeaker(s) to produce sound. As the animal releases pressure against the exterior surface of the toy, the interior chamber of the toy re-inflates, thereby causing air to pass in a reverse direction through the squeaker(s) back into the interior chamber causing production of a second different sound.
The squeaker can be activated in different ways. The squeaker can be activated when the ball is secured to the body of the toy such that the animal biting on the toy causes deflection of either the body of the toy, the ball, or a combination of the two. When the body of the toy is deflected, this results in a compression of the interior chamber of the toy causing air to pass through the noise making module and squeaker. If the toy is chewed such that the ball is deflected (and the body of the toy is restrained or held in place), force is transferred from the deflected ball to deflect the cavity of the body that holds the ball, and this secondary deflection of the body therefore compresses the interior chamber of the toy causing air to pass through the noisemaking module and squeaker. If the toy is chewed such that both the ball and the flexible body of the toy are deflected, this also results in deflection of the cavity or recess that receives the ball as well as deflection of the exterior surface of the toy therefore again compressing the interior chamber of the toy causing air to pass through the squeaker.
The flexible and preferably elastomeric body of the pet toy functions similar to a bellows device and reverse bellows device to produce sound. The types of sounds produced by the squeakers depend upon the amount of force and acceleration applied to the body of the pet toy which affects the volume and flow rate of air moving through the noisemaking module. For example, a smaller volume of air passing through the squeaker module by lightly depressing the body of the toy or the ball may activate only one of the squeakers to produce a first tone. As the previous, lightly depressed interior chamber of the pet toy re-inflates, air passes back through the noisemaking module in a reverse direction, thereby producing a second different tone. A larger volume of air moving at a higher flow rate through the squeaker module by more forcefully depressing the body and/or ball of the toy may activate both squeakers to produce a third tone, which is a combination of tones emitted from both of the squeakers. As the previous, more forcefully depressed interior chamber of the pet toy re-inflates, air passes back through the squeaker module in the reverse direction thereby producing yet a different fourth tone, which is a combination of tones emitted from both of the squeakers.
The material chosen for the squeaker module may also be flexible and elastomeric like the body of the toy, which therefore allows the squeaker module to deflect in a manner responsive to pressure applied by the bite of an animal. The material for the squeaker module however may be stiffer than the material for the body of the toy, thereby providing some amount of additional protection for the squeaker(s) mounted within the squeaker module.
Considering the above described feature of the invention, in one aspect, it may be considered a pet toy comprising (i) a flexible body having an exterior surface and a hollow interior chamber; (ii) a partial spherical shaped recess formed on said exterior surface; (iii) a ball received in said partial spherical shaped recess such that a first portion of an outer surface of said ball is covered by said recess, and a second portion of said outer surface is exposed and protrudes beyond said flexible body; and (iv) a noise making module disposed in said hollow interior chamber, said module having a noise making element mounted therein to produce sound when a force is applied to said flexible body to deflect said exterior surface of said flexible body.
In another aspect of the invention, it may be considered a pet toy comprising (i) a flexible body having an exterior surface and a hollow interior chamber, said flexible body being formed in the shape of an animal having a head and a torso; (ii) a partial spherical shaped recess formed on said exterior surface; (iii) a ball received in said partial spherical shaped recess such that a first portion of an outer surface of said ball is covered by said recess, and a second portion of said outer surface is exposed and protrudes beyond said flexible body; and wherein said partial spherical shaped recess is formed on a front torso portion of said body, and said ball when received in said partial spherical shaped recess resembles a belly of an animal.
In yet another aspect of the invention, it may be considered a pet toy comprising (i) a flexible and elastomeric body having an exterior surface and a hollow interior chamber; (ii) a partial spherical shaped recess formed on said exterior surface; and (iii) a noise making module disposed in said hollow interior chamber, said module having a noise making element mounted therein to produce sound when a force is applied to said flexible body to deflect said exterior surface of said flexible body.
In yet another aspect of the invention, it may be considered a method of providing interaction between and animal and a toy, said method comprising (a) providing a pet toy having (i) a flexible body having an exterior surface and a hollow interior chamber; (ii) a partial spherical shaped recess formed on said exterior surface; (iii) a ball received in said partial spherical shaped recess such that a first portion of an outer surface of said ball is covered by said recess, and a second portion of said outer surface is exposed and protrudes beyond said flexible body; and (iv) a noise making module disposed in said hollow interior chamber, said module having a noise making element mounted therein; (b) giving the pet toy to the animal allowing the animal to bite or chew on the toy, wherein deflection of the flexible body in response to biting or chewing produces a sound by said noise making element; and (c) removing the ball from said partial spherical shaped recess enabling the animal to independently play with the ball or the flexible body.
The aforementioned features and aspects of the invention are set forth in more detail with respect to the description of the figures and the accompanying detailed description of the figures.
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The squeaker module 52 and noise making elements mounted therein may be the same as disclosed in the co-pending patent application Ser. No. 14/180,518, this application being incorporated herein by reference for purposes of disclosing details of the squeaker module 52 and noise making elements. Features of the squeaker module 52 include a sidewall or housing 54 that houses one or more noise making elements, shown as a first squeaker 60 and a second squeaker 62. A continuous gap or open space is found between the squeaker module 52 and the interior surface of the cover 24, shown as a recess 44 formed in the cover 24 and an opposing recess 56 formed within the module 52. The recess 44 communicates with a vent opening 40.
A compression force applied to the pet toy to deflect or deform the exterior surface of the pet toy causes air to pass from the interior chamber 42 of the toy and through one end a channel in the housing 54 that communicates with the interior chamber 42. The channel is an opening or passageway formed through the housing 54 that receives a corresponding squeaker 60/62. In the event two squeakers are used as shown in
The squeakers 60 and 62 are shown as being of different size to indicate that the squeakers can produce distinct sounds. For example, the squeakers may each have their own threshold air flow requirement to produce a sound, such as one with a distinct pitch or volume. However, it shall be understood that multiple noise making elements are not required, and that multiple such elements simply provide additional functionality to the invention for types of sounds that may be produced.
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According to a method of the invention, a pet toy has a partial spherical shaped cavity to frictionally receive and hold a ball therein. The ball is selectively removed and replaced within the cavity so that options are provided for interacting with the animal. One option is for the ball to remain within the cavity. Another option is to remove the ball from the cavity so that the animal may interact separately with either the body of the toy or the ball. The cavity may be sized to receive a standard tennis ball in which the particular size and shape of the cavity can be selected to provide a greater or lesser capability for retaining the ball. For example, the cavity can be formed deeper into the body of the toy so that the exterior surface of the cavity covers a greater surface area of the ball when received in the cavity thereby making it more difficult to remove the ball. Conversely, the cavity can be formed in a shallower manner on the body of the toy that covers a smaller surface area of the ball thereby making it easier to remove the ball. The cavity may also be shaped so that the tennis ball must be slightly compressed to fit within the opening defined by the cavity, and this configuration may further assist in retaining the ball within the cavity.
Another method of the invention is to selectively activate the pet toy to produce desired sounds. The pet toy incorporates one or more noisemaking elements that produce sound when air flows through the noisemaking elements. Air flow is generated by a sufficient force applied to the pet toy to compress or alter the shape of the pet toy causing air to flow through the noisemaking elements as air escapes the pet toy. As the pet toy re-inflates, a second flow of air is generated through the pet toy, which may cause the noisemaking elements to again produce sound. Assuming that sufficient forces are applied to the toy, a plurality of different and unique tones can be produced. In addition to control of different combinations of tones, the volume of sound produced by the noisemaking elements may also be selectively controlled by choosing designs that produce variable sound volumes based upon the flow rate of air traveling through the noisemaking elements. In a preferred embodiment, the noisemaking elements are squeakers.
The invention has been described with respect to various preferred embodiments. It shall be understood however that the invention is not specifically limited to these described embodiments, and the invention should therefore be considered in connection with the scope of the claims appended hereto.