Patent Application
20220354090
The present invention relates generally to the field of dog leashes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a retractable dog leash device primarily comprised of a housing, a disk, a leash and a harness and/or collar. The housing is preferably circular and houses a rotating and locking disk, wherein the housing attaches magnetically to a flat bottom member and the member attaches to a magnet located on the harness or collar. The disk further receives a leash that can be retracted within the housing around the disk for storage when not in use. In addition, one embodiment of the device may allow for the attachment of a second device that has an additional tether, such that a user can tether a second animal to the device as it is worn by a first animal. Therefore, a user can walk multiple animals using only one leash, and wherein the tether can still be stored within the housing when not in use. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture.
Typically, a leash is a rope or strap that is attached to a collar, harness or halter to control a dog or other animal while walking in public areas. Walking a dog on a leash protects both the dog and other nearby individuals or pets by providing a safe and simple way to control the dog and prevent the dog from chasing, lunging at and/or injuring other individuals or animals. Leashes are available in a wide range of lengths, widths and designs. Existing dog leashes include adjustable dog leashes, chain leashes, reflective leashes, martingale leashes, double leashes, etc.
A standard dog leash is usually made of nylon or leather, both of which are strong enough to restrain an adult dog. Further, a choke chain may be highly effective, but if used incorrectly may cause injury or even death to the animal as it tightens around the animal's neck when more pressure is applied. Adjustable leashes also offer freedom to pets, however adjustments to said leashes are generally made between 3 and 6 feet by adding or removing loops or additional clips along the length of the leash. Retractable leashes are also available, wherein the leash retracts into a housing. However, the housing must still be carried by an individual, even after detaching the leash from a dog collar/harness to allow a dog to roam freely. This is extremely undesirable, as it unnecessarily occupies the hand of the user, which may otherwise be needed to be free to complete a variety of other tasks.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved dog leash. There also exists a long-felt need in art for an improved retractable dog leash. Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a retractable leash device that does not require a user to hold the device when it is not being used to control a dog.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a retractable leash device. The device is primarily comprised of a housing, a disk, a leash and a harness and/or collar. The housing is preferably circular and houses a rotating and locking disk. The housing preferably attaches magnetically to a flat bottom member, wherein the flat bottom member attaches to a magnet located on the harness or collar. The disk further receives a leash that can be retracted within the housing around the disk for storage when not in use. In addition, one embodiment of the device may allow for the attachment of a second device that has an additional tether, such that a user can tether a second animal to the device as it is worn by a first animal. Therefore, a user can walk multiple animals using only one leash, and wherein the tether can still be stored within the housing when not in use.
In this manner, the retractable leash device of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provides a retractable leash that does not require a user to hold the device when it is not being used to control a dog or other animal. Further, the device allows a user to easily walk multiple dogs/animals, such that only one leash is needed to control multiple animals. In addition, the device is also extremely versatile as it can be used with a harness or collar and can easily be removed from said harness or collar as desired.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a retractable leash device. The device is primarily comprised of a housing, a disk, a leash and a harness and/or collar. The housing is preferably circular and houses a rotating and locking disk. The housing preferably attaches magnetically to a flat bottom member, wherein the flat bottom member attaches to a magnet located on the harness or collar. In differing embodiments, the side surface and top surface of the housing may be comprised of any number of indicia, such as but not limited to: patterns, logos, emblems, images, symbols, designs, letters, words, characters, animals, advertisements, brands, contact information (i.e., phone number/addresses), etc.
The disk is further located within the housing and can rotate three-hundred and sixty degrees around a shaft. The disk is comprised of a loop, wherein a leash can attach to the loop via a metal clip that is placed through a continuous opening in the housing. In an alternative embodiment, the leash may be magnetically attached to the disk. Therefore, the rotation of the disk allows the leash to become shorter or longer in length. The rotation of the disk can further be locked/unlocked via a button located on the housing.
The device may also be comprised of a collar and a harness, wherein each can be secured on a dog or other animal. The harness further has a plurality of harness straps that can be removably-secured around the torso/legs of a dog via at least one fastener, such as but not limited to: a buckle, a hook and loop strap, a snap-button, etc. In addition, the bottom surface of the harness may be comprised of a fixedly-attached or removable soft padding to increase the comfort of the dog. The top surface may also be comprised of an integrated, fixedly-attached magnet to allow the bottom member to magnetically attach to a point on the harness. Similarly, the collar can be removably-secured around the neck of a dog via a fastener such as a buckle, hook and loop strap, snap-button, etc. In addition, the bottom surface of the collar may be comprised of a removable or removably-secured soft padding to increase the comfort of the dog, and the top surface may also be comprised of an integrated, removably-secured magnet to allow the bottom member to magnetically attach to the collar. In differing embodiments, the harness and collar may be of any size necessary to accommodate any size dog or other animal that may wear the harness or collar.
The leash of the device is also preferably comprised of an adjustable slip-loop that can be placed around the hand of a user. The leash may contain a doggy bag holder and a plurality of doggy bags. In differing embodiments, the leash may be manufactured of a plurality of materials such as but not limited to: nylon, leather, cotton, rubber, braided metal, chain, etc. In addition, the device may comprise a kit of a plurality of leashes, wherein each leash may differ in length or type or material.
Two devices may also be used simultaneously on two dogs/animals to allow a user to control both dogs/animals via a singular leash. A first device is attached to a harness/collar of a dog. Then, a second device is attached to a harness/collar of a second dog. However, the second device also contains a tether that is comprised of a first clip and a second clip. Similar to a clip of the leash, the first clip of the tether can be secured to the loop of the disk of the device located on the second dog. The device located on the first dog also has an additional loop located on the outside surface of the housing that receives the second clip of the tether. This in turn allows the tether to attach to the housing of the device on the first dog and the disk of the device on the second dog. As a result, the devices on each dog are linked, such that a user can then use the leash of the device on the first dog to control both dogs. If the user then desires to disconnect the tether, the tether can be retracted into the housing of the device of the second dog in a manner identical to how the leash retracts into the housing of the device attached to the first dog. Therefore, the user need not carry the tether when not in use.
Accordingly, the retractable leash device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it allows a user to utilize a retractable leash device but does not require a user to hold the device when it is not being used to control a dog. Further, the device allows a user to easily walk multiple dogs/animals, wherein only one leash is needed to control said animals. The device is also extremely versatile as it can be used with a harness or collar and can easily be removed from said harness or collar as desired.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there is a long-felt need in the art for an improved dog leash. There also exists a long-felt need in art for an improved retractable dog leash. Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a retractable leash device that does not require a user to hold the device when it is not being used to control a dog.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is comprised of a retractable leash device primarily comprised of a housing, a disk, a leash and a harness and/or collar. The housing is preferably circular, and houses a rotating and locking disk. In addition, the housing preferably attaches magnetically to a flat bottom member, wherein the flat bottom member attaches to a magnet located on the harness or collar. In differing embodiments, the side surface and top surface of the housing may be comprised of any number of indicia, such as but not limited to: patterns, logos, emblems, images, symbols, designs, letters, words, characters, animals, advertisements, brands, contact information (e.g. phone number/addresses), etc.
Furthermore, the disk is located within the housing, and rotates three-hundred and sixty degrees around a shaft. Therefore, the rotation of the disk allows the leash to become shorter or longer in length. The rotation of the disk can further be locked/unlocked via a button located on the housing. The disk is also comprised of a loop, wherein a leash can attach to the loop via a metal clip that is placed through a continuous opening in the housing. In an alternative embodiment, the leash may be magnetically-attached to the disk.
The device may also be comprised of a collar and/or a harness, wherein each of the same can be secured on a dog or other animal. The harness further has a plurality of harness straps that can be removably-secured around the torso/legs of a dog via at least one fastener, such as but not limited to: a buckle, a hook and loop strap, a snap-button, etc. In addition, the bottom surface of the harness may be comprised of a removably-secured or removable soft padding to increase the comfort of the dog. The top surface may also be comprised of an integrated, fixedly-attached magnet to allow the bottom member to magnetically attach to a point on the harness. Similarly, the collar can be removably-secured around the neck of a dog via a fastener, such as a buckle, hook and loop strap, snap-button, etc. In addition, the bottom surface of the collar may be comprised of a removable or removably-secured soft padding to increase the comfort of the dog, and the top surface may also be comprised of an integrated, fixedly-attached magnet to allow the bottom member to magnetically attach to the collar. In additional embodiments, the harness and collar may be of any size necessary to accommodate any size dog or other animal that may wear the harness or collar.
The leash of the device is also preferably comprised of an adjustable slip-loop that can be placed around the hand of a user, wherein the leash may contain a doggy bag holder and a plurality of doggy bags. The leash may also be manufactured of a plurality of materials, such as but not limited to: nylon, leather, cotton, rubber, braided metal, chain, etc. The device may comprise a kit of a plurality of leashes, wherein each leash may differ in length or type of material.
Further, two devices may be used simultaneously on two dogs/animals to allow a user to control both dogs/animals via a singular leash, wherein a first device is attached to a harness/collar of a dog, and a second device is attached to a harness/collar of a second dog. However, the second device also contains a tether that is comprised of a first clip and a second clip. Similar to the clip of the leash, the first clip of the tether can be secured to the loop of the disk of the device located on the second dog. The device located on the first dog also has an additional loop located on the outside surface of the housing that receives the second clip of the tether, which allows the tether to attach to the housing of the device on the first dog and the disk of the device on the second dog. Therefore, the devices on each dog are linked such that a user can then use the leash of the device on the first dog to control both dogs, and if the user then desires to disconnect the tether it can be retracted into the housing of the device of the second dog in a manner identical to how the leash retracts into the housing of the device attached to the first dog. Therefore, the user need not carry the tether when not in use.
Accordingly, the retractable leash device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it allows a user to utilize a retractable leash device, but does not require a user to hold the device when it is not being used to control a dog. Further, the device allows a user to easily walk multiple dogs/animals, wherein only one leash is needed to control said animals. The device is also extremely versatile, as it can be used with a harness or collar and can easily be removed from said harness or collar as desired.
Referring initially to the drawings,
In one embodiment, the housing 120 and bottom member 130 may be one continuous piece (i.e. wherein the bottom member 130 is fixedly-secured to the housing 120). The side surface 126 and top surface 122 may further be comprised of any number of indicia 129, such as but not limited to: patterns, logos, emblems, images, symbols, designs, letters, words, characters, animals, advertisements, brands, contact information (i.e. phone number/addresses), etc., or any other suitable indicia as is known in the art. As will be explained more fully below, the device 100 is comprised of a harness 160 and/or collar 170, wherein the harness 160 and collar 170 are comprised of a magnet 164, 174 that allows the bottom member 130 to magnetically attach to the harness 160 or collar 170.
Furthermore, the rotation of the disk 140 can be locked or unlocked via pressing a button 124 located on the top surface 122 of the housing 120. The button 124 controls the rotation of the shaft 144. Therefore, the leash 150 can be secured at a predetermined length chosen by the user 20 (shown in
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different users may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “retractable leash device” and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the retractable leash device 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the retractable leash device 100 of the present invention and its various components can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that they accomplish the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration and material of the retractable leash device 100 as shown in
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/186,485, which was filed on May 10, 2021, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63186485 | May 2021 | US |
