Patent Application
20130233246
The present disclosure is generally related to treat dispensers that may be used for training an animal, and in particular to ergonomic, easy to use treat dispensers having a telescoping member displaceable with respect to a housing member to dispense a treat and to actuate a sound producing element that may be used for training an animal.
Through training, an animal may be conditioned to provide necessary or otherwise beneficial services to the trainer or other individual. For example, an animal may be trained to act as a service dog such that the animal may provide necessary assistance to individuals who are physically or mentally disadvantaged. Additionally, an animal may be trained in other contexts such, for example, as for entertainment purposes, for general obedience, or for any other behavior that a trainer wishes to impart on the animal.
One method for training an animal is commonly referred to as “clicker training ” Clicker training is a form of reward-based, positive reinforcement training that uses a stimulus (i.e., a sound or other sensory input) as a conditioned reinforcer or “bridge” to assist in shaping the animal's behavior. For example, a sound maker (i.e., a clicker) that produces a reproducible, consistent sound may be actuated upon the animal performing a behavior that is desired. After each click, the animal is rewarded with praise, an edible treat, or some other positive reinforcement. In this regard, the animal may develop a pavlovian response to the click, wherein the animal associates the click with the positive reinforcement the animal receives immediately following the click. The speed at which the trainer may click may be much faster than the time it takes to actually deliver the positive reward. As such, the click acts as a “bridge” that indicates immediately to the animal that they have performed as desired such that the reward will be delivered. In this regard, clicker training may speed training efforts as the desired behavior may be indicated to the animal or “marked” immediately.
However, clicker training may be awkward to implement for a trainer. For instance, when training dogs, for example, the trainer may often simultaneously hold the animal's leash, a treat, a clicker, other training aids, and/or other implements. In this regard, the actuation of the clicker and delivery of the treat while maintaining control over the other implements employed by the trainer may be cumbersome. This may lead to a delay in the click or delay in the subsequent delivery of the treat, either of which may retard the training process. Even in the case where a trainer utilizes pockets (e.g., pockets in the trainer's clothing or other accessory), accessing an item from the pocket of the user may still add time to the marking of a desired behavior with a click or may add time between the click and the delivery of the treat, thus slowing training progress.
In light of the foregoing, treat dispensers and methods are described herein that may be used for training an animal. The treat dispensers discussed herein may facilitate the training of an animal by allowing a stimulus (e.g., a click) to be produced and a reinforcing treat be dispensed with a single actuation of the treat dispenser. Accordingly, a desired behavior by the animal may be marked with the click and rewarded with a dispensed treat within a short time period to enhance the benefit of the clicker training of the animal. The treat dispensers described herein may be actuated by a trainer in a one-handed manner, thus freeing the trainer to utilize his or her other hand.
One aspect disclosed herein includes a dispenser for dispensing treats for an animal. The dispenser may include a housing member having a sidewall with an outer surface that is gripable by a user. The sidewall may have a dispensing opening provided therethrough. The dispenser also may include a telescoping member that is telescopically disposed with respect to the housing member. For example, at least a portion of the telescoping member may be disposed within the housing member and operable to telescopically move with respect to the housing member. The dispenser may include a sound producing element (e.g., a clicker). While embodiments of a treat dispenser including a sound producing element are discussed herein, it will be appreciated that any stimulus (e.g., any sensory stimulus such as a visual stimulus, or the like) may also be provided that is produced upon actuation of the treat dispenser. The sound producing element may be actuated to produce a sound (e.g., a click). The dispenser may also include a containment volume that is at least partially defined by the housing member and the telescoping member for containing a plurality of treats therein. The telescoping member and housing member may be displaceable with respect to one another to dispense at least one treat from the containment volume through the dispensing opening and actuate the sound producing element. Thus, the dispensing of the treat and the production of the sound may be substantially contemporaneous (e.g., substantially simultaneous).
A number of feature refinements and additional features are applicable to the first aspect. These feature refinements and additional features may be used individually or in any combination. As such, each of the following features that will be discussed may be, but are not required to be, used with any other feature or combination of features of the first aspect.
For example, in one embodiment, the treat dispenser may dispense a predetermined number of treats with each actuation. In this regard, the telescoping member may include a dispensing chute. The dispensing chute may be sized to as to contain the predetermined number of treats. Upon the displacement of the telescoping member and the housing member, the dispensing chute may be aligned with the dispensing opening, thus allowing for the treats disposed within the dispensing chute to be dispensed. The dispensing chute may include a gate, wherein the gate is closed upon the relative displacement of the telescoping member and the housing member. Accordingly, treats from the containment volume may be prevented from entering the dispensing chute when the telescoping member is displaced with respect to the housing member (i.e., in the actuated position). That is, the predetermined number of treats may be disposed between the gate and the dispensing opening prior to the displacement of the telescoping member and the housing member. When the gate is closed, the gate may block treats in the containment volume from entering the dispensing chute. However, when the gate is open, a predetermined number of treats may pass through the gate from the containment volume into the dispensing chute. Thus, upon subsequent actuation of the treat dispenser, treats that have become disposed in the dispensing chute may be dispensed. The treat dispenser may be biased to a non-dispensing position. Thus, the telescoping member and the housing member may return to an unactuated or non-dispensing position upon release of an actuation force by the user.
As described above, the treat dispenser may allow for one-handed operation by a user. In this regard, the outer surface of the housing member may be gripable by the fingers of a user such that the telescoping member is displaceable with respect to the housing member by the thumb of the user in a direction perpendicular to the fingers gripping the outer surface. Thus, a user flexing his or her thumb while gripping the treat dispenser may result in actuation of the treat dispenser to produce a sound and dispense a treat. The treat dispenser may be positioned with respect to gravity such that upon actuation of the treat dispenser, treats are urged by gravity from the dispensing opening. In one embodiment, the dispensing opening may be disposed on an end of the housing member opposite the end of the housing member that provides telescopic engagement of the telescoping member and the housing member. In this regard, treats may be dispensed from an end of the treat dispenser generally opposite the end of the treat dispenser contacted by the thumb of the user.
In one embodiment, the sound producing element may include a depressible button disposable adjacent to the thumb of the user when the user grips the outer surface of the housing member such that the depressible button may be actuated to produce the sound (e.g., a click) upon actuation of the treat dispenser by the thumb of the user. Alternatively, the sound producing element may be actuated by contact between the housing member and the telescoping member upon actuation of the treat dispenser.
Additionally, at least one of the housing member and the telescoping member may define a fill opening selectively accessible for filling the containment volume with treats. As such, once the supply of treats contained by the dispensing volume has been depleted, the containment volume may be replenished with treats. Accordingly, the treat dispenser may be reusable.
In one embodiment, an auxiliary sound producing element for producing a second sound (e.g., a whistle) different than the sound of the sound producing element (e.g., a click) may be provided on a treat dispenser. The auxiliary sound producing element may be useful, for example, for a secondary purpose during the training For instance, the auxiliary sound producing element may be used to train the animal to perform some certain action (e.g., coming to the trainer, performing some particular action, etc.). In one embodiment, the auxiliary sound producing element may emit a sound that is generally louder than the sound producing element. Thus, the auxiliary sound producing element may be used to command an animal at a distance from the trainer longer than the distance for which the sound producing element may be used.
A second aspect includes a method for dispensing a treat for an animal. The method may include actuating a treat dispenser by displacing a telescoping member with respect to a housing member, wherein the telescoping member is telescopically disposed with respect to a housing member. The method may also include sounding a noise from a sound producing element in response to the actuating and dispensing a treat from a containment volume at least partially defined by the housing member and the telescoping member.
A number of feature refinements and additional features are applicable to the second aspect. These feature refinements and additional features may be used individually or in any combination. As such, each of the following features that will be discussed may be, but are not required to be, used with any other feature or combination of features of the second aspect.
For example, the treat dispenser may generally be as described above with respect to the first aspect. The telescoping member may include a dispensing chute, and wherein upon the actuating of the treat dispenser, the dispensing chute is aligned with a dispensing opening provided through the housing member. The dispensing chute may include a gate, and the method may also include closing the gate upon the actuation of the treat dispenser. A predetermined number of treats may be disposed between the gate and the dispensing opening upon the actuation of the treat dispenser. When the gate is closed, the gate may block treats in the containment volume from entering the dispensing chute, and when the gate is open, a predetermined number of treat may pass through the gate from the containment volume into the dispensing chute.
One embodiment of the method may include gripping an outer surface of the housing member with the fingers of a user such that the telescoping member is displaceable with respect to the housing member by the thumb of the user in a direction perpendicular to the fingers gripping the outer surface during the actuating. Accordingly, upon disposing the housing member with respect to gravity, upon actuation of the treat dispenser, treats may be urged by gravity from the dispensing opening.
The sound producing element may include a depressible button disposable adjacent to the thumb of the user when the user grips the outer surface of the housing member such that the depressible button is actuated to produce the sound upon actuation of the treat dispenser by the thumb of the user. Alternatively, the sound producing element may be actuated by contact between one of the housing member and the telescoping member upon actuation of the treat dispenser.
A third aspect disclosed herein includes a method for training an animal. The method may include monitoring behavior of an animal for a desired behavior (e.g., sitting, laying down, coming when called, performing some task, or other desired behavior of the animal). The method further includes actuating a treat dispenser upon performance of said desired behavior. For example the treat dispenser may be according to any of the above disclosed aspects or embodiments without limitation. For instance, the actuating may include displacing a telescoping member with respect to a housing member to actuate a sound producing element and dispense treats from the treat dispenser. The method further includes delivering the dispensed treat to the animal.
A number of feature refinements and additional features are applicable to the third aspect. These feature refinements and additional features may be used individually or in any combination. As such, each of the following features that will be discussed may be, but are not required to be, used with any other feature or combination of features of the third aspect. For example, the method may include queuing the animal to perform the desired behavior before or at substantially the same time as the performance of the desired behavior.
Common reference numerals are used to indicate like elements through the drawings and detailed description
The following description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commiserate with the following teachings, skill, and other knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described herein are further intended to explain modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other embodiments, and with various modifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the invention.
The present description is generally related to treat dispensers having a sound producing element such that upon actuation of the dispenser, a treat may be dispensed from the dispenser and a sound may be produced by the sound producing element. The treat dispensers disclosed herein may be particularly suited to the field of an operant conditioning method such as “clicker training ” The treat dispensers described herein may allow a trainer to provide a sensory stimulus to the animal being trained while at the same time, or in a very short time thereafter, allowing a treat to be dispensed to the animal as positive reinforcement. In this regard, the trainer may be able to hold a treat dispenser as described herein with one hand in order to both produce the sensory stimulus (e.g., a click) and dispense a treat to provide to an animal as positive reinforcement. Accordingly, the number and/or complexity of devices or objects a trainer must handle may be reduced, thereby improving the training experience for the trainer and allowing an improved training experience.
A telescoping member 114 may be telescopically disposed with respect to the housing member 102. For example, the telescoping member 114 may pass through the housing opening 112 provided opposite the end wall 110 of the housing member 102. While not shown in
The telescoping member 114 and/or the housing member 102 may include a containment volume 116. For example, as shown in
Additionally, a sound producing element may be provided. For example, the sound producing element maybe a deflectable reed (e.g., a metallic reed 124) that omits a loud sharp clicking sound upon deflection of the metal reed 124. Such metallic reeds 124 are often using in traditional clickers used for clicker training It will be understood that other sound producing elements other than the metallic reed 124 depicted may be utilized without limitation. In any regard, upon movement of the telescoping member 114 with respect to the housing member, the metallic reed 124 may be deflected so as to admit a sound (e.g., a click). As described above, the activation of the sound producing element may coincide in close temporal proximity to the dispensation of treats 122 from the containment volume 116 to an exterior of the dispenser 100. For example, the production of the sound and the dispensing of the treats 122 may occur substantially contemporaneously (e.g., simultaneously).
With further reference to
With reference to
With further reference to
Additionally, the dispensing chute 144 may include a gate 146 that, when in the unactuated position, is open. The gate 146 may generally be defined between a baffle 172 extending into the containment volume 116 and a floor 174 of the containment volume 116. As shown in
The volume of the dispensing chute 144 downstream of the gate 146 may be sized to hold a predetermined number of treats 122. As such, when the treat dispenser 132 is displaced from the unactuated position to the actuated position, the predetermined number of treats 122 may be dispensed. The dispensing chute 144 may be sized to hold one or more treats 122. For example, the dispensing chute 144 may hold at least about one treat 122 and no more than about four treats 122. In one embodiment, the dispensing chute 144 may hold, and therefore dispense, about three treats 122 per actuation of the treat dispenser 132.
Also shown in
As shown in
With respect to
With respect to
With further reference to
In any regard, the user may flex his or her thumb 190 in the direction of the arrow 192 to displace the telescoping portion 104 with respect to the housing member 102. In the embodiment depicted in
Still another embodiment of a treat dispenser 194 is shown in
Also, the treat dispenser 194 may be lockable to prevent displacement of the telescoping member 114 with respect to the housing member 102. In this regard, a rotatable end portion 196 may be provided on the treat dispenser 194 that is capable of being moved (e.g., selectively rotated) to lock the treat dispenser 194 to prevent displacement of the telescoping member 114 with respect to the housing member 102 or to unlock the treat dispenser 194 to allow for displacement of the telescoping member 114 with respect to the housing member 102, as will be discussed in greater detail below.
With additional reference to
The rotatable end portion 196 may be rotated in the direction indicated by arrow 206 in
Additionally, the locking hub 198 may include a stop 202 that rotates along with the locking hub 198 and rotatable end portion 196. The stop 202 may contact one of two tabs 208 provided on the housing assembly 102 to define the extent of rotational travel of the locking hub 198 between the locked position and the unlocked positions shown in
As can also be appreciated from FIGS. 16 and 17A-17B, the sound producing element 160 may include a metallic reed 124 as described above with respect to
Any of the treat dispensers described herein may be used in the training of an animal. The method may include monitoring the animal for performance of a desired behavior. The monitoring may include awaiting the performance of a desired behavior (e.g., sitting, lying down, or other naturally performed activities) and/or be accompanied by a command. The command may take the form of a hand signal, a verbal command, a sound command, or other queue to the animal. In any regard, upon performance of the desired behavior, the treat dispenser 100 may be actuated as described above. Upon actuation of the treat dispenser 100, a sound producing element may sound a noise that marks the desired behavior of the animal. The actuation of the treat dispenser may also include dispensation of treats from the containment volume. The dispensed treats may be delivered to the animal. The delivery of the treats to the animal may be direct (e.g., the treats may be dispensed onto the ground and retrieved by the animal) or by way of the trainer (e.g., the treats may be dispensed into the hand of the trainer and then provided to the animal). The foregoing steps may be repeated a number of times until the animal performs the desired behavior in response to a queue or simply to reinforce the performance of the desired behavior. The treat dispenser may be refilled upon dispensation of all or a portion of the treats in the containment volume. The refilling of the containment volume may include moving or removing the fill cap and depositing additional treats within the containment volume.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character. For example, certain embodiments described hereinabove may be combinable with other described embodiments and/or arranged in other ways (e.g., process elements may be performed in other sequences). Accordingly, it should be understood that only the preferred embodiment and variants thereof have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.
