Exercise Or Amusement Device Patents (Class 119/702)
  • Patent number: 6158390
    Abstract: A pet ball which is formed from two (2) hollow semi-spherical half members and which is readily mobile along a hard surface, for example the ground. A weight, for example, a fishing sinker, is suspended within the pet ball. The weight is suspended by an elastic member, for example, an elastic rubber band, which is attached to the inside wall of the pet ball. The weight can be attached to the elastic member in such a manner that it can move along the elastic member or it can be fixed at a stationary position along the elastic member to create different desired effects. When a force is applied to the pet ball, it will roll. With the weight being suspended from the elastic member, the center of gravity of the pet ball changes as the pet ball rolls, thus resulting in erratic movement or a path which follows no definite or consistent direction or pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Our Pet's Company
    Inventors: Eugene S. Holtier, Michael J. Christescu
  • Patent number: 6135059
    Abstract: A modified scooter that has a frame with a low center portion. A rider stands on this center portion. A front wheel is mounted to a fork and has steering control as in the case of a normal scooter. Extending forward from the frame is a curved tow member. The curved tow member acts as a transfer bow. It is designed to fasten to a tow rope, which is then attached to a dog or dogs. The position and attachment point of the transfer bow are designed to transfer the pulling force to a point low on the center of gravity of the scooter. This keeps the scooter stable under all operating conditions. The scooter can be a hauling sled also. By lengthening the frame and adding additional wheels, the scooter can carry loads. The transfer bow can be attached to other types of wheeled vehicles as well to achieve similar results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Inventor: Robert A. Brock
  • Patent number: 6109210
    Abstract: The fish feeding game of the present invention includes a floating game device which defines the boundaries of the game and a floating fish feeding device. Movement of the floating fish feeding device within the boundaries of the game defines play of the game. The game could be a field type game like soccer or a game of chance like roulette. The fish feeding device of the present invention is for use in association with a plurality of resilient fish-food pieces. The fish-food pieces may be fish-food pellets, fish-food morsels or a combination thereof. The fish feeding device includes a floating portion having an outer surface, a central hollow portion and an aperture formed in the floating portion between the hollow portion and the outer surface. The hollow portion is for receiving the plurality of fish-food pieces. The aperture is dimensioned such that one of the plurality of resilient fish-food pieces will obstruct the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Inventor: Frank Nasser
  • Patent number: 6058888
    Abstract: A harness assembly for securely holding an animal on top of a treadmill and allowing the animal to exercise thereupon. The harness assembly comprises an anchor unit for attaching harness assembly to the sidearm of the treadmill, a substantially L-shaped arm mounted from the anchor unit, a belt having a clasp suspended downward from the arm, and a harness fitted onto the animal. The harness has an attachment handle that is secured to the clasp to securely hold the animal on top of the treadmill. A second embodiment allows the harness assembly to be secured to the floor of the treadmill, adjacent to the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Inventor: Don Edward Nichols
  • Patent number: 5979366
    Abstract: A cat entertainment box including a box with a front face, a left face, a right face, and a rear face, a top. The edges of the top and floor and four faces are coupled together at their edges to form an integral rectilinear configuration. A hole is located in the top adjacent to the front face and essentially spaced from the side faces with indicia on the top with a top hole. The top hole allows entrance and egress of a cat into and out of the box. A design is on the front face, left face, right face and rear face. An aperture is formed in the front, left and right faces centrally located between the adjacent side edges and closer to the top edge than the bottom edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Inventor: Kelly E. Cook
  • Patent number: 5934223
    Abstract: The pet toy projects a moving image into a room, as determined by a computer chip, so that a pet may be entertained by the moving image without requiring a person to be in the room to move the image. The pet toy comprises an upright housing containing batteries and supported by a heavy base with a ball bearing unit at the top of the housing. The ball bearing unit has a lamp unit attached thereto. A plurality of glass units with various cut-outs that may be removably attached to the lamp unit so that the glass units may be used to change the image projected by the lamp unit. A control unit contained in the housing controls the speed of the rotatable ball bearing unit to control the speed of the moving light image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Inventor: Erin P. Ellery-Guy
  • Patent number: 5921204
    Abstract: A positionable and expandable tube system composed of snappingly engageable tube segments for the construction of hamster, gerbil, or like pet tubes. Each tube segment consists of an upper and a lower truncated sphere connected at an annular intersection. The preferred embodiment incorporates an arcuate notch which accommodates the annular intersection in the lower truncated sphere to allow a greater maximum bend angle compared to a tube segment where an arcuate notch is not incorporated. The tube segments, when snappingly engaged, create frictionally positionable ball and socket joints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Inventor: Gregory G. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5881676
    Abstract: A pet animal living structure with an upward extending body and floor surfaces at different heights. The latter are arranged in two pluralities with a second plurality being disposed in a different vertical plane from the first. Floor surfaces of the second plurality provide access between floor surfaces of the first plurality which have a wall barrier between them. The structure causes an animal to move in three dimensions throughout the structure along an indefinite number of paths. Alternatively, a freestanding structure is provided which faces in different horizontal directions with the floor surfaces extending around the structure. As a further alternative, a structure is provided with floor surfaces interconnected by steps and apertures and which may be suspended within an aquarium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Inventors: Michael Brown, Kevin J. Bailey
  • Patent number: 5829390
    Abstract: A door-mounted, scratch, exercise and perch structure for cats is disclosed having a linearly elongated shaft, a base support mounted to the base of said shaft, a horizontally elongated loft for spanning the width of an otherwise conventional interior doorway, and a plurality of platforms, said platforms attached to said shaft in a linearly spaced manner, said platforms forming a series of platforms a sufficient number to allow ascent and decent by cats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Inventors: Richard K. Jonilla, Jackie L. Jonila
  • Patent number: 5799611
    Abstract: An animal habitat for housing animals which allows the animals to move between two or more modules or chambers. The animal habitat comprises a plurality of lower tier modules having passageways therebetween for allowing animals to move from a lower tier module to an adjacent lower tier module and a plurality of upper tier modules having passageways therebetween for allowing animals to move from one upper tier module to an adjacent upper tier module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Inventor: Hong Ku Park
  • Patent number: 5709165
    Abstract: A stimulative feeding device for use by animals. The device is designed as a function of the specific animal for which it is intended, with the underlying characteristic that the animal is required to use its natural foraging capabilities to recover food from the device. The device includes a basic structure having a plurality of cavities for retaining a supply of food for the animal. The basic structure is opaque so that the animal cannot see through it to observe some or all of the food. A portion or all of the cavities are hidden so that the animal is required to manipulate any hiding component in order to expose the food. The means for hiding the food can be as varied as the skill level of the animal for which it is intended. The device is not designed to teach the animal, but is instead designed to occupy that animal's time through activities that it would ordinarily carry out while in its natural environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Inventor: Mika Nurmikko
  • Patent number: 5664525
    Abstract: A small animal visual burrowing module which includes a main burrowing enclosure body having an interior space defined by opposite walls spaced a short distance apart. The burrowing enclosure body is formed by two symmetrical body pieces. The main burrowing enclosure body has an open bottom, with a wire grate mounted across the open bottom. Two generally horizontal intermediate floors are symmetrically formed in the body pieces. Each body piece including at least one laterally extended viewing window. Ventilation openings of sufficient size and number to allow for air passage through the module are provided. A plurality of through openings are provided in the walls of the enclosure body, for the passage of small animals therethrough, with each opening having an outwardly protruding portion. The through openings are positioned along and split by a division plane defining the two symmetrical body pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Penn-Plax, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald Phillips, Eric Sauerman, Johnny Davila Gonzalez, Marvin Goldman
  • Patent number: 5536007
    Abstract: A cat game (10) includes a rigid enclosed frame (16) having bottom and top edges (18, 20) and interior and exterior sides (22, 24), with the interior side defining an interior space (46). Rigid parallel flat bottom and top walls (38, 40) are attached at the interior side respectively adjacent the bottom and top edges of the frame for permanently enclosing the interior space. The flat top wall has nine holes (48a-i) therein and a spherical ball (14) is placed in the interior space through one of the holes. A distance between the flat top and bottom walls is substantially uniform and not greater than twice a diameter of the spherical ball and substantially all of the top holes have minimum dimensions that are greater than the diameter of the ball but less than 1.5 times the diameter of the ball. Most of the top holes are spaced a substantial distance from the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Inventor: Kirsten R. Snyder
  • Patent number: 5477814
    Abstract: An effective track system for guiding a rolling hamster ball includes straight and curved track sections, placed end to end. Each track section has a base and paired support rails protruding upwardly from the base for supporting and guiding the pet exercising ball along the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Assignee: Pets International, Ltd.
    Inventor: Robert C. Krause
  • Patent number: 5423290
    Abstract: A nesting facility designed specifically for parakeets but possibly being adaptable for other birds comprises an elongated tree-like length which is solid throughout, having a hard cylindrical wall and a soft inside that can be pecked out by the bird to satisfy its pecking instincts and to form a nest of the torn off bits of pith. A hole through the cylindrical sidewall provides the bird access to the pithy interior, which has a texture at the bird enjoys pulling out and reworking into a padded nest over a period of weeks or months.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1995
    Inventor: Wesley T. Payne
  • Patent number: 5387165
    Abstract: The recreational equipment junction box of the invention comprises a quarter cylindrical hollow box which may be modified and configured in various ways to adapt to the designed application. Primary modifications include number and location of connected tubes, windows and ventilator panels. A further modified use for the junction box is as a control center, simulating the appearance of a vehicle cockpit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: Soft Play, Inc.
    Inventor: Mitchell R. Warren