PET TREAT HOLDER AND SAFETY DEVICE
A device for securing a pet toy or treat and related methods are described. The device includes a body including one or more inner walls defining a void. The device further includes one or more non-slip features on the one or more inner walls that are configured to extend into the void. The device further includes a retaining feature movably coupled to the body. The retaining feature is configured to cooperate with the one or more non-slip features to retain at least a portion of an object inserted in the void against the body.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/768,781, filed Nov. 16, 2018, and titled “PET TREAT HOLDER AND SAFETY DEVICE,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELDEmbodiments of the invention relate generally to a pet-related device. In particular, embodiments of the invention relate to a pet treat holder that secures pet treats.
BACKGROUNDConsumable and non-consumable pet toys or treats provide a variety of benefits for both pets and their handlers. Various types of toys and treats can encourage positive interaction and socialization between a pet and its handler. Chewable pet toys and treats can provide pets with entertainment and relief from stress caused by separation anxiety, loneliness and boredom. Chewable pet toys and treats can also provide enhanced dental prophylaxis and masticatory exercise, and relief from pain associated with teething. Treats such as bully sticks (i.e., bull pizzle), rawhide sticks and other chewable animal food products are popular consumable toys or treats for pets. However, pets often instinctively consume chewable objects, including both durable and consumable objects, in-part or in-whole. This can frequently lead to circumstances that are detrimental to the health of the pet.
SUMMARYA device for securing a pet toy or treat and related methods are described. The device includes a body including a void defined by an inner wall. The device includes one or more non-slip features. The one or more non-slip features are configured to extend in part into the void. The device includes a retaining feature movably coupled to the body. The retaining feature is configured to work with the one or more non-slip features to affix at least a portion of an object inserted in the void to the body.
According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a device is provided containing a body including one or more inner walls defining a void. The device further includes one or more non-slip features on the one or more inner walls that are configured to extend into the void. The device further includes a retaining feature movably coupled to the body. The retaining feature is configured to cooperate with the one or more non-slip features to retain at least a portion of an object inserted in the void against the body.
According to some aspects, the body includes a first head portion and a second head portion connected on opposite ends of a body portion. The body portion includes the one or more inner walls. The retaining feature is moveably coupled to within the second head portion. The retaining feature is also adjusted relative to the second head portion of the device by changing an amount of the retaining feature that extends through the second head portion of the device and into the void of the body.
According to some aspects, the retaining feature includes one or more retaining structures. According to some aspects, the second head portion defines one or more grooves configured to interface with the one or more retaining structures on the retaining feature. According to some aspects, the one or more retaining structures cooperate with the one or more grooves to urge the retaining feature toward the one or more non-slip features or away from the one or more non-slip features upon rotating the retaining feature relative to the body portion. According to some aspects, the retaining feature also includes a friction device configured to inhibit the retaining feature from moving relative to the body.
According to other aspects of the present disclosure, a method is provided for forming a body including one or more inner walls defining a void. The method further includes forming one or more non-slip features on the one or more inner walls that are configured to extend into the void. The method further includes forming a retaining feature movably coupled to the body. The retaining feature is configured to cooperate with the one or more non-slip features to retain at least a portion of an object inserted in the void against the body.
According to some aspects, the body includes a first head portion and a second head portion connected on opposite ends of a body portion. According to some aspects, the body portion includes the one or more inner walls. According to some aspects, the retaining feature is moveably coupled to within the second head portion. According to some aspects, the retaining feature is also adjusted relative to the second head portion of the device by changing an amount of the retaining feature that extends through the second head portion of the device and into the void of the body.
According to some aspects, the retaining feature includes one or more retaining structures. According to some aspects, the second head portion defines one or more grooves configured to interface with the one or more retaining structures on the retaining feature. According to some aspects, the one or more retaining structures cooperate with the one or more grooves to urge the retaining feature toward the one or more non-slip features or away from the one or more non-slip features upon rotating the retaining feature relative to the body portion. According to some aspects, the retaining feature also includes a friction device configured to inhibit the retaining feature from moving relative to the body.
According to other aspects of the present disclosure, a method includes providing a device, where the device includes a body including an inner wall defining a void and a retaining feature movably coupled to the body. The method further includes placing an object within the void. The method further includes applying the retaining feature against the object to retain the object within the device between the inner wall of the body and the retaining feature. According to some aspects, one or more non-slip features are on the inner wall of the body and extend into the void. Applying the retaining feature against the object retains the object between the retaining feature and the one or more non-slip features.
According to some aspects, the body includes a first head portion and a second head portion connected at opposite ends to a body portion. According to some aspects, the body portion includes the inner wall defining the void. According to some aspects, the method further includes inserting the retaining feature through the second head portion and into the void. According to some aspects, applying the retaining feature includes rotating the retaining feature relative to the body in a first direction to advance the retaining feature to the object, and further rotating the retaining feature relative to the body in the first direction to retain the object between the inner wall of the body and the retaining feature. According to some aspects, rotating the retaining feature relative to the body in a second direction, opposite from the first direction, releases the object from within the device, which allows removal of the released object. According to some aspects, the retaining feature also includes one or more grip features configured to allow a user to rotate the retaining feature with a hand.
Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.
Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated, by way of example and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:
A device configured to hold and secure a pet toy or a treat is described herein. According to some embodiments, the device is configured to receive a consumable chew toy that can include, but is not limited to, any chewable animal food product, such as rawhide sticks, bully sticks, or pizzles (treats derived from the penis of a bull or other large animal). The device is configured to hold the pet toy or the treat and to minimize an opportunity for a pet to get hurt.
Thus, the device is configured to prevent choking due to ingestion of chewable pet toys or treats by dogs, which is a common reason for emergency visits to animal hospitals and veterinarian offices. Although a minority of these cases results in death, emergency medical treatment is costly. Bully sticks and rawhide sticks can be particularly problematic due to their appealing taste and satisfying decomposition during extended chewing, with dogs often attempting to consume the entire treat rather than merely chewing on it. Extended chewing of bully sticks and rawhide can produce a soggy, gooey mass that, if swallowed, can lodge in a dog's throat or become impacted in the digestive tract, leading to choking, impaction, and other potentially life-threatening consequences. The more that the dog drinks or the dog's body produces saliva to try to dislodge the bully stick or rawhide, the more the mass swells, further exacerbating the problem. Additionally, dog's frequently attempt to swallow unchewed or partially-chewed ends of a treat that they can no longer effectively grasp with their forepaws, creating an additional or greater risk due to the still-rigid nature and often unmanageable length of the incompletely-chewed end of the treat.
The device 100 includes a retaining feature 114 configured to push a toy or a treat against the inner wall 110 and, in some embodiments, the one or more non-slip features 112. More specifically, the retaining features 114 is configured to be movably coupled to the second head portion 104 such that an end 114a of the retaining feature 114 applies a force against a portion of a toy or a treat inserted into the void 108 of the body portion 106. For some embodiments, the retaining feature 114 and the one or more non-slip features 112 are configured to work together to affix at least a portion of the toy or the treat to the device 100. For some embodiments, the retaining feature 114 can be a bolt, a screw, a nail, a pin fastener, a quick-operating fastener, a retaining ring, or any other feature that can be used to push a toy or a treat against the inner wall 110 and the one or more non-slip features 112.
The device 100 is configured to receive the retaining feature 114 in the second head portion 104. The retaining feature 114 is configured to be adjusted relative to the second head portion 104 of the device 100 by changing the amount of the retaining feature 114 that extends through the second head portion 104 of the device 100 and into the void 108 of the body portion 106.
For some embodiments, the first head portion 102 and the second head portion 104 have a substantially spherical shape, with a radius of about 0.5 inch to about 3.0 inches. For some embodiments, the substantially spherical shape has a radius of about 1.25 inches. For some embodiments, the substantially spherical section 106a of the body portion 106 includes a radius in a range including 0.4 inches to 2.75 inches. For some embodiments, the substantially spherical section 106a of the body portion 106 has a radius of 1.063 inches. The first connecting portion 105 of the body portion 106 between the substantially spherical section 106a and the first head portion 102 is configured to have a height less than the first head portion 102 and the substantially spherical section 106a. A second connecting portion 107 of the body portion between the substantially spherical section 106a and the second head portion 104 is configured to have a height less than the second head portion 104 and the substantially spherical section 106a. For some embodiments, the first connecting portion 105 and the second connection portion 107 have the same height. The height of the first connecting portion 105 and second connecting portion 107, according to some embodiments, can be about 0.3 inch to about 5.4 inches. For some embodiments, the height of the of the first connecting portion 105 and second connecting portions 107 is about 1.375 inches.
For some embodiments, the void 108 can have a shape substantially in the form of including, but not limited to, a sphere, a cuboid, a rectangular prism, a polyhedron, a quadrangular prism, a triangular prism, and combinations thereof. For some embodiments, the one or more non-slip features 112 are formed on the inner wall 110, which can be substantially flat or have a greater radius than other walls of the body portion 106. For some embodiments, the inner wall 110 of the body portion 106 defining the void 108 opposite the one or more non-slip features 112 can have a shape similar to the toy or the treat that the device is configured to receive within the void 108. For example, the inner wall 110 of the body portion 106 defining the void 108 opposite the one or more non-slip features 112 can have a radius similar to a portion of a toy or a treat that the device is configured to receive within the void 108. For some embodiments, the body portion 106 can define the void 108 with a maximum height of about 0.7 inch to 5.1 inches. For some embodiments, the body portion 106 can define the void 108 with an asymmetric shape. For other embodiments, the body portion 106 can define the void 108 with a symmetric shape.
For some embodiments, the retaining feature 114 can include a friction device 420. The friction device 420 is configured to apply a force between the second head portion 104 (
For some embodiments, the retaining feature 814 is configured to move when the second head portion 704 is moved in relation to the body portion 706 of the device, which adjusts the amount of the retaining feature 814 that extends through the second head portion 704 of the device 700 and into the void 708 of the body. The device 700 is configured such that an end of the retaining feature 814 applies a force against a portion of a toy or a treat inserted into the void 708 of the body portion 706 into the one or more non-slip features 812. For some embodiments, the one or more non-slip features 812 have a shape such that a point is positioned to come in contact with portion of a toy or a treat placed within the void 708, wherein the shape includes a circle, a square, a rectangle, a polygon, a quadrilateral, a triangle, and combinations thereof. For some embodiments, the non-slip features 812 are a pattern of voids formed in an inner wall 710 of the body portion 706. For other embodiments, the non-slip features 812 are protrusions that extend from the inner wall 710 and into the void 708.
In the foregoing specification, specific exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Claims
1. A device comprising:
- a body including one or more inner walls defining a void;
- one or more non-slip features on the one or more inner walls, the one or more non-slip features configured to extend into the void; and
- a retaining feature movably coupled to the body, the retaining feature being configured to cooperate with the one or more non-slip features to retain at least a portion of an object inserted in the void against the body.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a first head portion and a second head portion connected on opposite ends of a body portion, the body portion including the one or more inner walls.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the retaining feature is moveably coupled within the second head portion.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the retaining feature is configured to be adjusted relative to the second head portion of the device by changing an amount of the retaining feature that extends through the second head portion of the device and into the void of the body.
5. The device of claim 4, wherein the retaining feature includes one or more retaining structures, and the second head portion defines one or more grooves configured to interface with the one or more retaining structures on the retaining feature.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the one or more retaining structures cooperate with the one or more grooves to urge the retaining feature toward the one or more non-slip features or away from the one or more non-slip features upon rotating the retaining feature relative to the body portion.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the retaining feature comprises a friction device configured to inhibit the retaining feature from moving relative to the body.
8. A method comprising:
- forming a body including one or more inner walls defining a void;
- forming one or more non-slip features on the one or more inner walls, the one or more non-slip features configured to extend into the void; and
- forming a retaining feature movably coupled to the body, the retaining feature being configured to cooperate with the one or more non-slip features to retain at least a portion of an object inserted in the void against the body.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the body comprises a first head portion and a second head portion connected on opposite ends of a body portion, the body portion including the one or more inner walls.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the retaining feature is moveably coupled within the second head portion.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the retaining feature is configured to be adjusted relative to the second head portion of the device by changing an amount of the retaining feature that extends through the second head portion of the device and into the void of the body.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the retaining feature includes one or more retaining structures, and the second head portion defines one or more grooves configured to interface with the one or more retaining structures on the retaining feature.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more retaining structures cooperate with the one or more grooves to urge the retaining feature toward the one or more non-slip features or away from the one or more non-slip features upon rotating the retaining feature relative to the body portion.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein the retaining feature comprises a friction device configured to inhibit the retaining feature from moving relative to the body.
15. A method comprising:
- providing a device, the device including: a body including an inner wall defining a void; and a retaining feature movably coupled to the body;
- placing an object within the void; and
- applying the retaining feature against the object to retain the object within the device between the inner wall of the body and the retaining feature.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
- providing one or more non-slip features on the inner wall of the body and extending into the void,
- wherein the applying the retaining feature against the object retains the object between the retaining feature and the one or more non-slip features.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the body includes a first head portion and a second head portion connected at opposite ends to a body portion, the body portion including the inner wall defining the void, the method further comprising:
- inserting the retaining feature through the second head portion and into the void.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the applying the retaining feature includes rotating the retaining feature relative to the body in a first direction to advance the retaining feature to the object, and further rotating the retaining feature relative to the body in the first direction to retain the object between the inner wall of the body and the retaining feature.
19. The method of claim 18, rotating the retaining feature relative to the body in a second direction, opposite from the first direction, to release the object from within the device; and
- removing the released object.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the retaining feature includes one or more grip features configured to allow a user to rotate the retaining feature with a hand.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 15, 2019
Publication Date: May 21, 2020
Inventors: Brian J. Walt (King of Prussia, PA), Randy D. Jack (Wisconsin Rapids, WI), Alexander Bornemann (Duxbury, VT)
Application Number: 16/685,706