Interactive pet toy

Abstract

An interactive pet toy for promoting the concentration and attention of a pet to chew, including sound feedback. The pet toy includes one or more flexible inserts and a body portion having a surface, the flexible inserts being convertible to two different geometries while producing audible sounds. The one or more inserts have a protruding surface and a recessed surface in a first configuration and, in a second configuration, the protruding surface becomes the recessed surface and the recessed surface becomes the protruding surface.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 381,153, filed on October 27, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to an interactive pet toy to promote pet concentration and attention to chewing, including audio feedback. Background Art

[0004] Dogs and other pets enjoy toys that provide some form of stimulation. For example, toys often seek to mimic the type of stimulation a pet might have in the wild, such as chewing a bone or other substrate. Some pet toys also seek to provide some sound-generating features to provide an auditory sensation for the animal. Therefore, there remains a need to provide a pet toy that will promote a pet's concentration and attention to chewing and provide acoustic feedback. In particular, acoustic feedback will similarly promote chewing and provide a relatively durable source of acoustic feedback that is not easily damaged by aggressive chewing behavior. Summary of the invention

[0005] An interactive toy for an animal includes: a body portion having a surface including one or more flexible inserts, wherein the inserts are capable of transforming into two different geometric configurations while accompanied by the generation of audible sounds. The one or more inserts have a protruding surface and a recessed surface in a first configuration, and in a second configuration, the protruding surface becomes a recessed surface and the recessed surface becomes a protruding surface.

[0006] An interactive toy for an animal, comprising a main body portion; and at least one flexible insert coupled to the main body portion; wherein the at least one flexible insert is convertible into two different geometric configurations, accompanied by the generation of audible sounds; wherein the at least one flexible insert has a protruding surface and a recessed surface in a first configuration, and in a second configuration, the protruding surface becomes the recessed surface and the recessed surface becomes the protruding surface.

[0007] In at least one embodiment, at least one flexible insert can be transitioned from a first configuration to a second configuration, and then transitioned from the second configuration back to the first configuration.

[0008] In at least one embodiment, at least one flexible insert produces an audible sound when transitioning to the second configuration and produces an additional audible sound when transitioning back to the first configuration.

[0009] In at least one embodiment, at least one flexible insert undergoes elastic deformation when transitioning to the second configuration and undergoes elastic recovery when transitioning back to the first configuration.

[0010] In at least one embodiment, the protruding surface is a hemispherical protruding surface and the concave surface is a hemispherical concave surface.

[0011] In at least one embodiment, at least one flexible insert is disposed in the through hole of the body portion.

[0012] In at least one embodiment, the body portion includes a surface surrounding the at least one flexible insert, and a portion of the protruding surface of the at least one flexible insert extends above the surface of the body portion surrounding the at least one flexible insert.

[0013] In at least one embodiment, the protruding surface of the at least one flexible insert extends 1.0 mm to 10.0 mm above the surface of the body portion surrounding the at least one flexible insert.

[0014] In at least one embodiment, the protruding surface of the at least one flexible insert extends above a surface of the body portion surrounding the at least one flexible insert in either the first configuration or the second configuration.

[0015] In at least one embodiment, the audible sound is in the range of 50 Hz to 45,000 Hz.

[0016] In at least one embodiment, the body portion comprises a thermoplastic or thermosetting material. In at least one embodiment, the material is selected from polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyacetal, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, polyurethane, polyisoprene, thermoplastic elastomer, PET or PBT.

[0017] In at least one embodiment, at least one flexible insert comprises a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermosetting elastomer. In at least one embodiment, the elastomer comprises a polyester thermoplastic elastomer, a polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, a polystyrene-polybutadiene elastomer, and a polyisoprene-based elastomer.

[0018] In at least one embodiment, at least one flexible insert includes an attractant or a flavorant.

[0019] In at least one embodiment, at least one flexible insert can be transformed into an intermediate configuration, and the intermediate configuration can be transformed into one of two different geometric configurations without the addition of forces.

[0020] In at least one embodiment, a method for using an interactive toy for an animal is provided, comprising obtaining an interactive toy for an animal, wherein the toy comprises: a main body portion; and at least one flexible insert connected to the main body portion; wherein the at least one flexible insert is capable of being converted into two different geometric configurations accompanied by the generation of audible sounds; wherein the at least one flexible insert has a protruding surface and a recessed surface in a first configuration, and in a second configuration, the protruding surface becomes a recessed surface and the recessed surface becomes a protruding surface; and converting the at least one flexible insert from the first configuration into the second configuration, and generating an audible sound when converted into the second configuration.

[0021] In at least one embodiment, the method further includes transitioning the at least one flexible insert from the second configuration back to the first configuration and generating an additional audible sound when transitioning back to the first configuration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent as the following detailed description proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts, and in which:

[0023] Figure 1 is a side view of an interactive pet chew toy according to the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2 is taken along line AA before force F is applied to the first side of the insert / toy Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an insert of an interactive pet chew toy;

[0025] Figure 3 is taken along line AA during the period in which force F is applied to the first side of the insert / toy Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an insert of an interactive pet chew toy;

[0026] Figure 4 is taken along line AA after force F is applied to the first side of the insert / toy Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an insert of an interactive pet chew toy;

[0027] Figure 5 is taken along line AA before force F is applied to the second (opposite) side of the insert / toy Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an insert of an interactive pet chew toy;

[0028] Figure 6 is taken along line AA during application of force F to the second (opposite) side of the insert / toy Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an insert of an interactive pet chew toy; and

[0029] Figure 7 is taken along line AA after force F is applied to the second (opposite) side of the insert / toy Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an insert of an interactive pet chew toy. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] It will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangement of the parts set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention herein may be capable of having other embodiments and may be practiced or executed in various ways. In addition, it will be appreciated that the wording and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered to be limited thereto as would be understood by a person skilled in the art. In addition, throughout the specification, the same reference numerals and letters indicate corresponding structures in several views, and such corresponding structures do not need to be discussed separately. In addition, any (one or more) specific features of a particular exemplary embodiment may be equally applied to any other exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure when appropriate. In other words, the features between the various exemplary embodiments described herein are interchangeable when appropriate, rather than exclusive.

[0031] Figure 1 A view of a preferred interactive pet chew toy 2 is provided therein. It can be seen that the interactive pet toy 2 has an elongated body portion 10, which is preferably in the form of a bone, and includes at least one (preferably multiple) flexible inserts 11 connected to the body portion 10, such as adhesively bonded to the body portion 10. More specifically, the insert 11 is disposed in a through hole of the body portion 10, which closes the through hole. When chewed by an animal, the insert 11 is able to assume the configuration illustrated at 12a and 12b. In addition, the configurations illustrated at 12a and 12b are relatively stable configurations, meaning that they remain in this configuration unless further chewed by the animal. The body portion 10 is preferably a body portion that provides sole durability for chewing. The pet chew toy body portion 10 may preferably be formed of a thermoplastic or thermosetting (cross-linked) material, such as polyamide (nylon) type resins, polycarbonate, polyacetal, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, polyurethane (thermoplastic or thermosetting), polyisoprene (e.g., natural or synthetic rubber), thermoplastic elastomers (e.g., polyester-based or polyurethane-based), and polyesters, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).

[0032] One or more inserts 11 can each exist in two different and relatively stable geometric configurations shown at 12a and 12b. The insert 11 is therefore preferably formed of a material that is flexible at room temperature and can be deformed during the chewing action of the animal. This flexible material can preferably be selected from thermoplastic elastomers and / or thermosetting elastomers. Examples of thermoplastic elastomers include polyester thermoplastic elastomers, polyamide thermoplastic elastomers, polystyrene-polybutadiene elastomers, and natural and synthetic rubbers (polyisoprene-based elastomers). The insert 11 can have a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 3 mm, and more particularly 0.75 mm to 2.5 mm, and even more particularly 1 mm to 2 mm.

[0033] The flexible material used for one or more inserts 11 may preferably contain various additives. Such additives may include attractants or flavorings designed to more specifically attract animals to engage and chew the interactive pet chew toy. Such additives may preferably be present at a level of 0.1% (wt.) to 5.0% (wt.).

[0034] The inserts 11 are preferably such that they can each be transformed independently, ie into a different geometric configuration, accompanied by the generation of an audible sound, such as initially in Figure 1 As can be observed in FIG. 1 , two insert configurations 12a and 12b are illustrated. Figure 1 As can be seen in the figure, the insert 11 in configuration 12a provides a first protruding surface 14P. Such a protruding surface 14P preferably has a portion extending above the surface of the pet chew body 10, which surrounds the insert 11 and defines the through hole of the body portion 10. The protruding surface 14P is also preferably a surface that extends above the surface 16 on the periphery of the insert 11 and defines the through hole of the body portion 10. Preferably, a portion of the protruding surface 14P extends 1.0 mm to 10.0 mm above the surrounding surface of the pet chew body 10 that defines the through hole of the body portion 10 and above the periphery of the insert 11. Therefore, this amount of protrusion can be used to allow the pet's teeth to apply force on the protruding surface 14P when chewing, as described more fully below.

[0035] Thus, when a pet chews and applies a force F on the protruding surface 14P of the flexible insert in configuration 12a, it can be transformed from the first configuration 12a to the second configuration illustrated at 12b. That is, the first protruding surface 14P now becomes a recessed surface 14R, and on the opposite side of the interactive pet chew toy 2, the insert 11 itself will protrude with a protruding surface 14P on the other side of the chew, where the opposite side of the insert provides the protruding surface 14P. Thus, it can be appreciated that one or more flexible inserts 11 can now be acted upon by an animal and transformed from the configuration shown in FIG. 12a to the configuration shown in FIG. 12b, and vice versa.

[0036] Next, turn your attention to Figures 2 to 4 , Figures 2 to 4 The above-mentioned transition in geometry of the insert 11 is further illustrated in detail in a partial cross section. Figure 2 As shown in , from a first side of the pet chew, a first protruding surface 14P can be seen, which, as shown, preferably presents an inverted rounded geometry (in the form of a hemispherical dome). Other geometric shapes, such as an oval, ellipsoid, polyhedron, pyramid, or any other three-dimensional shape, are also conceivable. Then on the other side or second side of the first protruding surface 14P, a recessed surface 16R (in the form of a hemispherical recess) can be defined.

[0037] Next, we turn our attention to Figure 3 When a force F is applied to the flexible first protruding surface 14P, the insert configuration 12a begins to deform elastically and can also be described as flipping and transforming to its opposite configuration 12b. Figure 3 As shown in the middle position in FIG. 1 , a portion of the first protruding surface 14P will be considered to now have a first recessed surface 14R. Then, in Figure 4 , the transition is complete, which results in the generation of an audible sound. Figure 2 ) is now the protruding surface 16P ( Figure 4 ).

[0038] It is also worth noting that, given the flexible nature of the insert 11, and again turning our attention to Figure 3 The insert 11 is such an insert that once forced into Figure 3 In the intermediate configuration shown in FIG. 1 , the insert 11 can complete the transition by itself without any additional force. In other words, the flexibility of the insert 11 and its geometry are configured so that the animal only needs to start from Figure 2 The position shown in the figure is transformed to Figure 3 The intermediate position shown in FIG. 1 and the insert 11 can be completed without any additional force Figure 4The change in position shown in the figure simultaneously produces an audible sound.

[0039] Similarly, from Figure 5 Starting from the configuration shown in , during chewing, the animal can again apply force F to the protruding surface 16P. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , in the intermediate position, as a result of such chewing, a portion of the protruding surface 16P can now be observed from the other side of the pet chew to be converted to provide a recessed surface 16R. Figure 7 In the process, the transformation is complete as the protruding surface 14P is completely reshaped, i.e., elastically restored. In addition, as noted above, once the insert 11 is substantially in Figure 6 The middle position shown in the figure can complete the Figure 7 The change in position illustrated in FIG. 1 is accomplished without any additional force and is accompanied by the generation of an audible sound.

[0040] As pointed out, Figures 2 to 4 The transformations shown in Figures 5 to 7 The transition illustrated in FIG. 1 is preferably accompanied by an audible sound. This sound is relatively short (0.1-1.0 seconds) and can also be described as a pop or click type sound. The audible sound is preferably a sound that can be detected by an animal such as a dog. For example, the sound can be in the range of 50 Hz to 45 kHz (45,000 Hz). This sound originates from the flexible insert undergoing a transition from Figure 2 The configurations 12a to 12b are shown in Figure 4 Similarly, it is believed that this sound originates from the insert moving from Figure 5 The configuration 12b shown in FIG. 1 is changed back to Figure 7 The configuration 12a shown in FIG.

[0041] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that various changes, adaptations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the present invention and the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be determined by reference to the above description, but instead should be determined by reference to the complete scope of the appended claims together with their equivalents. In addition, it should be understood that the appended claims do not necessarily include the broadest scope of the present invention (for which the applicant is entitled to claim protection) or the only (one or more) ways to claim protection for the present invention, or that all of the features listed are essential.

Claims

1. An interactive toy for an animal, comprising: The main part; and at least one flexible insert coupled to the body portion; wherein the at least one flexible insert is capable of transforming into two different geometric configurations accompanied by the generation of audible sounds; Therein, the at least one flexible insert has a protruding surface and a recessed surface in a first configuration, and in a second configuration, the protruding surface becomes the recessed surface and the recessed surface becomes the protruding surface.

2. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one flexible insert is convertible from the first configuration to the second configuration and then convertible from the second configuration back to the first configuration.

3. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one flexible insert produces the audible sound when transitioned to the second configuration and produces an additional audible sound when transitioned back to the first configuration.

4. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one flexible insert undergoes elastic deformation when transitioning to the second configuration and undergoes elastic recovery when transitioning back to the first configuration.

5. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 1, wherein: The protruding surface is a hemispherical protruding surface, and the concave surface is a hemispherical concave surface.

6. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one flexible insert is disposed in the through hole of the body portion.

7. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 1, wherein: The body portion includes a surface surrounding the at least one flexible insert, and a portion of the protruding surface of the at least one flexible insert extends above the surface of the body portion surrounding the at least one flexible insert.

8. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 7, wherein: The protruding surface of the at least one flexible insert extends 1.0 mm to 10.0 mm above a surface of the body portion surrounding the at least one flexible insert.

9. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 7, wherein: The protruding surface of the at least one flexible insert extends higher than a surface of the body portion surrounding the at least one flexible insert in the first configuration or the second configuration.

10. The interactive toy for an animal according to claim 1, wherein: The audible sound is in the range of 50 Hz to 45,000 Hz.

11. The interactive toy for animals according to claim 1, wherein: The body portion includes a thermoplastic or thermosetting material.

12. The interactive toy for an animal according to claim 11, wherein: The material is selected from polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyacetal, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, polyurethane, polyisoprene, thermoplastic elastomer, PET or PBT.

13. The interactive toy for an animal according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one flexible insert comprises a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermosetting elastomer.

14. The interactive toy for an animal according to claim 13, wherein: The elastomers include polyester thermoplastic elastomers, polyamide thermoplastic elastomers, polystyrene-polybutadiene elastomers and polyisoprene-based elastomers.

15. The interactive toy for an animal according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one flexible insert includes an attractant or a flavorant.

16. The interactive toy for an animal according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one flexible insert is convertible into an intermediate configuration, and the intermediate configuration is convertible into one of the two different geometric configurations without adding forces.

17. A method of using an interactive toy for an animal, comprising: Obtaining the interactive toy for an animal, wherein the interactive toy comprises: the main body; and at least one flexible insert coupled to the body portion; wherein the at least one flexible insert is capable of transforming into two different geometric configurations accompanied by the generation of audible sounds; wherein the at least one flexible insert has a protruding surface and a recessed surface in a first configuration, and in a second configuration, the protruding surface becomes the recessed surface and the recessed surface becomes the protruding surface; and The at least one flexible insert is transformed from the first configuration to the second configuration, and the audible sound is generated when transformed to the second configuration.

18. The method of use according to claim 17, further comprising: The at least one flexible insert is transformed from the second configuration back to the first configuration and an additional audible sound is generated when transforming back to the first configuration.

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