Cat toy

Abstract

To provide a safe toy which is easy to handle and has good visibility in a dim time zone in which a cat is activated so that a person and a cat can spend a healthy and happy time, and by which the cat can obtain a feeling of catching a prey.SOLUTION: This cat toy is provided with a flexible swinging part 10 and a handle part 20 arranged at the root part 11 of the swinging part 10, the handle part 20 is provided with a light emitting source 30, the cross-sectional area of the swinging part 10 is gradually reduced from the root part 11 toward the tip part 12 of the swinging part 10, a streak 13 having a concave or convex shape in the axial direction of the swinging part 10 is formed on the outer surface of the swinging part 10, and the swinging part 10 is lighted by making light incident from the root part 11 of the swinging part 10 by the light emitting source 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cat toy that can be used and played with indoors by both people and cats. [Background technology]

[0002] I have been observing what cats who don't play much show interest in, react to, and play with, and together with my own cats, I have designed, produced, and sold cat toys. My cat is capricious and particular, and not the type to easily play with toys. He has long whiskers that are nearly 10 centimeters long, and one day I picked up a long whisker that had fallen out between my fingertips and played with him. The cat that owned it tried to snatch it away by repeatedly biting its whiskers and sometimes even digging its claws in. For some reason, this was a popular choice, so we created whiskers out of soft resin that were thicker and longer than real whiskers, making them easier for both people and cats to play with, and have since created, produced, and sold cat toys using these as components (Patent Documents 1 to 4). These cat toys were inspired by cat whiskers and made with soft resin, with the shape of whiskers enlarged and extended to resemble the whiskers. They have flexible and small trembling movements similar to the tails of reptiles and small animals, but when used in dimly lit environments, it was felt that it was difficult for humans to see the small movements. Whiskers have been used as a component of cat toys without harming the inside of a cat's mouth or body until now, but if they could glow in dim light, they would become a safe cat toy that is easy to see for both people and cats, and we thought it would provide a new form of enjoyment. Simply having the toy glow improves visibility dramatically and provides a new level of enjoyment, but we also wanted to provide a toy that would allow players and cats to have the exciting experience of catching an unknown creature, where the toy's light changes and both players can enjoy the beauty of its colors, and which would evoke the image of glowing reptiles, insects, and small animal body parts, sparking imaginations about creatures like these that could live in the forest or ocean. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Design Registration No. 1729101 [Patent Document 2] Design Registration No. 1729138 [Patent Document 3] Design Registration No. 1732902 [Patent Document 4] Design Registration No. 1743075 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, as notified by the Ministry of the Environment, sets out standards for the care and keeping of cats, stating that cats should be kept indoors, and in recent years it has become common for cats to be kept indoors only. All cat owners wish for their cats to live healthy and vibrant lives, and they make efforts to improve their daily lives with their cats. This will allow both owners and cats to spend more fun and happiness together, and one of the requirements for this is to relieve stress. Indoor cats are fed and have no worries, spending most of the day sleeping, but they have a lot of free time and need cultural activities and entertainment, such as looking out the window or playing and moving around, to relieve stress. Even if cats are kept in captivity and well-fed, and do not need to catch and eat prey themselves, they are instinctively curious and have a tendency to chase anything that moves and is the size of prey. Cats have a desire to catch things, whether they're hungry or not, and satisfying that desire and entertaining them can enrich an indoor cat's day and reduce stress. Furthermore, since play is based on the behavior of chasing and catching small animals when cats were wild, they will often eat food and drink water after playing with toys, allowing them to sleep soundly and satisfied. Play is also important for maintaining cat health, and living and playing with owners leads to cats staying healthy and stress-free, as well as to happiness for their owners. Cats are not nocturnal but rather crepuscular, and are most active in the twilight of dawn and dusk. However, indoors at these times can be dark and difficult to play with toys. One option is to play with them using laser pointers, but there are concerns about the effect of light on the cat's retina. Also, the light emitted from a laser pointer is intangible and cannot be physically grasped, felt, or held in the mouth, which can cause dissatisfaction and stress for the cat. Furthermore, the curiosity that underlies cats' play is closely related to their predatory behavior toward small animals and the satisfaction they felt after catching them when they were in the wild in ancient times, so objects that they cannot catch or touch can be stressful for cats and they are likely to become bored with them. Although the toy is not something that cats are allowed to eat after catching, catching a tangible toy is closely related to eating, which is the most satisfying and happy behavior for living creatures, and helps relieve stress. To increase visibility, it would be best if the toy itself was tangible and luminous, and since no such cat toy existed, I decided to make one.

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a safe toy that is easy to use and highly visible during the dim light hours when cats are most active, and that allows cats to get the feeling of catching prey, so that both people and cats can spend healthy and happy time together. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a cat toy comprising a flexible swinging part 10 and a handle part 20 disposed at a base part 11 of the swinging part 10, wherein a light emitting source 30 is provided on the handle part 20, the cross-sectional area of ​​the swinging part 10 gradually decreases from the base part 11 to the tip part 12 of the swinging part 10, and grooves 13 having a concave or convex shape are formed on the outer surface of the swinging part 10 in the axial direction of the swinging part 10, and light is incident from the light emitting source 30 on the base part 11 of the swinging part 10, A color change occurs from the root portion 11 to the tip portion 12. Illuminating the swinging part 10 At the same time, the lines of light can be seen by the lines 13. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the cat toy of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of ​​the rocking part gradually decreases from the base to the tip, so that when light is incident from the base of the rocking part, any of the hue, brightness, and saturation changes visually from the base to the tip. Furthermore, the outer surface of the rocking part is formed with concave or convex lines in the axial direction of the rocking part, so that lines of light are visible. These changes in hue, brightness, and saturation or lines of light produce further changes as the rocking part rocks, thereby enhancing a cat's curiosity and realizing a cat toy that cats will never get bored of. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cat toy according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 2] A photo showing the swinging part of the cat toy DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cat toy according to one embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1(a) is a side view of the cat toy and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional side view of the cat toy. The cat toy according to this embodiment includes a flexible swinging part 10 and a handle part 20 disposed at the base part 11 of the swinging part 10. As shown in Figure 1(b), the handle 20 is provided with a light source 30. The light source 30 has an LED and a battery.

[0010] The cross-sectional area of ​​the oscillating part 10 gradually decreases from the base part 11 to the tip part 12 of the oscillating part 10. In this embodiment, the oscillating part 10 has a tapered solid conical shape, but it may also be a combination of multiple solid cylindrical shapes whose cross-sectional area gradually decreases. The oscillating part 10 may also be hollow.

[0011] On the outer surface of the oscillating part 10, grooves 13 having a concave or convex shape are formed in the axial direction (X) of the oscillating part 10. If the grooves 13 are convex, the grooves 13 are formed in a peak shape, and if the grooves 13 are concave, the grooves 13 are formed in a ridge shape. However, grooves 13 that are formed in a ridge or peak shape are almost impossible to feel by touch. Even grooves 13 that are almost impossible to feel by touch can still be seen as lines of light. It is preferable that the grooves 13 be formed continuously from the base 11 to near the tip 12 of the oscillating part 10, but they may be partially interrupted. It is effective to provide two or three grooves 13 on the outer surface of the oscillating part 10. When providing two grooves 13 on the outer surface of the oscillating part 10, they should be positioned at positions offset by 180°, and when providing three grooves 13 on the outer surface of the oscillating part 10, they should be positioned at positions offset by 120°. Note that the grooves 13 may be formed partially between the base 11 and the tip 12.

[0012] The oscillating part 10 can be made of a resin such as a styrene-based or olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, polyurethane, silicone, acrylic, polyvinyl chloride, or polycarbonate, or a resin such as plastic optical fiber, and is made of a transparent or translucent material that transmits light. It is also effective if the oscillating part 10 contains particles or bubbles that reflect or refract light.

[0013] A cat toy can be made by forming the swinging part 10 and the handle part 20 as separate members and inserting the base part 11 of the swinging part 10 into the end of the handle part 20 that is the emission side of the light source 30, but the swinging part 10 and the handle part 20 can also be molded integrally from resin. When the swinging part 10 and the handle part 20 are formed as separate members, the handle part 20 can be made of a resin, wood, bamboo, or the like that is harder than the swinging part 10.

[0014] The handle 20 has a switch (not shown), and by turning on the switch, light from the light source 30 can be made to enter the swinging part 10 from the base part 11. The light that enters from the base part 11 changes in hue, brightness, or saturation before it reaches the tip part 12. In addition, by tapering the tip part 12, it is possible to make the tip part 12 shine slightly brighter. The light from the tip part 12 can be seen as a point of light. Furthermore, the grooves 13 formed on the outer surface of the swinging part 10 create a faint line of light.

[0015] In this way, the oscillating part 10 generates a color change in the axial direction (X) and a slight line of light in the axial direction (X), which can stimulate the cat's curiosity. The point of light at the tip part 12 can also stimulate the cat's curiosity. Furthermore, by swinging the swinging part 10, various changes occur in the color change in the axial direction (X), the light line in the axial direction (X), or the light point at the tip part 12, so the cat will not get bored and will be continuously kept curious. The cross section of the oscillating part 10 is preferably circular from the viewpoint of facilitating uniform oscillation, but it may also be elliptical, or may further be polygonal such as triangular, rectangular or pentagonal, and in the case of a polygon, the streaks 13 are formed in the cross section. The cross section of the oscillating part 10 may also be polygonal such as a star, and in this case the streaks 13 are also formed in the cross section.

[0016] It is also preferable that the switch for the light source 30 can be turned on and off by rotating part of the handle 20. It is also preferable that the light from the light source 30 can be flashed as well as continuously emitted.

[0017] In addition, the tip 12 can be made not to shine too brightly by attaching a material with low light transmittance to the tip 12 or by attaching a light-blocking or reflective material to the tip 12. When light is incident as shown in Figure 1, even if the tip 12 does not shine particularly brightly, the light that changes color in the axial direction (X) moves while leaving an afterimage, entertaining the cat and allowing you to have fun together.

[0018] Figure 2 is a photograph showing the rocking part of the cat toy according to this embodiment, where Figure 2(a) shows the rocking part when it is not lit and rocking, and Figures 2(b) and 2(c) show the rocking part when it is lit and rocking. As shown in Figure 2, the light emitted from the light source 30 and incident on the base 11 undergoes a color change before it reaches the tip 12 of the swinging part 10. At the base 11, the light is perceived as cool light, and changes to a warm light as it approaches the tip 12.

[0019] In this way, by gradually reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the oscillating portion 10 from the base portion 11 to the tip portion 12, the color changes and becomes darker as it moves from the base portion 11 to the tip portion 12. The light also gets darker towards the tip 12, where it converges into a single point that shines brightly and appears clearly round. Cats are more likely to notice the tip 12, and they will chase after the point of light at tip 12. The light with color changes in the axial direction (X) and the round point of light at tip 12 that moves and leaves an afterimage will entertain your cat as it imagines unknown creatures, allowing you to have fun together.

[0020] When light was incident on the tapered oscillating part 10, which was molded with fine particles, the color changed from the light incident part to the tip 12, from white with a short wavelength to orange with a long wavelength.

[0021] In the cat toy of this embodiment, the light source 30 is located inside the handle 20, and the cat plays with the swinging part 10 made of resin, so there is no risk of electric shock or injury, and there is no risk of retinal damage as with so-called laser pointers. According to the present invention, cats can safely play in a dimly lit room, satisfying their curiosity and reducing their stress.

[0022] When we tried playing with a cat using the cat toy of the present invention, the cat showed interest without being wary, biting and playing with it with its front paws.When we dragged the rocking part 10 across the ground, the cat extended its front claws to grab it and stomp on it to subdue it, and when we lifted it up in the air and rocked it, it engaged in a series of aggressive behaviors, quickly knocking it down with its front paws, which was very exciting. The cat toy of the present invention has good visibility in dark places, and when the whiskers are hit, they bend rapidly and significantly, leaving an afterimage that makes it easy to see even the smallest movements, allowing you to concentrate on playing with your cat. It has good visibility, making it easy to operate in dim light, and as the light moves and leaves an afterimage, you can entertain your cat by imagining that a deep-sea fish, unknown reptile, insect, or other creature has appeared, allowing you to have fun together.

[0023] As such, with this cat toy, the swinging part 10 can achieve movements reminiscent of the body parts of reptiles, insects, and small animals, stimulating the cat and making it easily visible to both humans and cats when the room is dark, entertaining both the cat and the human and reducing stress in the cat. Furthermore, the parts that the cat grasps with its mouth and paws are made of a moderately soft resin, so they will not injure the inside of the cat's mouth or body, and the light source 30 is built into the handle 20, so the cat cannot touch it and there is no risk of electric shock, and there is no risk of light damaging the cat's retina, making it a safe and enjoyable toy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 10 Swinging part 11 Root part 12 Tip 13 Lines 20 Handle 30 Light Source

Claims

[Claim 1] A cat toy comprising a flexible swinging part and a handle part disposed at the base of the swinging part, a light source is provided on the handle portion; The cross-sectional area of ​​the swinging portion is gradually reduced from the base portion toward the tip portion of the swinging portion, A groove having a concave or convex shape is formed on the outer surface of the swinging part in the axial direction of the swinging part, The light source emits light from the base of the swinging part, causing the swinging part to glow. A cat toy characterized by:

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