Pet Toy Core Assembly Isolating Squeaker via Airflow Deformation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pet toys with noise-making devices often fail to effectively isolate the squeaker from animal access, leading to potential ingestion, as animals aggressively chew to destroy the sound source, despite prior attempts to secure the device within the toy.
Innovation Solution
A pet toy design featuring a core assembly with a flexible, elastomeric body and a central shaft that secures a noise-making device housing, allowing airflow through deformation, providing structural support and ensuring the squeaker remains inaccessible while activating sound production upon biting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the noise making device is incorporated into the pet toy to stimulate play, then the animal's biting action activates the squeaking sound, but the animal will aggressively chew to destroy the squeaker and may inadvertently swallow it
Solution Approach 1:
The noise making device is nested within a hollow cavity formed by the core assembly's bore, which is itself nested within the toy body. Multiple layers of containment (core assembly bore, housing, and toy body walls) create progressive nesting that isolates the squeaker while maintaining activation capability through the structured air passage system.
Solution Approach 2:
The core assembly acts as an intermediary structure between the animal's biting action and the noise making device. It provides a controlled air passage route that mediates the activation process, allowing air flow to reach the squeaker through defined pathways while preventing direct animal contact with the device.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the noise making device is isolated within the pet toy to prevent access, then ingestion risk is reduced, but the structure surrounding the device may lack additional structural support
Solution Approach 1:
The core assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support to the toy body through its rigid shaft and flange construction, creates the hollow cavity for noise device containment, and forms the air passage routing system. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the isolation structure itself the primary load-bearing element.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the isolation function and structural support function into a single integrated core assembly structure. The shaft and flanges that provide mechanical strength are the same elements that define the hollow cavity and air passages, combining previously separate functions into one unified component system.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a separate holder or sleeve is used to retain the squeaker, then the noise making device can be isolated, but the bonding may fail and the sleeve requires additional retention features
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the squeaker retention function from the toy body and consolidates it within the self-contained core assembly. The hollow cavity and air passage system are extracted as integrated features of the core assembly rather than being formed by separate holders or sleeves, eliminating the need for additional retention mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively isolates the noise-making device from animal access, providing additional structural support and ensuring continuous sound production without risk of ingestion, as the elastomeric core assembly allows airflow through deformation, maintaining the toy's integrity and stimulating the animal.
Implementation Method 1
The pet toy has a flexible, elastomeric body that flexes in response to external pressure placed on the toy by an animal
Implementation Method 2
The core assembly provides additional structural support to the pet toy
Data Source
AI summary
A pet toy has a core assembly incorporating a noise making feature. The pet toy has a flexible, elastomeric body that flexes in response to external pressure placed on the toy by an animal. The core assembly extends through the interior of the pet toy and is secured at opposite ends of the pet toy. In one preferred embodiment, the pet toy is a round shaped ball in which the core assembly extends across a diameter of the ball. The core assembly has a bore and a noise making device is secured to a housing that extends from a central shaft of the bore. Airflow is facilitated through the pet toy for activation of the noise making device by deformation of the body of the pet toy. As the pet toy is deformed by the biting action of an animal, air is forced through the noise making device, thereby creating sound. In another embodiment, the core assembly has a compound shape including a bulbous portion securing the noise making housing.