Pet Toy Central Hub with Flexible Retainer Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pet toys fail to provide a versatile solution that can function as both a chew toy, a holder for other chew toys or edible items, and a throwable fetching toy, while also withstanding aggressive chewing and providing secure retention.
Innovation Solution
A pet toy configuration featuring a central hub with projecting arms and a flexible retainer in the form of resilient fingers, made from tough materials like nylon, which can securely hold and protect other chew toys or edible items, and also serve as a chew toy itself, allowing for various play modes such as fetching and tug-of-war.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a pet toy is designed to be a simple chew toy, then it is easy to manufacture and understand, but it lacks versatility and cannot function as a holder for other chew toys or edible items
Solution Approach 1:
The pet toy is designed with a central hub and multiple arms that can serve multiple functions: the arms themselves can be chewed, the arms can hold other chew toys or edible items via friction retention, and the entire structure can be thrown for fetching games. This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by making a single complex structure serve several purposes simultaneously.
2Reliability
If a pet toy uses a flexible retainer to hold chew toys, then it provides secure retention, but the retainer may be damaged or accessed by aggressive chewing pets
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible retainer is nested within the central hub structure, which provides physical protection. The hub acts as a protective casing that shields the retainer from direct contact with the pet's teeth, preventing damage while maintaining the retainer's holding function. This nesting approach resolves the contradiction by protecting the vulnerable retention mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The central hub serves as an intermediary between the pet and the flexible retainer. Instead of the pet directly interacting with and potentially damaging the retainer, the hub mediates this interaction by absorbing the mechanical stress and protecting the retainer while still allowing the retainer to perform its retention function.
3Strength
If a pet toy is made from tough material to withstand aggressive chewing, then it provides durability, but it cannot be ingested by the pet
Solution Approach 1:
The toy is segmented into different functional parts: the central hub and arms are made from tough non-ingestible material for structural integrity and chewing durability, while the items held by the retainer can be edible chew toys or treats. This segmentation allows the structure to provide durable chewing surfaces while still offering ingestible options through the held items.
4Ease of operation
If a pet toy has a central hub with extending arms above and below, then it allows secure holding against the ground for chewing, but it increases the complexity of securing the retainer
Solution Approach 1:
The central hub is designed with different local qualities: the portions extending above and below the arms provide structural support and ground-contact stability, while the section containing the retainer provides a protected environment for the retention mechanism. This localized design allows the hub to simultaneously provide ease of operation for secure holding while managing the complexity of retainer securing through specialized local structures.
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 pet toy effectively addresses the need for versatility and durability by allowing multiple uses while securely holding items, providing a durable and safe chewing surface, and withstanding aggressive pet interaction.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible retainer in the form of a plurality of resilient fingers
Data Source
AI summary
A pet toy holds another item that can be chewed upon by a pet. The pet toy holds the item with a flexible retainer disposed within and protected by a central hub. The central hub can be provided with different external shapes including a round ball shape, an oval football shape, a flattened frisbee shape, an elongated bone shape, or a star shape with a plurality of arms. The central hub is configured to secure the retainer and protect the retainer from damage from the pet during use. The retainer can be a plurality of flexible fingers. The pet toy can have a plurality of arms projecting from the central hub. The central hub extends both above and below the arms to allow the pet to firmly hold the toy against the ground in a secure arrangement for both chewing on an arm of the pet toy and for chewing on a chew toy or edible item held by the pet toy.