Pet Toy Sliding Elements for Motor Skill Development

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pet toys fail to effectively improve the motor skills, memory, and intelligence of pets, as they often require high accuracy and are not suitable for strong, jerky movements, which are common in animals.

Innovation Solution

A toy design featuring a housing with longitudinal and transverse sliding elements that require precise operation, with surface structures for mechanical interaction, allowing pets to retrieve treats, thereby enhancing motor skills and memory through challenging movements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If toys are designed to require high accuracy in operation, then the toy can improve pet's motor skills, but the toy becomes unsuitable for strong, jerky and undirected movements common in animals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemotor skills requirementVSAvoidadaptability to animal movements

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The toy is divided into multiple independent sliding elements (longitudinal and transverse) that can move separately within the housing. Each element has its own movement path and surface structures, allowing the pet to interact with individual components through jerky movements while the cumulative effect requires precise operation to align all elements and access treats

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The toy incorporates movable sliding elements that change position based on pet interaction. The elements transition between closed positions (treats concealed) and open positions (treats accessible), creating a dynamic system that adapts to the pet's movements while requiring progressive precision to fully solve

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the toy requires precise operation to improve motor skills, then the toy becomes stable and challenging, but the complexity of operation increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetoy stabilityVSAvoidoperation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The complex operation is broken down into simple, repetitive actions of sliding elements along defined paths. Each sliding element performs a single function (moving treats), and the overall complexity emerges from the combination of multiple simple elements rather than a single complex mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple sliding elements are nested within the housing, with longitudinal and transverse elements intersecting in an interaction area. The elements are arranged hierarchically where transverse elements slide within passages of longitudinal elements, creating a compact nested structure that maintains stability while enabling complex interactions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Adaptability or versatility

If sliding elements are provided with surface structures for mechanical interaction, then the mechanical interaction can be modified by moving sliding elements, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical interaction capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Surface structures are provided only on specific portions of the sliding elements rather than uniformly across all surfaces. The longitudinal sliding elements have surface structures on their sides that contact transverse elements, while transverse elements have surface structures on their ends, creating localized interaction zones that reduce manufacturing complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The surface structures include rounded features such as rounded corners and curved contact surfaces on the sliding elements. These curved features facilitate smooth mechanical interaction and reduce stress concentrations, making the elements more durable while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentUS11659816B2Toy for domestic pets

Publication Date: 2023.05.30 CITAK ANDRZEJ

AI summary

The invention refers to a toy for pets, in particular for dogs, comprising a housing (3) with a floor (5), a lid (7) and side walls (6) with openings (31, 32), through which, in the housing (3), at least one longitudinal sliding element (1) and at least one transversal sliding element (2) are placed in a movable manner, wherein, in a first closed position, the sliding element (1, 2) is fully located inside the housing (3), and in a second open position, one end (11, 21) of the sliding element (1, 2) protrudes through the opening (31, 320), outside the housing (3), wherein the end (11, 21) of the sliding element (2, 3) is equipped with a indent (12, 22) for placing the small treats, wherein the sliding elements (1, 2) are normally aligned with each other and are arranged through crossing in an interaction area, wherein on/in the sliding elements (1, 2) surface structures are provided, by height and/or width, wherein the surface structures interact mechanically with each other, and the mechanical interaction can be modified by moving the sliding elements (1, 2), through which the sliding elements (1, 2) can be brought into an open position, with the indents (12,22) located outside the housing (3).