CN112075355A

CN112075355A - Two-in-one structure for pet toy

Info

Publication number: CN112075355A
Application number: CN202010522073.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: T.H.西德勒; L.贝尔克
Original assignee: Petsmart Home Office Inc
Current assignee: Petsmart Home Office Inc
Priority date: 2019-06-13
Filing date: 2020-06-10
Publication date: 2020-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-10
Also published as: CN112075355B

Abstract

A pet toy assembly and method of forming the same, the pet toy assembly including a first toy portion, wherein the first toy portion includes a cavity formed therein and a second toy portion separate from the first toy portion. The second toy portion is at least partially retained within the cavity of the first toy portion prior to use of the pet toy assembly. Additionally, at least a portion of the second toy portion extends from the first toy portion prior to use of the pet toy assembly.

Description

Two-in-one structure for pet toy

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This patent application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No.62/860,903 filed on 13.6.2019. The disclosure of this priority application is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to pet toys, and more particularly, to a two-in-one pet toy having an outer toy and an inner toy, wherein the inner toy is at least partially and temporarily retained within the outer toy.

Background

Many pets (and pet owners) enjoy playing toys of various shapes, sizes and configurations. For example, pet owners may select from a number of stuffed plush toys, cordage toys, ball toys, thermoplastic rubber (TPR) toys, consumables (e.g., chew toys, rawhide) that vary in shape and size. However, these different toy configurations are typically purchased and used individually, requiring the owner to purchase and store every type of toy that may be a favorite pet of the owner. Additionally, most existing pet toys provide little challenge or element of surprise, which both pets and their owners may enjoy.

Accordingly, this patent document describes pet toy constructions that are intended to address the above-referenced problems and/or other problems.

Disclosure of Invention

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a pet toy assembly is disclosed. The pet toy assembly includes a first toy portion, wherein the first toy portion includes a cavity formed therein. The pet toy assembly may further include a second toy portion separate from the first toy portion, wherein the second toy portion is at least partially retained within the cavity of the first toy portion prior to use of the pet toy assembly. Additionally, at least a portion of the second toy portion may extend from the first toy portion prior to use of the pet toy assembly.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a pet toy assembly is disclosed that includes an outer toy portion, wherein the outer toy portion includes a cavity formed therein. An inner toy portion having an elongated portion and at least one auxiliary toy coupled thereto may also be included, wherein the inner toy portion is separate from the outer toy portion and is partially and temporarily retained within the cavity of the outer toy portion. Further, the end of the elongated portion of the inner toy portion may extend from the outer toy portion.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of forming a two-in-one pet toy assembly is disclosed. The method includes providing an outer toy portion and forming a cavity within the outer toy portion. The method may further include forming at least one opening in the outer toy portion, wherein the at least one opening is in communication with the cavity and providing an inner toy portion separate from the outer toy portion, the inner toy portion having an elongated portion and at least one auxiliary toy coupled thereto. The method may further include inserting a portion of the inner toy portion into the cavity of the outer toy portion such that at least one auxiliary toy coupled to the inner toy portion is temporarily held in the cavity and the end region of the elongated portion extends from the opening of the outer toy portion.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a two-in-one pet toy construction according to one aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a partial bottom view of the two-in-one pet toy configuration of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the interior toy of the two-in-one pet toy configuration of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a two-in-one pet toy construction according to another aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the two-in-one pet toy construction of FIG. 4; and

fig. 6 is a plan view of the interior toy of the two-in-one pet toy configuration of fig. 4.

Detailed Description

The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present device and is not meant to limit the inventive concepts claimed in this document. Furthermore, certain features described in this document can be used in combination with other described features in each of the various possible combinations and permutations.

Unless otherwise explicitly defined in this document, all terms should be given the broadest interpretation including meanings implied from the specification and meanings understood by those skilled in the art and/or as defined in dictionaries, papers, etc.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless otherwise specified. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. All publications mentioned in this document are incorporated by reference. Nothing in this document should be construed as an admission that the embodiments described in this document are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention. As used herein, the term "including" means "including but not limited to". In addition, the use of the terms "coupled," "coupled," or "coupled to" may imply that two or more elements may be directly connected or may be indirectly coupled through one or more intermediate elements.

In this document, positional identifying terms such as "vertical," "horizontal," "front," "back," "side," "top," and "bottom" are not intended to limit the present invention to a particular direction or orientation, but are merely intended to indicate relative positions, or positions corresponding to the directions shown when the pet toy or a portion of the pet toy is oriented as shown in the figures.

Referring to fig. 1-2, a two-in-one pet toy assembly 10 is shown according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the configuration shown in fig. 1-2, the first toy portion 11 of the pet toy assembly 10 is in the shape of an animal (e.g., a bear) having a body portion 12, a head portion 14, and a plurality of legs 15. Each leg 15 may receive additional features, such as a sounder 16, corrugated material, etc., which may increase the functionality and/or enjoyment of the toy on the pet. Additionally and/or alternatively, other portions of the first toy portion 11 of the pet toy assembly 10 may accommodate such additional "play" features. Further, while the first toy portion 11 is shown in the form of an animal (i.e., a bear), it should be understood that the first toy portion 11 may be configured in any suitable form and is not limited to the form shown in fig. 1-2.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1-2, the first toy portion 11 is configured as a fabric and/or plush toy. However, unlike conventional fabric and/or plush pet toys, the first toy portion 11 includes an unfilled cavity (not shown) formed therein that is sized and configured to at least temporarily retain the second toy portion 20 of the pet toy assembly 10. Thus, the first toy portion 11 functions as an external toy and the second toy portion 20 functions as an internal toy, thereby forming the pet toy assembly 10 (at least initially) as a two-in-one toy.

More specifically, second toy portion 20 may include an elongated portion 22. In some embodiments, the elongated portion 22 may be formed as a rope or cord. However, it should be understood that the elongate portion 22 may be formed from any suitable material, such as a piece of elongate cotton or wool cloth, nylon webbing, or the like. Referring to fig. 3, the elongated portion 22 of the second toy portion 20 may have one or more

auxiliary toy members

24, 26 coupled or secured thereto. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, a pair of bee-like auxiliary toy members 24 may be coupled along a middle portion of the elongated portion 22, while another honeycomb-like auxiliary toy member 26 may be coupled at one end of the elongated portion 22. In this way, the second toy portion 20 of the pet toy assembly 10 is identical in theme to the first toy portion 11 of the pet toy assembly 10 (i.e., assuming that the bee nest and bees are eaten by the bear). However, such correspondence in theme between the various parts of the pet toy assembly 10 is not required, and the first toy part 11 and the second toy part 20 need not be interrelated.

As mentioned above,

auxiliary toy members

24, 26 are coupled to elongated portion 22 so as to form second toy portion 20 completely separate from first toy portion 11.

Auxiliary toy members

24, 26 may be formed from any suitable material. For example, in one embodiment, one or more of the

auxiliary toy members

24, 26 may be formed as a plush or fabric material. Additionally and/or alternatively, the

secondary toy members

24, 26 may be formed from one or more of, for example, a TPR material, a vinyl material, a consumable material (e.g., rawhide, chewable food, etc.), or any other suitable material. Further, while three

auxiliary toy members

24, 26 are shown in fig. 3, it should be understood that more or fewer auxiliary toy members may be utilized.

Referring again to fig. 1-2, one end region of the elongated portion 22 is configured to extend a distance from the opening 18 formed in the first toy portion 11 such that only that end region of the elongated portion 22 is initially visible from the exterior of the pet toy assembly 10, at least prior to initial use of the pet toy assembly 10. In some embodiments, the end region may extend a distance of, for example, 3-5 inches from the opening 18. However, it should be understood that the end region of the elongate portion 22 may extend less than or greater than this distance. Additionally and/or alternatively, the end region may be configured (e.g., colored, sized, textured, etc.) relative to the first toy portion 11. For example, since the first toy portion 11 is in the form of an animal (i.e., a bear), at least the end region of the elongated portion 22 may be designed to look like, for example, an animal's tongue protruding from the opening 18, which itself may be configured to look like the animal's mouth. However, it should be understood that opening 18 may be formed anywhere along first toy portion 11, and that there may be more than one opening 18.

As shown in FIG. 2, opening 18 may include a resilient boundary 17 that may allow elongated portion 22 to be at least temporarily retained within opening 18 such that second toy portion 20 is substantially retained within first toy portion 11 prior to use. Upon purchase of pet toy set 10, second toy portion 20 is almost completely retained within the cavity formed within first toy portion 11, except for the end regions of elongated portion 22 that protrude from opening 18. Thus, a first impression of a user of the pet toy assembly 10 is that it is a single unitary toy. However, once used by a pet, second toy portion 20 may be pulled through opening 18 via elongate portion 22, thereby exposing one or more

second toy members

24, 26. In this manner, pet toy set 10 provides greater surprise and pleasure than conventional pet toys, as it appears that one toy is actually two separate toys, each of which may be of a very different mass (plush, cordage, expendable, etc.).

In some embodiments, second toy portion 20 is completely separate from first toy portion 11 and cannot be reinserted into the cavity formed within first toy portion 11 once second toy portion 20 is pulled through opening 18. Thus, in this configuration, the surprise element of the auxiliary toy is only provided when the pet toy assembly 10 is first used. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, second toy portion 20 and first toy portion 11 may be configured such that second toy portion 20 (and/or other toy components) may be manually reinserted into first toy portion 11 after initial use. Additionally and/or alternatively, while pet toy assembly 10 is shown with first toy portion 11 and second toy portion 20 as distinct objects, in some embodiments, the second end of elongated portion 22 (i.e., the end that does not protrude from opening 18) may be coupled to some portion of first toy portion 11 such that second toy portion 20 may be pulled out of opening 18 to expose the second toy, but second toy portion 20 is not completely separated from first toy portion 11.

Referring next to fig. 4-6, a pet toy assembly 30 is shown in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure. Although the pet toy component 10 described above with respect to fig. 1-3 is of the type of a bear's plush, the pet toy component 30 is in the form of an oyster or clamshell. The pet toy assembly 30 may include a first outer portion 32 and a second inner portion 40. As shown in fig. 4-6, the first outer portion 32 may be similar to the shell and may be formed of any suitable material, such as, for example, wool, TPR, vinyl, and the like. As with the pet toy component 10 described above, the first outer portion 32 may include a cavity formed therein, wherein the cavity is sized and configured to at least partially retain, albeit temporarily, the second inner member 40.

As shown in fig. 4-5, the first outer portion 32 may define an opening 34 therein, and an end region of the elongated portion 42 of the second inner member 40 may extend through the opening 34 prior to initial use of the pet toy assembly 30. Although not shown, the opening 34 may include a resilient portion to help retain the elongated portion 42. Again, the elongated portion 42 may be formed as a rope or alternatively, as any other suitable material, such as for example a long strip of cotton or wool fabric, a nylon strap, or the like.

Upon first use of the pet toy assembly 30, a pet may pull on the exposed end of the elongated portion 42 to release the entire second inner member 40 from the cavity within the first outer portion 32, thereby providing two separate toys formed by the first outer portion 32 and the second inner portion 40, respectively. As shown in fig. 6, the second inner portion 40 may be formed substantially as a toy rope with a ball portion 44 coupled to an elongated portion 42. In conjunction with the oyster theme of first outer portion 32, ball portion 44 may be considered to represent a pearl, for example. It should be understood, however, that ball portion 44 may be any suitable toy, such as stuffed plush toys, thermoplastic rubber (TPR) toys, consumables (e.g., chew toys, rawhide) having many different shapes and sizes, and further, while only one ball portion 44 is shown, it should be understood that second inner portion 40 may include more than one auxiliary toy coupled thereto.

Additionally, although in some embodiments the first outer portion 32 and the second inner member 40 are configured to be completely separated once the second inner member 40 is pulled out of and not reinserted into the cavity within the first outer portion, it should be understood that in other embodiments the first outer portion 32 and the second inner member 40 may be configured such that the second inner member 40 may be manually reinserted into the first outer portion 32 after initial use. Additionally and/or alternatively, while pet toy assembly 30 is shown with first outer portion 32 and second inner portion 40 as distinct objects, in some embodiments, the second end of elongated portion 42 (i.e., the end that does not protrude from the opening) may be coupled to some portion of first outer portion 32 such that second inner portion 40 may be pulled out of the opening to expose the auxiliary toy, but second inner portion 40 is not completely separated from first outer portion 32.

The description of the various embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvements of the technology found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A pet toy assembly comprising:

a first toy portion including a cavity formed therein; and

a second toy part, separate from the first toy part,

the second toy part is at least partially retained within the cavity of the first toy part prior to use of the pet toy assembly, and

at least a portion of the second toy portion extends from the first toy portion prior to use of the pet toy assembly.

2. The pet toy assembly of claim 1, further comprising an elongated portion of the second toy portion having first and second end regions and at least one auxiliary toy coupled to the elongated portion.

3. The pet toy assembly of claim 2, wherein one of the first end region and the second end region of the elongated portion extends from an opening formed in the first toy portion.

4. The pet toy assembly of claim 3, wherein the opening includes a resilient boundary to help retain the elongated portion of the second toy portion.

5. The pet toy assembly of claim 3, wherein one of the first end region and the second end region extends from the opening a distance of 3 inches to 5 inches.

6. The pet toy assembly of claim 2, wherein the elongated portion is a cord.

7. The pet toy assembly of claim 2, wherein at least one auxiliary toy is at least one of a ball toy, a stuffed plush toy, a thermoplastic rubber (TPR) toy, a vinyl toy, and a pet consumable.

8. The pet toy assembly of claim 1, wherein the first toy portion is formed as a plush fabric toy.

9. A pet toy assembly comprising:

an outer toy portion including a cavity formed therein; and

an inner toy portion having an elongated portion and at least one auxiliary toy coupled thereto,

the inner toy part is separated from the outer toy part and is partially and temporarily retained within the cavity of the outer toy part, an

The ends of the elongated portion of the inner toy portion extend from the outer toy portion.

10. The pet toy assembly of claim 9, wherein an end of the elongated portion extends from an opening formed in the outer toy portion.

11. The pet toy assembly of claim 10, wherein the opening includes a resilient border to help retain the elongated portion of the inner toy portion.

12. The pet toy assembly of claim 10, wherein an end of the elongated portion extends a distance of 3 inches to 5 inches from the opening.

13. The pet toy assembly of claim 9, wherein the elongated portion is a cord.

14. The pet toy assembly of claim 9, wherein at least one auxiliary toy is at least one of a ball toy, a stuffed plush toy, a thermoplastic rubber (TPR) toy, a vinyl toy, and a pet consumable.

15. A method of forming a two-in-one pet toy component, the method comprising:

providing an outer toy portion;

a cavity formed in the outer toy portion;

at least one opening is formed in the outer toy portion, wherein the at least one opening is in communication with the cavity.

Providing an inner toy part separate from an outer toy part, said inner toy part having an elongated part comprising an end region and at least one auxiliary toy coupled to said elongated part, an

A portion of the inner toy portion is inserted into the cavity of the outer toy portion such that at least one auxiliary toy coupled to the inner toy portion is temporarily retained within the cavity and an end region of the elongated portion extends from the opening of the outer toy portion.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing a resilient boundary around the opening of the outer toy portion.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the elongated portion is formed as a cord.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one auxiliary toy is at least one of a ball toy, a stuffed plush toy, a thermoplastic rubber (TPR) toy, a vinyl toy, and a pet consumable.