GB2460820A - A belt with a pocket for dispensing items - Google Patents

Abstract

A belt adapted to be worn around the torso of the user for dispensing at least one item selected from a group including bags, keys, money, dog treats and wipes, for use whilst walking a dog that has at least one dispensing pocket. The dispensing pocket has a front section with at least one slit or cut line 48, 50 through which items such as wipes, tissues or bags may be dispensed one at a time, and a top section with a second opening through such items to be dispensed are introduced into the pocket. Preferably the belt has at least two dispensing pockets 22, 26 and a storage pocket 24 located between the two dispensing pockets although any combination may be used. The belt may be formed from an elongated piece of material that is folded longitudinally to form a U-shaped channel that are joined together 34, 36, 38, 40 at least twice to form at least one dispensing pocket. The belt may be used with at least one container for dispensing multiple items such as bags, wipes or tissues that may be located inside a dispensing pocket so that the opening of the container aligns generally with the dispensing opening in the dispensing pocket. The belt may have additional holding means such as a caribena or a loop.

Description

Belt for Dog Walkers

Field of Invention

This invention relates to a specialised belt for dog walkers which houses things a dog walker needs when out walking their dog such as (but not limited to) bags for the collection of animal waste, hand wipes, house keys, dog lead, money, dog treats and an iPod. The belt has specially designed pockets so you can access the tidy bags and hand wipes without opening the pockets -allowing you to pull them out one by one from an opening in the front side of the pockets.

BackQround Pets, particularly dogs need to be given exercise, usually by walking in public places. The animal will usually defecate during this exercise. In many jurisdictions it is either illegal or socially unacceptable to leave pet faeces where deposited by the animal and the owner is required to pick up the faeces and dispose the material in a suitable waste bin, or take them home.

It is common for the exerciser to take one or more plastics bags when exercising a pet and use these to pick up after their dog. However there is nothing available that allows the exerciser to easily carry these bags on their body and dispense the bags without having to open any pockets. Further, it is desirable to have anti-bacterial tissues or wipes to enable the person to clean their hands if they become soiled with the animals' faeces and to provide bacterial protection. Again there is nothing currently available that allows the user to dispense the hand wipes without opening any pockets.

Summary of the Invention

In one broad form the invention provides a belt for selective dispensing of at least one item, the belt adapted to be worn around the torso of a user, the belt including at least one dispensing pocket for storing items to be dispensed, the or each dispensing pocket having a first dispensing opening through which said items may be dispensed one at a time.

The or each dispensing pocket may have a front surface and the first dispensing opening may be in the front surface.

The dispensing opening may be a cut line in the front surface.

The or each dispensing pocket preferably has a second opening through which a supply of the items may be introduced into the respective dispensing pocket. The second opening may be closable.

Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention is a belt for selective dispensing of at least one item selected from a group including bags, tissues and wipes, for use whilst dog walking, the belt adapted to be worn around the torso of a user, the belt including at least one dispensing pocket for storing safd ftems to be dfspensed, the or each dfspensing pocket havfng: a front; at least one first dispensing opening formed by at least one slit or cut line in the front through which said items may be dispensed one at a time; a top, and a second opening in the top through which a supply of the items may be introduced into the respective dispensing pocket.

The belt preferably has multiple dispensing pockets arranged side by side. The belt may include one or more storage pockets. The storage pocket may have substantially the same dimensions as the dispensing pocket(s) or may have different dimensions. Storage pockets do not have a dispensing opening.

Storage pockets may be located between dispensing pockets.

The belt may include an elongate piece of material that is folded along a horizontal line to form a U shaped channel having front and back walls.

Pockets, both dispensing and/or storage may be defined by joining the front and back walls to each other at locations along the length of the material. The walls may be joined along join lines extending generally vertically. These join lines preferably have ends remote from the base and the top of the channel.

Preferably the items are supplied in a container having multiple items, the container having an opening through which the items are dispensed, with the container and pocket sized so the opening in the container aligns generally with the dispensing opening in the dispensing pocket.

The invention thus also includes the combination of the belt as described above and at least one container containing multiple items to be dispensed.

Brief DescriDtion of the Drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first example of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the example of figure 1.

Detailed DescriDtion of Preferred and other Embodiments Referring to the drawings there is shown a belt 10 for animal waste bags intended to wrap around the waist/hip region of a human. Accordingly the ends 12, 14 have suitable fittings 16, 18 to enable the ends 12, 14 to be attached to each other. In the example the fittings 16, 18 are quick release fittings but other means of connecting the ends may be used, such as a conventional buckle arrangement.

The belt may be made of any suitable material, such as leather, natural or man-made woven fabric or other materials. The use of "fabric" throughout the specification is to be understood to include all of the foregoing and other

suitable materials.

Located centrally is a taller region 20 that has three pockets, 22, 24 � 26. In this example the three pockets are closed at their base and open at their top, defining apertures 28, 30 32 respectively. In the example shown the pockets are defined by lines 34, 36, 38 8:40 of stitching. In the example the front and back layers 42, 44 of the central portion 20 of the belt is formed of a single piece that is folded at the base 46. Other constructions may be used. For exampLe, the centraL portion 20 may be formed of two separate pieces of fabric or other material that are stitched together along the base 46.

Whilst stitching is preferred, other means of attachment and/or bonding may be used. For example, fabrics made of plastics fibres or other heat softenable material may be welded along lines 34, 36, 38 8: 40 and/or the base 46.

Adhesives, cements, glues or other bonding agents may also be used.

The two outer pockets 22 26 are substantially identical and are each provided with an opening 48, 50 in the front layer of fabric 42. In this example the openings 48, 50 are a cut line in a rubber or plastics insert 52, 54 that is sewn or other wise attached to the front layer of fabric 42. A portion of the fabric 42 is removed behind the inserts 52, 54 to allow passage through the fabric and inserts. Whilst the openings 48, 50 are a sinusoidal line, this is not essential and other configurations may be used. For example a star shaped arrangement of cut lines may be used instead.

Use of an insert is not essential and other means of forming an opening in the fabric may be used. For example, a simple "button hole" may be formed by merely cutting a line or opening in the fabric and, preferably, securing the cut end, such as by stitching melting of the fabric or other means.

The central pocket 24 does not have an opening. However, if desired the central pocket may have an opening.

The two outer pockets are provided with items for selective dispensing through the openings 48, 50. Preferably the items are provided in containers 56, 58. In the example shown the container 56 contains plastics bags for use in picking up and disposing of animal faeces. These may be biodegradable and/or scented plastic bags. The other container 58 contains wet or dry tissues, preferably anti-bacterial, for cleaning the user's hands after disposable of the faeces. The bags and/or tissues may be formed as discrete items or as tear-off items of a continuous web of material with lines of weakness delineating individual items.

The belt may also hold an absorbent grit or coarse material, such as diatomaceous earth or functional equivalents, which may be placed or sprinkled onto wet faeces in order to dry the faeces prior to picking up in the plastic bag. This material may be held in the central storage pocket 24, another dispensing pocket (not shown) similar to the outer pockets 22 and 26, or another storage pocket (not shown) similar to the central storage pocket 24.

In use the end of a bag or tissue will extend out of the respective opening and may be grasped and pulled out of the respective opening. If the items are part of a continuous web, the web wilt be drawn out and the item wilt tear off when the line of weakness passes through the opening. Alternatively, if individual items, the next item will be drawn out as the first item is dispensed.

Thus the user has easy access to both bags for picking up and disposing of faeces and tissues for cleaning their hands afterwards.

The pockets of the belt do not need to be open at their top ends and may be closable, such as by use of buttons, zips, hook loop fastener material or by other means.

Whilst the example described has three pockets, two of which may be used for dispensing items and one may not, other combinations may be provided. For example three pockets all with openings may be provided. The belt may have only a single pocket and that pocket have an opening for dispending items.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many obvious modifications and variations may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims (5)

1. The claims definin2 the invention are as follows: 1. A belt for selective dispensing of at least one item selected from a group including bags, keys, money, dog treats, and wipes, for use whilst dog walking, the belt adapted to be worn around the torso of a user, the belt including at least one dispensing pocket for storing said items to be dispensed, the or each dispensing pocket having: a front; at Least one first dispensing opening formed by at least one slit or cut line in the front through which said items may be dispensed one at a time; a top, and a second opening in the top the through which a supply of the items may be introduced into the respective dispensing pocket.
2. 2. The belt as claimed in claim 1 having at least two dispensing pockets and a storage pocket located between two dispensing pockets.
3. 3. The beEt as cLaimed in any one of the preceding cLaims incLuding: an elongate piece of material that is foLded along a longitudinally extending line to form a U shaped channel having a base, front and back walls and an open top; at Least one dispensing pocket defined by joining the front and back watts to each other at at teast two spaced apart locations spaced along the length of the material.
4. 4. The belt as claimed in claim 3 wherein the front and rear walls are joined along join lines extending generally transversely from adjacent the base to adjacent the top of the channel.
5. 5. The combination of a belt as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and at least one container having multiple items for dispensing from the belt, the at least one container sized to be received in at least one corresponding pocket in the belt, the pocket and container configured so, when the container is within the pocket an opening in the container aligns generally with the dispensing opening in the dispensing pocket, whereby items may be dispensed from the container via the dispensing opening in the pocket.