NZ778022A - Handheld Fetch Trainer - Google Patents

Abstract

Handheld Fetch Trainer consisting of Ball Thrower, Treat Dispenser and Training Clicker for the purpose of teaching animals to retrieve and return a thrown ball or toy, and surrender it within reach of the thrower.

Description

Title: Handheld Fetch Trainer DESCRIPTION TECHNICAL FIELD: The innovation relates to pet accessories, specifically a Handheld Fetch Trainer, and is suitable for the purpose of the behavioural conditioning of animals in the retrieval and delivery of a ball or other toy after it has been thrown or launched.

For the purposes of this document "Fetch" refers to the game in which a person or machine throws or launches an object for an animal to chase, collect and return to the thrower.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: The invention attempts to solve l key ms in teaching Fetch to animals: 1. Getting an animal to drop the ball close to the thrower once they have retrieved it, so that it can be thrown again or put away. Animals will often collect a thrown ball or toy and want the trainer to chase them for it, or turn the collection process into a game of tug of war where the trainer is forced to pull it from the animal’s mouth. This can be tiering, messy and can lead to the trainer being accidentally bitten. 2. Generating enough power to project a ball or toy far enough away to exercise an energetic animal. 3. g down to pick up a ed ball or toy. This is an established issue for elderly people and those with injuries and medical ions which limit functional movement. 4. The soiling of hands with dog saliva when picking up a ball or toy.

. The need to carry multiple balls for training. To solve the issue of an animal not dropping a ball on return, some people carry a second ball to distract the animal as they retrieve the first. This works relatively well but issues arise when an animal refuses to surrender one of the two balls at the end of the training session. This also requires the r to carry more than is necessary which can be inconvenient when walking. 6. Carrying a te water bowl to ons for fetch training. Many parks and s have access to taps and/ or water fountains but few have a ner suitable for animals to drink from, which es the trainer to either carry a purpose specific bowl or cup their hands under the tap while the animal drinks. Carrying a separate bowl is often cumbersome and the use of hands is often ineffective, requires bending down and results in the trainer getting OBJECTIVES FOR THE INVENTION: 1. To eliminate or minimise the amount of bending required by the user to pick up a retrieved ball or toy, by extending their reach with a handheld apparatus. 2. To increase the leverage a user can apply to a ball or toy in throwing, (in comparison to throwing by hand) to increase the exercise for the animal and reduce the effort of the user. 3. To eliminate or minimise the amount of bending required by the user to reward an animal for returning the collected ball (or toy), by extending their reach with a handheld apparatus which dispenses ased rewards and emits an auditory training cue as they are dispensed.

Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:1 4. To providing a means of ball or toy retrieval which does not require the users hand to come in direct contact with the ball or toy, which can be operated one handed without (or with limited) g down.

. To provide an apparatus for altering an animal’s behaviour so that they drop a returned ball or toy within reach of the thrower for easy collection. 6. To provide a bowl on the distal end of the apparatus for the purpose of holding food or water for the animal, while also keeping hands clean and dry and minimising the need to bend down. 7. To encourage owners to exercise with their animals in a manner suitable to a variety of lifestyles and physical ability levels, and build rapport through interaction by simplifying fetch training.

PRIOR ART: Animal clicker trainers, ball ng devices and treat sers are not new ideas, for example: US20040134434A1 outlines a device which es a clicker and treat ser in a wheel , 153B2 describes a handheld clicker for dog training, and USD637248S1 describes a collapsible handheld ball thrower. What is novel about the Handheld Fetch Trainer is the manner in which these elements are combined and the training outcome this configuration achieves. Thus far there has been nothing on the market or in prior art relating to a Handheld Fetch Trainer that es these elements in a portable ld device. There are electric ball launchers for dogs which combine some of these elements such as Us Pat. US9320960B1, however these are not handheld or portable, and rage interaction between the animal and the trainer.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION: The Handheld Fetch Trainer consolidates the functions of a Ball r, Treat Dispenser and Training Clicker into a handheld device for the purpose of teaching animals to retrieve a thrown ball or toy, and to surrender it to the thrower it once they have returned it.

The Handheld Fetch Trainer acts as an extension of the users arm to provide leverage when throwing, and reach when feeding an animal Treats (9) and collecting the surrendered Ball (7) or toy.

This eliminates, or minimises, the need to bend down at any point in the training process.

The Handle (2) ts of an Ergonomic Grip (2B) that is hollow, ng for the storage of food Treats (9) which are inserted at the end proximal to the user. Access to the Treat Compartment (2F) is covered by an End Cap (1) to prevent treats from falling out during the action of throwing the Ball (7 see Fig. 8 for throwing), or when the invention is inverted for other es such as carrying or storage. The distal end has a raised segment that acts as an axis for the Lever (3A) called the Gate Mechanism Anchor Point (2C) which is located shortly before of the Handle (2) extends into the Shaft (4).

The Shaft extends away from the user to the Bowl (5) and Ball Cup (6) at its furthest most end. The Shaft (4) acts as a slide, guiding treats from the handle into the Bowl (5) as they are released by the Gate Mechanism (3). The Gate Mechanism (3) consists of two Gates (3B), the Clicker Spring (3D) and the Lever (3A) and sits on the segment of the Handle (2) (mentioned above). The Gate Mechanism (3) has two ons of use: Samuel Francis Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:2 1) Phase 1- Front gate is down the rear gate is up (front gate refers to the gate distal, and rear refers to the gate proximal, to the user when held with the bowl facing ). In this position treats rest against the front gate 2) Phase 2- Rear gate down and front gate up. The lever is depressed deforming the clicker and creating audible click, pushing the rear gate down and raising the front gate. This mechanism allows a treat, or small portion of treats, to be sed while stopping the rest from falling down (see bottom left of Fig. 4 for visual representation of both phases) Samuel Francis Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:3 Fig. 1 7 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:4 2G (x2) 3B (x2) 3E (x 3) 3D Fig. 2 3B (x2) 3E (x3) 2G (x2) Fig. 3 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:5 3B (x2) Fig. 4 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:6 Fig. 5 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:7 2C 2D 2G (x2) 2C 2G (x2) 2E 2B Fig. 6 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:8 3Diii 3Aiii (x2) 3Bi 3C 3Biii Fig. 7 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:9 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:10 Fig. 10 Samuel s Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:11 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 Is a perspective view of the of an embodiment of the Fetch Trainer Fig. 2 Is an exploded view of the ent parts of the Gate Mechanism Fig. 3 Is a perspective view of the assembled Gate ism Fig. 4 Is a section view of the Fetch Trainer and bes the delivery system for treats, from the Gate Mechanism to the Bowl.

Fig. 5 Is an embodiment of the Ball Cup and Bowl components with and without a ball.

Fig.6 Is an embodiment of the Fetch Trainer Handle without the Gate Mechanism or End Cap components.

Fig. 7 Details the preferred features of the End Cap, Clicker Spring, Lever, Gates, and Clicker Spring Retention Screw.

Fig. 8 Shows one method for generating leverage over a ball or toy when ng using the Handheld Fetch Trainer.

Fig. 9 Left: Shows a user rewarding an animal for dropping the ball. Right Shows the user collecting the ball without bending down. As the lever is depressed, a click is emitted, creating an association for the animal between the action of dropping the ball, receiving a reward, and the sound. With sufficient repetition the animal reflexively hears the click and drops the ball with or without a treat.

Fig. 10 Shows a ary configuration for the invention in which the Shaft (4) is in an open slide format. This configuration is not the preferred format but is easier to manufacture and clean, and fulfils the same functions as the closed format red in all other figures).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (as per Fig. 1-10) 1. Describes the End Cap. The End Cap serves the purpose of the retention of treats within the handle (see 2 for s of Handle). The End Cap is constructed of a single piece of elastic material and is comprised of a Cap, Lanyard, Tab and Ring.

A. Refers to the Cap seated on the proximal end of the handle (see 2). The current Cap uses friction to hold it in place while in use, while previous models have used threaded Caps.

B. Refers to the d subcomponent of the End Cap. The lanyard functions to prevent loss of the End Cap when it is not seated on the Handle (2) during refilling with Treats (see 9, Fig. 4) C. Refers to the Ring subcomponent of the End Cap. The Ring is connected to the d and anchors it to the Handle (2) behind the Spacer (2A).

D. Refers to the Tab ponent of the End Cap. The Tab connects to the Cap (1A) and offers a means of ng leverage for the e of disconnecting it from the Handle (2) for cleaning or refilling the Treat Compartment (2F). 2. Describes the Handle of the Fetch Trainer. The Handle is injection moulded from impact resistant plastic and comprises an Ergonomic Grip, Treat Compartment, Spacer, Gate Ports, Gate Mechanism Anchor Point, Clicker Spring Ramp and Clicker Spring Attachment Point.

A. Refers to the Spacer. The Spacer functions as stopper to prevent the Ring of the End Cap sliding off the handle (see 1C).

Samuel Francis Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:12 B. Refers to the Ergonomic Grip. The Ergonomic Grip can describe any form of grip that is table to the ty of users and which comprises the above features as described in 2. Previous design iterations have included indents for s, wrapped grips and co-moulded handles using silicone rubber.

C. Refers to the Gate Mechanism Anchor Point. This is the point in which the Central Axis of the Lever is fastened to the Handle (see 3A for Lever, 3Aii for Central Axis).

This protrusion from the handle is d as part of 2.

D. Refers to the Clicker Spring Ramp. The Clicker Spring Ramp is the seat which determines the angle at which the Clicker Spring sits, and where pressure is exerted on the Clicker Spring (see 3D) when the Lever (see 3A) is sed.

E. Refers to the Clicker Spring Attachment Point. This has taken the form of a hole for a (see 3C) but could also take the form of a male snap fit clip which protrudes from the Clicker Spring Ramp and fits through the Fastening Port (see 3Dii) on the Clicker Spring (see 3D).

F. Refers to the Treat Compartment. The Treat Compartment is the internal hollow within the handle that allows treats to be inserted into the proximal end of the handle, and to be dispensed down the Shaft (see 4).

G. Refers to the Gate Ports. The Gate Ports are tab shaped holes either side of the Gate Mechanism Anchor Point (2C) which guide the Gate Shaft (3Bii) into and out of the Treat Compartment (2F). 3. Describes the Gate Mechanism and its subassembly. The Gate ism consists of two Gates, the Clicker Spring, the Lever, and ings.

A. Refers to the Lever. The Lever is single piece injection moulded part and is responsible for changing the position of the Gates (3B), through the press of a thumb or finger, from closed to open and vice versa (this action can be seen at the bottom left hand corner of Fig.4). i. Refers to the Point of . The Point of Effort is where the user applies pressure with their thumb or finger to depress the lever. ii. Refers to the Central Axis. The Central Axis marks the fulcrum of the lever and is attached to the Gate Mechanism Anchor Point (2C) by a Fastener (3E). iii. Refers to the Gate Axes. The Gate Axes (of which there are two) sit either side of the Central Axis and connect the Gates (3B) to the Lever via two Fasteners (3E) B. Refers to the Gates. The Gates (of which there are two) are injection moulded pins that move up and down as part of the Gate Mechanism (3) to allow measured quantities of Treats (9) from the Treat Compartment (2F) into the Shaft (4). The Gates are connected to the Lever (3A) via Fasteners (3E) which allow them to rotate as the Lever (3A) is depressed or raised (See Fig.4 bottom left of page). i. Refers to the Gate Hollow. The Gate Hollow allows a fastener to extend through the Lever (3A) and Gate (3B) at the Gate Axes (3Aiii) as part of the Gate Mechanism (3). The Gate Hollow is rounded and allows for rotation of the Gate (3B) as the Lever (3A) is used. ii. Refers to the Gate Shaft. The Gate Shaft is the pin that extends into the Gate Port (2G) and blocks Treats (9) from being dispensed. The Gate Shaft is rounded in the drawings but has been gular in previous iterations.

Samuel Francis Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:13 iii. Refers to the Gate Foot. The Gate Foot is sloped on one side to help the Gate (3B) slide in-between Treats (9) when the lever is depressed. The Gate is assembled as per Fig. 3 with the slope of the foot facing the proximal end of the handle.

C. Refers to the Clicker Spring Retention Screw, or method of fastening for the Clicker Spring (3D) to the Handle (2), in particular the Clicker Spring Ramp (2D). Pictured is a small screw which inserts into the Fastening Port (3Dii) of the Clicker Spring (3D), r this may be substituted for a male snap fit clip (or other attachment method) which protrudes from the Clicker Spring Ramp and fits through the ing Port (see 3Dii), allowing the Clicker Spring to be d on but not removed.

D. Refers to the Clicker Spring. The Clicker Spring consists of a metal or plastic plate with a circular indent, that when flexed, pushes the Clicker Indent (3Di) from concave to convex creating an audible click as it does so. i. Refers to the Clicker Indent. The Clicker Indent is a blister style indent in the al that, when flexed, rapidly changes its shape from concave to convex generating an audible click. ii. Refers to the Fastening Port. The Fastening Point is the point at which the Clicker Spring (3D) is attached to the Handle (2) at the point of the Clicker Spring Ramp (2D), by a screw or other fastening mechanism. iii. Refers to the r Spring Rise. The Clicker Spring Rise is a bend in the material of the clicker that allows the Clicker Spring (3D) to contact and slide along the inside of the Lever (3A) without impinging on the Clicker Indent (3Di), limiting issues with the distortion of sound during use.

E. Refers to the 3 Fasteners which connect the Lever (3A) to the Gates (3B), and to the Handle (2), in particular, the Gate Mechanism Anchor Point (2C). These can be bolts and nuts, rivets, pins or any other appropriate fastenings made of plastic or metal.

Appropriate fastenings should be saltwater corrosion ant. 4. Describes the Shaft of the Handheld Fetch r. The Shaft consists of a hollow tube or open top slide which extends from the distal end of the Handle (2) to the proximal end of Bowl (5) and Ball Cup (6). The Shaft is composed of a rigid or semirigid c and allows the passage of Treats (9) from the Handle (2) to the Bowl (5). The Shaft curves to reduce the speed of gravity fed Treats (9) to the Bowl (5) preventing ejection from the Bowl (5). The shaft consists of injection moulded or extruded plastic and must be smooth enough to allow Treats (9) to move easily through with only the aid of y.

A. Refers to a ary configuration for the invention in which the top section of the Shaft (4) is cut away for the purposes of easier manufacturing and ng. This configuration is referred to as the "open slide" configuration in the Figure 10 Brief Description of Drawings.

. Describes the Bowl. The Bowl sits at the distal end of the Shaft and acts as a receptacle for dispensed treats from the handle, and as water bowl (or ladle) when a source of water is available. The Bowl is made of injection moulded c and sits above the Ball Cup (6). The Bowl is designed to accommodate a small to large sized dogs’ snout or tongue for the purpose of eating or drinking.

Samuel Francis Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:14 6. Describes the Ball Cup. The Ball Cup sits below the Bowl (5) and functions to retain a ball using friction and pressure for the purposes of transport, throwing and collection off of the ground. The Ball Cup is located at the distal end of the Fetch Trainer to se leverage when ng and to minimise the need for a user to bend down when collecting a retrieved ball. 7. Describes the Ball. The primary configuration of the fetch trainer ball is a dental rubber or high bounce material; however, the fetch trainer may be used with any ball that fits the Ball Cup (6) and that is riate for the purpose of fetch training. 8. Describes the Bowl Gate. The Bowl Gate is the point at which the shaft (4) meets the Bowl (5). This is ed as a closed loop in the figures but may also be configured with an open top, in the event that manufacturing requires the Shaft (4) be produced in the open top slide configuration (see 4A for details). 9. Describes the Treats. The Treats for the Fetch Trainer are shaped to slide within the Handle (2) and Shaft (4) without crumbling or leaving excessive residue that is difficult to clean out.

The Treats are ed to fit between the two Gates (3B) so that one portion is dispensed per press of the lever.

Samuel Francis Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:15 1. A handheld apparatus for animal training in the retrieval and surrender of a ball or toy, comprising a treat dispenser, training clicker and handheld ball r. 2. A handheld apparatus capable of applying leverage to a ball or toy for the purpose of throwing or picking it up, in which the handle has a cavity for the storage of food treats suitable for animals. 3. A handheld apparatus capable of applying leverage to a ball or toy for the purpose of ng or picking it up, which also comprises a noise tor or clicker for the purpose of the behavioural conditioning of animals. 4. A lever activated y fed treat dispenser that uses a two-phase mechanical gate and is reset by a blistered spring so as to generate an audible click upon activation.

. A method of training animals to surrender a ball or toy, after it has been thrown, without bending down to reward them or to collect the returned ball or toy. 6. A handheld ball thrower in which the distal end incorporates a food/ water bowl that becomes usable when the ball receptacle (or "Ball cup") is facing toward the . 7. A handheld ball thrower in which the body and Shaft are in an open slide configuration or is hollow for the purpose of dispensing animal treats or liquids. 8. The handheld fetch r appearance Samuel Francis Ian Gray 17/09/2020 pg:16

Claims (8)

CLAIMS :

1. A handheld apparatus for animal training in the retrieval and surrender of a ball or toy, comprising a treat dispenser, training clicker and handheld ball thrower.

2. A handheld apparatus capable of applying leverage to a ball or toy for the purpose of throwing or picking it up, in which the handle has a cavity for the storage of food treats suitable for animals.

3. A handheld apparatus capable of applying leverage to a ball or toy for the purpose of throwing or picking it up, which also comprises a noise generator or clicker for the purpose of the behavioural conditioning of animals.

4. A lever activated gravity fed treat dispenser that uses a two-phase mechanical gate and is reset by a blistered spring so as to generate an audible click upon activation.

5. A method of training animals to surrender a ball or toy, after it has been thrown, without bending down to reward them or to collect the returned ball or toy.

6. A handheld ball thrower in which the distal end incorporates a food/ water bowl that becomes usable when the ball receptacle (or “Ball cup”) is facing toward the ground.

7. A handheld ball thrower in which the body and Shaft are in an open slide configuration or is hollow for the purpose of dispensing animal treats or liquids.

8. The handheld fetch trainer appearance Samuel Francis Ian Gray