A pet toy has an elongated hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis with first and second spaced bulbous sections, each having a side wall of substantially constant cross-section throughout. The first and second sections each include respective first and second openings defining respective first and second diameters. A center section has an inner surface forming a center opening of a third diameter which is less than at least one of the first and second diameters. The center section interconnects the first and second bulbous sections. A plurality of longitudinally spaced annular ribs extend around the periphery of the bulbous sections forming grooves to facilitate an animal gripping the toy with its teeth. At least one of the bulbous ends has an opening with a diameter greater than the diameter of the center section so that a knot of a pull rope extending through the center of the pet toy will pass through the opening in the bulbous section but will not pass through the center section. edible food treats can be placed in the pet toy through the opening(s) in the respective bulbous sections and center section which can be removed by the pet biting down on the pet toy and deforming the side wall. When the teeth of the animal deform an end of the pet toy, the ribs deflect inwardly to clean the teeth and/or massage the gums. In a second embodiment, the pet toy has a hollow core of substantially constant cross-section.
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0. 11. A pet toy comprising:
a first bulbous section having an outer peripheral surface;
a second bulbous section having a outer peripheral surface and spaced from said first bulbous section;
a center section interconnecting said first and second bulbous sections;
said first and second bulbous sections each having sidewalls of substantially uniform thickness;
a plurality of longitudinally spaced pairs of ribs extending around said outer peripheral surfaces of said first and second bulbous sections to facilitate an animal gripping said pet toy with its teeth, said ribs defining narrow and wider grooves disposed therebetween; and
said pet toy being deformable in response to the biting action of an animal.
1. A pet toy for entertaining an animal and providing jaw exercise, teeth cleaning and/or gum massaging for the animal, said pet toy comprising:
an elongated hollow body, having an outer peripheral surface, extending along a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends and a side wall of substantially constant cross-section throughout; and
a plurality of longitudinally spaced pairs of annular ribs extending around said outer peripheral surface to facilitate the animal gripping said pet toy with its teeth, each said pairs at least one pair of ribs defining a first narrow groove therebetween and at least one adjacent pairs pair of ribs defining a second wider groove therebetween wherein the inner rib of each the at least one pair of ribs with respect to said second wider groove are disposed for engagement with the teeth, and the outer rib of each the at least one pair of ribs with respect to said second wide groove are disposed for engagement with the gums when the animal bites down on said second wider groove on said outer peripheral surface between said spaced pairs of annular ribs.
6. A pet toy for entertaining an animal and providing jaw exercise, teeth cleaning and/or gum massaging for the animal, said pet toy comprising:
an elongated hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends and a side wall of substantially constant cross-section throughout;
a first bulbous section having a first opening defining a first inner diameter and forming said first end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis;
a second bulbous section having a second opening defining a second inner diameter and forming said second end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis and spaced from said first bulbous section;
a center section extending along said longitudinal axis between and connected to said first bulbous section and said second bulbous section, said center section having a third inner diameter which forms an inner surface defining a center opening said third inner diameter being less than at least one of said first and second inner diameters; and
an edible animal treat extending through and resiliently gripped in said center opening.
7. A pet toy for entertaining an animal and providing jaw exercise, teeth cleaning and/or gum massaging for the animal, said pet toy comprising:
an elongated hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends and a side wall of substantially constant cross-section throughout;
a first bulbous section having a first opening defining a first inner diameter and forming said first end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis;
a second bulbous section having a second opening defining a second inner diameter and forming said second end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis and spaced from said first bulbous section;
a center section extending along said longitudinal axis between and connected to said first bulbous section and said second bulbous section, said center section having a third inner diameter which forms an inner surface defining a center opening said third inner diameter being less than at least one of said first and second inner diameters; and
a first edible animal treat extending through and resiliently gripped in said first opening; and
a second edible animal treat extending through and resiliently gripped in said second opening.
8. A pet toy for entertaining an animal and providing jaw exercise, teeth cleaning and/or gum massaging for the animal, said pet toy comprising:
an elongated hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends and a side wall of substantially constant cross-section throughout;
a first bulbous section having a first opening defining a first inner diameter and forming said first end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis;
a second bulbous section having a second opening defining a second inner diameter and forming said second end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis and spaced from said first bulbous section;
a center section extending along said longitudinal axis between and connected to said first bulbous section and said second bulbous section, said center section having a third inner diameter which forms an inner surface defining a center opening said third inner diameter being less than at least one of said first and second inner diameters; and
an edible animal treat having a length greater than that of said elongated hollow body, said edible food treat extending through and resiliently gripped in said first and second openings and said center opening.
5. A pet toy for entertaining an animal and providing jaw exercise, teeth cleaning and/or gum massaging for the animal, said pet toy comprising:
an elongated hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends and a side wall of substantially constant cross-section throughout;
a first bulbous section having a first opening defining a first inner diameter and forming said first end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis;
a second bulbous section having a second opening defining a second inner diameter and forming said second end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis and spaced from said first bulbous section;
a center section extending along said longitudinal axis between and connected to said first bulbous section and said second bulbous section, said center section having a third inner diameter which forms an inner surface defining a center opening said third inner diameter being less than at least one of said first and second inner diameters; and
a rope extending through said elongated hollow body along said longitudinal axis having a fourth diameter smaller than either said first and second inner diameters and having an end with a knot formed therein which knot has a fifth diameter which is smaller than said at least one of said first and second inner diameters but is larger than said third inner diameter so that said knot can pass through said at least one of said first and second inner diameters but not pass through said third inner diameter and engages said inner surface of said center section as an anchor wherein said rope extends through the other of said at least one of said first and second openings to serve as a pull for said pet toy.
9. A pet toy for entertaining an animal and providing exercise, teeth cleaning and/or gum massaging for the animal, said pet toy comprising:
an elongated hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends and a central hollow core of substantially constant diameter;
a first bulbous section extending along said longitudinal axis having a first opening defining a first diameter and a first wall thickness forming said first end of said elongated hollow body;
a second bulbous section extending along said longitudinal axis and spaced from said first bulbous section, said second bulbous section having a second opening defining a second diameter and a second wall thickness forming said second end of said elongated hollow body;
a center section extending along said longitudinal axis between and connected to said first bulbous section and said second bulbous section, said center section having a thin deformable side wall and an inner surface forming a center opening of a third diameter which is less than at least one of said first and second diameters, said thin deformable side wall having a third thickness which is less than at least one of said first and second thicknesses and
a plurality of longitudinally spaced pairs of annular ribs extending around said outer peripheral surface to facilitate the animal gripping said pet toy with its teeth, each said pairs of ribs defining a first narrow groove therebetween and adjacent pairs of ribs defining a second wider groove therebetween wherein the inner rib of each pair of ribs with respect to said second wider groove are disposed for engagement with the teeth and the outer rib of each pair of ribs with respect to said second wide groove are disposed for engagement with the gums when the animal bites down on said second wider groove.
2. A pet toy, as claimed in
a first bulbous section having a first opening defining a first inner diameter and forming said first end of said elongated hollow body and forming said first end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis;
a second bulbous section having a second opening defining a second inner diameter and forming said second end of said elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis and spaced from said first bulbous section; and
a center section extending along said longitudinal axis between and connected to said first bulbous section and said second bulbous section, said center section having a third inner diameter which forms an inner surface defining a center opening said third inner diameter being less than at least one of said firsts and second inner diameters.
0. 12. A pet toy, as claimed in
said first and second bulbous sections and said center section are aligned along a longitudinal axis.
0. 13. A pet toy, as claimed in
said first bulbous section further includes a first opening formed at one end thereof; and
said second bulbous section having a second opening formed at a second end thereof.
0. 14. A pet toy, as claimed in
an edible animal treat placed in either said first and second openings.
0. 15. A pet toy, as claimed in
said center section includes a center opening; and
an edible animal treat inserted in said center opening.
0. 16. A pet toy, as claimed in
a rope extending through said pet toy and having an end with a knot formed therein, said rope being secured within said pet toy.
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This invention relates to a pet toy and, more particularly, to a pet toy which is flexible, has an irregular shape, and a hollow core causing it to bounce in an irregular fashion when thrown on the ground or the floor. The hollow core provides a passageway for attaching a pull rope and/or for receiving an edible food treat.
Play toys for animals, and particularly dogs, have been available for years in various sizes and configurations, each designed to provide jaw exercise and to enhance the animals' interest in playing with the toy. Enhanced interest in the toy may occur by giving it a physical configuration which will bounce in odd directions when tossed onto the floor or ground. Also interest in a pet toy can be enhanced by providing food treats in the pet toy. Many pet toys provide one or both of these features with varying success. Examples of such toys are found in U.S. design Pat. Des. No. 234,789 and Des. No. 234,790 to Rosenberg, each entitled “Sounding Toy For Pet Animal”, and U.S. design Pat. Des. No. 256,958 to Markham, entitled “Pet Toy”. This latter pet toy is hollow and has an irregular outer configuration and provides substantial jaw exercise for the animal.
A further example of such prior art pet toys is U.S. Pat. Re. No. 34,352 to Markham, entitled “Therapeutic Pet Toy”. This pet toy has an irregular outer configuration and a central core extending therethrough. A series of longitudinally spaced peripheral grooves are provided which have inwardly projecting lips for cleaning the teeth of the animal. The hollow core facilitates deformation of the pet toy with the animal bites into the grooves. The resistance of the pet toy to deformation provides exercise for the animal's jaw.
In accordance with this invention, a pet toy is provided for entertaining an animal and providing jaw exercise. In one form of the invention the pet toy has an elongated hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis having first and second ends and a side wall of substantially constant cross-section throughout. A first bulbous section has a first opening defining a first inner diameter, the first bulbous section forming the first end of the elongated body. A second bulbous section has a second opening defining a second inner diameter, the second bulbous section forming the second end of the elongated hollow body and spaced from the first bulbous section. A center section is provided which extends along the longitudinal axis between the first and second bulbous sections and is connected at opposite ends to both sections. The first and second openings form one continuous opening through the pet toy. The center section surrounds a narrowed diameter opening portion which lies between the first and second bulbous sections and has a third inner diameter. A plurality of spaced ribs may extend around the periphery of the pet toy to facilitate an animal gripping the pet toy with its teeth.
More particularly, at least one of the bulbous sections has an opening having a diameter greater than the inner diameter of the center section so that a knot of a pull rope extending through the center of the pet toy will pass through the opening in the bulbous section but will not pass through the center section. Also, edible food treats can be placed in the pet toy through the opening(s) in the respective bulbous sections and the center section.
In another form of the invention, an elongated hollow body extends along a longitudinal axis and has first and second ends and a central hollow core of a substantially constant diameter. The first bulbous section has a first outer diameter and a first wall thickness forming the first end of the elongated hollow body extending along said longitudinal axis. A second bulbous section has a second outer diameter and a second wall thickness forming the second end of the elongated hollow body and is spaced from said first bulbous section. A center section lies along the longitudinal axis between and is connected to the first bulbous section and the second bulbous section. The center section has a thin deformable side wall whose outer diameter is less than at least one of the first and second outer diameters and has a third thickness which is less than at least one of the first and second thicknesses.
Additional advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description of this invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
As best seen in
Bulbous section 14 has an outer diameter and bulbous section 16 has a similarly sized outer diameter. In the embodiment shown, although the outer diameters are the same, it will be understood that one of ordinary skill in this art could construct a pet toy having bulbous sections of different diameters to modify the bouncing characteristics of the pet toy. The center section 18 has a third outer diameter which is less than at least one the first and second outer diameters. Center section 18 is positioned along longitudinal axis 12 between bulbous section 14 and bulbous section 16 and is connected to both.
Additionally, bulbous section 14 has an opening 28 at its first or outer end. This opening 28 defines a first inner diameter. Bulbous section 16 has an opening 30 at its first or outer end. This opening 30 defines a second inner diameter. The first and second inner diameters are greater than a third inner diameter of center section 18 which forms a surface which defines opening 32 therethrough.
This arrangement provides several advantages. First, as shown in
A second advantage is that an edible pet treat 38, as shown in
Also, the edible treat can be longer than the length of the pet toy and extent out of both openings 28 and 30 while being resiliently held intermediate its ends by the interior surface defined by opening 32. After chewing off the ends of the treat, the remainder of the treat which is inside the pet toy will be released by the animal chewing on the pet toy to deform it so that the remainder of the treat is crushed and will fall out the ends of the pet toy. Alternatively, the treat can be shorter than the pet toy and positioned within it so that neither end is exposed. In order to remove any of treat in this instance, the animal must deform the pet toy by chewing on it to crush the treat so that it falls out of the ends of the pet toy.
By turning to
Another embodiment is shown in
From the foregoing, the advantages of this invention are readily apparent. An elongated hollow pet toy has been provided which has spaced bulbous sections joined by a center section wherein the cross-section of the elongated body wall is substantially uniform throughout. This exterior configuration together with the hollow interior cause the pet toy to bounce in an irregular fashion when thrown on the floor or ground. The bulbous sections can have the same diameters or different diameters. In either case, an opening is provided in the end of each bulbous section and at least one such opening is of a greater diameter than that of the opening in the center section so as to provide an anchoring surface for the knot on a pull rope with the pull rope extending through the other of such openings or to resiliently hold an edible food treat which is inserted through one of the openings in the bulbous end sections. Peripheral ribs are spaced longitudinally along the bulbous sections of the pet toy to form grooves so that the animal can grasp the pet toy with its teeth. In one embodiment the pet toy has a thin wall of substantially constant cross-section which enhances the bouncing characteristics of the pet toy. When the teeth of the animal bite down on the pet toy, the side walls deform so that the ribs deflect inwardly to clean the teeth and/or massage the gums. In a second embodiment, the pet toy has a hollow core of substantially uniform diameter.
This invention has been described in detail with reference to particular embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that various other modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of this invention.
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