RUBBER TOY

• US 20150296747A1
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SportPet Designs Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SportPet Designs Incorporated
• Inventors: Kellogg, Adam M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,307,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/026 Chewable toys, e.g. for dental care of pets

Abstract

A system directed to the art of rubber chew toys for pets, and dogs in particular, is provided. The rubber chew toy system has multiple rubber toy members which may be removably attached to one another. The rubber toy members have a pocket and an appendage. The appendage of one member is receivable within the pocket of another rubber member and is removable by pulling the members in opposite directions.

Claims

1. A rubber coy member to be pare of a rubber toy system, the rubber toy member comprising:

a body with an exterior surface;

a pocket within the body;

an appendage extending outward from the body; and

an access opening on the body opposite the appendage extending from the exterior surface to the pocket.

2. The rubber toy of claim 1, wherein the appendage comprises a neck portion extending outward from the body into an interlock portion.

3. The appendage of claim 2, wherein the interlock portion is substantially frustoconical.

5. The rubber toy of claim 1, wherein the access opening comprises a substantially circular entrance hole with a pair of oppositely disposed slots extending radially outward from the entrance hole and along the body.

6. The access opening of claim 5, wherein the entrance hole has a tapered entrance surface, an inner diameter at the pocket and an exterior diameter at the exterior surface of the body, wherein the inner diameter is smaller than the exterior diameter.

7. The access opening of claim 6, wherein the pair of oppositely disposed slots have a length of approximately the same dimension as the exterior diameter of the entrance hole.

8. The rubber toy of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface comprises textural features.

9. The rubber toy of claim 1, wherein the textural features comprise at least one of a plurality of domes, a plurality of channels, or a plurality of ridges.

10. The rubber toy of claim 1, wherein the pocket extends throughout a majority of the body.

4. The appendage of claim 4, wherein the interlock portion has a distal end, with a distal end diameter, and a proximal end, with a proximal end diameter;

the distal end diameter smaller than the proximal end diameter.

11. A rubber toy system comprising:

a plurality of rubber toy members, each member comprising a body having an exterior surface, a pocket within the body, an appendage extending outward from the body, and an access opening on the body opposite the appendage extending from the exterior surface to the pocket;

wherein the appendage of one rubber member is removably receivable within the pocket of another rubber member.

12. The rubber toy members of claim 11, wherein the appendage comprises a neck portion extending outward from the body into an interlock portion.

13. The appendage of claim 12 wherein the interlock portion is substantially frustoconical.

14. The appendage of claim 13, wherein the interlock portion has a distal end, with a distal end diameter, and a proximal end, with a proximal end diameter;

the distal end diameter smaller than the proximal end diameter.

15. The rubber toy members of claim 11, wherein the access opening comprises a substantially circular entrance hole with a pair of oppositely disposed slots extending radially outward from the entrance hole and along the body.

16. The access opening of claim 15, wherein the entrance hole has a tapered entrance surface, an inner diameter at the pocket, and an exterior diameter at the exterior surface of the body, wherein the inner diameter is smaller than the exterior diameter.

17. The access opening of claim 16, wherein the pair of oppositely disposed slots have a length of approximately the same dimension as the exterior diameter of the entrance hole.

18. The rubber toy members of claim 11, wherein the exterior surface comprises textural features.

19. The rubber toy members of claim 18, wherein the textural features comprise at least one of a plurality of domes, a plurality of channels, or a plurality of ridges.

20. The rubber toy system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of rubber toy members comprise at least one of a ring assembly or an elongated assembly.