Dog leash with bag container

• US 6,073,590 A
• Filed: 01/12/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Polding Partners Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Polding Partners Incorporated
• Inventors: Polding, Janet Marie Armstrong
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ELIZABETH ANNE
• Application Number:
  US09/233,676
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 119/792, 119/793, 119/794, 119/795, 119/797, 119/858, 119/867, 119/174, 294/1.3, 294/1.4, 294/1.5
• US Class Current: 119/795
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/008 with pockets or similar for carrying accessories
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 2001/128 having means for storing bags or the like

Abstract

A dog leash is equipped with a container, for containing a supply of plastic grocery bags, for collecting pet excrement. The container is stitched to the leash just below the hand-loop of the leash. The container is of light-weight fabric or material, and takes its structure from being stitched to the leash, lengthwise along the container. The open mouth of the container is wrapped around the leash and secured with Velcro.

Claims

1. Dog leash apparatus, wherein:

the apparatus includes a leash, which comprises a thick, narrow, elongate band of a material that is strong, heavy, and has a substantial inherent stiffness;

the apparatus includes a bag container;

the bag container is formed from a comparatively flimsy and lightweight fabric material,

the lightweight material is stitched into the form of a tubular enclosure, which forms the container;

the container is dimensioned to a deep, narrow configuration;

the container is deep in the sense that the dimension of the container as measured lengthwise relative to the leash is comparatively deep, and the container is narrow in the sense that the dimension of the container as measured laterally relative to the leash is comparatively narrow;

the leash includes a hand-loop, and the tubular enclosure that forms the container has a top end and a bottom end, and the top end thereof is the end of the tubular enclosure that lies nearer to the hand-loop;

the container has a wide, open mouth at the top end thereof, and the container is closed at the bottom end thereof;

the container is stitched at the top and bottom ends of the container, to correspondingly spaced locations on the leash, whereby the depth of the container lies along, and is constrained by, the corresponding length of the material of the leash.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is stitched to the leash along the full length of the container, from top to bottom thereof.

3. Apparatus of claim 1, the container being of deep, narrow configuration in that the circumference of the open mouth of the top end of the container is less than the depth of the container.

4. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is stitched to the leash at a position on the leash where the open mouth at the top end of the container lies just below the hand-loop.

5. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is of tapered configuration, in that the container tapers from the wide open mouth at the top end, to a width approximately equal to that of the width of the leash, at or near the bottom end of the container.

6. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the container is of the deep, narrow configuration in that, in that configuration, the material of the tubular enclosure defines a cross-sectional circumference CX cm of the container, being the circumference of the tubular enclosure at a distance X cm down the container from the top end thereof;

at the top end of the container, where X is zero, the tubular enclosure has an open cross-sectional circumference C0 that forms an open mouth;

at the bottom end of the container, where X is a maximum, the tubular enclosure is closed;

intermediate between the top and bottom ends of the container, the tubular enclosure is of tapering form, i.e the circumference CX gets smaller as X gets larger.

7. Apparatus of claim 1, including an operable means for fastening the mouth of the container closed.

8. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operable means includes a means for retaining the circumference of the container at the top end thereof in a flattened configuration, the material that defines the circumference being wrapped around the leash.