Detangling lead assembly

• US 9,363,982 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2013
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PB&JM, LLC
• Original Assignee: PB&JM, LLC
• Inventors: Fleming, Jan, Kleintjes, Bianca, Kleintjes, P. Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Monica
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUTCHENS, CHRISTOPHER D.
• Application Number:
  US14/398,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20150090196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 119/769, 119/795, 119/797
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/003 Leads, leashes
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 1/7415 Friction drives, e.g. pulleys, having a cable winding angle of less than 360 degrees

Abstract

A detangling lead assembly comprising an elongated flexible lead having a first lead end and a second lead end, a body subassembly comprising a pulley, the lead retained in a lead path from a distal end of the body assembly, around the pulley and extending from the distal end of the body subassembly whereby the first lead end and the second lead end extend generally in a distal direction from the handle subassembly and the lead is generally movable back and forth around the pulley. In some embodiments, the lead assembly further comprises a handle subassembly rotatably coupled to a proximal end of the body subassembly. In some embodiments, the housing further comprises exit points for the lead ends defining a moment arm for a moment to force the body subassembly to rotate and uncross a crossing of the lead ends.

Claims

1. A detangling lead assembly comprising:

a handle subassembly rotatably coupled to a proximal end of a body subassembly;

an elongated flexible lead having a first lead end and a second lead end;

the body subassembly comprising a pulley;

and the lead following a lead path from a distal end of the body subassembly, around the pulley and extending from the distal end of the body subassembly

whereby the first lead end and the second lead end extend generally in a distal direction from the handle subassembly and the lead is generally movable back and forth around the pulley;

and the lead path through the body subassembly causes an overlap of the lead in an overlap location distal to and off of a surface of the pulley

wherein the body subassembly further comprising a housing;

wherein the housing has a distal end having a first and a second lead eyelet defining a first and a second exit point respectively for the lead from the housing;

the first and the second lead eyelets are separated by an eyelet offset distance between an inside edge of the first and the second lead eyelets and the eyelet offset distance is greater than an inside groove diameter of the pulley;

and the eyelet offset distance defines an eyelet moment arm greater than a pulley moment arm defined by the inside groove diameter of the pulley whereby an eyelet moment force from the lead on the housing is greater than a pulley moment force on the pulley.

2. The detangling lead assembly of claim 1 wherein the pulley is configured to freely rotate in both directions.

3. The detangling lead assembly of claim 1 wherein the lead is only partially wrapped around a circumference of an inside groove of the pulley.

4. The detangling lead assembly of claim 1 wherein the overlap of the lead over itself is configured to provide a frictional engagement of an outside surface of the lead against itself creating a resistance force opposite a pulling force on the lead.

5. The detangling lead assembly of claim 1, wherein a handle coupler is configured to provide a coupling that restricts movement of the handle subassembly in directions other than rotation about a longitudinal axis of the detangling lead assembly.

6. The detangling lead assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the overlap of the lead is configured to provide a frictional engagement of an outside surface of the lead against itself creating a resistance force opposite a pulling force on the lead; and

the housing further comprises a lead channel defining the lead path through the body subassembly.

7. The detangling lead assembly of claim 6 wherein the overlap of the lead is aligned with an overlap throat of the lead channel whereby an inside diameter of the overlap throat frictionally engages the outside surface of the lead and increases the resistance force opposite the pulling force on the lead.

8. The detangling lead assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the detangling lead assembly is configured to attach to multiple pets;

the housing comprises two shell halves sharing a same shell half design;

the two shell halves are removably coupled and the lead is removably retained in the lead path whereby the lead can be removed and replaced with a replacement lead;

the first lead end and the second lead end each further comprise a lead swivel clip whereby the lead can be rotatably coupled to a pet collar and reduce a twisting of the lead;

the first lead end and the second lead end further comprise a first and a second lead stopper respectively configured with a stopper profile sized larger than the first and the second lead eyelets whereby the first and the second lead stoppers restrict the lead at a stop point from being movable back and forth around the pulley;

and the handle subassembly comprising a flexible loop strap.

9. A lead assembly comprising:

a body subassembly;

a single lead received in the body subassembly;

the single lead having a first lead end and a second lead end;

the first lead end extending from the body subassembly at a first lead end length and the second lead end extending from the body subassembly at a second lead end length;

a means to adjust the first lead end length and the second lead end length;

and a means to rotatably anchor the body subassembly whereby the body subassembly rotates in reaction to one or more moments to avoid the first lead end wrapping around the second lead end;

the means to adjust the first lead end length and the second lead end length comprises a pulley wheel rotatable coupled to the body subassembly;

a lead path extending through the body subassembly and around the pulley wheel whereby the lead path causes an overlap of the lead over itself in an overlap location distal to and off of a surface of the pulley wheel;

the overlap of the lead over itself is configured to provide a frictional engagement of an outside surface of the lead against itself creating a resistance force opposite a pulling force on the lead

wherein the body subassembly further comprises a first and a second lead eyelet defining a first and a second exit of the lead path from a distal end of the body subassembly;

the first and the second lead eyelets are separated by an eyelet offset distance between an inside edge of the first and the second lead eyelets;

and the eyelet offset distance is greater than an inside groove diameter of the pulley wheel.

10. The lead assembly of claim 9, wherein:

the single lead received in the body subassembly within the lead path;

the lead path comprising a channel from the distal end of the body subassembly, around the pulley wheel and extending to the distal end of the body subassembly whereby the first lead end and the second lead end extend from the body subassembly;

and the overlap of the lead over itself occurs within the body subassembly.

11. The lead assembly of claim 9 wherein:

the body subassembly comprises a housing having two shell halves;

the two shell halves having a same shell half design;

the two shell halves are removably coupled; and

the lead is removably retained in the lead path whereby the lead can be removed and replaced with a replacement lead when the two shell halves are removed.

12. The lead assembly of claim 9, wherein:

the eyelet offset distance defines an eyelet moment arm greater than a pulley moment arm defined by the inside groove diameter of the pulley wheel whereby an eyelet moment force from the lead on the body subassembly is greater than a pulley moment force on the pulley wheel.

13. The lead assembly of claim 9 wherein:

the lead assembly is configured to attach to multiple pets;

the means to rotatably anchor the body subassembly comprises a handle coupler rotatably coupling a handle subassembly to the body subassembly;

the handle coupler is configured to provide a coupling that restricts movement of the handle subassembly in directions other than rotation about a longitudinal axis of the lead assembly; and

the means to adjust the first lead end length and the second lead end length further comprises the first lead end and the second lead end having a first and a second lead stopper respectively configured with a stopper profile sized larger than the first and the second lead eyelet whereby the first and the second lead stoppers restrict the lead at a first and a second stop point further restricting the lead from being movable back and forth around the pulley wheel.

14. A rotatable lead assembly comprising:

a handle subassembly rotatably coupled to a proximal end of a body subassembly;

an elongated flexible lead having a first lead end and a second lead end;

the body subassembly comprising a pulley;

the lead following a lead path from a distal end of the body subassembly, around the pulley and extending from the distal end of the body subassembly whereby the first lead end and the second lead end extend generally in a distal direction from the handle subassembly;

the body subassembly having a distal end having a first and a second lead eyelet defining a first and a second exit point respectively for the lead from the body subassembly;

the first and the second lead eyelets are separated by an eyelet offset distance between an inside edge of the first and the second lead eyelets and the eyelet offset distance is greater than an inside groove diameter of the pulley;

the eyelet offset distance defines an eyelet moment arm about a longitudinal axis of the body subassembly;

the inside groove diameter of the pulley defines a pulley moment arm about the longitudinal axis of the body subassembly;

and the eyelet moment arm is greater than the pulley moment arm whereby an eyelet moment force from the lead on the body subassembly is greater than a pulley moment force on the pulley and the body subassembly is urged to rotate in relation to the handle subassembly

wherein the lead path through the body subassembly causes an overlap of the lead in an overlap location distal to and off of a surface of the pulley.

15. The rotatable lead assembly of claim 14, wherein the overlap of the lead over itself is configured to provide a frictional engagement of an outside surface of the lead against itself creating a resistance force opposite a pulling force on the lead.

16. The rotatable lead assembly of claim 14 wherein the pulley is configured to freely rotate in both directions.

17. The rotatable lead assembly of claim 14 wherein:

the handle is coupled to the body subassembly by a handle coupler; and

the handle coupler is configured to provide a coupling that restricts movement of the handle subassembly in directions other than rotation about the longitudinal axis of the rotatable lead assembly.