Pet toy with treat holding receptacles
First Claim
1. A pet toy comprising:
- a flexible body having an exterior surface, an interior surface defining a hollow interior, and a sidewall defining a thickness of said body;
a receptacle formed through said sidewall, said receptacle having a first opening formed through said sidewall defining a first engaging surface and an open area defining a volume, an interior extension extending generally radially from said interior surface into the hollow interior, a rear wall connected to said interior extension, and a rear wall opening formed through said rear wall and communicating with said hollow interior;
a primary treat held within said receptacle, and filling at least a portion of said volume, wherein edges of said first opening form a first engaging surface to hold said primary treat, said primary treat having a center-exposed surface that has a curved shape, a sloping converging extension extending from said center-exposed surface, and a protruding flange protruding beyond said sloping converging extension; and
wherein an edge defining said rear wall opening and said first engaging surface have corresponding bone shapes;
wherein the flexible body has an air vent hole on the exterior surface and oriented opposite the receptacle; and
wherein a periphery of the air vent hole has a different size than the first opening.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pet toy with one or more treat holding receptacles is provided. A receptacle generally conforms to the outer surface or shape of the pet toy, and extends into the interior of the pet toy for holding a primary treat. The receptacle has a plurality of interior engaging surfaces that frictionally hold the primary treat in a desired orientation. An opening is formed through the receptacle for loading secondary treats into an interior of the pet toy. The primary treat has an exposed portion shaped and sized to provide a desired degree of difficulty for an animal to remove the primary treat from the corresponding receptacle. The portion of the primary treat in contact with the engaging surfaces of the receptacle forms a cap or closure, and when all or part of the primary treat is removed, the secondary treats may be dispensed through the opening of the receptacle.
114 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A pet toy comprising:
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a flexible body having an exterior surface, an interior surface defining a hollow interior, and a sidewall defining a thickness of said body; a receptacle formed through said sidewall, said receptacle having a first opening formed through said sidewall defining a first engaging surface and an open area defining a volume, an interior extension extending generally radially from said interior surface into the hollow interior, a rear wall connected to said interior extension, and a rear wall opening formed through said rear wall and communicating with said hollow interior; a primary treat held within said receptacle, and filling at least a portion of said volume, wherein edges of said first opening form a first engaging surface to hold said primary treat, said primary treat having a center-exposed surface that has a curved shape, a sloping converging extension extending from said center-exposed surface, and a protruding flange protruding beyond said sloping converging extension; and wherein an edge defining said rear wall opening and said first engaging surface have corresponding bone shapes;
wherein the flexible body has an air vent hole on the exterior surface and oriented opposite the receptacle; and
wherein a periphery of the air vent hole has a different size than the first opening. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of providing at least one treat to an animal by a toy loaded with said treat, said method comprising:
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providing;
(i) a flexible body having an outer surface, an interior surface defining a hollow interior, a sidewall defining a thickness of said body; and
(ii) a receptacle formed through said sidewall, said receptacle defining a first engaging surface and having an open space defining a volume, said receptacle defined by a first opening formed through said sidewall, an interior extension extending generally radially from said interior surface, a rear wall connected to said interior extension, and a second opening formed through said rear wall and communicating with said hollow interior, wherein an edge of said first opening extends over said open space of said receptacle;providing a primary treat placed within said receptacle to fill at least a portion of said volume, said primary treat having a center-exposed surface that has a curved shape, a first peripheral portion defined by a sloping converging extension, and a second peripheral portion defined by a protruding flange, wherein an edge defining said second opening and said first engaging surface have corresponding bone shapes;
wherein the flexible body has an air vent hole on the outer surface and oriented opposite the receptacle; and
wherein a periphery of the air vent hole has a different size than the first opening;positioning said primary treat so said protruding flange makes frictional contact with the interior extension; and giving the toy loaded with the primary treat to the animal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification