Animal toy

• US 4,930,448 A
• Filed: 06/26/1989
• Issued: 06/05/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Randall W Robinson
• Original Assignee: Randall W Robinson
• Inventors: Robinson, Randall W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirsch, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US07/371,061
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 119/29, 119/51.12, 119/29.5, 446/227, 446/228, 446/236
• US Class Current: 119/708
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/025 Toys specially adapted for animals

Abstract

A toy device for a pet animal comprises a base housing having an upper wall and an opening in the upper wall, a rotatable member rotatably mounted in the housing, a drive assembly for rotating the member, an elongate member secured at one end to the rotatable member and extending upwardly and then in a generally sideways direction away from the housing, and an object secured to the free end of the elongate member for movement in a path around the housing on rotation of the rotatable member. The object may be of any desired shape such as a ball, mouse, butterfly, or other creature and is preferably arranged to be dragged along the ground in a generally circular path by rotation of the rotatable member.

Claims

1. A toy device for the amusement of pet animals, comprising:

a base member having a lower surface for freely seating on a substantially flat surface, the lower surface having no projections for connection to the seating surface;

an elongate, rod-like member rotatably mounted at one end on said base member and extending in an upwardly and radially outwardly arched path away from said base member with its free end spaced radially outwardly from the outer periphery of said base member;

a single flexible connecting device secured to the free end of said elongate member;

an object attached to said connecting device opposite and directly below the free end of said member; and

drive means on said base member for rotating said elongate member to move said object in a path around said base for the amusement of a pet unsecured to said base.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, including a line secured at one end to said connecting device, the object being secured to the free end of said line.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elongate member comprises a pliable wire.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said drive means comprises a power supply, a drive motor mounted in said base, circuit means connecting said power supply to said drive motor, a rotatable member rotatably mounted on said base, said elongate member being releasably secured to said rotatable member, and transmission means connecting said drive motor to said rotatable member.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said circuit means includes switch means for controlling connection of the power supply to the motor, said switch means including an actuator externally mounted on said base for controlling operation of said switch means.

6. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said circuit means includes variable speed control means for controlling the speed of rotation of said rotatable member.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, including control means for intermittently varying the speed of said rotatable member.

8. The device as claimed in claim 6, including control means for intermittently turning said motor on and off and for varying the speed of said rotatable member at varying intervals.

9. The device as claimed in claim 6, further including audio means for providing a predetermined sound output on actuation of said drive motor.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connecting device comprises an elongate flexible member, first flexible connecting means at one end of said flexible member for flexibly connecting it to the free end of said elongate member, and second connecting means at the opposite end of said flexible member for connecting it to the object to suspend it below the free end of said elongate member.

11. A device for the amusement of pet animals free and untethered to the device, the device comprising:

a base member having a lower edge for seating freely on the ground, the lower edge lying in a substantially flat plane and having no protrusions projecting downwardly from said plane;

an elongate, pliable member having a first end rotatably mounted on said base member, said elongate member extending in an arched path upwardly and outwardly away from said base member with the free end of said elongate member being spaced outwardly from the outer periphery of said base member;

a connecting loop at the free end of said elongate member;

a connecting line secured at one end to said connecting loop;

a toy object secured to the opposite end of said connecting line for suspension directly downwardly from the free end of said elongate member;

drive means in said housing for rotating said one end of said elongate member to drive its free end in a path around said base member, said drive means including a drive motor and switch means for controlling actuation of said drive motor;

said switch means including an actuator on the outside of said housing for switching said motor on and off; and

transmission means for connecting said drive motor to said one end of said elongate member.

12. A method of amusing pet animals, comprising the steps of:

seating a base member freely on a ground surface;

suspending a toy object from the free end of an elongate pliable member with the other end rotatably mounted in the base member; and

driving the elongate member to rotate and move the toy object in a path around the base member to attract the attention of a pet animal free and unsecured to the elongate member.