Patent ID: 9370169
Filing Date: 2016-06-21
CPC Classification: A01K,F16B,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. An animal lead comprising an elongate flexible member arranged for gripping by a handler at a proximal end, and comprising a hooked body, gate and release frame for releasable attachment to a collar or harness at a distal end, wherein: the hooked body defines an aperture partially enclosed by the hooked body, the aperture having a gap between first and second terminals of the hooked body closable by the gate, and the gate is operably mounted to the release frame, the release frame being mounted to the hooked body for relative movement thereto and having an open configuration in which the gate is retracted from the gap, with the release frame, to leave the gap open, and a closed configuration in which the gate is held in a first position, by the release frame, to close the gap with a proximal end of the gate at the first terminal of the hooked body and a distal end of the gate at the second terminal of the hooked body, wherein the release frame is biased in the closed configuration, and wherein the gate is urgeable, relative to the release frame when held in its closed configuration, towards a second position, wherein in the second position, the distal end of the gate is positioned away from the second terminal of the hooked body and into the aperture towards the hooked body whereby the second terminal of the hooked body may be clipped into a fastening loop of a collar or harness and whereby the hooked body is retainable in said fastening loop by the gate being released to its first position to close the gap, the release frame further comprising a decoupling member arranged to sweep across the aperture, from a hooked curl of the hooked body towards the gap, as the release frame is moved from the closed to the open configuration, whereby the decoupling member urges said fastening loop to disengage from the aperture by sweeping a rim of said fastening loop out of the aperture past the second terminal through the gap.