Combination pet collar and leash

A combination pet collar and leash includes a leash that is attached to the collar and is fastened about the collar when not in use. When fastened about the collar, the leash conforms to the collar around the neck of a pet. When unfastened from the collar, the leash extends to a length to provide comfortable separation distance between a person holding the leash and the pet wearing the collar while allowing for appropriate control of the pet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to pet collars and leashes.

2. Description of the Related Art

Several attempts have previously been made to combine a pet collar with a leash to provide convenience to the pet owner. One prior design provides for a single web that acts as a collar with a long tab extending beyond the buckle that functions as a leash. The outside surface of the collar portion is covered with a first type of Velcro® material while the outside surface of the remainder of the web is covered with a second type of Velcro® material. The inside of the web extending beyond the collar portion is also covered with the first type of Velcro® material, for at least a portion of the length of the web. In this manner, the portion of the web serving as the leash may be wrapped around the portion of the web serving as the collar and become fastened around the collar by the interface between the first and second types of Velcro® material. The leash portion is generally retained about the collar after two revolutions. While this design ensures that the leash closely mates to the collar when not in use, the continuous Velcro® attachment makes it difficult to easily remove the leash from about the collar. Further, the fact that the leash is an extension of the tab extending from the buckle may cause the collar to cinch tighter about the neck of a pet when the leash is pulled, thereby causing discomfort to the pet.

Another design provides for a bag hanging from the collar wherein the leash is rolled and contained within the bag and the leash clip protrudes from a small opening in the bag to attach to the collar. The bag has a zippered opening to allow the length of the leash and handle to be removed from the bag for use. One downside to this particular design is that when not in used, the rolled-up leash within the bag swings freely from the collar and bangs into the neck of the pet, which may be annoying to the pet.

A further prior design includes a compartment mounted on the pet collar that houses a retractable leash that winds about a spring-loaded disk. The disk rotates to allow the leash to play out of the compartment and the spring causes the disk to rotate in the opposite direction to retract the leash into the compartment when the tension on the leash from the user slackens. Similar to the previously described design, a detraction from this design is the fact that the compartment holding the retracted leash swings freely from the collar and bangs into the neck of the pet, which may be annoying to the pet.

The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel design for a pet collar with a built-in leash. The device allows a pet owner to walk their dog or other collared pet at any time, anywhere, without having to additionally carry a leash. In one form, a leash is an extension of the collar material. A handle loop may be attached to the end of the leash opposite the collar. The collar has a fastener adjacent the buckle on the opposite side of the buckle from the point of attachment of the leash. The leash has two fasteners, a first adjacent to the attachment point of the leash to the collar on the outside surface of the leash, and a second on the inside surface of the leash positioned approximately halfway along the combined length of the leash and handle. The handle further has a third leash fastener on the outside surface of the handle adjacent the tip end of the handle. When not in use the leash is wrapped about the collar to allow the second leash fastener to engage the collar fastener. The leash is then folded and wrapped about the collar in the opposite direction to allow the third leash fastener to engage the first leash fastener.

In another form with an intended application for small pets, the leash is composed of an elastic material attached to the pet collar adjacent the buckle. The elastic leash material allows the leash to extend a reasonable length while still allowing the leash to conveniently wrap around the neck of a small pet.

In yet another form of the invention, the leash may be attached to a harness that has both front band that generally extends from behind the neck of the pet and downward across the chest and a rear band that extends around the back and torso of the pet. The front band and rear band are attached to each other by top and bottom yokes spanning between the front and rear bands along the back and chest/abdomen of the pet. In this form the leash may either be fastened to the front band or the top yoke when not in use.

Other features, details, utilities, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more particular written description of various embodiments of the invention as further illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a combination pet collar and leash. The leash is attached to the collar and is fastened about the collar when not in use. When fastened about the collar, the leash conforms to the collar around the neck of a pet. When unfastened from the collar, the leash extends to a length to provide comfortable separation distance between a person holding the leash and the pet wearing the collar while allowing for appropriate control of the pet. In one embodiment of the invention, the collar/leash2is generally composed of a collar portion4and a leash portion6as shown inFIGS. 1-4. The collar portion4is similar to a typical pet collar and includes an elongated section of collar webbing8with a buckle loop12formed at a first end, while the opposite second end is formed as a tab10. The leash portion6includes a length of leash webbing36and a handle38.

In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-4, the collar portion4and leash portion6may be formed of a single piece of webbing5that comprises both the collar webbing8and the leash webbing36. The webbing5may be formed of, for example, a woven, rip-stop nylon web, a leather strap, a braided cord, or any other well-known material suitable for forming a pet collar or leash. The webbing may have a first end78and a second end80. The collar webbing8begins at the first end78and extends a length to form a first half7of the collar portion, including a first half of the tab10. The collar webbing8is folded back against itself to form a second half of the tab10and continues to extend a length to form a second half9of the collar portion4. The two halves7,9of the collar portion8are fastened together with stitching11along the perimeter of the webbing5in order to form a double-walled collar portion8.

A section of the collar webbing8, identified as retention section14, extends beyond the first end78of the webbing5and is folded against an adjacent section of the collar webbing8to form a buckle loop12. A buckle16is retained within the buckle loop12. The buckle16may be a standard pet collar buckle with a buckle frame20spanned by a buckle hinge18and a prong hinge24(seeFIG. 5). Alternatively, any appropriate fastening device for engagement of the webbing5could be used in place of the buckle16, for example, a clip, a snap hook, a slide release buckle, a snap fastener, a cam buckle, a slide buckle, a D-ring or O-ring set, or a tension lock. The retention section14may be fastened to the collar webbing8at a first location with buckle retention stitching32and thus enclose the buckle hinge18within the buckle loop12. A buckle prong22is attached to and at least partially rotates about the prong hinge24. The buckle hinge18is positioned within the buckle loop12whereby two opposing sidewalls of the buckle frame20are positioned across the width of the collar webbing8. A series of prong holes26are formed within the collar tab10to retain the buckle prong22at several optional positions along the collar webbing8, allowing for an adjustable fit of the collar portion4about a pet's neck.

An optional leash ring28may further attached to the collar portion8. The retention section14may further be fastened to the collar webbing8at a second location with ring retention stitching34. The leash ring28is thereby retained within a leash ring slot30bounded by the buckle retention stitching32, the ring retention stitching34, and the retention section14of the collar webbing8. The leash ring28may be used for attachment of a normal, separate leash by a clip or for otherwise tying or attaching a lead or cable to the pet. The provision of a leash ring28may be desirable in a circumstance in which a longer leash is desired or there is a need to tie the pet in a stationary location.

The leash portion6of the collar/leash2is formed of a leash webbing36, which may merely be an extension of the length of webbing5forming the collar webbing8. In an alternative embodiment, the leash webbing may be a separate length of webbing and affixed at a first end to the collar webbing8generally adjacent to the buckle loop12. In this alternate embodiment, the leash webbing36would, similarly to the collar webbing8, be formed of, for example, a woven, rip-stop nylon web, a leather strap, a braided cord, or any other well-known material suitable for forming a pet leash. At the opposite end of the leash webbing36, a handle38may be provided in the form of a loop of the leash webbing36by folding a section of the leash webbing36at the second end80of the webbing5against an adjacent section of the leash webbing36to form a loop for the handle38. The length of the leash webbing36and the handle38together is slightly less than twice the smallest circumference of the collar portion4when fitted about the neck of a pet with the buckle prong22inserted in the prong hole26furthest from the tip of the collar tab10.

The collar portion4has a collar fastener40positioned on the outer surface58of the collar webbing8adjacent the prong hole26furthest from the tip of the collar tab10. The collar fastener is thus adjacent the buckle16on the side of the buckle16opposite the collar tab10. The leash portion6has two fasteners. A first leash fastener42is positioned on the leash webbing36adjacent to retention section14of the collar portion4on the outside surface54of the leash webbing36. A second leash fastener44is positioned on the inside surface56of the leash webbing36at a point approximately halfway along the combined length of the leash webbing36and handle38. The handle38further has a third leash fastener46on the outside surface54of the handle38adjacent the tip end39of the handle38. The fasteners can be any type of operable fastening mechanism or device, for example, opposing snaps, opposing hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro®) materials, buttons and button holes, rings and clips, and opposing attractive magnets.

When not in use the leash portion6may be wrapped about a section of collar webbing8of the collar portion4extending from each side of the buckle16and around the neck of the pet. Initially, the second leash fastener44is positioned opposite the collar fastener40and is engaged with the collar fastener40to hold a first half of the leash portion6firmly against the collar portion4. The leash portion6is then folded and wrapped about the collar portion4against the first half of the leash portion6in the opposite direction to align the third leash fastener46opposite the first leash fastener42. The third leash fastener46is then engaged with the first leash fastener42to hold a second half of the leash portion6firmly against the first half of the leash portion6and thus firmly against the collar portion4. Additional fasteners and sections of the leash portion6may be folded against and fastened to the collar portion4in order to accommodate a longer leash or to fasten the leash portion6about the neck of a small pet with a small neck circumference.

In an alternate embodiment shown inFIG. 5, the leash webbing36′ may be an elastic material and may be fixed at a first end to the collar webbing8generally adjacent to the buckle loop12. The leash webbing36′ at a first end of the leash portion6′ may be attached to the collar webbing8with leash attachment stitching48. In an alternate embodiment, the leash portion6′ may be attached to the collar webbing8by the ring retention stitching34. Alternatively, the elastic leash webbing36′ may be integrally woven with the end of the collar webbing8extending from the retention section14. The handle38′ may be a section of webbing or other non-elastic material attached to the opposite end of the leash webbing36′. The webbing of the handle38′ may be folded into a loop such that each end of the webbing is adjacent to the other and then both ends of the webbing section may be attached to the leash webbing36′, for example, by sewing with handle attachment stitching50. This provides a sturdy handle38′ for grasping by the pet owner rather than an elastic handle that may not be as comfortable to grip because of the continual expansion and contraction of the elastic.

The dynamic length of the leash webbing36′ allows a single leash portion6′ to be used with a variety of different sized pets and owners, allowing for a comfortable distance between pet and owner regardless of the relative height of either. Alternatively, the elastic leash webbing36′ may principally be used in conjunction with small circumference collars for small pets. For example, a small pet will have a smaller circumference neck than a larger pet and thus only a short length of leash could be folded and fastened about the neck of the pet. Such a short length for a leash portion6may be impracticable for use by the pet owner. Using an elastic material for the leash webbing36′ provides for a longer effective leash portion6′ than an inelastic leash webbing when tension is placed on the leash webbing36′ by the pet pulling against the lease portion6′ while held by the pet owner. The dynamic length of the leash webbing36′ also allows some flexibility for allowing the pet to move about or explore while the pet owner is stationary. The leash webbing36′ may be slightly shorter in length than leash webbing of a generally inelastic material. In this manner, the leash webbing36′ may be placed under slight tension in a slightly expanded state when folded about and attached to the collar portion4, thus keeping the leash portion6′ snugly against the collar portion4and minimizing the opportunity for the leash portion6′ to get caught on a snag.

A further option to this embodiment, as shown inFIG. 6, includes a leash guard52that may be placed around the leash webbing36′ and attached to the leash webbing adjacent to the first leash fastener42, for example, with leash guard stitching53. This may be desired because the elastic material of the leash webbing36′ may not be as durable as other materials. In this manner, pets with a propensity to grasp or gnaw a leash section adjacent to the collar portion4′ will be deterred from damaging the elastic material of the leash webbing36′. In an exemplary embodiment, the leash guard52may be a flat tube of rip-stop nylon material slipped over the leash webbing36′ and attached to the leash webbing36′ adjacent the first leash fastener42. The leash guard52may be made of any other suitable material, e.g., leather, plastic or other polymer, or metal mesh, that would resist damage to the leash from chewing by a pet. By attaching only the end of the leash guard52closest to the collar portion4, the leash guard52remains in a position closest to pet where the pet is most likely to gnaw the leash portion6′, while allowing the elastic material of the leash webbing36′ to slide within the flat tube of the leash guard52, expanding and contracting as tension is placed upon the leash portion6′.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is depicted inFIGS. 7-9. In this embodiment, a leash portion6″ is combined with a pet harness60. An exemplary pet harness60may have a front harness band62and a rear harness band66connected to each other at the top by an upper harness yoke64and at the bottom by a lower harness yoke68. The pet harness60may be formed of, for example, a woven, rip-stop nylon web, a leather strap, a braided cord, elastic material, or any other well-known suitable material for forming a harness. The upper harness yoke64is generally positioned along the upper spine of the pet and may retain a leash ring28′ for attachment of a traditional leash or other restraint to the harness60. The front harness band62is typically positioned about the neck of a pet while the rear harness band66is positioned about the chest of the pet. The front harness band62may have a first adjustment buckle70to increase or decrease the size of the front harness band62to fit varying neck sizes of different types and sizes of pets. The rear harness band66may likewise have a second adjustment buckle72in order to adjust the size of the rear harness band66about the chest of the pet. Each of the front and rear harness bands62,66may further be provided with first and second release clips74,76, respectively, adjacent the upper harness yoke64for ease in quickly placing and removing the harness on and from the pet. Other types and designs of harnesses may likewise be used.

The leash portion6″ may again be formed of a leash webbing36″ and may be fixed at a first end to the upper harness yoke64generally adjacent to the leash ring28′. The leash webbing36″ may be formed of, for example, a woven, rip-stop nylon web, a leather strap, a braided cord, elastic material, or any other well-known suitable material for forming a pet leash. In one embodiment, the leash webbing36″ at a first end of the leash portion6″ may be attached to the top harness yoke64with leash attachment stitching. At the opposite end of the leash webbing36′, a handle38′ may be provided in the form of a loop of the leash webbing36″ by folding a section of a second end of the leash webbing36″ against an adjacent section of the leash webbing36″ to form a loop for the handle38″.

In this embodiment, the harness60may have two fasteners. The harness60has a first harness fastener40′ positioned on the on the outer surface of the front harness band62adjacent the bottom harness yoke68. The harness60also has a second harness fastener40″, which is also positioned on the on the outer surface of the front harness band62adjacent the bottom harness yoke68. The second harness fastener40″ is positioned between the first harness fastener40′ and the bottom harness yoke68. In this embodiment, the leash portion6″ may have four fasteners. A first leash fastener42′ is positioned adjacent to the leash ring28′ on the outside surface54of the leash webbing36″. A second leash fastener44′ is positioned on the inside surface56of the leash webbing36″ at a point approximately one-third of the way along the combined length of the leash webbing36″ and handle38″. A third leash fastener44″ is positioned on the outside surface54of the leash webbing36″ at a point approximately two-thirds of the way along the combined length of the leash webbing36″ and handle38″. The handle38″ further has a fourth leash fastener46′ on the inside surface56of the handle38″ adjacent the tip end of the handle38″. The fasteners can be any type of operable fastening mechanism or device, for example, opposing snaps, opposing hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro®) materials, buttons and button holes, rings and clips, and opposing attractive magnets.

When not in use the leash portion6″ may be fastened against a section of the front harness band62about the neck of the pet. Initially, the second leash fastener44′ is positioned opposite the first harness fastener40′ and is engaged with the first harness fastener40′ to hold a first third of the leash portion6′″ firmly against the front harness band62. The leash portion6″ is then folded and wrapped about the front harness band62against the first third of the leash portion6″ in the opposite direction to align the second leash fastener44″ opposite the first leash fastener42′. The second leash fastener44″ is then engaged with the first leash fastener42′ to hold a second third of the leash portion6″ firmly against the first third of the leash portion6″ and thus firmly against the front harness band62. Finally, the leash portion6″ is again folded and wrapped about the front harness band62against the second third of the leash portion6″ in the opposite direction to align the fourth leash fastener46′ opposite the second harness fastener40″. The fourth leash fastener46′ is then engaged with the second harness fastener40″ to hold the final third of the leash portion6″ firmly against the second third of the leash portion6″ and thus firmly against the front harness band62. It should be noted that when the leash portion6″ is describes as being folded in thirds, such a measurement is not exact as the second third may be slightly longer than the first third and the final third may be slightly longer than the second third as indicated in the figures.

Alternately, as shown inFIG. 9, the leash portion6″ may be fastened against the top harness yoke64along the back of the pet. In this embodiment, the a first harness fastener40′ is positioned on the on the outer surface of the top harness yoke64adjacent the rear harness band66. The harness60also has a second harness fastener40″, which is also positioned on the on the outer surface of the top harness yoke64adjacent the rear harness band66. The second harness fastener40″ is positioned between the first harness fastener40′ and the rear harness band66.

Similar to the previous embodiment, in order to fold and fasten leash portion6″ to the harness60, the second leash fastener44′ is positioned opposite the first harness fastener40′ and is engaged with the first harness fastener40′ to hold a first third of the leash portion6″′ firmly against the top harness yoke64. The leash portion6″ is then folded against the first third of the leash portion6″ in the opposite direction to align the second leash fastener44″ opposite the first leash fastener42′. The second leash fastener44″ is then engaged with the first leash fastener42′ to hold a second third of the leash portion6″ firmly against the first third of the leash portion6″ and thus firmly atop the top harness yoke64. Finally, the leash portion6″ is again folded against the second third of the leash portion6″ in the opposite direction to align the fourth leash fastener46′ opposite the second harness fastener40″. The fourth leash fastener46′ is then engaged with the second harness fastener40″ to hold the final third of the leash portion6″ firmly against the second third of the leash portion6″ and thus firmly atop the top harness yoke64. It should be noted that when the leash portion6″ is describes as being folded in thirds, such a measurement is not exact as the second third may be slightly longer than the first third and the final third may be slightly longer than the second third as indicated in the figures. Further, it should be apparent that the leash portion6″ may be folded against various sections or portions of the harness60.

Although various embodiments of this invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only of particular embodiments and not limiting. All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral, front, back, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the basic elements of the invention as defined in the following claims.