Abstract:
An adjustable animal collar provides a strap with a housing at one end and a second end connected to an engagement area. The engagement area is formed with a plurality of teeth received into the housing, where a rotating pawl engages the teeth. The pawl, pivotably rotating within the housing and partly covered in one embodiment with a cover plate, has a biasing means, which in one embodiment is a torsion spring, to bias the pawl in favor of engagement with at least one of the teeth. The biasing means can be overcome by manual pressure on a portion of the pawl, causing release of the collar. The collar may have at least one safety device preventing the pawl from being inadvertently disengaged, and a safety indicia area to visually indicate the locked or unlocked status of the collar. The collar is capable of attachment to a variety of accessories.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the field of animal care products, particularly to an adjustable collar. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     People have kept small animals, such as dogs and cats, as pets for untold millennia. For both the safety of the pet and the safety of others, an important factor in responsible animal ownership is providing for the safe and efficient restraint of the animal, while maximizing the comfort of the animal. In addition to pets, non-pet animals, such as might be found in zoos, occasionally require restraint. 
     The most common means of animal restraint, at least for many small animals such as cats and dogs, has been through the use of collars placed around the animal&#39;s neck. A well-designed animal collar must conform to such requirements as closeness of fit, strength, durability and good looks, and availability of options such as points of attachment for identification and license tags, or leashes. A type of collar sometimes used is a harness, which encompasses in varying degrees, some part of the shoulders and neck. The art has long needed improvements in animal collars that address closeness of fit. Closeness of fit is primarily important for two reasons. First, many small animals, such as cats and dogs, have heads that are not much larger in diameter than the diameter of their necks. Accordingly, if a collar fits too loosely, the animal may “back-out” of the collar; that is, by applying retrograde pressure against the restraint of the collar, the animal can pull a loosely fitting collar backwards over its ears and escape. Additionally, a too loose collar invites entanglement with such objects as fences and tree limbs, often with disastrous strangulation to the animal and heartbreak to the owner. However, a too tight collar or harness should also be avoided. A collar that is too tight is both uncomfortable for the animal and liable to interfere with breathing, especially as the animal exercises, and can possibly lead to chafing, sores, or infection. 
     The issue of closeness of fit is also a variable requiring periodic adjustment. If an animal is acquired as a juvenile, such as a puppy or kitten, it will require a number of size adjustments to its collar as it grows. An adjustable animal collar that is adjustable over a wide plurality of lengths obviates the need to buy replacement collars as the animal grows. Even as an adult, an animal may gain or lose weight, and require adjustment to the size of its collar. However, adjustment must be dependable, that is, it must be easy to adjust when needed, but not change adjustment in response to the activities of the animal. 
     The traditional means for providing adjustment is that of providing a plurality of holes near one end of a circumferential collar, designed to be engaged by a locking pin of some sort. The obvious shortcoming of this system is that there is no adjustability between holes in the collar, and animal owners must sometimes choose between holes that may be too tight or too loose, or else drill an additional hole between two pre-existing holes. Such a drilling task can be arduous, depending on the collar material, and can mar the appearance of the collar. Each new adjustment location requires a new hole to be drilled, possibly filling the collar with a plurality of unsightly and weakening holes. 
     Attempts have been made in the prior art to provide adjustment with a traditional, hole and pin, collar, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,514 to Stout, et al. The &#39;514 device employs a multiple buckle system to lock adjustments that while perhaps effective, adds numerous parts and layers of collar material to a device where simplicity is desired. 
     Strength of the collar is rarely an issue, when not weakened by additional adjustment holes, as it is quite feasible to manufacture a collar of modern materials that most animals cannot break. In fact, as discussed in the context of a too loose collar above, a problem with animal collars is inherent in their very strength. Since the collar is likely to be stronger than the animal, the animal faces a real danger of strangulation should the collar become ensnared on an object such as a fence or tree limb. Making a “break-away” collar, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,725 to Miller, is a dubious proposition, as an animal can strangle due to a continuing applied pressure, such as when caught on a fence, that is much lower than the momentary pressure exerted when an animal lunges against its restraint. As such, a break-away collar is apt to either release prematurely when an animal lunges against its restraint, or else fail to release in a true choking situation. Accordingly, most animal owners eschew the break-away concept and rely instead on a closely fitting collar, with all the attendant problems noted above, to safely restrain their animals. 
     Animal owners desire a collar that is durable and good looking. A traditional material is leather, but this has numerous drawbacks. Leather is difficult to keep clean, and is susceptible to water damage. This is particularly apparent with animals that live outdoors, or who enjoy playing in water, as a leather, or even fabric or otherwise “weather resistant” collar can rapidly become moldy and offensive with repeated wetting. 
     For all the aforementioned reasons, an entirely new direction in adjustable animal collars has been needed. Ratchet and pawl technology has been available as a means of securing bindings of various types for some time. In a very common embodiment, this mechanism works by providing a winding mechanism that winds a predetermined amount of strap onto the winding mechanism. At least one ratchet attached to the winding mechanism is releasably engaged by at least one pawl, generally engaged with the teeth of the ratchet mechanism by a spring-loaded device. The shape of the cooperating teeth of the ratchet and the pawl allow one way tightening of the strap. The ratchet is released by moving the pawl away from and out of engagement with the teeth. Such a mechanism is typified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,266 to Chou. As is typical of this type of embodiment, a rotatable handle in the &#39;266 device allows leverage to be applied to the ratchet and pawl mechanism to increase the mechanical advantage during tightening and thereby to tighten the strap very tightly. Obviously, provision of such a mechanical advantage in an animal collar would be highly dangerous, as it could easily be over tightened. 
     In a different embodiment, ratchet and pawl technology is seen in the strap tightening device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,383 to Bingold. In the &#39;383 device, the ratchet is a series of linearly arranged teeth molded into the strap on a pair of two-loop, disposable, plastic law enforcement restraints (handcuffs). The teeth of the ratchet have, in relation to the strap, one angulated side and one right angle side. To tighten the strap, the strap needs only be pulled such that the angulated sides of the ratchet teeth encounter the pawl first. This tends to displace the pawl away from the strap, allowing the strap to pass. As the ratchet teeth pass the pawl, the pawl, under spring load, returns toward the strap behind the passing tooth, and prevents backsliding of the strap. Unless the spring load is released, the strap can only be tightened. In fact, the &#39;383 device has no provision for loosening, and must be cut off to release the device. Besides the impracticality, in the context of animal collars, the adaptation of this technology would also be highly dangerous for another reason. Since the strap can only be tightened, and tightens automatically as the strap is advanced, any struggling or manipulation of the collar by the animal can only tighten the collar. This is dangerous in an animal control context, where a positive safety device should be employed to prevent the animal from either tightening or loosening the collar on its own. As an animal may become increasingly panicked when a collar tightens, such a ratchet and pawl device without a positive safety device is likely to tighten further as the animal struggles, thus further panicking and endangering the animal. 
     A combination of the linear ratchet of the &#39;383 type and the mechanically advantaged ratchet and pawl of the &#39;266 type is seen in snowboard bindings, as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,959 to Dodge. While the snowboard binding of the &#39;959 device provides a means of releasing the spring load on the pawl to release the strap, this design in unsuitable for the animal collar application of the instant invention for at least two of the reasons elucidated above. First, the mechanical advantage could allow dangerous force to be applied to an animal&#39;s neck, and second, the absence of a positive lock would prevent the animal owner from locking the tightening mechanism so that the animal could not inadvertently tighten or loosen the collar around its own neck. 
     Accordingly, the art has needed a means for improving the art of animal collars. While some of the prior art devices attempted to improve the state of the art of animal collars, none has achieved the unique and novel configurations and capabilities of the present invention. With these capabilities taken into consideration, the instant invention addresses many of the shortcomings of the prior art and offers significant benefits heretofore unavailable. Further, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     In its most general configuration, the present invention advances the state of the art with a variety of new capabilities and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior devices in new and novel ways. In its most general sense, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art in any of a number of generally effective configurations. An object of this invention is to provide an adjustable animal collar, which can include various designs of harness. Further objects of the invention are to provide a good looking, strong, and safe animal collar. 
     In its most general appearance the instant invention embodies an adjustable animal collar, comprising in part a strap with a housing connected at a first end and a second end. The housing receives the second end of the strap, completing the circumferential nature of the collar about an animal&#39;s neck. The collar provides means for positive closure with an engagement region formed with a plurality of teeth in the strap that are engaged by a pawl in the housing. 
     The pawl pivots within the housing about a first axis and has an engagement end and a disengagement end located on opposing sides of the first axis. The pawl is pivotably biased with a biasing means such that the engagement end is biased to rotate in an engagement direction about the first axis. This tends to keep the pawl engaged with at least one tooth of the engagement region and prevents the collar from releasing unless the pawl is actively disengaged. In one embodiment, the biasing device is at least one torsion spring. 
     Various arrangements of pins or bosses and recesses are used to rotatably retain the pawl in the housing and to allow the pawl to alternatively engage and disengage at least one of the plurality of teeth. In embodiments using a pin and recess combination, the pawl may rotate about a non-rotating pin, or the pin itself may rotate. 
     An important feature in some embodiments of the collar is at least one locking safety device. The safety device has at least two functions. It prevents the unintentional release of the pawl, and thereby, the unintentional release of the collar. Perhaps more importantly, it locks the collar at a predetermined tightness, so that the animal cannot endanger itself by tightening the collar. The safety device can act, among other methods, through releasable engagement with the pawl, by directly engaging the teeth, or through compression of at least one part of the strap; and can move in a linear, rotary, or other direction as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art. 
     An attachment device is movably secured to the strap, by which various accessories, such as tethers or leashes, can be attached to the collar. A cover plate may be releasably secured to the housing and formed to substantially cover the pawl, thereby protecting the pawl mechanism and enhancing the appearance of the collar. 
     The collar may be fabricated such that the housing further includes a rigidity insert, fabricated of a material with greater rigidity than the housing, increasing the overall rigidity and durability of the collar. The rigidity insert may display a safety indicia area when the safety device is in the unlocked position, potentially alerting the user as to the locked or unlocked status of the safety device. 
     The collar may incorporate various accessory capacities. These can include, by way of example and not limitation, such items as an insert region, wherein items like identification indicia such as name tags or licenses may be inserted into the collar. Additionally, the collar may provide for the attachment of additional items such as, by way of example and not limitation, electric fence sensors or electric training aids, through the provision of at least one accessory attachment engager. 
     The adjustable animal collar of the instant invention enables a significant advance in the state of the art. The instant invention is, in addition, widely applicable to a large number of applications. The various embodiments, as would be understood by one skilled in the art, would be suitable to any application requiring a potentially finely adjustable, positive closure that is lockable. Such applications could include, by way of example and not limitation, watch bands, arm or waist bands formed to hold accessory devices, or sports hats or caps. The preferred embodiments of the apparatus accomplish this by new and novel arrangements of elements that are configured in unique and novel ways and which demonstrate previously unavailable but preferred and desirable capabilities. 
     It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Without limiting the scope of the present invention as claimed below and referring now to the drawings and figures: 
     FIG. 1 shows the adjustable collar of the instant invention in elevated perspective view; 
     FIG. 2 shows a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective assembly view; 
     FIG. 3 shows a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective view; 
     FIG. 4 shows a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective assembly view; 
     FIG. 5 shows a variation of a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective assembly view; 
     FIG. 6 shows a variation of a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective assembly view; 
     FIG. 7 shows a variation of a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective assembly view; 
     FIG. 8 shows a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in top plan view; 
     FIG. 9 shows a cross section view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8 taken along section lines  9 — 9  of FIG. 8 showing the locked position; 
     FIG. 10 shows a cross section view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8 taken along section lines  9 — 9  of FIG. 8 showing the unlocked position; 
     FIG. 11 shows a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective assembly view; and 
     FIG. 12 shows a portion of the adjustable collar of FIG. 1 in elevated perspective view. 
    
    
     Also, in the various figures and drawings, the following reference symbols and letters are used to identify the various elements and directions described herein below in connection with the several figures and illustrations: M, T. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The adjustable collar of the instant invention enables a significant advance in the state of the art. The preferred embodiments of the apparatus accomplish this by new and novel arrangements of elements that are configured in unique and novel ways and which demonstrate previously unavailable but preferred and desirable capabilities. 
     The detailed description of the collar set forth below in connection with the drawings is intended merely as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the designs, functions, means, and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. These variations, modifications, alternatives, and alterations of the various preferred embodiments, arrangements, and configurations may be used alone or in combination with one another as will become more readily apparent to those with skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures and drawings. In its most general appearance, referring now to FIGS. 1-12, the instant invention embodies an adjustable animal collar  50 , comprising in part a strap  100  having a first end  110 , a second end  120 , and at least a top surface  130  and a bottom surface  140 , as seen in FIG.  1 . The collar  50  also features a housing  150 , seen in FIGS. 1-11, connected to the strap  100 , located substantially at the first end  110 , and the housing  150  is adapted to slidably receive the second end  120 , completing the circumferential nature of the collar  50  about an animal&#39;s neck. In a preferred embodiment, seen in FIGS. 2,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  9 ,  10 , and  11 , the housing  150  is formed in the strap  100 . The collar  50  provides for positive closure with an engagement region  160  attached to the strap  100  and located substantially at the second end  120 , formed to include a plurality of teeth  162 . In a preferred embodiment, the engagement region  160  is formed in the strap  100 . The width of the teeth  162  may be varied according to the application intended; it is estimated that a 2 mm tooth provides excellent adjustability for a dog collar. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, the engagement region  160  may be formed on various surfaces on the collar, although in the preferred embodiment, the engagement region  160  is formed on the top surface  130  of the strap  100 . The collar  50  may be configured so that the second end  120 , when the collar  50  is closed, passes through the housing  150  and lies either over or under the first end  110 . In one embodiment, seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, the second end  120  passes through the housing  150  and lies under the first end  110 , which confers the advantage of having the second end  120  relatively more protected and less likely to become loose or worn. As seen in FIGS. 1,  2 ,  8 , and  9 , the plurality of teeth  162  are engaged by a pawl  200 , pivotably mounted to the housing  150  about a first axis  210  and having an engagement end  220  and a disengagement end  230  located on opposing sides of the first axis  210 . The pawl  200  is pivotably biased with a biasing means  240  such that the engagement end  220  is biased to rotate in an engagement direction  244 , shown in FIG. 2, about the first axis  210 . This tends to keep the pawl  200  engaged in the engagement direction  244  with at least one tooth  162  of the engagement region  160  and prevents the collar  50  from releasing unless the pawl  200  is actively disengaged. In one embodiment, seen in FIG. 4, the biasing means  240  is at least one torsion spring  242 . As would be understood by one skilled in the art, the collar  50  may be formed, in different embodiments, to have different sized teeth  162 . This would give the collar  50  the capacity for relatively either large or small incremental adjustments as the teeth  162  pass the pawl  200 . The pawl  200  is maintained within the housing  150  and rotates by means of a pawl retention means  250  formed to releasably retain the pawl  200  within the housing  150 , seen in FIG.  2 . Various means may be used to retain the pawl  200  within the housing  150 , as seen in FIGS. 4,  5 ,  6 , and  7 . In one embodiment, seen in FIG. 4, the pawl retention means  250  further includes a pin  252  passing through a pin receiver  262  in the pawl  200  on the first axis  210  engaging at least one cooperating housing recess  256 . Alternatively, the pawl retention means  250  can further include a plurality of pins  252  engaging a plurality of cooperating housing recesses  256  located on the first axis  210 , as shown in FIG.  7 . The at least one pin  252  may be fixed in a non-rotating manner within the housing  150 , allowing the pawl  200  to rotate about a fixed pin  252 , or the pin  252  may rotatably engage at least one cooperating housing recess  256 . 
     Alternate means of retaining the pawl  200  within the housing  150 , as seen in FIGS. 4,  5 , and  6 ; include bosses  254 ,  258  which engage cooperating recesses  256 ,  260 . In one such embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, there is at least one pawl boss  254  formed in the pawl  200  on the first axis  210  and formed to engage in at least one cooperating housing recess  256  formed in the housing  150 . In an alternate embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, the pawl retention means  250  further includes at least one housing boss  258  formed in the housing  150  on the first axis  210  and formed to engage in at least one cooperating pawl recess  260  formed in the pawl  200 . 
     An important feature in some embodiments of the collar  50  is at least one safety device  300 , FIGS. 1,  7 ,  8 ,  9 , and  10 , having a locked position, seen in FIG. 9, and an unlocked position, seen in FIG. 10, adapted to secure the first end  110  to the second end  120 . Such a safety device  300  prevents the unintentional release of the pawl  200 , and thereby, the unintentional release of the collar  50 , as well as to prevent inadvertent tightening of the collar  50 . Depressing the safety device retainer  320  allows the safety device  300  to move in direction M. To unlock the collar  50 , the safety device  300  must be in the unlocked position, that is, must be slid away from the housing  150  in direction M, so that the pawl  200  may be rotated against the resistance of the biasing means  240  to release the pawl  200  from the plurality of teeth  162 . To lock the collar  50 , the user slides the safety device  300  towards the housing  150  in direction M. Release of pressure against the safety device retainer  320  causes the elastic rebound of the safety device retainer  320  to secure the safety device  300  and prevents sliding of the safety device  300  in direction M. 
     At least one attachment device  400 , seen in FIG. 11, is movably secured to the strap  100 , by which various accessories, such as tethers or leashes, can be attached to the collar  50 . As seen in FIG. 1, the at least one attachment device  400  can be attached at a plurality of locations on the collar  50 , or may be movably attached to the collar  50 . A cover plate  500  may be releasably secured to the housing  150  and formed to substantially cover the pawl  200 , thereby protecting the pawl  200  and enhancing the appearance of the collar  50 , while minimizing the potential for the animal&#39;s fur becoming entangled in the pawl  200 . In additional embodiments, by way of example and not limitation, such as watch bands, arm or waist bands formed to hold accessory devices, or sports hats or caps, the housing  150 , pawl  200 , and cover plate  500  assemblies incorporate additional decorative and functional items, again by way of example and not limitation, a watch built into the cover plate  500 . 
     In additional embodiments, the housing  150  may be formed to display a safety indicia area  310 , shown in FIG. 11, when the safety device  300  is in the unlocked position. This alerts the user to the locked or unlocked status of the safety device  300 . A means of operation for the safety device  300  can include a releasable engagement of the pawl  200 , thereby preventing rotation of the pawl  200  and locking the engagement end  220  against at least one of the plurality of teeth  162 . The safety device  300  may be formed, and function, in a number of other configurations. For instance, the safety device  300  may slide away from the housing  150  in a direction orthogonal to that of direction arrow M in FIG.  10 . Additionally, the safety device  300  may directly engage the teeth  162  to lock the first end  110  and the second end  120 . Further, the safety device  300  may achieve the locking function with motions other than the linear sliding motions previously described. For instance, the safety device  300  may lock and unlock via rotary, or twisting motion, as well as variations wherein compressive forces act to lock and unlock the safety device  300 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 11, the collar may be fabricated such that the housing  150  further includes a rigidity insert  152 , fabricated of a material with greater rigidity than the housing  150 , having a plurality of sidewalls  154  formed to increase the rigidity of the housing  150 . This tends to increase the overall rigidity of the housing  150  and enhance the durability and reliability of the collar  50 . The plurality of sidewalls  154  may be formed to enclose at least a portion of the second end  120  when the second end  120  is slidably received by the housing  150 . In embodiments utilizing the rigidity insert  152 , the rigidity insert  152  may be formed to display a safety indicia area  310 , seen in FIG. 11, when the safety device  300  is in the unlocked position. Similarly to those embodiments where the safety indicia  310  is formed as part of the housing  150 , a safety indicia area  310  on the rigidity insert  152  potentially alerts the user to the locked or unlocked status or the safety device  300 . 
     The collar  50  may incorporate various accessory capacities. The can include, referring now to FIGS. 1 and 12, by way of example and not limitation, such items as an insert region  170 , wherein such items as name tags or licenses T may be inserted into the collar  50 . The insert region  170  may be configured with a wide array of channels, ridges, tabs, and flaps, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art, to retain various types of paper, plastic, and metal, indicia. Bending of the collar  50 , as shown in FIG. 12, is just one of many ways in which the insert region  170  may be opened to accept identification tags T. Additionally, the collar  50  may provide for the attachment of additional items, by way of example and not limitation, electric fence sensors or electric training aids, with the provision of at least one accessory attachment engager  180 . 
     Any number of materials may be utilized in the construction of the collar  50  including virtually any material such as elastomers, plastics, and composites. In the preferred embodiments, various elements are composed of thermal plastic elastomers, ABS, vacuum metalized plastics, and various metals. Similarly, numerous joining methods may be utilized to assemble the various components of the collar  50 . For example, the rigidity insert  152  may be overmolded to the housing  150  in those embodiments wherein the housing  150  is formed in the strap  100 , as seen in FIGS. 2,  4 ,  6 ,  7 ,  9 , and  10 , thereby eliminating the need for traditional mechanical fasteners. 
     Numerous alterations, modifications, and variations of the preferred embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art and they are all anticipated and contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the instant invention. For example, although specific embodiments have been described in detail, those with skill in the art will understand that the preceding embodiments and variations can be modified to incorporate various types of substitute and or additional or alternative materials, relative arrangement of elements, and dimensional configurations. Accordingly, even though only few variations of the present invention are described herein, it is to be understood that the practice of such additional modifications and variations and the equivalents thereof, are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.