Abstract:
A leash is provided having a handle that can be disassembled by removing a clasp of the handle from an attachment point. The clasp can be attached to any one of a plurality of attachment points along a length of the strap of the leash to secure a pet to a stationary object while maintaining control of the pet. This provides for a quick and easy system to secure the pet to the stationary object.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to a leash for an animal. 
         [0004]    Our pets become a part of our family and we travel with them everywhere we go. Local rules may require the pet owner to always be in control of his or her pet in public areas for the safety of the animal as well as others. As such, animals such as dogs are placed on a leash to maintain control of the dog in public areas. While traveling with a pet, the pet owner must sometimes utilize both hands to accomplish a task such as opening or locking a car door or the front door of a home. The pet owner may also have to search through a purse or pocket for car or home keys. In these instances, it may be beneficial to perform such task with both hands. However, the pet owner must always maintain control of his or her pet regardless of the need or preference to use both hands. To do so, the pet owner must always grasp a handle of the leash thereby controlling the pet but doing so may prohibit the pet owner from performing a task with both hands. 
         [0005]    In other instances, a store such as a grocery store or coffee shop may prohibit entrance of a pet. The pet owner must secure the pet to a stationary object by removing the leash from the pet collar and wrapping the leash around a stationary object while looping the leash through the handle and attaching the leash back to the pet collar. During this procedure, the dog may resist or be distracted. The pet owner may lose control of the dog thereby placing the dog and pedestrians in danger. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved dog leash. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The leash described herein addresses the needs discussed above, discussed below and those that are known in the art. 
         [0008]    The leash may have a strap having a plurality of attachment points for forming a handle of the leash. The attachment points may also be used to secure the leash and pet to a stationary object while allowing the pet owner to maintain control of the pet during the securing process. The leash may define first and second end portions. The first end portion is removably attachable to a collar of the pet. The second end portion may have a clasp that can be removably attached to any one of the plurality of attachment points. The handle of the leash is formed when the clasp is attached to the closest attachment point. When the pet owner wants to secure the pet to a stationary object, the pet owner while gripping the strap releases the clasp from the closest attachment point, wraps the leash around the stationary object and attaches the clasp to one of the attachment points on the strap depending on the size of the stationary object. In this manner, the pet owner maintains control of the pet at all times with one hand while securing the pet to the stationary object. 
         [0009]    More particularly, a leash is disclosed that is capable of tethering an animal to a stationary object when its handler needs to be momentarily separated from the animal or requires use of both hands. The leash may comprise a handle, an elongate flexible strap, a clasp and a hook. The handle is provided for holding the leash. The elongate flexible strap may define opposed first and second end portions. The first end portion may be attached to the handle. The strap may have one or more attachment points disposed along a length of the strap. The clasp of the handle may be removably attached to any one of the attachment points. The hook may be attached to the second end portion of the strap and operative to removably attach the leash to a collar of the animal. 
         [0010]    The attachment points may be rings attached to the strap via loops. Alternatively, the attachment points may be loops. At least three attachment points may be disposed along the length of the strap. The attachment point closest to the handle may form the handle when the clasp of the handle is attached to such attachment point. The attachment points may be equidistant from each other. 
         [0011]    In another aspect, a method of securing an animal to a stationary object is disclosed. The method may comprise the steps of detaching a clasp of a handle of the leash from a proximal attachment point along a length of a strap of the leash; wrapping the strap of the leash around the stationary object; and attaching the clasp of the handle of the leash to a distal attachment point along the length of the strap of the leash. 
         [0012]    The method may further comprise the step of grasping the strap at a location closer to the animal than a position of the attachment point to which the clasp will be attached to maintain control of the animal while securing the animal to the stationary object. 
         [0013]    In the method, the detaching step may include the step of disassembling the handle. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a person holding a first embodiment of a leash attached to a dog for controlling the dog; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates the dog secured to a table with the leash shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of the handle shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of a clasp of the handle attached to an attachment point; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of the clasp of the handle attached to a different attachment point; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates the person holding a second embodiment of the leash. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    Referring now to the drawings, a leash  10  is shown which is attached to a dog  12  and held by a person  14  to control the dog  12  so that the dog  12  cannot run away from the person  14 . The person  14  can hold the dog  12  back by pulling on the leash  10 . The leash  10  has a handle  16  that can be disassembled by unhooking a clasp  18  from a ring  20  (see  FIG. 3 ). A strap  22  of the leash  10  may have one or more intermediate rings  22  to which the clasp  18  may be secured, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . As such, when the person  14  needs to utilize both hands, the person  14  may secure the dog  12  to a stationary object (e.g. table  24 ) by encircling the stationary object and hooking the clasp  18  to one of the rings  20   a, b  disposed on a length of the strap  22 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . In this manner, the dog  12  may be secured to the stationary object when the person  14  leaves the pet outside to purchase a product in a store (e.g., coffee shop), opens a door, unloads groceries from a car and many other activities that require a pet owner  14  to be separated from the pet and/or to utilize both hands without losing control of the pet  12 . The pet  12  is under control and is kept at a safe location and cannot run out into a dangerous street. Also, pedestrians will feel safe around the pet  12 . Moreover, the pet owner  14  can comply with local laws and ordinances that require the pet owner  14  to maintain control of his or her pet  12  at all times. 
         [0022]    More particularly, referring now to  FIG. 1 , the pet owner  14  may secure the leash  10  to his or her pet  12 . The pet  12  may have a collar  26  secured around its neck. The distal end of the strap  22  may have a clasp  28  removably attachable to a ring  30  attached to the dog collar  26 . 
         [0023]    The strap  22  may be elongate and flat. The strap  22  may be fabricated from any flexible material such as a nylon webbing, polypropylene webbing or cotton webbing. It is also contemplated that the strap  22  may also be fabricated from a round cord. The strap  22  may be fabricated and provided in various lengths between 2 feet and 10 feet or more. Also, the strap  22  may be fabricated and provided in various widths (e.g. 1/4 inch width-1 inch width or more). 
         [0024]    The strap  22  may define three separate parts  22   a,    22   b  and  22   c.  Ring  20   a  may be used to connect strap  22   a  to strap  22   b.  In particular, the proximal end of the strap  22   a  may be looped around the ring  20   a  and attached to itself, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The distal end of the strap  22   b  may also be wrapped around the ring  20   a  and attached to itself. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the proximal end of strap  22   b  and the distal end of strap  22   c  may be secured to ring  20   b  by looping the respective ends around the ring  20   b  and stitching the respective straps  22   b, c  upon itself or through other attachment means known in the art or developed in the future. The respective lengths of the straps  22   a, b, c  may be varied. In other words, the rings  20   a, b  may be disposed closer to or further away from the handle  16 . By way of example and not limitation, the rings  20 ,  20   a, b  may be equidistant from each other and the ring  30 . In other words, the lengths of straps  22   a, b, c  are equal to each other. Alternatively, it is also contemplated that the lengths of strap  22   c  and  b  be equal to each other and that strap  22   a  be longer than any one of straps  22   b, c . By way of example and not limitation, the lengths of each of the straps  22   b  and  22   c  may be one foot, whereas the length of the strap  22   a  may be 3 feet or more. In a further alternative, the length of strap  22   a  may be about 25 inches. The length of strap  22   b  may be about 24 inches. The length of strap  22   c  may be about 8 inches. The length of the strap between the clasp  18  and the ring  20  may be about 10 inches. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the strap portion  22   c  may be continuous with the handle  16 . At the proximal end of the strap portion  22   c,  a loop  32  may be formed and stitched to the proximal end of the strap portion  22   c  or a base of the handle  16 . The loop  32  may be fabricated from the same material as the strap  22 . The loop  32  may optionally have a ring  20  to which the clasp  18  may be attached. Alternatively, the clasp  18  may be directly attached to loop  32 . When the clasp  18  is secured to the ring  20 , the handle  16  is formed so that the person  14  may grab the handle  16  to control the animal  12 . 
         [0026]    When the person  14  needs use of both hands, the person  14  may secure the leash  10  to a stationary object. In  FIG. 2 , the stationary object is shown as being a table  24 . The leash  10  is secured around the legs of the table  24 . To secure the leash  10  around the stationary object, the person  14  presses on an optional handle  34  in the direction of arrow  36  (see  FIG. 3 ) to pivot a gate  38  of the clasp  18  so that the clasp  18  may be unhooked from the ring  20 . Alternatively, the gate  38  may be pushed in direction  40  with the person&#39;s thumb or finger to open the gate  38 . After the clasp  18  is unhooked from the ring  20 , the strap  20   a, b  may be wrapped around a stationary object and the clasp  18  may be secured to either one of rings  20   a  or  20   b  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The person  14  may unhook the clasp  18  with one hand while gripping the strap  20   a  with the other hand to maintain control of the pet  12 . 
         [0027]    The rings  20 ,  20   a, b  discussed herein may be fabricated from a metallic material (e.g., aluminum, steel). The rings  20 ,  20   a, b  may form a complete circle so that the straps  22   a, b, c  or the clasp  18  of the handle  16  does not accidentally slip off of the rings  20 ,  20   a, b . The rings  20 ,  20   a, b  may have a round configuration but the rings  20 ,  20   a, b  may also have other configurations such as rectangular, square, triangular, and polygonal. It is also contemplated that the rings  20 ,  20   a, b  may be fabricated from other materials such as nylon, fabric. In this instance, the rings  20 ,  20   a, b  are flexible and would not hold any particular shape. 
         [0028]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a second embodiment of the leash  100  is shown. The leash has a single length of strap  122 , instead of three separate straps  22   a, b, c  as discussed in the first embodiment. The strap  122  may have three loops  132   a, b, c  attached to the strap  122  at different positions. The loop  132   c  is attached closest to the handle  116 . When the clasp  18  of the handle  116  is attached to the loop  132   c,  the handle  116  is formed and provides the gripping area for the person  14  to hold the leash  100 . The loops  132   b, c  are attached to the strap  122  further away from the handle  116 . The clasp  18  of the handle  116  may be removed from the loop  132   c  so that the leash  100  can be wrapped around a stationary object and reattached to either one of the loops  132   a, b  to tether the dog  12  to the stationary object. The loops  132   a, b, c  may be attached to the strap  122  by stitching or other means known in the art or developed in the future. 
         [0029]    The loops  132   a, b, c  may each have rings  120   a, b, c  attached thereto so that the clasp  18  may be more easily secured to the loops  132   a, b, c.  The loops  132   a, b, c  are each wrapped around the respective rings  120   a, b, c  and attached to the strap  122  to secure both the loops  132   a, b, c  and the rings  120   a, b, c  to the strap  122 . However, it is also contemplated that the clasp  18  of the handle  116  may be directly attached to the loops  132   a, b, c  itself without the rings  120   a, b, c.    
         [0030]    The clasp  18  described herein has a body and a gate  38  which can be traversed between an opened position and a closed position. The gate  38  may be biased to the closed position. The clasp  18  may have the handle  34  to assist in opening and closing of the gate  38 . The handle  34  is an optional feature of the clasp. The clasp  18  may include but is not limited to carabiners, locking carabiners, clamps that selectively opens and closes, and other devices known in the art or developed in the future. 
         [0031]    The leash  10 ,  100  has been described and shown in relation to dogs. However, the leash  10 ,  100  may be used for any type of animal including but not limited to cats, wild animals, and monkeys. 
         [0032]    The leash  10 ,  100  described herein incorporated one attachment point closest to the handle  16  for forming the handle  16  and two attachment points along the length of the strap  22 ,  122  to attach the clasp  18  thereto for securing the leash  10 ,  100  and the pet  12  to a stationary object. However, it is also contemplated that the leash  10 ,  100  may have one or more attachment points along the length of the strap  22 ,  122  for the purposes of providing more options to the pet owner in attaching the clasp  18  when securing the leash  10 ,  100  and pet  12  to the stationary object. 
         [0033]    The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of attaching the loops to the strap. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.