Abstract:
A system of locking mechanisms having numerous male locking mechanisms  16-20  within a inner tubular member and one female locking mechanism  22  that creates a singular point of entrance and exit within an outer tubular to secure dogs or pets. The male locking mechanisms  16-20  are a part of an inner-sleeve that is easily inserted into an outer-sleeve of which the female locking mechanism  22  is a part. The hollow metal outer-sleeve is inserted into the ground adjacent to ground level by hammering it into the ground using a plug-like structure that is inserted into the outer-sleeve. The plug like structure is then removed allowing the inner-sleeve to be inserted. The system of locking mechanisms inherent within the inner-sleeve and the outer-sleeve provide improved retaining capabilities while other features of the device allow for easy pivoting for pets, ready movement to additional locations, water resistant features, ground level adjacency for mowing and safety are maintained.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention relates to animal husbandry specifically to effective locking mechanisms within retaining devices for pets commonly known as tie-outs. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     The plethora of previous designs, configurations, and inventions pertaining to dog leashes and retaining devices has made tremendous progress toward a truly comprehensive approach to retaining pets while allowing them to pivot 360 degrees, remain secured, while providing a safe means to mowing lawns and maintaining a “flush” surface with the ground when “inner-sleeves” are removed. Prior art almost accomplishes this goal. However, the locking mechanisms inherent in the prior art prevent them from accomplishing all five of the most important characteristics of safe and easy retention at one time. Those characteristics are: it must easily pivot 360 degrees to prevent tangling, remain adjacent to the ground level once the inner-sleeve is removed for child safety and ease of mowing, effectively prevent the dog from pulling out the inner-sleeve while providing a means to “disengage” the upward motion of the inner-sleeve when it is inadvertently initiated by the dog or pet, provide plurality of outer-sleeves for ready movement and transition to other locations, and to provide a water resistant approach to enhance product longevity. 
     Any one prior invention accomplishes one or more of these objectives, however, not one of the previous inventions accomplishes all five of these objectives. Thus the need for a cost effective new invention that includes the advantages of prior art, greatly reduces the disadvantages, and provides a means for aggressive competition to the primitive tie-outs that currently saturate the pet industry becomes evident. 
     Perhaps the five closest resemblances are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,982,701 and 5,044,323 to Papak, U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,037 to Hunter, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,747 to Fain, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,161 to Meyer Jr. Certainly others contain similar features as the aforementioned such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,004 to Sinclair, U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,244 to Graham, and perhaps even U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,152 to Weissner. However, the five aforementioned suffice to vividly establish the need for a more comprehensive approach to the aforementioned five most important characteristics with particular emphasis on the locking mechanisms. 
     While Papak&#39;s designs are certainly an improvement in some respects they still leave two inherent problems. Most importantly his spiral or threading approach demands that the tubular member as seen in FIG.  3  and FIG. 5 remain above the surface of the ground and not adjacent to the ground surface. Obviously this impedes to some degree one&#39;s ability to mow safely even though it is low to the ground it is not “flush”. It also allows for an unsafe environment for children that could trip over it. Secondly, Papak&#39;s most recent design on rare occasion could become dislodged if the dog creates a whip effect on the leash and consequently raises the stake just enough to engage it with the spiral ridge. 
     At this moment the dog need only to continue in circular motion to dislodge the stake. Certainly this would be difficult. Papak accomplishes three of the five objectives but slightly misses providing a means to automatically disengage inadvertent upward motion, and creates a potentially more unsafe environment by allowing the tubular member to remain above the surface of the ground. 
     While Hunter&#39;s work is an improvement over prior art particularly in its ability to pivot freely it does not contain any specific means to ensure that the rod portion of his device cannot come out of the sleeve. His design relies on the weight of the rod to prevent inadvertent upward removal. Therein lay two inherent dilemmas. First, anyone skilled in the field would readily ascertain that while the weight of the rod is a deterrent to inadvertent upward removal it is still very possible for a dog to create inadvertent upward motion and bend the inner tubular member. Secondly, the solid rod can be costly thus deterring major manufacturers from investing in mass production. Ultimately this discourages competition to the very basic tie-outs that currently dominate the market. 
     The presence of an effective locking mechanism would allow for less dependence on such heavy solid material and decrease costs while improving the security of the device. 
     Fain like Hunter certainly provided some improvement over prior art but lacked the provision for an effective locking mechanism to prevent inadvertent upward motion and removal. 
     Meyer Jr. produced a very effective means anchoring. However, it cannot pivot 360 degrees in either the above the ground position or the adjacent ground position because of it inherent need to lock into place. For this reason it becomes impractical for retaining animals because it cannot pivot continually. 
     While some prior art provides pivoting capabilities, ground level adjacency, limited locking capabilities, plurality for ready movement, and water resistant concepts, none of the prior art effectively combines all of these characteristics into one device with particular attention drawn to the area of the locking systems. It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a more effective locking system for the device that decreases the likelihood of the inadvertent upward motion of the inner tubular member while including all of the advantages of prior art without the described disadvantages. It also the object of this invention to provide an adequate device that is economical enough to compete with the existing commercially available tie-out stale that provide only few of the above advantages and many of the above disadvantages. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 Depicts the entire inner-sleeve and its components with special emphasis drawn to reference numbers  16 ,  18 , and  20  the male locking mechanisms. 
     FIG. 2 Depicts the outer-sleeve into which the inner-sleeve is inserted with primary emphasis on  22  and secondary emphasis on  24  which together create the singular point of entrance and exit while simultaneously disallowing entrance and exit at any other portion other than the female component  24   
     FIG. 3 Depicts the protector plug, the component used to insert into the inner-sleeve during installation and more consistently to prevent debris and water from infiltrating the outer-sleeve once the inner-sleeve is removed 
     FIG. 4 Depicts a standalone look at the female inner-sleeve holder to emphasize the rim-like structure&#39;s ridge effect that disallows entry or exit of male components while simultaneously allowing entry and exit at the slot or notch at the top which is the female locking mechanism. 
     FIG. 5 Depicts the inner-sleeve protector cap designed to keep rain and debris out of the uppermost portion of the device. 
     FIG. 6A Depicts the protector plug inserted into the inner-sleeve after having aligned the male and female locking mechanisms to become prepared for insertion into the ground. 
     FIG. 6B Depicts the inner-sleeve fully installed into and flush with the ground. 
     FIG. 7A Depicts the inner-sleeve after the first male locking mechanism  20  has passed though the female locking mechanism  22  with particular attention drawn to the opposing male locking mechanism  18  and its opposite position and noticeable inability to align with the singular point of entrance  22  without adequate rotation 
     FIG. 7B Depicts the inner-sleeve after the second locking mechanism  18  has passed through the female locking mechanism  22  using the same method as outlined for FIG. 7A with particular attention drawn to both male locking mechanisms  20  and  16  which once again are at opposite positions of the aligned locking mechanism  18  and therefore disallowed from alignment with the singular point of entrance and exit. 
     FIG. 7C Depicts the inner-sleeve after the third male mechanism  16  has passed through the female locking mechanism  22  with particular attention drawn to male mechanism  18  which at an opposite position and disallowed form point of entrance and exit 
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       10  Inner-sleeve Protector Cap 
       12  Retaining Ring 
       14  Male Outer-sleeve cover 
       16  Male Locking Mechanism C 
       18  Male Locking Mechanism B 
       20  Male Locking Mechanism A 
       22  Female Locking Mechanism 
       24  Female Inner-sleeve bolder 
       26  Drain Hole 
       28  Protector Plug 
       30  Male Locking Mechanism for Protector Plug 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A typical embodiment of the device is comprised of an outer-sleeve FIG. 2 usually but not necessarily made of a hollow metal substance into which an inner-sleeve FIG. 1 is inserted by using a protector plug FIG.  3 . The protector plug FIG. 3 is comprised of metal for installation with a protector plug male locking mechanism  30  to aid in securing the protector plug FIG. 3 within the outer-sleeve FIG. 2 during installation. A rubber or plastic version of this protector plug FIG. 3 is also included to eliminate rust when it is used in the absence of the inner-sleeve FIG.  2 . The outer-sleeve FIG. 2 once inserted into the ground becomes the base for the inner-sleeve FIG.  1 . Because of the physics of this device once the outer-sleeve FIG. 2 is inserted into the ground one must dig it up similar to digging up a tree. The outer-sleeve FIG. 2 contains at its upper rim a notch called the female locking mechanism  22 . It is simply a notch cut into the metal to allow the extended metal pieces called male locking mechanisms  16 - 20  of the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 to pass though this section of the outer-sleeve FIG.  2 . If the male locking mechanisms  16 - 20  do not pass through this section when entering or removing the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 cannot be installed or removed. Notice that there is only one point of entrance the female locking mechanism  22 . Also notice that the three male locking mechanisms  16 - 20  are arranged with a staggered effect. This staggered effect is the essence of the invention. Perhaps an illustration at this moment would help the readers envision its effect. 
     Imagine a doorway that can only allow one individual to pass through it at a time. Two individuals are on one side of the doorway and one individual is on the other side of the doorway. One of the individuals of the two must pass first, the individual on the other side passes second, the last of the two individuals from the original side passes last This is the relationship that the male locking mechanisms  16 - 18  have with female locking mechanism  22  as the “doorway”. A dog would have to perfectly align male locking mechanism  16  with female locking mechanism  22 , remain in mid air and levitate an additional approximate 1 inch while pivoting 180 degrees around the center of the device to perfectly align the second male locking mechanism  18  with female locking mechanism  22 , then levitate an additional approximate 18 inches while pivoting 180 degrees around the center of the device and perfectly align the third male locking mechanism  20  with female locking mechanism  22  to inadvertently remove the inner-sleeve. Another reason this is virtually impossible is the inherent ability of this locking system to “disengage” an inadvertent upward motion. For example, if the animal creates inadvertent upward motion as to allow the male locking mechanism  16  to pass through the female locking mechanism  22  and “rest” on a female inner-sleeve holder  24  then once the device rotates or pivots 180 degrees horizontally then the inner-sleeve will “drop” once the male locking mechanism  16  aligns with the female locking mechanism  22 . Although this current embodiment contains three male locking mechanisms, this concept can extend to other applications besides the pet industry and therefore include more or less than three male locking mechanisms whether within or outside the scope of pet products. Additionally, the outer-sleeve contains a hole for draining  26  which is optional and the rim like structure called a female inner-sleeve holder  24 . Although the device is approximately 24 inches long and primarily used for dogs. The device will also be made in smaller and larger versions for smaller dogs and other pets even horses, and other industries requiring such tethering and anchoring combinations. The inner-sleeve FIG. 1 is shaped to include a kind of inverse cup called the male outer-sleeve cover  14 . This is designed to prevent rain and debris from infiltrating the inner-sleeve FIG. 1, and to allow 360 degrees pivoting movement for the dog. It overlies the female inner-sleeve holder  24 . Also to disallow the debris and rain an inner-sleeve protector cap  10 . The dog is chained to an eyebolt similarity called the retaining ring  12 . 
     Operation 
     Perhaps the easiest way to introduce the operation of this invention is to view FIG. 1, the inner-sleeve and understand that it inserts into FIG. 2, the outer-sleeve. After this outer-sleeve FIG. 2 is inserted into the ground until flush with the ground surface by using FIG. 3, the protector plug to hammer it into the ground. FIG. 3 the protector plug is made of one of two types of material, steel and rubber. The steel protector plug is used to insert into FIG. 2 the outer-sleeve after aligning a protector plug male locking mechanism  30  with a female locking mechanism  22  and inserting. After the protector plug FIG. 3 is inserted into the outer-sleeve FIG. 2 one then hammers the outer-sleeve into the ground hammering on the upper portion of the protector plug. This is to protect the walls of the outer-sleeve from becoming damaged from those inexperienced with a hammer. A rubber protector plug will be discussed later. After the outer-sleeve FIG. 2 is inserted flush with the ground an inner-sleeve FIG. 1 is then inserted into the outer-sleeve after the protector plug FIG. 3 is removed. To insert the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 one aligns the male locking mechanism  20  with the female locking mechanism  22  and inserts the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 until a second male locking mechanism  18  touches a female inner-sleeve holder  24 . One then rotates the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 180 degrees until this second male locking mechanism  18  is aligned with the female locking mechanism  22  and “drops” then one inserts the inner-sleeve until a third male locking mechanism  16  touches the female inner-sleeve holder  24 . One then rotates the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 180 degrees once again, this time until the male locking mechanism  16  is aligned with the female locking mechanism  22 . One then allows the inner-sleeve to “drop” into place. At this time the device is ready to hold a dog once the dog is attached to a retaining ring  10  located on the outer-sleeve FIG.  2 . Notice that on the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 there is a male outer-sleeve cover  14  which overlays the female inner-sleeve holder  24  once the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 is inserted into the outer-sleeve FIG.  2 . This is designed to decrease the likelihood of rain and debris from infiltrating the inner-sleeve FIG.  1  and to allow the device to pivot freely 360 degrees Also notice an inner-sleeve protector cap  10  also designed to keep out rain and debris. When one wants to mow the lawn simply remove the inner-sleeve FIG.  1  and insert the protector plug FIG.  3 . This time however, one would most likely use the rubber protector plug. (The device will come with both a steel protector plug and a rubber one). Lastly, just the outer-sleeves FIG. 2 will be sold as well. A steel and rubber protector plug will be included. This additional purchase of an outer-sleeve FIG. 2 will allow plurality and ready movement to relocate a dog to other locations within seconds without the need to reinstall the entire device. This is accomplished merely by inserting an outer-sleeve FIG. 2 into the ground as outlined above and keeping the rubber protector plug FIG. 3 in it until one needs to use this location. 
     Concludion, Ramification, and Scope 
     To reiterate some dynamics of the invention and the unique and novel components one would review Locking Mechanism  20 , Locking Mechanism  18 , Locking Mechanism  16 , and Female Locking Mechanism  22 . As noted in the prior art section some of the previous devices although similar in some respects to the Sure Stay System did not offer a way to ensure the outer-sleeve to be flush with the ground when the inner-sleeve was removed. This problem could be dangerous for running children that could trip over it and it could be dangerous if the top portion of it was a little too far above the ground while mowing. Notice that on the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 however, all three locking mechanisms  16 - 20  are underneath the portion of the outer-sleeve FIG. 2 that is adjacent to ground level. This means that once the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 is removed the outer-sleeve FIG. 2 is completely flush with the surface. This provides the safety for mowing and recreation. Also, the arrangement between the male outer-sleeve cover  14  and the female inner-sleeve cover  24  allow for easy pivoting and protection against infiltrating rain and debris. However, the primary distinction about this device versus prior an is the system of locking mechanisms. To reiterate there are three metal rods or beads that extend horizontally beyond the outside wall of the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 just enough as to not touch the inside wall of the outer-sleeve FIG. 2 once the inner-sleeve FIG. 1 is inserted into the outer-sleeve FIG.  2 . They are strategically placed two on one side and one on the opposing side and staggered as illustrated in the drawing. This design is the primary emphasis of this patent for a number of reasons: A) A dog must first perfectly align the first male locking mechanism A  20 . Then the dog must pivot 180 degrees and elevate while in the air to perfectly align the second male locking mechanism  18 . Last the dog must elevate an additional 18 inches, pivot 180 degrees and perfectly align the third male locking mechanism  16  and then remove the inner-sleeve. Furthermore, if a dog or animal could inadvertently create an upward motion as to allow the male locking mechanism  16  to pass through female locking mechanism  22  and rest on the female inner-sleeve holder  24 , once the inner-sleeve rotates 180 degrees the male locking mechanism  16  will realign with the female locking mechanism  22  and “drop into realignment”. While it is virtually impossible for an animal to inadvertently remove the device, it is very simple for a human to remove the inner-sleeve with three simple rotations (just the reverse of the above mentioned procedure). This in essence, is the advantage of Sure Stay. It provides a more effective locking system along with all of the advantages of prior art without the aforementioned disadvantages. 
     While the above description contains many specificities these should not be construed as limitations to the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible. Materials other than metal can be used for the sleeves, the sleeves can be solid rather than hollow, more than three male locking mechanisms can be used, less than three male locking mechanisms may be used (although the ability to inadvertently create upward motion is greatly enhanced), varying retaining ring designs can be substituted, and the concept of the locking systems can be used in multiple industries with shapes other than rods or sleeves. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by embodiment(s) illustrated, but by the appealed claims and their legal equivalents.