Patent Publication Number: US-2022232803-A1

Title: Pulley system allowing for passage of object attached to line

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/841,596 entitled LURE CHASING SYSTEM, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Apr. 6, 2020, which published as U.S. patent publication no. US 2020-0229399 A1 on Jul. 23, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/841,596 is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/569,715 entitled LURE CHASING SYSTEM, filed in the USPTO on Dec. 14, 2014, which published as U.S. Patent Publication US 2015-0201586 A1 on Jul. 23, 2015 and which issued from the USPTO as U.S. Pat. No. 10,609,904 on Apr. 7, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/569,715 claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional patent application 61/917,058 filed in the USPTO on Dec. 17, 2013, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The contents of the foregoing patent applications, published patent applications, and issued patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a system and method for safely and effectively propelling a lure along a user-designed closed-loop line course and, more particularly, to a system and method for controlling movement of a lure along a user-designed closed-loop line course to provide an incentive for an animal to chase said lure around the user-designed line course. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Do it yourself lure coursing is an exciting new activity that provides exercise and enjoyment for domestic animals. Lure coursing involves setting up a user-defined course with a closed-loop line that has attached to it a lure. The lure is typically of a design that catches the attention of the animal as it moves, causing the animal to chase the lure around the course. The line is typically a closed-loop system that is cooperative with a drive motor and at least one transfer pulley that causes the close-loop line to move causing the affixed lure to move along the user-defined course. 
     The inventors have discovered that there are inherent operational problems and risks associated with existing lure coursing systems. For example, existing lure coursing systems utilize open or exposed pulley systems that require the use of cables or ropes having a substantial weight, thickness, and/or tensile strength. These systems can injure the mouth or limbs of an animal during operation. In addition, existing systems utilizing open or exposed pulleys create a substantial hazard to both the animal chasing the lure and the humans near the system, as a dangerous pinch point exists at each open or exposed pulley. 
     In addition, the open pulley or exposed systems typically used in existing lure coursing systems are prone to misalignment or failure when any turbulence is encountered or introduced in the line, which is actually quite frequent. Another drawback of the pulley systems of the prior art is that they do not allow for the passage of an object, such as but not limited to a lure or flag, attached to the line passing around the pulley. In the systems of the prior art, the object attached the line is impeded or may be prevented altogether from passing around the pulley because the object (for example lure) interferes with the pulley housing or support structure, or, alternatively, the object (for example lure) become entangled between the line and the pulley, causing the line to exit the pulley groove and causing the system to fail. Another main concern of conventional lure coursing systems is the fact that they utilize drive units comprising direct drive motor systems that do not allow for the implementation of safety features available to a drive unit implementing a non-direct drive system. 
     What is needed in the art, therefore, is a lure coursing system and method that eliminates or mitigates the numerous injury risks and aforementioned operational difficulties associated with current systems. Such a system and method would eliminate or mitigate the injury risks associated with both open or exposed pulleys and high resiliency lines traveling at high-speeds around a user-defined course, while still allowing for the unimpeded travel of an object attached to the line (for example, a lure for lure coursing) affixed to the line as it passes around the pulley. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one exemplary aspect of the present invention a lure coursing system is disclosed, said system comprising: (i) a drive unit disposed at a first location, said drive unit comprising a drive pulley enclosed by a drive pulley housing, said drive pulley housing including a drive pulley housing cover and drive pulley housing base, wherein said drive pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield and a hinge configured to allow for the opening and closing of the drive pulley housing cover without disturbance of the drive pulley, wherein when said drive pulley housing cover is in the closed position the drive pulley housing comprises a defined annular space forming a lure passthrough window that includes a substantially solid inner surface comprised of the drive pulley groove and the inwardly beveled drive pulley shield, wherein the drive pulley is operatively connected to a motor; (ii) a transfer unit disposed at a second location, said transfer unit comprising a transfer pulley enclosed by a transfer pulley housing, said transfer pulley housing including a transfer pulley housing cover and transfer pulley housing base, wherein said transfer pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield and a hinge configured to allow for the opening and closing of the transfer pulley housing cover without disturbance of the transfer pulley, wherein when said transfer pulley housing cover is in the closed position the transfer pulley housing comprises a defined annular space forming a lure passthrough window that includes a substantially solid inner surface comprised of the transfer pulley groove and the inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield; (iii) a lure line engaging said drive pulley and said transfer pulley so as to form a continuous loop configuration for said lure line, said lure line able to loop continuously around said drive pulley and said transfer pulley; and (iv) a lure attached to said lure line. 
     In another aspect, a method of animating a lure for lure coursing is disclosed, said method comprising the steps of: (i) disposing a drive unit at a first location, said drive unit comprising a drive pulley enclosed by a drive pulley housing, said drive pulley housing including a drive pulley housing cover and drive pulley housing base, wherein said drive pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield and a hinge configured to allow for the opening and closing of the drive pulley housing cover without disturbance of the drive pulley, wherein when said drive pulley housing cover is in the closed position the drive pulley housing comprises a defined annular space forming a lure passthrough window that includes a substantially solid inner surface comprised of the drive pulley groove and the inwardly beveled drive pulley shield, wherein the drive pulley is operatively connected to a motor; (ii) disposing a transfer unit at a second location, said transfer unit comprising a transfer pulley enclosed by a transfer pulley housing, said transfer pulley housing including a transfer pulley housing cover and transfer pulley housing base, wherein said transfer pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield and a hinge configured to allow for the opening and closing of the transfer pulley housing cover without disturbance of the transfer pulley, wherein when said transfer pulley housing cover is in the closed position the transfer pulley housing comprises a defined annular space forming a lure passthrough window that includes a substantially solid inner surface comprised of the transfer pulley groove and the inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield; (iii) disposing a lure line around the drive pulley and transfer pulley, said lure line engaging said drive pulley and said transfer pulley so as to form a loop configuration for said lure line, said lure line able to loop continuously around said drive pulley and said transfer pulley; (iv) affixing a lure attached to said lure line; and (v) activating the drive pulley via the drive motor to move the lure line thereby animating the lure affixed to the lure line in a continuous loop. 
     The drive unit may further comprise a battery electrically connected to the motor and a motor control unit. In addition, the motor control unit may include one or more transceivers, which may be configured to wirelessly communicate with a user handheld remote. The user handheld remote may be configured to provide haptic or visual feedback to the user regarding the operation of the lure coursing system. The motor control unit may also include an electronic timer configured to halt the flow of electricity to the motor after a preprogramed duration and may also include a digital stall system that halts the flow of electricity to the motor upon detection by the digital stall system of a load on the lure line exceeding a preprogramed load limit. The lure may be permanently or removably affixed to the lure line. Moreover, the drive unit and/or transfer unit may be affixed to the ground via break-away tethers configured to break apart under a predefined lateral or horizontal load. 
     It is a further aspect and object of the invention to provide a pulley system that allows a line to pass around a pulley while the pulley is rotating, and also, at the same time, allow an object attached to the line to pass around the pulley and through an object passthrough window in a pulley housing, such that the object passes through the object passthrough window, and through the housing, without impediment. Thus, using the inventive pulley system of the invention, a line may pass around a pulley and an object attached to the line may also pass around the pulley, and through a structure to which the pulley is attached, such as a housing, without impediment. This invention is useful, as in many cases a line passing through one or more pulleys may have an object attached that, as the object passes around the pulley or pulleys, either is impeded by the pulley supporting structure(s) (such as, for example, a pulley housing or other supporting structure), or is caused to exit the pulley groove due to the object tangling between the line and the pulley groove causing the line to jump out of the pulley groove as the line passes around the pulley. The inventive pulley system of the invention overcomes these drawbacks of the prior art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagrammatical top view illustration of a basic line coursing system including a drive unit and a transfer unit, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagrammatical top view illustration of an alternative line coursing system including a drive unit and three transfer pulley units. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagrammatical front isometric view of one embodiment of the drive unit in the closed configuration in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagrammatical rear isometric view of an embodiment of the drive unit of  FIG. 3  in the closed configuration. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagrammatical exploded view of an embodiment of the drive unit of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a diagrammatical cutaway view of an embodiment of the drive unit of  FIG. 3  in the closed configuration. 
         FIG. 7  is an additional diagrammatical cutaway view of an embodiment of the drive unit of  FIG. 3  in the closed configuration. 
         FIG. 8  is an internal diagrammatical view of an embodiment of the drive unit of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 9  is an additional internal diagrammatical view of an embodiment of the drive unit of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 10 . is a diagrammatical front isometric view of one embodiment of the transfer unit in the closed configuration in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a diagrammatical rear isometric view of an embodiment of the transfer unit of  FIG. 10  in the closed configuration. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagrammatical cutaway view of an embodiment of the transfer unit of  FIG. 10  in the closed configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following documentation provides a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Although a detailed description as provided herein contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations, equivalents and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not merely by the preferred examples or embodiments given herein. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a diagrammatical top view illustration of a basic lure coursing system  10  suitable for use in exercising dogs and similar domesticated animals accustomed to running, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is shown. The basic lure coursing system  10  comprises a drive unit  12  disposed at a first location, a closed-loop lure line  18 , a lure  16 , and a transfer unit  14  disposed at a second location. The drive unit  12  is placed on the ground and is separated from the transfer unit  14  that is also disposed on the ground at a distance from the drive unit determined by the user. The lure line  18  is routed through the drive unit  12  and around the drive pulley  22  and through the transfer unit  14  and around the transfer pulley  24  to form a closed loop, essentially as shown. 
     To increase friction between the lure line  18  and the drive pulley  22  said drive pulley may be at least partially coated with a friction increasing material, which may include, without limitation, silicone, rubber, latex, silicon rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber or cork. The transfer pulley  24  may also be similarly coated. 
     The lure  16  may be removably or permanently attached to the lure line  18 , at a location on the lure line selected by the user. The lure  16  may be removably or permanently affixed to the lure line  18  via knotting of the lure line around the lure and/or the knotting of the lure around the lure line. The lure  16  may also be affixed to the lure line via adhesives, hook and loop fasteners or other fasteners. More than one lure may be affixed to the lure line  18 . The lure  16  is preferably constructed of a soft mailable material such as plastic, polyethylene, silicon, rubber or a fabric. The lure line  18  is configured into a closed loop by the user, such as by knotting a length of line so that the lure line  18  passes around both: (i) the drive pulley  22  enclosed in the drive unit  12 , and (ii) a transfer pulley  24  enclosed in the transfer unit  14 . The lure-line  18  may also be manufactured as a closed-loop. 
     The lure line  18  may be made from any material suitable to engage the drive and transfer pulley to form a closed-loop configuration and of necessary strength to withstand highspeed operation in a closed-loop configuration. Preferred materials include, without limitation, monofilament, nylon, cotton, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, Kevlar or any mixture thereof. Preferred lure line construction includes, without limitation, braided, double braided, solid braided, hollow braided or twisted. 
     The drive unit  12  includes a motor  20  that may be powered by any AC or DC electrical source. The electrical power source may be an external AC electrical source  26  and may be controlled by an electronic motor control unit  28 . Alternatively, a battery  77  can be utilized to provide DC electrical power to the motor and motor control unit. Preferred batteries include lithium-ion, lithium-ion polymer (lipo), lithium, nickel metal hydride, nickel-cadmium, lead acid, lead acid gel or alkaline. The battery  77  may be rechargeable or non-rechargeable. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagrammatical top view of an alternative configuration of a lure coursing system  30 , in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. The lure coursing system  30  comprises the drive unit  12 , a lure line  18  forming a continuous loop, the lure  16  attached to the lure line  18 , and three transfer units  14  engaging the lure line  18 . The lure line  18  is routed through the drive unit  12  and through each of the three transfer units  14  to form a closed loop. The length of the lure line  18  may be longer or shorter than the length of the lure line  18  in the configuration of  FIG. 1 . In the example shown, the drive unit  12  and the three transfer units  14  form the vertices of a four-sided polygon. It should be understood that the components of the lure coursing system  30  can be arranged in any pattern desired by the user, provided that there is space and terrain available to set up the lure coursing system  30 . Configurations contemplated by the present invention include configurations utilizing one or more transfer units  14  and/or one or more drive units  12  to form any user-defined course. If one or more drive units  12  are utilized in a configuration, the operation of the drive units may be linked via wireless communications. 
     Turning to  FIG. 3 , a front isometric diagrammatical view of a preferred embodiment of the drive unit  12  is shown. The drive unit includes a drive pulley  22  enclosed in a drive pulley housing  40 . The drive pulley housing is comprised of a drive pulley housing cover  41  and a drive pulley housing cover base  42 . The drive pulley housing cover base  42  may solid or may be hollow with a defined interior space. The drive pulley housing cover  41  contains a hinge  43  configured to allow the drive pulley housing cover to open and close without disturbing the drive pulley  22 . The drive pulley housing cover also contains a drive pulley shield  44  that partially encloses the drive pulley  22  when the drive pulley housing cover  41  is in the closed position. When in the closed position, the drive pulley housing cover  41  is removably secured to the drive pulley housing cover base  42  by one or more releasable fasteners  45 . Exemplary releasable fasteners include, without limitation, a hook-and-loop fastener, latch, thumbscrew, friction-fit coupling, pin or a combination thereof. The one or more releasable fasteners  45  may also be an opposite polarity magnet pair. Exemplary magnets are neodymium or other rare-earth magnets. When in the closed position, the drive pulley housing cover  41 , the drive pulley shield  44  and drive pulley housing base  42  enclose the drive pulley  22 , thereby eliminating or mitigating the dangers associated with an open pulley system. When the drive pulley housing cover  41  is in the closed position, the drive pulley housing  40  includes a defined annual space forming a lure passthrough window  46  that allows the lure to pass around the enclosed drive pulley  22  without disengagement from the drive pulley and without impediment from the drive pulley housing  40 . Also shown is the motor housing  47  and portable power source access door  48 . The drive pulley housing  40  and motor housing  47  may be constructed of any suitable material of necessary rigidity and strength. In a preferred embodiment, the drive pulley housing  40  and motor housing  47  are constructed from plastic material. The drive pulley  22  may also be constructed of any suitable material of necessary rigidity and strength, including without limitation, PVC plastic or other high strength plastics such as polyamide or glass-filled plastics. 
     The hinge  43  is configured such that the lure line cannot become stuck or trapped within any spaces created in the drive pulley housing cover  41  by said hinge. In a preferred embodiment, all spaces in the drive pulley housing cover  41  created by the hinge  43  are smaller than the diameter of the lure line  18 . In addition, the edges of all spaces created by the hinge  43  in the drive pulley housing cover  41  may be beveled to reduce edges upon which the lure line could become stuck or trapped. In addition, the hinge  43  mechanism may be external to the lure passthrough window  46 . 
       FIG. 4  is a rear isometric diagrammatical view of the drive unit  12  of  FIG. 3 . The rear of the motor housing  47  contains a power source access door  48  for the insertion and storage during operation of a battery. Also shown is a power switch  49 . The drive unit  12  further includes an anchor point  50  to affix the drive unit to the ground at a location desired by the user. The drive unit  12  may be removably or permanently affixed to the ground. In an exemplary embodiment, the drive unit  12  is removably affixed to the ground via the anchor point  50  via the use of break-away tethers configured to break apart under a predefined lateral or horizontal load, said load being greater than the load placed on the anchor point  50  during normal operation of the lure coursing system. Through the use of breakaway tethers, the drive unit  12  can release from the ground upon the assertion of a lateral or horizontal load that is hazardous to an animal or human user. The break-away tethers may be operatively connected to any known means of anchoring an object to the ground, including, without limitation, a ground stake, ground anchor or weight. In another aspect, the drive unit  12  may be attached to the ground via the anchor point  50  via non-breakaway tethers or elastic tethers. 
     As shown by  FIG. 5 , an exploded diagrammatical view of the drive unit  12  of  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the drive pulley  22  is affixed to a support shaft  51  connected to the drive unit cover base  42 . The drive unit cover base  42  includes an annular recess  52  into which the drive pulley  22  rests. The annular recess  52  is of a diameter just larger than the diameter of the drive pulley  22  creating a gap  53  between the drive pulley  22  and the walls of the annular recess  52  such that the drive pulley can rotate unimpeded within the annular recess. The gap  53  is kept as small as practical, in accordance with manufacturing tolerance, while providing adequate space for free rotation of the drive pulley  22  within the annular recess  52 . In aspects where the drive unit cover base is hollow, the annular recess  52  may alternatively be an annular cutout in the top section of drive unit cover base  42  that allows the drive pulley  22  to sit partially within the hollow defined area of drive unit cover base. 
     The drive pulley housing cover  41  also includes a circular drive pulley shield  44  that is affixed to the bottom of the drive pulley housing cover. The drive pulley shield&#39;s  44  inner diameter is just larger than the diameter of the drive pulley  22  creating a space  57  (shown on  FIG. 7 ) between the drive pulley and the interior wall  54  of the drive pulley shield such that the drive pulley  22  can rotate unimpeded within the drive pulley shield  44 . The space between the interior wall of the drive pulley shield  54  and the drive pulley  44  is kept as small as practical, in accordance with manufacturing tolerance, while providing adequate space for free rotation of the drive pulley  22  within the drive pulley shield  44 . 
     A substantial portion of the drive pulley shield&#39;s outer external surface  62  is an inwardly beveled shape. The inwardly beveled shape of the external surface  62  of the drive pulley shield exists for less than the entire circumference of the drive pulley shield  44 . Exemplary portions of the circumference that include an inwardly beveled shape include, without limitation, one-half, two-thirds, three-quarters or four-fifths of the circumference of the drive pulley shield  44 . The remaining circumference of the exterior surface of the drive pulley shield is not of a an inwardly beveled shape and instead forms an annular vertical solid surface  63  (shown in  FIGS. 3, 7 and 8 ) that acts as a safety guard for the front section of the drive pulley  22 . 
       FIG. 6 . is a cutaway view of the drive unit  12  of  FIGS. 3, 4 and 5  with the drive pulley housing cover in the closed position. In this closed position the drive pulley shield  44  with its inwardly beveled exterior surface  62 , the drive pulley groove  61  and the annular recess  52  create a substantially solid surface  56  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) that forms the inner side of the annular shaped lure passthrough window  46 . The top section of the substantially solid inner surface  56  is formed by the drive pulley shield&#39;s inwardly beveled exterior surface  62 . The lower section of the substantially solid inner surface  56  is formed by the groove of the drive pulley  61 . The outer surface  55  of the annular shaped lure passthrough window is formed by a solid surface, which in a preferred embodiment, is formed by the wall of the motor housing  47 . In other embodiments, the outer surface  55  of the annular shaped lure passthrough window may be any solid surface. The substantially solid inner surface  56  and solid outer surface  55  of the annular lure passthrough window are the same height or of approximately the same height. The height and width of the annular lure passthrough window  46  are configured to ensure that the lure can enter and exit the drive unit housing  40  without impediment as said lure travels around the drive pulley  22  and through the lure passthrough window  46 . In addition, the substantially solid surface  56  formed by coalescence of the drive pulley shield&#39;s inwardly beveled exterior surface  62 , the drive pulley groove  61  and the annular recess  52  serves to ensure that the lure line cannot “ride up” from the groove of the drive pulley  61  for any substantial period of time, which if occurred, would cause the lure line to permanently disengage from the drive pulley and thus hinder operation of the system. Even in the unlikely event that substantial turbulence introduced to the lure line causes said lure line to disengage from the drive pulley groove  61 , the inwardly beveled exterior surface of the drive pulley shield  62  causes the lure line to rapidly reengage the drive pulley  22  via the drive pulley groove  61  without user intervention. Moreover, at the location the lure  16  is affixed to the lure line  18  the uniformity of the lure line is often destroyed, thus increasing the probability that the lure line will disengage from the drive pulley groove  61  at the moment the lure passes around the drive pulley. The substantially solid surface  56  of the inner wall of the annular lure passthrough window  46  ensures the lure line will reengage the drive pulley if disengaged, while the shape of the annular lure passthrough window  46  allows the lure to travel through the drive unit housing  40  unimpeded. In one aspect, the outer wall of the lure passthrough  55  may not be annular and may be comprised of a flat solid surface. 
     The substantially solid surface  56  formed by the coalescence of the drive pulley shield  44 , the drive pulley  22  and the annular recess  52  when the drive unit cover  41  is in the closed position is shown in  FIG. 7 . The inwardly beveled shape of the external surface drive pulley shield  62  forces the lure line  18  (not shown) back into the drive pulley groove  61  in the event the lure line escapes the drive pulley. In a preferred embodiment, the gap  52  between the annular recess and the drive pulley  22  and the gap  57  between the drive pulley shield  44  and the drive pulley  22  is smaller than the diameter of the lure line. 
     The drive pulley shield&#39;s  44  inwardly beveled exterior surface  62  subsisting around a portion of the drive pulley shield&#39;s circumference and the drive pulley shield&#39;s annular vertical solid surface  63  acting as a protective guard are shown in  FIG. 8 . This figure also shows the substantially solid surface  56  formed by the coalescence of the drive pulley shield&#39;s inwardly beveled exterior surface  62 , the drive pulley groove  61  and the annular recess  52  when the drive unit housing cover  41  is in the closed position. Shown also is the defined space  75  created by the hollow drive unit cover base  42  in one aspect of the invention. 
     The drive unit  12  also includes a motor  20  and a motor control unit  28  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The motor control unit and the motor are electrically connected to an electrical power source. The motor may be reversable and may be configured for variable speed operation. The motor  20  is operatively connected  59  to the drive pulley  22  via any means known in the art, including without limitation, a belt drive, gear drive, direct drive or indirect drive. In a preferred embodiment, the motor  20  is operatively connected to the drive pulley  22  via a drive belt  59  engaging both the drive pulley and a second pulley  60  directly connected to the motor  20 . The drive belt may be configured to fail (break) if more than a predefined load limit is placed on said drive belt. In one aspect, the drive unit is configured for “under drive” implementation, where the second pulley  60  and drive belt  59  are disposed within a hollow space defined within a hollow drive unit cover base  42 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the motor control unit  28  includes one or more transceivers configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote control, smart phone or other wireless communication device. The motor control unit may also be configured to halt the flow of electricity to the motor  20  after the conclusion of a predetermined system run time. In addition, the motor control  28  unit may further comprise a digital stall system that halts the flow of electricity to the motor  20  upon detection by the motor control unit of a load on the lure line exceeding a preprogramed load limit. 
     The wireless remote control may be configured to provide haptic or visual feedback regarding the operation of the lure coursing system, including information relating to run time, errors or low battery alerts. 
     A transfer unit  14  in a closed configuration according to a preferred embodiment is shown in  FIG. 10 , a diagrammatical front isometric view. The transfer unit  14  includes a transfer pulley  24  enclosed in a transfer pulley housing  65 . The transfer pulley housing is comprised of a transfer pulley housing cover  66  and a transfer pulley housing cover base  67 . The transfer pulley housing cover  66  contains a hinge  70  configured to allow the transfer pulley housing cover to open and close without disturbing the transfer pulley  24 . The transfer pulley housing cover also contains a transfer pulley shield  68  that partially encloses the drive pulley  24  when the drive pulley housing cover  66  is in the closed position. When in the closed position, the transfer pulley housing cover  66  is removably secured to the transfer pulley housing cover base  67  in the same manner as the drive unit  12 . When in the closed position, the transfer pulley housing cover  66  and transfer pulley housing base  67  enclose the drive pulley  24 , thereby eliminating or mitigating the dangers associated with an open pulley system. When in the closed position, the transfer pulley housing cover  66  and drive pulley housing base  67  form a defined enclosed area forming an annular lure passthrough window  69  that allows the lure to pass around the enclosed transfer pulley  24  without impediment from the transfer pulley housing  65 . In certain aspects, the transfer pulley housing cover base  67  may be hollow and includes a defined enclosed area. The hinge  70  disposed within the transfer pulley housing cover  66  is of identical design to the hinge  43  of the drive pulley housing cover  41 . 
       FIG. 11  is a rear isometric diagrammatical view of the transfer unit of  FIG. 10 . Like the drive unit  12 , the transfer unit  14  also includes an anchor point  71  to affix the transfer unit to the ground at a location desired by the user. The transfer unit  14  may be removably or permanently affixed to the ground. In an exemplary embodiment, the transfer unit  14  is removably affixed to the ground via the anchor point  71  via the use of break-away tethers configured to break apart under a predefined lateral or horizontal load, said load being greater than the load placed on the anchor point  71  during normal operation of the lure coursing system. Through the use of breakaway tethers, the transfer unit  14  can release from the ground upon the assertion of a lateral or horizontal load that is hazardous to an animal or human user. In another aspect, the transfer unit  14  may be attached to the ground via the anchor point  71  via non-breakaway tethers or elastic tethers. 
     As seen in  FIG. 12 , the transfer unit  14  includes a transfer pulley shield  68  identical in shape and size to the drive unit pulley shield  44 . When the transfer pulley housing cover  66  is in the closed configuration, the transfer pulley housing  65  includes an identical lure passthrough window  69  to the lure pass through window  46  found in the drive unit  12 . Like the drive unit lure pass through window  46 , a substantially solid interior surface is formed in the transfer unit lure pass through lure passthrough window  69  by the coalescence of the transfer pulley shield&#39;s inwardly beveled external surface  72 , the transfer pulley groove  73  and the transfer pulley housing cover base annular recess  76  when the transfer unit cover  66  is in the closed position. The exterior wall  74  of the transfer unit passthrough window  69  is of identical specifications to the drive unit passthrough window exterior wall  55 . 
     In another aspect of the invention a method of animating a lure along a user-defined closed loop lure course is provided. A user, via the use of one or more drive units  12  and one or more transfer units  14  can animate a lure along a multitude of disparate lure coursing courses for the exercise and enjoyment of domesticated animals. The method comprises the steps of: (i) disposing a drive unit  12  at a first location, said drive unit comprising a drive pulley  22  enclosed by a drive pulley housing  40 , said drive pulley housing including a drive pulley housing cover  41  and drive pulley housing base  42 , wherein said drive pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield  44  and a hinge  43  configured to allow for the opening and closing of the drive pulley housing cover without disturbance of the drive pulley, wherein when said drive pulley housing cover  41  is in the closed position the drive pulley housing  40  comprises a defined annular space forming a lure passthrough window  46  that includes a substantially solid inner surface  56  comprised of the drive pulley groove  61  and the inwardly beveled drive pulley shield  62 , wherein the drive pulley is operatively connected to a motor  20 ; (ii) disposing a transfer unit  14  at a second location, said transfer unit comprising a transfer pulley  24  enclosed by a transfer pulley housing  65 , said transfer pulley housing including a transfer pulley housing cover  66  and transfer pulley housing base  67 , wherein said transfer pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield  68  and a hinge  67  configured to allow for the opening and closing of the transfer pulley housing cover without disturbance of the transfer pulley, wherein when said transfer pulley housing cover  66  is in the closed position the transfer pulley housing  65  comprises a defined annular space forming a lure passthrough window  69  that includes a substantially solid inner surface comprised of the transfer pulley groove  73  and the inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield  68 ; (iii) disposing a lure line  18  around the drive pulley  22  and transfer pulley  24 , said lure line engaging said drive pulley  22  and said transfer pulley  24  so as to form a loop configuration for said lure line  18 , said lure line able to loop continuously around said drive pulley and said transfer pulley; (iv) affixing a lure  16  to said lure line  18 ; and (v) activating the drive pulley  22  via the drive motor  20  to move the lure line  18  thereby animating the lure  16  affixed to the lure line in a continuous loop. 
     Configurations contemplated by the present method include configurations utilizing one or more transfer units  14  and/or one or more drive units  12  to form any user-defined course. If one or more drive units  12  are utilized in a configuration, the operation of the drive units may be linked via wireless communications. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the drive motor  20  is activated via the motor control unit  28  which includes one or more transceivers configured for wireless communication with a handheld wireless remote control. In addition, the one or more drive units  12  and one or more transfer units  14  are affixed to the ground via break-away tethers configured to break apart under a predefined lateral or horizontal load. The break-away tethers are operatively connected to any known means of anchoring an object to the ground, including, without limitation, a ground stake, ground anchor or weight. In another aspect, the drive unit  12  and/or transfer unit  14  may be attached to the ground via their respective anchor points via non-breakaway tethers or elastic tethers. 
     It is a further object of the invention, to provide a pulley system that allows a line to pass around a pulley while the pulley is rotating, and also, at the same time, allow an object attached to the line to pass around the pulley and through an object passthrough window in a pulley housing, such that the object passes through the object passthrough window without impediment. Thus, using the inventive pulley system of the invention, a line may pass around a pulley and an object attached to the line may also pass around the pulley, and through a structure to which the pulley is attached, such as a housing, without impediment. This invention is useful, as in many cases a line passing through one or more pulleys may have an object attached that, as the object passes around the pulley, either is impeded by the pulley supporting structure (such as, for example, a pulley housing or other supporting structure), or is caused to exit the pulley groove due to the object tangling between the line the pulley groove causing the line to jump out of the pulley groove as the line passes around the pulley. The inventive pulley system of the invention overcomes these drawbacks of the prior art. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4-8 , a non-limiting exemplary use case of the pulley system of the invention, namely a drive pulley for a lure coursing system, is shown and is also described above. In a more general characterization of an embodiment of the pulley system of the invention, the inventive pulley system may be described as a pulley system for allowing passage of an object (which may be any object, such as, for example, a lure depicted as item  16  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) attached to a line  18  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) passing around a pulley  22 , the pulley system comprising: a pulley  22  rotatably attached to a structure such as a housing structure (such as, in the example depicted in  FIGS. 4-8 , the combination of housing cover  41  and housing base  42 ) via a rotatable attachment (such as, for example, bearings  100  enabling pulley  22  to rotate relative to the housing structure either freely, or as driven by an operative drive motor), pulley  22  having an axis of rotation A, pulley  22  comprising an outer circumference groove  61  for retaining a line passing around pulley  22  while pulley  22  is rotating about its axis of rotation A; and a structure forming an object passthrough window (shown in exemplary fashion as item  46  in  FIG. 4 ) adjacent to the pulley outer circumference groove  61  for allowing passage of an object (such as item  16 ) attached to line  18  through object passthrough window (an exemplary object passthrough window is depicted as item  46  in  FIGS. 4-8 ) as line  18  passes around pulley  22  while pulley  22  is rotating. It is to be noted that the shape of object passthrough window  46  (and also, in a transfer pulley embodiment,  69  in  FIGS. 10 and 12 ) depicted in the drawings is exemplary only, and that the shape of the object passthrough window may be any shape as may be required to allow the passage of a particular object  16  through the object passthrough window (such as  46  and  69 ), and thus around pulley  22 , as pulley  22  is rotating, without impediment of object  16 . Object passthrough window  46  (or  69 ) may be comprised of one or a plurality of surfaces in combination that form an object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ) allowing the passage of an object  16  through an object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ), and thus around pulley  22 , as pulley  22  is rotating, without impediment of object  16 . Thus, the object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ) may vary in size and shape, depending upon the size, shape, material composition or configuration of any desired object  16 , which may vary from use case to use case. Object  16  may thus be any object, of any shape, size, material composition or configuration of object that is desired to be attached to line  18  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). In embodiments, the housing structure may enclose at least a portion, or all, of pulley  22 . The object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ) may be comprised of any structure or combination of structures, having any shape that allows for passage of the object (such as, for example, item  16 ) through the object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ). Further, pulley  22  outer circumference groove  61  may be configured, oriented or disposed so as to open into object passthrough window  46 , allowing the object (such as, for example, item  16 ) to pass through object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ) and around pulley  22  as line  18  passes around pulley  22 , and pulley  22  rotates about axis of rotation A. In embodiments, pulley  22  may be rotatably attached to the housing structure via a rotatable attachment between said pulley and said housing structure such as, for example, via bearings  100 , which allow pulley  22  to rotate about axis A. 
     Still referring to the non-limiting exemplary use case in which the inventive pulley system is configured as a drive pulley for a lure coursing system depicted in  FIGS. 4-8 , in embodiments, the housing structure may comprise a housing cover (such as, for example and not by way of limitation, item  41 , see  FIGS. 4 and 6 ) hingedly attached to a housing base (such as, for example and not by way of limitation, item  42 , see  FIGS. 4 and 6 ) via a hinged attachment. In embodiments, the hinged attachment between the cover  41  and base  42  may be configured to allow for the opening and closing of the pulley housing cover  41  without disturbance of the pulley. In this manner the hinged attachment between the housing cover  41  and housing base  42  may allow for opening of the cover, providing access to outer circumference pulley groove  61  so that a line  18  may be wrapped around pulley  22 , or removed from pulley  22 , as may be required for operation of the pulley system. 
     In embodiments, the object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ) may further be defined as comprising an annular passage through the housing structure allowing the object  16  to pass through the housing structure as line  18  passes around pulley  22  while pulley  22  is rotating, as shown in exemplary fashion in  FIGS. 4-8 . In the use case in which the pulley system is a transfer pulley of a lure coursing system, the annular passage through the housing structure allowing object  16  to pass through the housing structure as line  18  passes around pulley  22  while pulley  22  is rotating, is depicted in exemplary fashion as item  69  as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 12 . 
     Still referring to the non-limiting exemplary use case in which the inventive pulley system is configured as a drive pulley for a lure coursing system depicted in  FIGS. 4-8 , in embodiments, when housing cover  41  is in a closed position as depicted in  FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 , object passthrough window  46  may be further defined as comprising an annular passage through the housing structure allowing the object (such as, for example, item  16 ) to pass through the housing structure as the line passes around pulley  22  while pulley  22  is rotating about axis A, on its rotatable attachment to the housing structure. 
     Still referring to the non-limiting exemplary use case in which the inventive pulley system is configured as a drive pulley for a lure coursing system depicted in  FIGS. 4-8 , in embodiments, the pulley housing cover may include an inwardly beveled pulley shield such as depicted as item  62  (see  FIG. 7 ). The structure forming the object passthrough window (such as  46  or  69 ) may comprise a substantially solid, or, in other words, substantially continuous, inner surface  56  comprised of pulley groove  61  and the inwardly beveled pulley shield  62 . “Substantially solid”, “substantially continuous” and “substantially enclosed” as used herein includes within their meanings that the inner surface (such as, for example, item  56  formed by the combination of pulley groove  61  and the inwardly beveled pulley shield  62 ) does not contain openings, passthroughs, or voids large enough to allow line  18  to enter into such openings, passthroughs, or voids during operation, causing binding of line  18  between pulley  22  and pulley shield  44 , or allowing line  18  to become entangled with support shaft  51  as line  18  passes through the housing structure. The object passthrough window  46  may be further defined as comprising an annular passage through the housing structure, allowing an object  16  to pass through the housing structure as the line passes around pulley  22  while said pulley  22  is rotating. 
     While the object passthrough window is described herein, for convenience, by referring to item  46  of  FIGS. 4-8  as having a substantially solid, or, in other words, substantially continuous, inner surface  56  comprised of pulley groove  61  and the inwardly beveled pulley shield  62 , it is to be understood that the scope of the invention includes any equivalent structure having an inwardly beveled surface such as inwardly beveled pulley shield  62 . In embodiments the object passthrough window may, but does not necessarily, comprise other surfaces such as outer surface  55  (see  FIG. 6 ) such that the object passthrough window (such as  46 ) may comprise a substantially enclosed cross section as depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
     In exemplary use cases and embodiments, the pulley system may be configured as a drive pulley configuration in which pulley  22  is operatively connected to a controllable motor such as motor  20  (such as depicted in a lure coursing exemplary use case embodiment in  FIGS. 4-9 ). In other exemplary use cases and embodiments, the pulley system may be configured as a transfer pulley, in which pulley  22  is able to rotate freely on its axis A (such as depicted in a lure coursing exemplary use case embodiment in  FIGS. 10-12 ). These are merely examples of the many embodiments of the pulley system of the invention. 
     The pulley system of the invention is useful in any use case in which it is desired to provide a pulley system that allows a line to pass around a pulley while the pulley is rotating, and also, at the same time, allow an object attached to the line to pass around the pulley and through a window in a pulley housing, such that the object passes through the window without impediment. Thus, the pulley system of the invention has industrial application in rigging, sailing, lure coursing (as depicted in exemplary fashion in the drawings) and many other use cases and applications. 
     The various embodiments of the invention may comprise any of the features or elements described herein, or depicted in the accompanying drawings, or both, in any quantity and in any combination. 
     All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. However, the citation of a reference herein should not be construed as an acknowledgement that such reference is prior art to the present invention. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to the above examples and embodiments, it is not intended that such references be constructed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.