Patent Publication Number: US-2016227732-A1

Title: Pet Harness for Connecting to an Automobile Seat Belt Connector

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This Application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application 62/114,940, entitled METAL DEVICES THAT ATTACH TO THE HOUSINGS OF AUTOMATIC PET LEASHES OR FIXED TYPE LEASHES, filed Feb. 11, 2015, Which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to pet restraint, and more particularly, to a pet leash configured for connection to a vehicle seat-belt connector. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many pet owners enjoy travelling with their pets. Often, traveling with pets becomes a necessity when a pet owner needs to be away from home and when pet-sitting services are not available. While traveling with pets can be enjoyable, it does present its own unique set of challenges. Pets that are loose in a car, for example, can interfere with driving causing a dangerous situation, not only for the pet and owner, but also for others sharing the road with the owner. 
     Some owners of vehicles such as light trucks may opt to let their pets ride in the back or “bed” of the truck. However, while this prevents the pet from interfering with the driver, it present its own particular risks to the pet, such as the risk that the pet might be inadvertently ejected from the bed of the truck during a traffic maneuver or accident. In order to protect pets and drivers some municipalities have actually enacted laws requiring pets to be restrained when in a vehicle, especially when riding in the bed of a truck. 
     However, proper restraint of pets in vehicles presents challenges. For example, finding an easy secure attachment for a pet leash can be challenging, Automobiles are provided with safety restraints that are designed to accommodate humans, but which are not suitable for restraining pets. In addition, if a leash attachment point is found, there will inevitably be a certain amount of slack in the leash in order to provide the pet with a humane amount of mobility. In an accident or abrupt stop, however, this slack will allow the pet to be projected forward and then suddenly jerked to a stop when the slack in the leash has run out. This can lead to serious injury to the pet. Accordingly, there remains a need for an apparatus that can conveniently and safely restrain a pet while traveling. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a device for harnessing a pet to a standard seatbelt receiver of a vehicle. The device includes a housing, a leash re-wind mechanism mounted within the housing, and a latching member connected with the housing. The latching member is configured to be received and latched into a seat belt receiver of a vehicle. 
     The harnessing device includes a latching member that can be pivotally connected with a housing so that it can be pivoted outward to be inserted into a seatbelt receiver and then pivoted inward to rest against a side of the housing when not in use, 
     A handle can be attached to the housing to facilitate ease of use, both when the device is used as a harness in the vehicle and when the device is used as a leash outside of the vehicle. A release button can be provided on the handle to control the re-wind mechanism as desired, 
     The rewind mechanism advantageously ensures safety of the pet when harnessed into the vehicle. The re-wind mechanism provides a constant tension on the leash, while also allowing the pet a certain amount of mobility when harnessed in the vehicle. 
     In the event of a sudden extension of the leash such as in the case of an automobile accident or sudden braking, the re-wind mechanism locks in place to prevent further extension of the leash. The constant tension provided by the re-wind mechanism prevents slack in the leash so that the pet will be firmly held in place rather than propelling some distance and then being suddenly jerked to a stop as would be the case if a fixed length leash were to be used. 
     The device also advantageously facilitates loading and unloading of the pet in to the vehicle. For example, when loading the pet into the vehicle, the device is simply clicked into the seatbelt receiver with the owner holding the handle of the device. Then, when the time comes to remove the pet from the vehicle, the owner can simply grasp the handle of the device and disconnect it from the seatbelt receiver. Because the re-wind mechanism provides a constant tension on the leash and locks in place if it is suddenly extended, the pet can be well controlled during removal of the pet. This advantageously prevents the pet from inadvertently jumping out of the car and running for some distance until the leash slack has been taken up, thereby preventing injury to the pet or the owner. 
     Consequently, for a better understanding of the present invention, its functional advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, claims and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a fuller understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings numbered below. Commonly used reference numbers identify the same or equivalent parts of the claimed invention throughout the several figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pet harness device; 
         FIG. 2  is a second perspective view of the pet harness device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the pet harness of  FIGS. 1 and 2  shown in relation to an automobile seat belt harness; 
         FIG. 4  is a view of the pet harness device attached to a seat belt receiver of an automobile; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a pet harness device according to another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out various embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made for at least the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show a pet restraint assembly  10  in two different use configurations. The pet restraint assembly  10  includes a leash re-wind mechanism enclosed in a housing  16 . The leash re-wind mechanism is operable to provide tension to the leash and also to lock extension of the leash  18 . A handle  12  is connected with the housing for ease of use both in attaching and detaching the device  10  in a vehicle and for using the device as a standard leash outside of the vehicle. 
     The handle  12  can include a release button  14  that can be used to release the re-wind mechanism to retract the leash  18 . The leash  18  can have a connector such as a slide bolt spring snap  20  at its end for easily connecting the leash  18  to a pet harness or collar. Further, the length of the leash  18  can be advantageously adjusted to accommodate different sizes of pets and/or animals. 
     A pivotal latching member  22  is connected with the housing  16  by a pivot bolt  24  or some other suitable attachment that allows the pivotal latching member  22  to pivot about the attachment point. In this way, the pivotal latching member  22  can be kept in a closed position engaged against the side of the housing as shown in  FIG. 1  when the device  10  is to be used as a leash outside of a vehicle. However, when the device is to be latched into a vehicle, the latching member  22  can be pivoted outward to a position such as that shown in  FIG. 2 . In another embodiment, the latching member  22  is attached to the housing  16  by means of a pivotal attaching member for allowing the latching member  22  to pivot about the attachment point. In a further embodiment, a suitable pivotal attaching member is comprised of a pivot bolt  24  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 . 
     The pivotal latching member  22  has an opening  23  and is configured to be received into and latched into a standard seatbelt receiver  26 , as can be seen more clearly with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the device  10  prior to being inserted into (or after being removed from) a standard seatbelt receiver  26 , and  FIG. 4  shows the device  10  latched into the seatbelt receiver  26 . 
     In use, While grasping the handle  12 , and with the latching member pivoted outward as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the device  10  can be easily connected to a seat belt connector  26  by inserting the latching member  22  into the seatbelt receiver  26  until the latching member  22  clicks into place. The pet can be attached to the connector  20  either before the device  10  has been connected with the seatbelt receiver or after. 
     Once in place, the leash re-winder  16  includes a pre-tensioning feature that maintains a certain amount of tension on the leash  18  while also allowing it to be extended in a controlled manner if desired. In the event of a sudden quick extension of the leash  18 , the re-wind mechanism locks in place, thereby preventing further extension of the leash. This is advantageous in the present application by preventing injury to the pet. During normal use, the pre-tensioner maintains a certain amount of tension on the leash  18 . This prevents the leash from having any slack, while also allowing the pet some amount of mobility. However, the leash re-winder mechanism is advantageously operable to lock in place to prevent extension of the leash in response to a sudden, abrupt extension of the leash. In this way, the re-wind mechanism locks and prevents extension of the leash when the vehicle suddenly stops such as in the event of sudden braking of the vehicle or even an accident, thereby preventing the pet from being projected through the vehicle and otherwise being injured by striking the interior of the vehicle. Additionally, the pre-tensioner, by preventing slack in the leash  18 , prevents the pet from being flung some distance through the vehicle and then being suddenly jerked to a stop. This prevents injuries to the pet that might otherwise occur if a more standard, fixed length leash were used. 
     The device  10  also advantageously facilitates removal of the pet without injuring or losing control of the pet. When the pet is to be removed from the vehicle, the pet owner can first grasp the handle  12 , and then push a button on the seatbelt receiver  26  to release the latching member  22  from the seatbelt receiver  26 . This means that the owner can already be securely holding onto the device  10  before the device  10  has been released. This prevents the pet from running off (possibly into traffic) before the owner has secured control of the leash. Furthermore, because the device  10  can be used as a standard leash, the pet does not have to be transferred to a separate leash device, which would create another opportunity for the pet to run off. 
     In addition, the pre-tensioning of the leash  18  helps to maintain control of the pet upon exiting the vehicle. The leash  18  will remain taut in the owner&#39;s hand, preventing slack in the leash  18  that might allow the pet to run off for some distance before suddenly jerking the leash out of the owner&#39;s hand, which might not only injure the pet, but the owner as well. 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a pet restraining device according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. The device of  FIG. 5  is similar to that of  FIGS. 1-4 , except that it includes a second attachment clip  28  for connecting the device to an attachment point other than a seat belt receiver. The attachment clip  28  can be of various configurations. However, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the attachment clip  28  is a slide bolt spring snap clip similar to the attachment  20  described above, 
     The attachment clip  28  can be useful when it becomes necessary or desirable to harness a pet in a location where no seat belt receiver is conveniently available. For example, this could be useful when a pet is to be harnessed in the back bed of a truck or even in an interior cargo area of a vehicle such as in the back of a station wagon or sport utility vehicle (SUV). 
     In  FIG. 5  the attachment clip  28  is connected with the same pivot bolt  24  that is used to attach the pivotal latching member  22  as described above. Also, similar to the pivotal latching member  22 , the attachment clip  28  can pivot out to connect with a connection point and then can be pivoted back in against the sides of the housing  16  to keep it out of the way when not in use. 
     The present invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments and features thereof, However, it should be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions as set forth in the appended claims. The inventions illustratively disclosed herein may be practiced without any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.