Patent Publication Number: US-2019166792-A1

Title: Modular Animal Track System

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to animal guiding systems and more particularly pertains to a new animal guiding system for keeping an animal in a selected area. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a track that is configured to be coupled to a vertical support surface. The track has a first end, a second end, a top side, and a bottom side. The top side has a top notch therein that extends toward the bottom side. The top notch is elongated and extends through each of the first end and the second end. The bottom side has a bottom notch therein that extends toward the top side. The bottom notch is elongated and extends through each of the first end and the second end. A guide is slidably attached to the track such that the guide can move from the first end to the second end along the track. A first cap is removably positioned on the first end and inhibits the guide from exiting the track through the first end. A second cap is removably positioned on the second end and inhibits the guide from exiting the track through the second end. A leash is attached to the guide. A collar is included and configured to be positioned on an animal and is attached to the distal end of the leash. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front side view of a modular animal track system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a front side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a top side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new animal guiding system embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the modular animal track system  10  generally comprises a track  12  that is coupled to a vertical support surface  14 . The track  12  has a first end  16 , a second end  18 , a top side  20 , and a bottom side  22 . The top side  20  has a top notch  24  therein that extends toward the bottom side  22 . The top notch  24  is elongated and extends through each of the first end  16  and the second end  18 . The bottom side  22  has a bottom notch  26  therein that extends toward the top side  20 . The bottom notch  26  is elongated and extends through each of the first end  16  and the second end  18 . The track  12  may be used with other tracks. For example, a first track  28  may abut a second track  30  such that top notch  24  of the first track  28  is coextensive with the top notch  24  of the second track  30  and the bottom notch  26  of the first track  28  is coextensive with the bottom notch  26  of the second track  30 . Each of the tracks  12  may be angled to be positioned around buildings and other structures. 
     A guide  32  is slidably attached to the track  12  such that the guide  32  can move from the first end  16  to the second end  18  along the track  12 . The guide  32  includes a mount  23  that has an upper end  36  and a lower end  38 . The upper end  36  is positioned in the top notch  24  and the lower end  38  is positioned in the bottom notch  26 . The mount  34  comprises a rigid material and has medial portion  40  positioned forward of a front side  42  of the track. 
     A top slide  44  is attached to the upper end  36  and is rotatable with respect to the mount  34 . The top slide  44  has a rotational axis that is vertically orientated and extends through the top and bottom sides  20 ,  22  of the track  12 . A bottom slide  46  is attached to the lower end  38  and is rotatable with respect to the mount  34 . The bottom slide  46  has a rotational axis that is vertically orientated and extends through the top and bottom sides  20 ,  22  of the track  12 . A spring  48  is attached to the mount  34  and positioned on the medial portion  40  of the mount  34 . 
     Alternatively a second guide  50  may be included that mirrors the first guide  32 . This embodiment may be used to better retain a large animal to the track  12 . A support rod  52  is attached to and extends between the first guide  32  and the second guide  50 . The support rod  52  comprises a first coupler  54  and a second coupler  58  that is attached to and extends perpendicularly between the first guide  32  and the second guide  50 . The first coupler  54  and the second coupler  58  are spaced from each other. A third coupler  58  is attached to and extends perpendicularly between the first coupler  54  and the second coupler  58 . In this embodiment the spring  48  is attached to the third coupler  58 . 
     A first cap  60  is removably positioned on the first end  16  and inhibits the guide from exiting the track  12  through the first end  16 . A second cap  62  is removably positioned on the second end  18  and inhibits the guide from exiting the track  12  through the second end  18 . A first fastener  64  is removably positioned through the first cap  60  and into the first end  16  such that the first cap  60  is removably fastened to the first end  16 . A second fastener  66  is removably positioned through the second cap  62  and into the second end  18  such that the second cap  62  is removably fastened to the second end  18 . The first and second fasteners may comprise a screw, a bolt or any other fastener suitable to secure a corresponding one of the caps to a corresponding one of the ends. 
     A leash  68  is attached to the guide  32 . The leash  68  has a proximal end  70  and a distal end  72  with respect to the guide  32 . The proximal end  70  is coupled to the spring  48  such that the spring absorbs tension when the leash  68  is fully extended wherein the spring  48  inhibits an animal  74  from sustaining an injury from the leash  68 . A collar  76  is positioned on the animal  74  and is attached to the distal end  72  of the leash  68 . The leash  68  may be a conventional leash, an extendable leash, or any material that can act as a tether to link the collar  76  to the spring  48  and restrain the animal  74 . 
     In use, the assembly  10  is used to limit the movement of an animal  74 . The track  12  is positioned on the vertical support surface  14 . The guide  32  is placed on the track  12  and then the first cap  60  is attached to the first end  16  and the second cap  62  is attached to the second end  18 . The collar  76  is positioned on the animal  74  and the distal end  72  of the leash  68  is attached to the collar  76 . The proximal end  70  of the leash  68  is connected to the spring  48 . The animal  74  is then limited distance from the guide  32  to the collar  76  with the guide  32  moveable laterally along the track  12  from the first end  16  to the second end  18 . If more than one track  12  is used and placed adjacent to other ones of the tracks  12  the first cap  60  and second cap  62  are placed on opposite ends of the combined track system such that there is only one first cap  60  and one second cap  62  and the combined track system is in between the first cap  60  and the second cap  62 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.