Patent Abstract:
A retractable leash having a tension strap connected to a safety line that can be releasably fastened to a tethered article. The retractable leash allows freedom of use of the tethered article without the retractable leash impinging any spring force on the tethered article. 
     A retractable leash that employ a series of metal rings, a plastic spacer and a flat sided ball that can rotate in any direction to guide and to prevent tangling of the tension strap and preclude friction from the plastic collar edges. A retractable leash that uses means of a furrow in the spring cup for locking the inner loop of the tension strap from rotating. A retractable leash having an arbor with a flat side for mounting a spring retaining clip thereto and a central bore that keeps debris out of the spring cup in sandy conditions.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to retractable leashes more specifically to: 
         [0003]    a) A tension strap connected to a safety line that can be releasably fastened to a tethered article allowing freedom of use of the tethered article without the retractable leash impinging any spring force on the tethered article; 
         [0004]    b) A collar mounted to the side aperture to allow the tension strap to extend and retract over a flat sided ball centrally mounted located between a spacer and two rings allowing the ball to rotate in any direction unison with the direction of the tension strap for guiding and prevent tangling while the two outer rings are to preclude extension strap friction on the outer edge of the collar; 
         [0005]    c) A D-shaped arbor vertically extending from the arbor base plate provides a complementary shaped retaining clip that when mated to the arbor forms a substantially round arbor whose mating flat faces forms retainer for securing a coiled return spring thereto with this type of assembly of arbor, and spring retaining clip keeping debris from entering the spring cup especially in sandy conditions; 
         [0006]    d) A tension strap having an inner loop that is attached to a furrow in the spring cup to prevent a rotational movement of the tension strap during extension and retraction; and 
         [0007]    e) A safety line designed so that the user can choose what strength they want, so that the safety line will be the weakest point and will break if needed and is a replaceable component instead of replacing the tension strap or the retractable unit itself. 
         [0008]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0009]    There are other leash devices designed for tethering. While these tethering devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0010]    A primary object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash having a tension strap attached to a safety line to secure a tethered article to an anchor article. 
         [0011]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash having a housing assembly containing a housing cover and an arbor base for a spring cup and a spring cup cover. 
         [0012]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, wherein the spring cup contains a peripheral wall having an interior side and exterior side with the top of the peripheral wall having a plurality of shaped projections extending therefrom. 
         [0013]    Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash with the spring cup cover having a plurality of correspondingly shaped snap slots as the projections on the peripheral wall, whereby the spring cup cover lockingly engages with the spring cup. 
         [0014]    An additional object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash with the interior side of the peripheral wall of the spring cup having a having a spring retaining slot and the exterior side of the peripheral wall having a furrow serving as a retainer for an inner loop attachment of the tension strap. 
         [0015]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash containing a coil spring positionable within the spring cup, wherein the coil spring has an outer lip and an inner lip, wherein the outer lip is shaped for placement within the spring retaining slot in the interior side of the peripheral wall of the spring cup. 
         [0016]    A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, in which the inner end of the tension strap is positioned within the furrow in the exterior side of the peripheral wall of the spring cup, thereby anchoring the tension strap in a non-rotative fashion to the exterior side of the peripheral wall. 
         [0017]    A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash with an arbor base having a centrally disposed bore with an arbor with a flat side extending there-from, wherein the arbor has a through-bore extending there-through, with the arbor further providing an arbor spring retaining clip attachably positioned within the bore of the arbor base, so that when placed therein the arbor spring retaining clip and the arbor have a substantially circular circumference. 
         [0018]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, wherein the housing cover has a centrally disposed aperture, so that when the housing cover and the arbor base are matingly engaged the aperture of the housing cover and the through-bore of the arbor are co-aligned providing for positioning a fastener bolt therethrough. 
         [0019]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, in which the spring cup and the spring cup cover have centrally disposed apertures, whereby the spring cup and the spring cup cover are mountable to the arbor serving as spindle for the spring cup and the spring cup cover to rotate thereabout. 
         [0020]    Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, in which the inner lip of the coil spring is mountable between the arbor and the arbor spring retaining clip, thereby anchoring the inner lip to the non-rotative arbor in the arbor base, so that rotation of the spring cup will create a spring tension force between the arbor base and the spring cup having the tension strap wound around the exterior side of the peripheral wall of the spring cup, thereby further tensioning the tension strap as the tension strap is extended from the housing cover. 
         [0021]    An additional object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, in which at least one circumferential ridge is formed on the top of the arbor base providing a platform for the spring cup to rest upon, thereby reducing the frictional coefficient as the spring cup is rotated about the arbor when the tension strap extends from the housing cover and retracted thereinto by the stored coil spring when the tension strap is extended. 
         [0022]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, in which the housing cover having a side aperture transversely extending therein, a collar coupled to the side aperture on the housing cover with the tension strap extendable and retractable through the collar. 
         [0023]    A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash containing a plurality of rings, a spacer positionable within the collar of the housing cover, a ball having a flat place rotatively retained by the spacer and a pair of rings with a pair of rings each positioned on opposing sides of the spacer, so that as the tension strap is extended and retracted one surface of the tension strap will remain in engagement with the flat face of the ball and as forces change on the tension strap the ball will rotate in unison with the tension strap, preventing the tension strap from twisting during retraction into the collar of the housing cover. 
         [0024]    A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, in which the two pairs of the rings are positioned within the housing cover collar approximate the interior and exterior ends, so that the tension strap contacts the interior ring surfaces and the flat face of the ball during extending and retracting the tension strap from the housing cover, thereby preventing damage to the collar of the housing cover during movement of the tension strap and wherein the rings are preferably manufactured from a non-corrosive metal. 
         [0025]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, wherein the free end of the tension strap has a first connector from the safety line fixedly attached thereto, whereby the safety line can be releasably attached thereto. 
         [0026]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash in which the safety line has a first connector attachable to the tension strap and a second connector that can be releasably fastened via an attachment member to the tethered article. 
         [0027]    Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable leash, wherein the second connector of the safety line is attachable to the attachment member containing hook and loop material that will engage with the tethered article, so as to be freely used without any spring force impinged upon the tethered article. 
         [0028]    Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds. 
         [0029]    The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an extendable retractable tension strap having at its free end a first connector of a safety line, so that the safety line can be releasably fastened to a tethered article via an attachment member, allowing freedom of use of the tethered article without the tension strap impinging any spring force on the tethered article. The design of the safety line provides the user a choice as to what strength they want, so that it will break if needed. 
         [0030]    The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawing, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
         [0031]    The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0032]    In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 
           [0033]      FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the present invention in use on various anchor articles; 
           [0034]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the present invention attached to a paddleboard and a cutaway view of a plug matingly bonded at the top and bottom of board; 
           [0035]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged side view of the present invention attached to a kayak; 
           [0036]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view, with parts broken away, of the present invention attached between a fishing rod and a boat without the safety line; 
           [0037]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of the present invention per se; 
           [0038]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged partially exploded perspective view of the area indicated by arrow  7  in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the housing cover and associated components thereof; 
           [0041]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the spring cup, spring cup cover and coil spring; 
           [0042]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the spring cup, spring cup cover and tension strap; 
           [0043]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged perspective view of the arbor base, arbor and a spring retaining clip exploded therefrom; and 
           [0044]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged perspective view of the arbor base, arbor, spring retaining clip and the spring cup mounted thereon. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCED NUMERALS 
       [0045]    Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, the Figures illustrate the retractable leash of the present invention. With regard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the various drawing figures.
         10  retractable leash     12  tethered article     14  anchor article     16  paddler for tethered article  12       18  paddleboard for anchor article  14       20  kayak user for tethered article  12       22  paddle for tethered article  12       24  kayak for anchor article  14       26  fishing rod for tethered article  12       28  boat for anchor article  14       30  housing assembly     32  tension strap     34  free end of tension strap  32       36  first connector on safety line  38       38  safety line     40  second connector on safety line  38       41  attachment member     42  fastener bolt     44  plug     46  rod holder     48  housing cover     50  arbor base     52  aperture in housing cover  48       53  bore in arbor base     54  arbor     55  through bore in arbor  54       56  spring cup     58  aperture in spring cup  58       59  interior compartment of spring cup  56       60  peripheral wall of spring cup  56       62  interior side of peripheral wall  60       64  exterior side of peripheral wall  60       66  top of peripheral wall  60       68  projection on top  66       70  snap slot in spring cup cover  72       72  spring cup cover     73  aperture in spring cup cover  72       74  coil spring     76  spring retaining slot on interior side  62       78  outer lip of coil spring  74       80  inner lip of coil spring  74       82  arbor spring retaining clip     84  furrow in exterior side  64       85  inner loop of tension strap  32       86  side aperture in housing cover  48       87  collar     88  ring in collar  87       90  flat sided ball in collar  87       92  spacer ring in collar  87       94  circumferential ridge on arbor base  50         
 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0096]    The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims. 
         [0097]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , shown is an illustrative view of the present invention in use on various anchor articles. The present invention is a retractable leash pen for securing a tethered article  12  to an anchor article  14 , such as paddler  16  to paddleboard  18 , kayak user  20  or paddle  22  to kayak  24  and fishing rod  26  to boat  28 . The retractable lease  10  contains a housing assembly  30  fastened to the anchor article  14  with a tension strap  32  having a free end  34  attached to a first connector  36  of a safety line  38  having a second connector  40  to an attachment member  41  attachable to the tethered article  12 . The tension strap  32  may also be directly fastened to the tethered article  12  without using the safety line  38 . 
         [0098]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , shown is an enlarged perspective view of the present invention attached to a paddleboard. The retractable leash  10  has the housing assembly  30  attached to the paddleboard  18 . The housing assembly  30  stores the tension strap  32  therein. A fastener bolt  42  is for selectively attaching the housing assembly  30  to the anchor article  14 . The housing assembly  30  can be fixedly bonded to the anchor article  14 . The paddleboard  18 , serving as the anchor article  14 , has a plug  44  therein bonded to the top and bottom of the Paddleboard assembly  30 , to prevent the removal of the housing assembly  30  therefrom. 
         [0099]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , shown is an enlarged side view of the present invention attached to a kayak. The retractable leash  10  has the housing assembly  30  attached to the kayak  24 . The tension strap  32  has the free end  34  fastened to the first connector  36  of the safety line  38 , which provides freedom of movement with adequate separation for attachment to the paddler  16  or the paddle  22 , so that when the paddler  16  or the paddle  22  becomes separated from the kayak  24 , the tension strap  32  will pull out from the housing assembly  30  maintaining connection for easy retrieval of the paddle  22  or kayak  24 . 
         [0100]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , shown is an enlarged side view, with parts broken away, of the present invention attached between a fishing rod and a boat without the safety line. The retractable leash  10  does not utilize the safety line  38 . The retractable leash  10  has the housing assembly  30  attachable to a bulkhead or boat gunwale of the oat  28  by the fastener bolt  42 . The housing assembly  30  stores the tension strap  32 , in which the free end  34  is attached to the fishing rod  26 . When the fishing rod  26  becomes separated from a rod holder  46  in the boat  28 , the tension strap  32  will pull out from the housing assembly  30  maintaining connection between the fishing rod  26  and the housing assembly  30  for easy retrieval of the fishing rod  26 . 
         [0101]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , shown is an enlarged perspective view of the present invention per se. The retractable leash  10  utilizes the safety line  38 . The housing assembly  30  stores the tension strap  32  therein. The safety line  38  has an end with the first connector  36  attachable to the tension strap  32  with the second connector  40  connected to the attachment member  41 , which can be attachable to the tethered article  12 , such as the paddleboard  18 , kayak  24 , kayak paddle  22  and fishing rod  26 . The safety line  38  allows for freely using the tethered article  12  without be encumbered by a force that would be applied by the tension strap  32 . The length and material of the safety line  38  is an applicable design consideration depending on its application and further provides the retractable safety line  38  eliminating the need for replacing the tension strap or retractable unit should the safety line break. 
         [0102]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , shown is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. The retractable leash  10  comprises the housing assembly  30  having the tension strap  32  and the safety line  38  attachable to the tension strap  32 . The housing assembly  30  comprises a housing cover  48  and an arbor base  50  with the housing cover  48  having a centrally disposed aperture  52  with the arbor base  50  having a centrally disposed bore  53  for an arbor  54  having a through bore  55  that co-aligns with the aperture  52  in the housing cover  48  when they are matingly engaged by the fastener bolt  42 . Further provided is a spring cup  56  having a centrally disposed aperture  58  mountable over the arbor  54  serving as a spindle, so that the spring up  56  freely rotates thereabout. The spring cup  56  has an interior compartment  59  bounded by a peripheral wall  60  having an interior side  62  and an exterior side  64 , with top  66  of the peripheral wall  60  having a plurality of projections  68  that matingly engage correspondingly shaped snap slots  70  with a spring cup cover  72  having a centrally disposed aperture  73 . The interior compartment  59  of the spring cup  56  houses a coil spring  74  with the interior side  62  of the peripheral wall  60  having a spring retaining slot  76  for securing an outer lip  78  of the coil spring  74  therein, with an inner lip  80  of the coil spring  74  fixedly attached to the arbor  54  by an arbor spring retaining clip  82 . The spring cup  56  further has a furrow  84  within the exterior side  64  of the peripheral wall  60 . The tension strap  32  is coiled about the exterior side  64  of the peripheral wall  60  of the spring cup  56  with the tension strap  32  having an inner loop  85  positioned between the furrow  84  in the exterior side  64 , thereby anchoring the tension strap  32  to the spring cup  56 . The free end  34  of the tension strap  32  extends through a side aperture  86  in the housing cover  48  and a collar  87  which has rings  88  and a flat sided ball  90  to prevent tangling of the tension strap  32  during extension and retraction. The free end  34  of the tension strap  32  also interconnects with the first connector  36  of the safety line  38  for attaching the replaceable safety line  38  thereto. 
         [0103]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , shown is an enlarged perspective view of area indicated by arrow  7  in  FIG. 6 . The collar  87  of the housing cover  48  houses the rings  88  and a spacer  92  bounding the flat sided ball  90  to prevent the tension strap  32  from tangling by virtue of a transverse surface of the tension strap  32  always engaging the flat sided ball  90 . Also shown is the collar  87  of the housing cover  48 . 
         [0104]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , shown is an enlarged exploded perspective view of housing cover and associated components thereof. The housing cover  48  has the side aperture  86  which is specifically positioned across from the inner loop  85  of the tension strap  32  when the tension strap  32  is in its fully retracted position. The rings  88  that reside within the collar  87  are dimensioned, so that the tension strap  32  does not contact the collar  87 , but slides on the interior portion of the furthest interior ring  88  and the nearest exterior ring  88  preventing the tension strap  32  from cutting into the collar  87 . The two middle rings  88  having the spacer ring  92  therebetween, support the flat sided ball  90  and allows the flat sided ball  90  to rotate according to the pressure placed on the flat face of the flat sided ball by the tension strap  32  passing thereover, when extending from and retracting into the housing cover  48 . 
         [0105]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , shown is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the spring cup, cover and spring. The spring cup  56  has the centrally disposed aperture  58  mountable over the arbor  54  serving as a spindle, so that the spring cup  56  can freely rotate thereabout. The spring cup  56  has the interior compartment  59  bounded by the peripheral wall  60  having the interior side  62  and the exterior side  64  with the top  66  of the peripheral wall  60  having the plurality of projections  68  that matingly engage correspondingly shaped snap slots  70  within the spring cover  72 . The interior compartment  59  of the spring cup  56  houses the coil spring  74  with the interior side  62  of the peripheral wall  60  having the spring retaining slot  76  for securing the outer lip  78  of the coil spring  74  and the inner lip  80  fixedly attached to the arbor  54  by the arbor spring retaining clip  82 . The spring cup  56  further has the furrow  84  within the exterior side  64  for fixedly positioning the inner loop  85  of the tension strap  32  therein. 
         [0106]    Referring to  FIG. 10 , shown is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the spring cup, spring cup cover and tension strap. The spring cup  52  with the interior compartment  59  is bounded by the peripheral wall  60  having the interior side  62  and the exterior side  64  with the top of the peripheral wall  60  having the plurality of projections  68  that matingly engage correspondingly shaped snap slots  70  with the spring cup cover  72 . The spring cup  56  further has the furrow  84  within the exterior side  64  of the peripheral wall  60  for fixedly positioning the inner loop  85  of the tension strap  32  therein. The inner loop  85  is placed within the furrow  84  then wound about the exterior side  64  of the peripheral wall  60 . The free end  34  of the tension strap  32  extends through the collar  87  of the housing cover  48  incorporating the rings  88  and the flat sided ball  90  to prevent tangling of the tension strap  32  during extension and retraction and to prevent the tension strap  32  from contacting the collar  87 . The free end  34  of the tension strap  32  also engages the first connector  36  for attaching the replaceable safety line  38  thereto. 
         [0107]    Referring to  FIG. 11 , shown is an enlarged perspective view of the arbor base, arbor and the spring retaining clip exploded therefrom. The arbor base  50  as a circumferential ridge  94  thereon with the centrally disposed arbor having the through bore  55  in the bore  53  of the arbor base  50  that co-aligns with the aperture  52  in the housing cover  48  when they are mating engaged by the fastener bolt  42 . The arbor  54  serves as a spindle, so that the spring cup  56  freely rotates thereabout on the circumferential ridge  94 . The arbor  54  further provides a flat side for the arbor spring retaining clip  82  that serves to fixedly attach the inner lip of the coil spring  74  between the arbor  54  the and the arbor spring retaining clip  82 . 
         [0108]    Referring to  FIG. 12 , shown is an enlarged perspective view of the arbor base, arbor, spring retaining clip and the spring cup mounted thereon. The arbor base  50  has the spring cup  56  mounted thereon. The arbor base  50  has the centrally disposed arbor  54  that co-aligns with the aperture  52  in the housing cover  48  when they are matingly engaged by the fastener bolt  42 . The spring cup  56  having the centrally disposed aperture  58  is mountable over the arbor  54  that serves as a spindle, so that the spring cup  56  freely rotates thereabout. The spring cup  56  has the interior compartment  59  bounded by the peripheral wall  60  having the interior side  62  and the exterior side  64  with the top  66  of the peripheral wall  60  having the plurality of projections  68  that matingly engage with the correspondingly shaped snap slots  70  with the spring cup cover  72 . The interior compartment  59  of the spring cup  56  serves as a housing for the coil spring  74  with the interior side  62  of the peripheral wall  60  having the spring retaining slot  76  for securing the outer lip  78  of the coil spring  74  therein with the inner lip  80  fixedly attached to the arbor  54  by the arbor spring retaining clip  82 . The exterior side b of the peripheral wall  60  has the furrow  84  for receiving the inner loop  85  of the tension strap  32  therein, as the tension strap  32  is coiled about the exterior side  64  of the peripheral wall  60  of the spring cup  56  thereby securing the tension strap  32  to the rotative spring cup  56 .

Technology Classification (CPC): 8