Abstract:
A hollow pet toy has a squeaker installed in a hole in a squeaker housing molded into the inside of one of two cupped ball toy parts formed with a hole therein receiving a squeaker, with an air vent hole extending in from the one ball exterior connecting to the squeaker housing hole to allow air flow in and out of the squeaker as the ball toy is compressed and released by the pet.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/052,030 filed on Sep. 18, 2014. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention concerns pet toys and specifically ball toys equipped with a squeaker, a device which produces squeaking sounds as the pet bites and releases the ball toy. 
         [0003]    The high pitched sound of a squeaker resembles a distress call of a prey animal such as a mouse, triggering the predator instinct of some pet dogs. 
         [0004]    Such squeaker devices are well known and commercially available, comprised of a squeaker tube enclosing a reed, made of a thin strip of a flexible material. The reed is fixed at one end to an end of the tube, extending along the inside of the tube towards the other end. When air is induced to flow through the tube in either direction, the reed vibrates and generates the high pitched squeaking sound. 
         [0005]    The tube of the squeaker is conventionally mounted to extend radially through a hole in an outer wall defining the shape of the ball toy. When the pet bites down on the ball toy, the ball is partially collapsed and air is forced out through the tube and a squeaking sound is produced by vibration of the reed in the squeaker. When the ball toy is released by the pet, the ball toy returns to its uncompressed spherical shape and air is drawn back in through the squeaker tube, the reed again producing the squeaking sound. 
         [0006]    Major durability problems with the squeaker have occurred in conventional ball toys including a squeaker due to the often vigorous biting of such ball toys by a pet dog in attempting to subdue the “prey”, which often severely damages the squeaker by crushing the squeaker, or by a pet&#39;s tooth entering an air vent hole and penetrating the squeaker tube, damaging the reed or the reed mounting. 
         [0007]    Conventionally, the squeaker tube is inserted endwise into the air vent hole extending from the exterior of the ball toy interior. The squeaker is affixed in this position by a flange formed on the outer end of the squeaker tube, the flange bonded to the surrounding ball toy exterior. A felt covering is typically applied over the ball exterior after the squeaker is installed so that the squeaker flange is likewise covered with felt. 
         [0008]    As noted above, this arrangement has the disadvantage of subjecting the squeaker to damage when the pet bites down on the ball as this may crush the squeaker. A dog&#39;s tooth can also enter the squeaker tube and damage the squeaker reed or its mounting. 
         [0009]    The squeaker can also be pulled out from the hole in the ball as a result of the pet&#39;s activity in chewing on the ball toy. 
         [0010]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball toy or other hollow pet toy with a squeaker device which is mounted so as to be substantially less vulnerable to damage from a pet biting or chewing on the ball toy exterior. 
         [0011]    It is a further object to provide a hollow ball toy having a squeaker device mounting which better resists dislodgment of the squeaker as from the ball toy. 
         [0012]    It is another object to provide a mounting method for the squeaker in a ball toy which is simple and inexpensive to carry out. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    The above cited objects and other objects which will be understood on reading the following specification and claims are achieved by mounting a squeaker within a squeaker housing which is molded integrally with the inside of one of two separately molded cupped ball toy parts to be disposed completely within the ball toy when the parts are joined together to form the ball toy. 
         [0014]    The molded in squeaker housing projects from the inside of one of the ball parts, the housing having a through hole molded therein extending from a portion of the housing exposed within the one cupped ball toy part towards the exterior of the ball part and of a length able to accommodate the squeaker tube when the squeaker tube is inserted in the housing hole. A flange on the squeaker tube is seated on the inside portion of the housing to be reversely oriented from conventional ball toy mounting so as to not be able to be pulled out from the exterior of the ball. 
         [0015]    The two cupped ball parts are thereafter joined together along respective rim edges thereof to form the completed ball toy, which may thereafter be covered with a felt cover layer to produce a pet toy ball similar in appearance to a tennis ball. 
         [0016]    The squeaker housing has portions around the hole sufficiently thick to reinforce the protection afforded by the wall defining of the ball toy itself so as to provide substantially greater protection of a squeaker inserted therein against being crushed by a pet dog biting on the ball toy exterior. 
         [0017]    The integrally molded squeaker housing is preferably located off center extending radially in from the interior of the wall of the ball to be long enough so that the length of the hole formed therein accommodates the entire length of the squeaker tube completely enclosed therein. 
         [0018]    An inlet/venting air hole is formed extending in from the ball toy exterior and in communication with the squeaker housing hole to allow air flow in and out of the squeaker tube when the ball toy is partially collapsed by the dog biting on the ball exterior and then released allowing it to again assume its spherical shape. 
         [0019]    As noted, the surrounding mass of the molded material defining the squeaker housing is made sufficiently thick, on the order of the thickness of the ball toy part wall to provide adequate protection for the squeaker against crushing damage inflicted by the pet in biting and chewing on the ball toy exterior. 
         [0020]    To install, the squeaker tube is simply inserted into the hole opening entering into the squeaker housing from the inside of the ball toy with no further assembly steps required. Anchoring barbs in the squeaker tube hold the tube in position within the hole in the molded in squeaker housing, with the flange seated on the inside expose portion of the squeaker housing extending around the squeaker tube hole entrance. 
         [0021]    The ball toy separate parts are thereafter joined together along outer rim edges as by a vulcanization process. A two part felt cover may then be applied as by use of an adhesive to create a squeaker ball toy resembling a tennis ball. 
         [0022]    The squeaker is constructed of a durable plastic material known in the art but which can resist the temperatures involved in bonding the two ball toy parts together. 
         [0023]    The squeaker housing may be located offset from center of the ball and of a sufficient mass to create an imbalance of the ball toy causing an erratic rolling of the ball toy to increase the interest of the pet in fetching or playing with the ball. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is an external view of a pet ball toy according to the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the ball toy shown in  FIG. 1  showing the separately molded ball parts. 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary top view of one of the ball toy parts showing the position of a integrally formed squeaker housing feature in which a squeaker has been installed. 
           [0027]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are sectional views of different sized toy balls showing the varying location of the squeaker housing for each size of ball toy. 
           [0028]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view of one of the ball toy parts showing the details of a squeaker housing integrally molded therewith. 
           [0029]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the toy ball part shown in  FIG. 6   
           [0030]      FIG. 8  is an exploded sectional view of the two cupped ball toy parts which are bonded together to form the completed ball toy with a squeaker installed. 
           [0031]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a ball toy according to the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0032]    In the following detailed description, certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 USC 112, but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims. 
         [0033]    Referring to the drawings and particularly  FIGS. 1-3 , a hollow toy such as a ball toy  10  is shown, which may optionally have an outer felt covering  12  (this material known in the art as terylene) applied by installing two  FIG. 8  covering pieces  12 A,  12 B in the well known manner to resemble a conventional tennis ball. 
         [0034]    The ball toy  10  comprises two cupped ball toy parts  14 A,  14 B, each defined by an outer wall  15 A,  15 B, each molded separately from the other, from a suitable tough elastomeric material well known in the field able to withstand biting and sustained chewing by a dog. The parts  14 A,  14 B are bonded together along respective abutting rim edges  16 A,  16 B ( FIG. 8 ) which are thickened at the rims  16 A,  16 B as shown compared to the remaining outer wall thickness to improve the strength of the bond. This bonding is preferably carried out by vulcanization of the elastomeric material in the known manner. 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a squeaker housing  18  is integrally molded into the inside wall  15 B of one of the two ball toy parts  14 B. The squeaker housing  18  preferably projects radially inward from the inside  17  of a ball toy wall  20 B in the one ball toy part  14 B. 
         [0036]    A hole  22  is molded into the squeaker housing  18  of a diameter to slidably receive a tube  25  of a squeaker  24  entering into the housing  18  from a portion  13  exposed within the inside  17  thereof. The hole  22  extends from the entry end thereof in a direction towards the ball toy exterior. 
         [0037]    The length of the hole  22  is preferably sufficient to accommodate the entire length of the squeaker  24 . 
         [0038]    As best seen in  FIG. 6 , a counterbore  26  is located at the entry end of the hole  22 , the counterbore  26  receiving a flange  28  located at the top of the squeaker tube  25  and abutting the housing surface surrounding the hole  22 . 
         [0039]    According to the present invention, the squeaker tube  25  is inserted into the entry end of the hole  22  when the squeaker  24  is installed in the housing  18 , prior to the bonding of the two ball toy parts  14 A,  14 B together. Barbs  19  on the squeaker tube  25  secure the squeaker  24  in the hole  22 . 
         [0040]    The squeaker  24  is made of a known material able to withstand the high temperatures of the vulcanization. 
         [0041]    The minimum wall thickness of the housing  18  is made thick enough, i.e., advantageously about the same thickness as the walls  15 A,  15 B (approximately 3 mm) defining each ball toy part  14 A,  14 B so as to substantially reinforce the walls  15 A,  15 B of the ball parts  14 A.  14 B and substantially improve the protection for the squeaker  24  against its being crushed by the chewing and biting of the pet toy  10  by a pet, preferably to more than double the protection of the squeaker  24  assembled therein. 
         [0042]    The eccentrically located squeaker housing  18  also may be sufficiently heavy to create a pronounced irregular rolling to create an additional chase interest for the pet dog. 
         [0043]    An air inlet/outlet hole  30  extends in from the exterior of the ball toy part  14 B and is in communication with the squeaker receiving hole  22 . This will space the squeaker  24  from the exterior of the ball toy  10  to minimize the chances that a dog&#39;s tooth could reach and damage the squeaker  24  since it is thereby recessed well away from the ball toy exterior. 
         [0044]    Also, the squeaker flange  28  is thereby located away from the exterior of the ball toy  10 , which is a reverse orientation from conventional construction, which better protects the reed mounting which is located at the flange end of the squeaker  24  from the dog&#39;s tooth. 
         [0045]    The sideways orientation of the squeaker  24  with respect to the exterior of the ball toy  10  also substantially improves the ability of the squeaker  24  to withstand biting and chewing when compared to the endwise conventional mounting. 
         [0046]    The diameter of the ball toy  10  may be varied to suit different sized dogs, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The smaller diameters may require that the location of the squeaker housing hole  22 B be shifted towards the center of the ball toy  10  as seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5  to accommodate the full length of the squeaker housing  18 . 
         [0047]    It may be advantageous to incline the squeaker housing  18 A with respect to the inlet/outlet air vent hole  30 A so as to reduce the chance that a dog&#39;s tooth entering the air vent hole  30 A will come into contact with the squeaker  24  as it is directed to one side of the squeaker  24  as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0048]    Accordingly a greatly reduced vulnerability to squeaker damage will result from the ball toy  10  mounting described herein while still minimizing manufacturing costs, and providing an irregular rolling motion of the ball toy  10 . 
         [0049]    Other hollow toys than balls with squeakers can also benefit from this mounting technique.