Patent ID: 12219931

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG.1is a perspective view of a pet leash clip device8for a pet leash system, displaying a base component1(which may be circular) and a dome structure2connected to the base1; a body3, can also be provided, which is embedded down the center of dome2and a top of base1. The dome structure2can be configured so as to ride and/or rotate/swivel relative to the base component1. Also displayed is a hook portion3a/3bof the body3including a neck3aand U-shaped upper portion3bforming a roof of the cavity3dof the clip, a U-shaped lower portion3cof the body, forming a floor of the cavity3dof the clip, and a shelf-structure4(which may also be referred to as “shelf’) extending beyond the first side at the distal end. Also displayed is a prong5oriented within a recess5band the distal end, and a tab6arranged so as to ride within a slot7. An access cover1amay be included which can configured to cover a lower portion of the recess5b. The cover1amay also be configured to pivot on pivot axis1b. The pivot axis element can be configured to retain a bottom portion of a biasing element5cwithin the recess5b.

The shelf-structure4operates so as to block interaction with the tab6, emanating from a direction above (e.g., the direction to which prong5is arranged relative to the shelf4), for example, a loop of a pet collar. This functionality aids in keeping the loop from a pet collar (for example), from moving prong5; that is, the loop of the pet collar, if the shelf4was not present, could interact with tab6so as to move prong5and open the clip—and the loop of the pet collar could be released. The configuration of the clip, especially the shelf structure4as it relates to tab6, can alleviate this issue.

The tab6and prong5can be a single, integral component, which is received in the opening5a, which is in the body3; the opening5acomprising the recess5bwhich corresponds to the slot7. The recess includes the biasing element5cwhich can be a spring (e.g., coil spring) that applies a force against the integral component of the tab/prong such that the prong5, in a rest position, closes the cavity3dof the clip. A user must move the prong5downward (i.e., toward the base component) to allow an external element/loop to be received in the cavity3dso that it rides along the hook portion (e.g., a metal/plastic loop of a pet collar). Once the loop is over the hook portion3a/3b, the user can then release the tab6, and the biasing element/spring forces the prong5toward the hook portion3a/3bso as to close an opening to the cavity3d.

FIG.2is a side view of a pet leash clip device8for a pet leash system, displaying the base component1and the dome structure2connected to the base1; the body3, which is embedded down the center of the dome2and the top of the base1. Also displayed is a side view of the hook portion3a/3bof the body3including the neck3aand the U-shaped upper portion3bforming a roof of the cavity3dof the clip, the U-shaped lower portion3cof the body3forming a floor of the cavity3dof the clip, and the shelf-structure4extending beyond the first side at the distal end. Also displayed is the prong5oriented within the recess and the distal end; a side view of the tab6; the access cover1a; and the pivot axis1b, according to some embodiments.FIG.2includes dashed/hidden lines to show the recess5bassociated with opening5aand biasing element5c.

FIG.3is a top view of a pet leash clip device8for the pet leash system, displaying the dome structure2; the top of the body3, specifically the U-shaped upper portion of the body3b; and the extending shelf-structure4, according to some embodiments.

FIG.4is a front view of a pet leash clip device8for the pet leash system, displaying the circular base component1; the dome structure2connected to the base1; a front view of the body3, including the U-shaped upper portion3b, embedded down the center of the dome2and the top of the base1; the prong5displaying a first portion received within the recess and the distal end; the tab6within the slot7; the access cover1a; and the shelf-structure4extending out over the tab6; according to some embodiments.

FIG.5is a rear view of a pet leash clip device8for the pet leash system, displaying the rear of the circular base component1; the rear of the dome structure2; the rear view of the body3embedded down the center of the dome2and a top of the base1, according to some embodiments.

FIG.6is a perspective view of a pet leash clip device8for the pet leash system as described, displaying the use of the clip, according to some embodiments.

FIG.7is a perspective view of a pet leash9with the clip device8ofFIGS.1-6, as well as cording10(e.g., leather, plastic, rope, and the like), according to some embodiments.

While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all structure, parameters, dimensions, materials, functionality, and configurations described herein are meant to be an example and that the actual structure, parameters, dimensions, materials, functionality, and configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the claims supported by the present disclosure, and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are also directed to each individual feature, system, article, structure, material, kit, functionality, step, and method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, structure, materials, kits, functionalities, steps, and methods, if such are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure. Some embodiments may be distinguishable from the prior art for specifically lacking one or more features/elements/functionality (i.e., claims directed to such embodiments may include negative limitations).

Also, as noted, various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods. Accordingly, the acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way, and may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than disclosed, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

Any and all references to publications or other documents, including but not limited to, patents, patent applications, articles, webpages, books, etc., presented anywhere in the present application, are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. Moreover, all definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The terms “can” and “may” are used interchangeably in the present disclosure, and indicate that the referred to element, component, structure, function, functionality, objective, advantage, operation, step, process, apparatus, system, device, result, or clarification, has the ability to be used, included, or produced, or otherwise stand for the proposition indicated in the statement for which the term is used (or referred to).

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.