Patent ID: 7896281

Claim:
A leash assembly for an animal leash that can be wound up and unwound, comprising: a housing ( 11 ) and a roll ( 12 ) that is rotatably supported in said housing; a leash ( 13 ) being unwound from said roll to a fully unwound maximum extended length against the force of a spring and wound up on said roll with the aid of a force of the spring; a gear mechanism ( 18 ) that cooperates with said roll to drive a rotatable plate cam ( 23 ); a pawl ( 16 ) releasable by said plate cam for engaging said roll and preventing rotation of said roll in an unwinding direction ( 17 ) after a predetermined restricted maximum length of the leash is unwound, said predetermined restricted maximum length being less than said fully unwound maximum extended length; and an actuating lever ( 34 ) movable to a first position in which said pawl ( 16 ) is locked and cannot engage said roll ( 12 ) such that said leash is able to be unwound from said roll to said fully unwound maximum extended length and moveable to a second position in which said pawl ( 16 ) is released and automatically engageable with said roll ( 12 ) when permitted by said gear mechanism and plate cam and when said leash is unwound to said predetermined restricted maximum length such that said leash can only be unwound to said predetermined restricted maximum length; whereby the leash assembly permits said leash to be unwound to said fully unwound maximum extended length when said actuating lever ( 34 ) is moved to said first position by a user of said leash assembly and permits said leash to be unwound only to said predetermined restricted maximum length when said actuating lever ( 34 ) is moved to said second position by the user of said leash assembly.