Patent ID: 8904969

Claim:
A leash comprising a casing, a rotatable reel carried by said casing and adapted to wind and unwind a retractable cord, said reel having a first portion having a plurality of recesses and a second completely smooth portion which is separate from and laterally adjacent to said first portion and which extend circumferentially around the entirety of the rotatable reel, a first braking mechanism adapted to apply an adjustable frictional braking force to said second completely smooth portion of said reel, and a second braking mechanism adapted to suddenly and completely stop rotation of said reel by engaging one of said recesses of said first portion of said reel, where said second braking mechanism further includes a stopping member and a brake lock button, movement of said brake lock button causing said stopping member to move into one of said recesses to prevent further rotation of said reel, said first braking mechanism including a trigger having a first end, a second end, and two outwardly extending pins spaced from one another, said first end of said trigger extending through a hole in said casing, a first pin being received in holes in said casing to pivotally secure said trigger within said casing, and said second pin being located adjacent said second end of said trigger and received in a slot in a gentle braking member, where pivoting of said trigger causes said second pin to slide within said slot in said gentle braking member, thereby causing said gentle braking member to engage said second completely smooth portion of said reel, and apply a frictional braking force to a portion of said second completely smooth portion of said reel, the amount of the frictional braking force being adjustable dependent on the amount of force being applied on said trigger, said first braking mechanism lacking the ability to engage said plurality of recesses of said first portion of said reel.