Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CA 02473391 2004-07-19
F-8501
Lead
The invention relates to a lead according to the preamble of
the main claim.
The known short or long leads can be used to lead animals, in
particular dogs, with a greater or lesser clearance. Such
known leads usually have, at their ends, retaining loops which
make it possible to control an animal which pulls strongly on
the lead, such retaining loops nevertheless not providing a
firm grip for a hand holding the lead, with the result that it
is possible that a thin lead cannot be reliably secured .in
every position and for an animal to break away together with
the lead. Furthermore, these known leads cannot be utilized,
at any rate without further accessories, for reliably
transporting animals in motor vehicles.
The object of the invention is to provide a significantly
improved lead.
This object is achieved according to the invention, in
conjunction with the features of the preamble, by the
technical teaching specified in the characterizing part of
patent claim 1.
The inventive lead, like the known leads, comprises a strap or
belt with a carabiner hook at a bottom end, for attaching to
an animal using a collar or a harness, and a prefabricated
retaining loop, and/or one which can be produced by engaging a
carabiner hook in spaced-apart eyelets, at its top end. It
also has, in the retaining loop or directly in front of the
latter, a dimensionally stable handgrip which makes it
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possible for a lead to be gripped and secured such that it
cannot slip out between the fingers of a hand, with the result
that even strong animals can be led securely using a lead
equipped with such a handgrip.
Further advantageous configurations of the subject matter of
the invention can be gathered with, and in combination from,
the following subclaims.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the
subject matter of the invention, the handgrip contains a
closure part of a motor-vehicle seat belt, which is secured on
the lead and can be moved out of the handgrip, the closure
part being essentially the same length as the handgrip and
being produced from metal and thus forming the rigid core of
the handgrip.
Corresponding to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the
invention, the handgrip comprises the closure part and a
sheath which is itself provided with a closure, by which it
can be opened and closed over its length, for example with a
touch-and-close fastener, with the result that the closure
part is easily accessible and is just as easy to stow away
again. This inventive lead thus ensures that it is always
possible to carry along a seat belt without it being necessary
to provide ar carry along within the motor vehicle any further
necessary components which, accordingly,.also cannot be
forgotten or left lying around.
Such a closure part advantageously has a locking section and a
fastening section which has a through-passage, through which
the strap or the belt of the lead extends, with the result
that it can be adjusted in position on the lead or is secured
in a certain position, for example by transverse seams in a
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doubled region of the lead, but can be moved into any desired
angled position in relation to the lead.
It is also preferably possible for the closure part of the
lead according to the invention to be formed in two parts and
to comprise a base plate, with a through-passage for fastening
the base plate on the lead, and the actual closure part, which
is secured on the base plate via an articulation and,
furthermore, is equipped with two different locking sections
for different motor-vehicle seat belt locks, with the result
that the application area of the leads is further increased to
a considerable extent.
In the case of a particularly advantageous embodiment of. the
invention, the carabiner hook is spaced apart from the closure
part by a distance which corresponds to that of a motor-
vehicle seat belt lock and the collar or harness of an animal
sitting or lying on a seat, or an area provided for this
purpose, in a motor vehicle, with the result that it is also
possible, if desired, for the room for movement for an animal
in a motor vehicle to be significantly reduced. It is also
advantageously possible to adjust this distance via the
graduated length of the lead, which can be produced by
engaging the carabiner hook into different eyelets of the
lead.
The lead may also be designed as a long lead or as a short
lead, the retaining loop, in the latter case, being arranged
directly behind the closure part, with the result that a
person can guide his/her hand through the retaining loop and
can then grip the handgrip, a dimensionally stable and
ergonomic retaining device being produced as a result.
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Two exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in
more detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, in
which:
Fig. 1 shows a lead which is designed as a short lead and has
a prefabricated retaining loop,
Fig. 2 shows a long lead with a variable, adjustable retaining
loop,
Fig. 3 shows the entire length of the lead according to Fig. 2
in a reduced-scale illustration,
Fig. 4 shows the lead according to Fig. 3 with the seat belt
function activated,
Fig. 5 shows the grip end of the lead according to Fig. 1 with
the sheath open, and
Fig. 6 shows an open sheath of a handgrip with a closure part
with two different locking sections.
The lead 1 comprises a strap 12 or belt, preferably made of
leather or a braided plastic, and has, at the top end, either
a prefabricated retaining loop 2 or a retaining loop 22 which
can be produced by engaging a carabiner hook 21 in eyelets 15;
16; 17 of the lead 1 and, at the bottom end, a carabiner hook
11, and also has adjusting clasps 13, via which the length of
the lead 1 can be adapted as desired.
The embodiment of the lead 1 which is illustrated in Figs. 1
and 5 is designed as a short lead and, in the region directly
behind the retaining loop 2, has the handgrip 3, which
comprises a sheath 4 in which is formed a closure part 7 which
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has a through-passage 14, through which the strap or the belt
of the lead 1 extends and is secured by transverse seams
provided therein. Arranged at that end of the closure part 7
which is opposite to the through-passage 14 is a locking
section 10, which can be introduced into a large number of
conventional motor-vehicle seat belt locks.
A closure part as is illustrated in Fig. 6 has a base plate 8,
with a through-passage 14, and an articulation 6, via which
two locking sections 9; 10 of the closure part 7 can
optionally be rotated into a used position, with the result
that, with this type of closure part, it is possible to
utilize all common seat belt locks for strapping an animal in
a motor vehicle using a seat belt.
As is illustrated in Fig. 3, it is also possible for a lead 1
to be designed as long lead and to be provided with a second
carabiner hook 21 and with different eyelets 15; 16; 17 over
the length of the lead 1, it being possible for an eyelet 15
to be arranged, for example, in front of the handgrip..3, for
an eyelet to be spaced apart behind the handgrip 3 and for an
eyelet 17 to be arranged in the end region of the lead 1, with
the result that engaging the carabiner hook 21 into the first
eyelet 15 gives a prefabricated retaining loop in a form
similar to Fig. 1 and, for example, engaging the carabiner
hook 21 into the last eyelet 17 of the lead 1 gives a vastly
shortened lead 1 with a retaining loop 22 through which a hand
can likewise be guided before the handgrip 3 is gripped, with
the result that the user can choose the use position which is
most comfortable or seems to be most expedient.
The sheath 4 of the handgrip 3 preferably has a touch-and-
close fastener 5, with the result that it can easily be
fastened around the closure part 7 enclosing the rigid core of
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the handgrip 3 or the closure part 7 connected to the base
plate 8.
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