LAISSE A TENDEUR AUTOMATIQUE DISSIMULE

CONCEALED AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT LEASH

Abrégé anglais

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention provides a leash for attachment
to a pet's collar, comprising a leash box mounted therein, on
a pivot, a spiral spring to a free-end of which is attached one
end of an elastic belt which extends through an outlet in the
box and has a handle on the free-end thereof, whereby the band
may be pulled by means of said handle and stretched from said
box to form said leash and automatically retract to and be
concealed in said box on release of said handle, fender means
adjustable on said box to control the stretch length of said
elastic band outside said box and, means for attaching said
box to said collar. In operation, due to the spiral spring and
fender piece, the elastic belt can stretch the length as required
or retract to be concealed in the leash box. A bow-handle and
identity card may be used for the pet's decoration and identifi-
cation.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A leash for attachment to a pet's collar, compris-
ing a leash box, a coiled spring mounted in the leash box, an
elastic belt extending through an opening in the box having one
end thereof attached to a free end of the coiled spring in the
leash box, a handle attached to a free end of the belt outside
the leash box, and a slide member projecting through a slot in
the wall of the leash box and having inside the leash box an abut-
ment slideable into frictional engagement with the belt near the
opening, and means for attaching said leash box to the collar
whereby the belt may be pulled from the box by means of said
handle and locked in a selected position with the aid of said
slide member, and upon release of the slide member, the belt au-
tomatically retracts into said box under the action of said coil-
ed spring.
2. A leash as claimed in claim 1, in which the spiral
spring is maintained on said pivot by a pair of spaced plates in
said box.
3. A leash as claimed in claim 1, in which the handle
is a bow-shaped handle which serves as a bow-tie decoration when
the belt is retracted.
4. A leash as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the
box has an identification labelling means on the outside thereof.
5. In combination, a leash as claimed in claim 1, at-
tached by means of a pair of spaced slots to a collar for said
pet.
6. The combination of claim 5, in which the collar has
stud means for adjusting the size thereof commensurate with the
size of the neck of the pet.

Description

The present invention rela-tes to a leash for use in
walking pets, particularly dogs, and in particular, to a leash
having concealed means for automatic adjustment thereof.
I'he walking of pets, particularly dogs, is a well-prac-
ticed recreation and generally, due to local bylaws, it is gener-
ally necessary in walking a dog to have it on a leash. Further,
with conventional leashes, these serve the function of restrain-
ing the dog and, when it is desired to loosen the dog from such
restraint, it is necessary to remove the leash from the dog's col-
lar or, alternativley, when it is required to restrain the dog toattach the leash to the collar. This is the subject of substan-
tial inconvenience and causes the leash to be soiled. Further,
if a dog becomes lost, does not have any identification on him,
such as an identity-disc on his collar, he will be considered to
be a loose dog and either picked-up by the police and sent to
the local dog pound, or, possibly even killed.
The present invention provides a leash with concealed
automatic adjustment which avoids the removal of the leash from
the dog when it is to be loosened from restraint, and further,
does not require a reattachment of the leash when the dog is to
be restrained.
According to the present inventlon there is provided a
leash for attachment to a pet's collar, comprising a leash box,
a coiled spring mounted in the leash box, an elastic belt extend-
ing through an opening in the box having one end thereof attached
to a free end of the coiled spring in the leash box, a handle at-
tached to a free end of the belt outside the leash box, and a
slide member projecting through a slot in the wall of the leash
box and having inside the leash box an abutment slideable into
frictional engagement with the belt near the opening, and means for
attaching said leash box to the collar, whereby the belt may be
pulled from the box b~ means of said handle and locked in a se-
- 1~

l X
lected positlon with the aid of said slide me~ber, and upon release
of the slide member the belt au-tomatically retracts into said
box under the action of said coiled spxing.
The leash of the present invention, in using a spiral
spring and slide member

Bl~
t~ ontrol the stretch and retraction of the leash, allows the
length of -the leash to be adjusted by means of the slide member
and, the leash to be retracted into the box when not in use.
Su:itably, the coiled spring is main-tained on a pivot by a
pair of spaced plates in said box.
The handle means, suitably a bow-shaped handle, is disposed
outside the box as a decoration for the pet when the leash is
retracted into the box. Further, in a particularly preferred
embodiment of the invention, the box has an identification ].abell-
ing means, such as an indentity-card means, stuck on the surface
of the box, whereby the owner can include the name of the pet,
the breeder, the telephone number and the address of the owner.
Again, the collar is suitably adapted to adjust in size according
to the size of the nec]~ of the pet and, is convenient to assemble
and disassemble, which is an improvement over the deficiency of
conventional leashes, which is a hole drilled in the belt.
Again, the stretch and a retraction , due to
the elastic belt and collar, allows the leash to restrain the dog
properly but not tightly when the dog jumps or moves hurriedly
or suddenly.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the combination of
a collar and leash, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention; and,
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the
collar and leash of Figure 1.
Referring to the drawings, the leash 1 of the present
invention comprises a leash box 2, spiral spring band 3, elastic
30 belt 4, bow-handle 5, slide member 6, collar 7, and identity card 17.
The spiral-spring band 3 and elastic belt ~ are held in position
by plates 8 and 9 in the assembled leash box 2. The leash box 2
has the identity card 17 stuck on its surface and, also has
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c~ ar holes 10 by means of which the collar is attached to the
leash box. The leash box also has a sliding slo-t 11 for movement
oE the slide member 6 and, an outlet 12 for the spiral spring
bands 3 and elastic belt 4. The bow-handle 5 is connected with
one end of the elastic-belt 4 by means of a connecting sleeve 13
and is disposed outside the leash box 2. The collar 7 passes
through the collar holes 10 and has upper and lower buttons 14
and 15 riveted on one side thereof and, button hole 16 on the
other side thereof so that the collar can be fastened ~o the
neck of the pet.
Referring specifically to Figure 2, the leash box 2
comprises a front cover 2a and a back cover 2b. The plates 8
and ~ fix the spiral spring band 3 on a pivot 13 and allow it
in smooth order to carry the elastic belt 4 and to stretch and
retract. The slide member 6 mounted in the sliding slot 11
controls the stretch length and the retraction of the elastic
belt 4 passing through the outlet 12. After the spiral spring
band 3 retracts,-the connecting sleeve 13 joins the end of the
elastic belt 4 with the bow-handle 5 to leave -the latter outside
the leash box 2 to form a necktie decoration, and it can be
changed by means of the connecting sleeve 13. The collar 7 and
elastic belt 4 are made of an elas-tic material with substantial
elasticity. One side of the collar 7 has upper and lower riveted
buttons 14 and 15 which fasten with the button holes 16 of the
collar 7, in accordance with the size of the neck of the pet. The
lower riveted button 15 is useful for lessening the swing of the
leash box 2. The identity card 17 stuck on the front cover 2a of
the leash box 2 as the pet's breeder and ownerls telephone number
and address and similar information, as ls found desirable.