Animal toy with floatation device

Abstract

A floatable pet toy including a hollow deformable body with a buoyant material, such as a closed cell foam, inside of the body. The buoyant material increases the pet toy's buoyancy and resistance to deformation for durability. A rope may be attached to the body. In a second embodiment, the body may be elongated, made from elastomeric material, and substantially filled with a closed cell foam insert. This insert has a rope running longitudinally through its center and through an opening in a second end of the body. In a further embodiment, the body may be made from a flexible material, such as canvas or plastic. In a still further embodiment, the buoyant material may be injected into a sealed hollow deformable body for increased buoyancy and durability.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED REISSUE APPLICATIONS[0001]Reissue application Ser. No. 09 / 432,848 filed on Nov. 2, 1999 was a reissue application of Ser. No. 08 / 871,236 filed on Jun. 9, 1997, (U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,118), and the reissue application Ser. No. 09 / 432,848 was expressly abandoned on Mar. 20, 2002. The present reissue application Ser. No. 10 / 171,323 filed on Jun. 11, 2002 is a reissue of the application of Ser. No. 08 / 871,236 filed on Jun. 9, 1997(U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,118).TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]This invention relates to a pet toy, and more specifically a pet toy that floats high in the water. This increased buoyancy allows for better visibility when animals play with the pet toy in water.BACKGROUND ART[0003]Floatable pet toys are desirable for pets, such as some dogs, who enjoy playing and swimming in water. They are also desirable for training of dogs to retrieve birds which have been shot over open water. However, if a pet toy is made sufficiently buoyant for this purpose, it la...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]In one embodiment, the cavity is filled with a buoyant material, such as a closed cell foam thereby increasing both the buoyancy and resistance to deformation of the body of the pet toy. The buoyant material may be any shape, including a cylindrical shape, and is moderately flexible and resilient. The buoyant material is inserted through the opening in a first end and substantially fills the cavity thereby increasing the resiliency of the pet toy. The resiliency of the buoyant material makes the body of the toy less deformable and therefore more resistant to puncture or damage from chewing. A length of rope may be attached to the body at a second end which allows the pet toy to be tossed more easily and allows the pet toy to be used as a tug toy with the pet owner.

[0010]In a second embodiment, the body shape is elongated. The body is made from an elastomeric material with an outer surface, and an inner surface forming a cavity. The body's buoyancy and resistance to deformation are enhanced by an insert made of a buoyant material, such as a closed cell foam, that substantially fills the cavity. The insert is longitudinally slotted for insertion of rope. The rope is threaded through the center of the insert and knotted at the first end of the insert. The other end of the rope extends through an opening in the second end of the body. This embodiment is used as a training device to teach animals how to retrieve objects, such as birds, from a body of water. The rope runs the length of the insert to allow the toy to be thrown greater distances with increased durability for extensive training regimes.

[0012]In a fourth embodiment, a buoyant material, such as a closed cell foam, is injected into a sealed hollow elastomeric body to improve the buoyancy and resistance to deformation of the body.

Problems solved by technology

However, if a pet toy is made sufficiently buoyant for this purpose, it lacks the structural integrity needed to keep it from being quickly destroyed by a dog gripping it in its teeth during retrieval.

The air bubbles weaken the polyurethane and the toy is more easily destroyed by chewing.

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