Folding dog agility teeter
AssigneeHoffco International Imports LLC
InventorsStacey Ann Hoffman, Andrew Ryan Hoffman, Chad Eugene Spangler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable, folding dog agility teeter is disclosed. The teeter has two boards which are connected by a hinge. A pair of legs are also hinged. Each board can be reversibly fixed in relation to the hinge so the longitudinal axis of each board is parallel to the other. A fulcrum is formed where the legs attach to the hinge. One of the boards is heavier than the other so the heavier board is touching the ground when no additional load is on the other board. As a dog crosses from one board to the other, the teeter moves so the lighter board touches the ground. When the dog leaves the teeter the heavier board moves to touch the ground, thereby resetting the teeter for repeated use.
Claims5
A dog agility teeter comprising a fulcrum-assembly, a first board and a second board;
- a. said fulcrum-assembly comprising a first leg and a second leg, a first hinge, and a second hinge;
- i. said first hinge and said second hinge being aligned and having a single axis;
- b. said first board comprising a mass, a topside, an underside, a longitudinal axis, a proximal edge, and a distal edge;
- i. said board being attached to the first and the second hinge of the fulcrum-assembly near the proximal edge of the board;
- c. said second board comprising a mass, a topside, an underside, a longitudinal axis, a proximal edge, and a distal edge;
- i. said board being attached to the first and the second hinge of the fulcrum assembly near the proximal edge of the board;
- d. said first board having a mass greater than the mass of the second board;
- and
- e. said first board and said second board rotationally connected to each other via the first and the second hinge of the fulcrum assembly.
A method of using a dog agility teeter, said teeter comprising a fulcrum-assembly, a first board and a second board;
- a. said fulcrum-assembly comprising a first leg and a second leg, a first hinge, and a second hinge;
- i. said first hinge and said second hinge being aligned and having a single axis;
- b. said first board comprising a mass, a topside, an underside, a longitudinal axis, a proximal edge, and a distal edge;
- i. said board being attached to the first and the second hinge of the fulcrum-assembly near the proximal edge of the board;
- c. said second board comprising a mass, a topside, an underside, a longitudinal axis, a proximal edge, and a distal edge;
- i. said board being attached to the first and the second hinge of the fulcrum assembly near the proximal edge of the board;
- d. said first board having a mass greater than the mass of the second board;
- e. said first board and said second board rotationally connected to each other via the first and the second hinge of the fulcrum assembly.
- f. said first leg and said second leg capable of forming an angle with a vertex located at the axis of the hinges;
- g. said fulcrum assembly further comprising a stabilizer which restricts movement of the first and second legs in relation to each other when said stabilizer is engaged;
- h. The first and the second board each further comprises a first member of a two member fastening system;
- i. The first and the second hinge each further comprises a second member of a two member fastening system, and
- j. said teeter further comprises a closed conformation and an open conformation;
- i. said closed conformation being in which the underside of the first board is facing the underside of the second board;
- and
- ii. said open conformation being in which the longitudinal axis of the first board and the longitudinal axis of the second board are parallel;
- k. comprising the steps of
- i. moving the teeter from the closed conformation to the open conformation by moving the first board and the second board along the axis of the hinges until the longitudinal axis of each said board is parallel to the other;
- ii. engaging the stabilizer between the first and the second legs of the fulcrum assembly;
- iii. engaging each two-member fastening system;
- iv. orienting the teeter such that the underside of each said board faces down;
- v. having a dog move from the distal edge of the first board toward the distal edge of the second board.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.