Mounting arrangement for squeakers
AssigneeJ.W. Pet Company, Inc.
InventorJon Willinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of mounting a squeaker into a hard rubber ball toy. A separate holder or sleeve is provided that retains a squeaker and forms the noise producing element to be inserted into the rubber toy. The sleeve has a recessed area that tightly mates with an opening in the rubber toy and also includes a bonding surface to secure the sleeve to the toy. The sleeve could also be formed with fin members that extend orthogonally from a distal end of the sleeve. The total width of the sleeve and the associated fin members is such that it complies with consumer product safety requirements.
Claims18
A noise producing toy structure for a pet toy, the structure comprising:
- a rubber outer shell defining at least a portion of the pet toy;
- an opening in the rubber outer shell;
- a squeaker for making noise,
- a sleeve fitted over the squeaker for providing a better bonding with the rubber outer shell than the squeaker, the squeaker being retained in the sleeve, the sleeve comprising proximate and distal ends secured in the opening;
- a circumferential recess in the sleeve near the proximate end, the recess being sized to substantially mate tightly with the rubber outer shell at the opening when the sleeve is fitted to the squeaker so that a thickness of the rubber outer shell is wholly received in the recess.
A method of mounting a squeaker in a pet toy, a rubber outer shell defining at least a portion of the pet toy, the rubber outer shell having an opening for receiving the squeaker, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) fitting a sleeve over the squeaker, the sleeve comprising proximate and distal ends and having a recess in the sleeve near the proximate end,
- (b) tightly mating the recess with the rubber outer shell in the opening of the rubber outer shell, the recess being sized to substantially mate tightly with the rubber outer shell at the opening when the sleeve is fitted to the squeaker;
- (c) bonding the recess to the rubber outer shell.
A noise producing mechanism retained in a hollow pet toy body, the hollow body having a rubber outer shell defining at least a portion of the hollow body, the rubber shell having an opening for inserting the noise producing mechanism, the noise producing mechanism comprising:
- a squeaker for making noise,
- a sleeve fitted over the squeaker for providing a better bonding with the rubber outer shell than the squeaker, the squeaker being retained in the sleeve, the sleeve comprising proximate and distal ends secured in the opening;
- a recess in the sleeve near the proximate end, the recess being sized to substantially mate tightly with the rubber outer shell at the opening when the sleeve is fitted to the squeaker so that a thickness of the rubber outer shell is wholly received in the recess.
A noise producing mechanism retained in a hollow body, according to 12, wherein said hollow body is a rubber squeeze figure toy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.