RETRACTABLE BELT AND COMBINED LAMPFIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a retractable pet belt, and more particularly, to a retractable belt apparatus having an integral light device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] In the prior art numerous types of retractable belts for pets are known. In the following US patents Some of these straps can be found:Patent of US Pat. No. 2,217,323 Patent of US Pat. No. 2,222,409 Patent of US Pat. No. 2,250,171 Patent of US Pat. No. 2,314,504 Patent of US Pat. No. 2,647,703 Patent of US Pat. No. 2,776,644 Patent of US Pat. No. 2,919,676 Patent of US Pat. No. 3,198,175 Patent of US Pat. No. 3,233,591 Patent of US Pat. No. 3,315,642Patent of US Pat. No. 3,318,288 Patent of US Pat. No. 3,693,596 Patent of US Pat. No. 3,775,198 Patent of US Pat. No. 3,853,283 Patent of US Pat. No. 3,937,418 Patent of US Pat. No. 4,018,189 Patent of US Pat. No. 4,165,713 Patent of US Pat. No. 4,197,817 Patent of US Pat. No. 4,202,510 Patent of US Pat. No. 4,269,150** •! ** Patent of E. u. 4,501,230 Patent of E. u. 4,748,937 Patent of U. U. 4,796,566 Patent of U. U. 4,887,551 Patent of U. U. 5,377,626 Patent of U. U. 5,423,494People who work during the day often walk their pets at night and need to light their way. This commonly requires the use of a hand lamp. Pets, such as dogs, usually walk with the help of the leash and some laws require that a leash be worn when a dog walks in a public area. In this way, walking a pet at night commonly requires the use of both hands of the user; One hand to hold the strap and one hand to hold the lamp.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a retractable belt apparatus is provided comprising a housing, a belt and a lighting section. The accommodation has a rotating reel. The strap is connected to the reel so that the strap can extend and retract in relation to the housing. The lighting section has a light and a battery. The battery is located inside the housing. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a retractable belt apparatus is provided comprising a first housing section and a retractable belt section. The first housing section has a handle section and a receiving area. The retractable belt section has a second housing section pivotally mounted to the first housing section in the receiving area along a first rotation ee and a spool rotatably mounted to the second housing section along a length of second axis of rotation. The first housing section is connected to the second housing section at two opposite ends of the second housing section. The first axis of rotation is orthogonal to the second axis of rotation. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a retractable belt apparatus is provided having a housing, a rechargeable battery connected to the housing, a light connected to the housing, and a strap on a housing reel that can extend from the housing and it can be wound back to the accommodation. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a retractable belt apparatus is provided comprising a housing, a battery, a belt, and a light. The accommodation has a rotating reel. The battery is mounted to the housing. The strap is connected to the reel so that the strap can extend from the housing and retract on the rail. The light is mounted on the run and is electrically connected to the battery by an electrical conductor extending along the belt.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFigure 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a combined retractable belt assembly and lamp incorporating the features of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the combined retractable belt assembly and lamp shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the combined retrilctive belt and light assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2., attached to a pedestal battery recharger. Figure 4a is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4b is a front view of the retractable belt and lamp combination assembly shown in Figure 4a. Figure 5 is a partial perspective schematic view of the upper front of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a partial schematic perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a partial schematic perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic view of a person walking a dog with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of the combined retractable belt assembly and lamp shown in Figure 8 and its recharging-battery pedestal. «DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIESReferring to Figure 1, a perspective view of the apparatus 10 incorporating the features of the present invention held by a user is shown. Although the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the features of the present invention may be incorporated in several different forms or alternative embodiments. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials may be used. The apparatus 10 includes a housing 12, a belt 14 and a lighting section 16. Referring also to Figure 2, the housing 12 has a first housing section 18 and a retractable belt section 20. The first housing section 18 is preferably made of plastic. The first housing section 18 includes a handle section 22 and a receiving area 24. The retractable belt section 20 includes a reel or drum 28, and a coiled spring 30. The spool 28 is rotatably connected to the first section. of housing 18 in the receiving area 24. The spring 30 has a first end 32 connected to the first housing section 18 and a second end 34 connected to the rotary reel 28. The belt 14 has a first end 36 attached to a fastener 37 and a second end 38 that is attached to the spool 28. The belt 14 is wound around the spool 28 and extends out of the housing 12 in an outlet flange 40. The apparatus 10 also includes a belt extension brake 42. brake 42 has a push button lever 44 pivotally connected to the first housing section. A contact area 45 for the finger is located in the lower front part of the handle section 22 to be depressed upwardly by a user. The lever 44 is attached to a friction brake device 46 on the flange 40. When a user activates the lever 44, the friction brake device 46 moves to exert a frictional force on the belt 14 and thereby stop extension or retraction of the belt. In an alternative embodiment, any suitable type of brake devices, such as those described in US Patents, may be used. 5,423,494; 5,377,626; 4,501,230; 4,269,150; or any of the other patents identified in the previous section of Background of the Invention. In addition, any suitable type of retractable belt section can be provided. The housing can also have any suitable type of shape.
The lighting section 16 generally comprises a bulb 48, a reflector 50, a cover 52, a switch 54, and a battery 56. The bulb 48 is electrically connected to the battery 56 by means of the switch 54. The switch 54 is located at the upper part of the handle section 22 to be operated by a user's thumb. The cover 52 is threadably mounted to the housing 12 to hold the reflector 50 in position. In the embodiment shown, the bulb 48 and the reflector 50 are located on the upper front of the housing 12. However, in an alternative embodiment they could be located at the bottom of the housing or any other suitable location on the housing 12. The lighting section 16 also includes a small circuit board 58 connected to the battery 56 and contact terminals 60 adjacent to the exterior of the housing 12. In this embodiment, the battery 56 is a rechargeable battery made of a suitable material such as NiCad. The terminals 60 and the printed circuit board 58 provide a means for connecting the battery 56 to a suitable recharger 62 (see Figure 3) to recharge the battery. In an alternative embodiment, it does not require a rechargeable battery and, suitable means for removing and replacing said non-rechargeable battery can be provided. Referring also to Figure 3, the ap > Arate 10 mounted on a pedestal recharger 62. The pedestal 62 has a housing 64 that can be mounted preferably to a wall. The pedestal 62 has a plug-in transformer 66 that can be connected to a torque-up torpedo to supply electricity to the contacts (not shown) in the housing 64 that contact the contacts 60 of the apparatus 10. In alternative modes, any suitable type of recharger or reloading pedestal can be provided. With the embodiment described above, the apparatus 10 can be used for a pet's nocturnal ride, or only by keeping switch 54 off, for a daylight ride of a pet. The apparatus 10 only requires a user to use a hand. This allows the user to have a free hand, such as to put it in his pocket during cold weather, or hold other objects. For example, the free hand can be used to carry groceries back from a store or, for a police officer, to hold a firearm. In this way, the combined hand-held belt and integral lamp apparatus 10 performs two functions from a single apparatus. Referring now to Figures 4A and 4B, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. The apparatus 70 includes a first housing section 72 with a handle section 74 and a receiving area 76. The apparatus 70 also includes a retractable belt section 78 which is located in the receiving area 76 and is pivotally connected to the first section 72. accommodation. The handle section 74 has a battery receiving area 80 for retrofitely receiving a battery 82. In the embodiment shown, the battery 82 is a rechargeable battery with two terminals at one end. Preteri lemente, the battery is a VERSAPAK battery, sold by- Black &; Decker Inc. (E.U.). VERSAPAK is a registered trademark of The Black & Decker Corporation of Towson, Maryland. However, any suitable battery type can be used. Terminals (not shown) within the first section 72 of the housing at the inner end-84 of the battery receiving area 80 are electrically connected to a bulb 48 by means of the switch 86. The bulb 48, similar to the of the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3, is connected to a reflector 50. The reflector 50 is connected to the first housing section 72 by the cover 52 on the upper front portion of the first housing section 72. The retractable belt section 78 includes a second housing section 88, a reel or cylinder 90, and a spring located on the reel 90 and has one end connected to the second section 88 of the housing. The spool 90 is rotatably connected to the second section 88 of the housing for rotation about an axis A. One end of the spring is connected to the spool 90. One end of the belt 92 is connected to the spool 90, is wound around the spool 90, and extends out of the second section 88 of the housing in the outlet 94. The bottom of the first section 88 of the housing has a seat 96. The bottom of the first section 72 of the housing has a pin section 98 projecting toward the housing. receiving area 76. The pin section 98 extends toward the seat 96. Similarly, the upper part of the second housing section 88 has a pin section 100 and the upper part of the first section of the housing 72 in the area receiver 76 has a seat 102. With this arrangement, the second housing section 88 is pivotally connected to the first housing section 72 for rotation about an The axis A is orthogonal to the axis B. In this way, the retractable belt section 78 can move pivotally relative to the first section of the housing 72. This allows the user to more easily redirect the light of the cross section. illumination of the apparatus 70 by turning only the first section of the housing 72 with a reduced amount of twisting on the user's hand if the user's pet is pulling the strap 92. Although in this embodiment there is no device for releasing the strap, this one it could be easily added by extending a control through the pivot points 96, 98 and / or 100, 102 or, by moving a portion of the retractable belt section 78 relative to the first section of the housing 72. Referring now to the figure 5, another alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the apparatus 110 has a lighting section 112 on an upper front of the housing 114. The structure 116 of the lighting section 112 is pivotally mounted to the housing 114 to move angularly as indicated by the arrow C. In this way , a user can angularly adjust the light beam of the apparatus 110 in a horizontal plane without angularly moving the structure 114. Referring now to Figure 6, another alternative embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the apparatus 120 has a lighting section 124. The structure 126 of the lighting section 122 is movably mounted to the housing 124 for angular pivotal movement as indicated by the arrow D. In this manner, a user can angularly adjust the light beam of the apparatus 120 in a vertical direction. This may be convenient depending on the type of pet or the medium and visibility without the user sacrificing the comfort of holding the apparatus; especially if the pet pulls a lot or needs to be pulled a lot. Referring now to Figure 7, another alternative embodiment of the invention is shown. In this embodiment, the apparatus 130 has a main unit 132 and a support structure 134. The main unit 132 is mounted pivotally on the support structure 134. The main unit 132 includes a retractable belt section 136 and a lighting section 138 inside the housing 140. A switch 142 is provided on the housing 140 for the lighting section 138. The battery 144 for the lighting section 138 is also located in the housing 140. A button 145 on the support structure 134 is connected to the retractable belt section 136 at a pivotal point between the main unit 132 and the structure 134 for controlling extension and retraction of the belt 137. With this modality, the beam of light can follow the pet. Referring now to Figures 8 and 9, another mode is shown. In this embodiment, the apparatus 150 has a housing 152, a hand band 154 and a belt 156. The apparatus 150 does not include a belt retraction device. Located on the belt 156 are a plurality of bulbs 158 electrically connected to a battery 160 in the housing 152 by means of an electrical conductor 162 that extends along the belt 156. The battery 160 is a rechargeable battery. The housing is sized and configured to fit on a pedestal recharger 164. The pedestal 164 has electrical contacts 166 and a transformer 168 that is connected to a wall outlet. In an alternative embodiment, the housing 152 can be provided with a light source 170. The electrical conductor 162 can be replaced with a light conductor, such as a fiber optic bundle or light tube. In such alternative embodiment, bulbs 158 are not required or can be replaced with lenses at the ends of the light conductor. It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Those skilled in the art can devise different alternatives and modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is designed to encompass all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.