SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING TOY BALLS FOR PETS

Abstract

The invention relates to the method of producing toy balls for pets, including: manufacturing distorted sphere balls with an opening in the distorted area using injection molding; sealing the opening of the distorted sphere balls to form uni-body sphere-shaped balls. The material used in the production of these toys can be rubber, thermoplastic elastomers, or thermoplastic rubber. This method allows to manufacture toy balls with no detached parts in the case of broken joints when the balls are chewed or torn apart by the pets. Thus, the invention can help to keep the pets from endangering themselves by swallowing detached parts of pet toy balls.

Claims

1. A pet toy comprising: a unibody ball shell comprising a first region and a second region, wherein the first region comprises a partial sphere shape including a transition edge, wherein the second region comprises a shape extending from the transition edge of the first region.

2. The pet toy according to claim 1, wherein the unibody shell is an open shell with a first opening extending from an interior void of the pet toy and through the unibody ball shell.

3. The pet toy according to claim 1, wherein the first region is a solid body with no interior void, and wherein the second region defines a first opening extending from an interior void of the second region and through the unibody ball shell.

4. The pet toy according to claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region are a solid body with no interior void, and wherein the second region defines a first opening extending from an exterior surface of the second region and inwardly into the solid body.

5. The pet toy according to claim 1, wherein the unibody ball shell is a closed shell with no openings.

6. The pet toy according to claim 1, wherein the second region defines a first opening extending from an interior void of the pet toy and through the unibody ball shell, wherein the first opening comprises a linear slit, wherein the first opening comprising the linear slit lies within a single plane that extends through a center of the first region, and.

7. The pet toy according to claim 6, wherein the single plane defines a cross-section of the pet toy oriented to bisect two identical hemispheres of the unibody ball shell.

8. The pet toy according to claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the linear slit is positioned at an outermost distal point of the second region as measured from the center of the first region.

9. The pet toy according to claim 8, wherein the first opening comprising the linear slit comprises: a first lip; a second lip; and a sealing joint affixing the first lip to the second lip along at least a portion of a length of the linear slit.

10. The pet toy according to claim 9, wherein the second region comprises a non-spherical shape.

11. The pet toy according to claim 10, wherein the non-spherical shape comprises an ovoid.

12. The pet toy according to claim 9, wherein the second region comprises a spherical shape having at least one of a different radius than the first region and a different center than the first region.

13. A pet toy manufacturing mold comprising: a first mold portion having a profile corresponding to a first surface portion of a pet toy; a second mold portion joinable to the first mold portion and having a profile corresponding to a second surface portion of the pet toy; and a core mold embraced between the first mold portion and the second mold portion and having a profile corresponding to an interior void of the pet toy.

14. The pet toy manufacturing mold according to claim 13, wherein the core mold further comprises: a handle configured to create a first opening extending from the interior void of the pet toy manufactured in the pet toy manufacturing mold and through a union of the first surface portion of the pet toy and the second surface portion of the pet toy.

15. The pet toy manufacturing mold according to claim 14, wherein the first surface portion of the pet toy and the second surface portion of the pet toy comprise identical hemispheres of the pet toy.

16. The pet toy manufacturing mold according to claim 15, wherein a cross-section of the first surface portion of the pet toy and a cross-section of the second surface portion of the pet toy are identical and each comprises an ovoid.

17. The pet toy manufacturing mold according to claim 13, wherein the pet toy is disposed between the core mold and the first and second mold portions by injection molding, the pet toy comprising: a unibody ball shell comprising a first region corresponding to a first part of the first mold portion and a first part of the second mold portion and a second region corresponding to a second part of the first mold portion and a second part of the second mold portion, wherein the first region comprises a partial sphere shape including a transition edge, wherein the second region comprises a shape extending from the transition edge of the first region, wherein the second region defines the first opening extending from the interior void of the pet toy and through the unibody ball shell, wherein the first opening comprises a linear slit, wherein the first opening comprising the linear slit lies within a single plane extending through the center of the first region, wherein the single plane defines a cross-section of the pet toy oriented to bisect two identical hemispheres of the unibody ball shell and the single plane defines the union of the first mold portion and the second mold portion, wherein at least a portion of the linear slit is positioned at an outermost distal point of the second region as measured from a center of the first region, wherein the first opening comprising the linear slit comprises: a first lip; a second lip; and a sealing joint affixing the first lip to the second lip along at least a portion of the length of the linear slit, wherein the sealing joint comprises at least one of gluing and welding, and wherein the shape of the second region comprises an ovoid.

18. A method of making a pet toy comprising: providing a unibody ball shell comprising a first region and a second region, wherein the first region comprises a partial sphere shape including a spherical-to-non-spherical transition edge, wherein the second region comprises a non-spherical shape extending from the spherical-to-non-spherical transition edge of the first region; and providing a first opening, wherein the second region comprising the non-spherical shape defines the first opening extending from an interior void of the pet toy and through the unibody ball shell, wherein the first opening comprises a linear slit, wherein the first opening comprising the linear slit lies within a single plane extending through the center of the first region, wherein the single plane defines a cross-section of the pet toy oriented to bisect two identical hemispheres of the unibody ball shell, wherein at least a portion of the linear slit is positioned at an outermost distal point of the second region as measured from a center of the first region.

19. The method of making a pet toy according to claim 18, wherein providing the unibody ball shell comprises injection molding the unibody ball shell in a pet toy manufacturing mold comprising: a first mold portion having a profile corresponding to a first surface portion of a pet toy; a second mold portion joinable to the first mold portion and having a profile corresponding to a second surface portion of the pet toy; a core mold embraced between the first mold portion and the second mold portion and having a profile corresponding to the interior void of the pet toy, wherein providing the first opening comprises injection molding the unibody ball shell in the pet toy manufacturing mold wherein the core mold further comprises: a handle configured to create the first opening extending from the interior void of the pet toy manufactured in the pet toy manufacturing mold through a union of the first surface portion of the pet toy and the second surface portion of the pet toy, wherein the first surface portion of the pet toy and the second surface portion of the pet toy comprise identical hemispheres of the pet toy, and wherein a cross-section of the first surface portion of the pet toy and a cross-section of the second surface portion of the pet toy are identical and comprises an ovoid.

20. The method of making a pet toy according to claim 19, further comprising: providing a sealing joint of the first opening, wherein at least a portion of the first opening is positioned at an outermost distal point of the second region as measured from a center of the first region, wherein the linear slit comprises: a first lip; a second lip parallel to the first lip; and wherein the sealing joint affixes the first lip to the second lip along at least a portion of a length of the linear slit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] For a more complete understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts, and in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 presents a known method of producing toy balls.

[0033] FIG. 2 presents another known method of producing toy balls.

[0034] FIG. 3 presents various perspectives of the toy ball manufactured by the method of the invention before the gap being sealed.

[0035] FIG. 4 presents the shape and structure of a mold that can be used for the method of the invention.

[0036] FIG. 5 presents the shape and the dimensions of the toy ball as an example of implementation of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Referring to FIG. 3, the invention proposes a method of producing toy balls for pets including: [0038] manufacture a distorted sphere ball with an opening on the distorted area using injection molding; [0039] seal the opening by gluing welding to form a uni-body ball.

[0040] The material used in the production of these toys can be rubber, thermoplastic elastomers, or thermoplastic rubber.

[0041] In order to achieve the above-mentioned method, the invention should employ an injection mold with the structure illustrated in FIG. 4. The male mold 1 and the female mold 2 embrace the core mold 3. The core mold 3 has dedicated handle allows create the opening on the molded product. The semi-finished product is created by injection molding using these three molds. The opening will then be sealed to form a round ball shape as required.

[0042] Example of Implementation: FIG. 5 illustrates a hollow uni-body ball made from rubber. The thickness of the rubber wall is 7.4 mm. The diameter of the ball is 64.8 mm. The length of the opening is 34.4 mm and the widest gap of the opening is 4.3 mm.

[0043] Step 1: injection molding a distorted sphere ball with an opening on the distorted area using molds illustrated in FIG. 4;

[0044] Step 2: sealing the opening to create a uni-body sphere-shaped ball.

[0045] Effectiveness of the invention: The invention allows to manufacture hollow uni-body toy balls which can help to avoid the possibility of detached parts which can lead to safety risks for pets in the case of broken glued joints when the balls are chewed or torn apart by the pets.

[0046] A method of producing toy balls for pets includes [0047] manufacture a distorted sphere ball with an opening on the distorted area using injection molding; [0048] seal the opening by gluing welding to form a uni-body sphere-shaped ball.

[0049] The method of producing toy balls also includes, wherein the balls are made from rubber, thermoplastic elastomers, or thermoplastic rubber.