Pet toy with vent opening

Abstract

A pet toy has an outer wall and a first opening in the outer wall that extends into an interior of the pet toy, a portion of the interior being hollow. At least one second opening is defined in the outer wall and functions as a vent to prevent a pet's tongue from becoming inadvertently and harmfully sealed within the first opening.

1 . A pet toy comprising:
 a) a circular bulbous portion having an outer wall enclosing a substantially hollow interior and defined at tangential ends of a diameter that defines the circular bulbous portion;   b) a first opening in the outer wall that extends into the substantially hollow interior and is dimensioned to allow access to a pet's tongue into the substantially hollow interior, the opening defined at the outermost portion of the diameter of the end portion; and   c) a second opening that is smaller than the first opening and is defined through the outer wall;   d) wherein the second opening is dimensioned to allow outside air to pass through the outer wall and into the interior to alleviate suction and prevent a pet's tongue from becoming sealed within the first opening; and   e) wherein the first opening is defined along a first diameter of the circular bulbous portion, and wherein the second opening is defined along a second diameter of the circular bulbous portion that is different from the first diameter and is spaced from the first opening a distance sufficient to prevent a pet's tongue from sealing the second opening from the substantially hollow interior.   
     
     
         2 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the second opening has an opening diameter that is within a range of approximately ten to twenty percent of the opening diameter of the first opening. 
     
     
         3 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the first opening has an opening diameter that is greater than or equal to ten times the opening diameter of the second opening. 
     
     
         4 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the first opening is at least 0.125 inches. 
     
     
         5 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the second opening is spaced a sufficient distance away from the first opening so that a pet's tongue could not extend into the substantially hollow interior and cover both the first and second openings simultaneously from the substantially hollow interior, thus rendering ineffective the second opening. 
     
     
         6 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 5 , wherein the second opening is spaced approximately 0.25 inches from the first opening along an inner surface of the outer wall. 
     
     
         7 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the pet toy is molded in one piece out of natural rubber. 
     
     
         8 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the first opening extends through the outer wall only once. 
     
     
         9 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the first opening and the second opening are the only openings in the outer wall relative to the substantially hollow interior. 
     
     
         10 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 1 , the substantially hollow interior further comprising at least one of a treat or a sound device that is sized for passage through the first opening but not the second opening. 
     
     
         11 . A pet toy comprising:
 a) a first bulbous portion and a second bulbous portion and a bridge between the first and second bulbous portions;   b) the first bulbous portion having a first outer wall, a first opening of at least 0.125 inches in the outermost portion of the first outer wall along a longitudinal axis of the pet toy and a diameter of the first bulbous portion that defines a first interior in said first bulbous portion, a portion of the first interior being hollow, the first opening being dimensioned to allow access to a pet's tongue into the first interior; and   c) the first bulbous portion having a second opening in the first outer wall that extends into the first interior;   d) wherein the second opening is smaller than the first opening and is dimensioned to allow outside air to pass through the first outer wall and into the interior to alleviate suction and prevent a pet's tongue from becoming sealed within the first opening;   e) wherein the first opening terminates at the end of a first diameter tangential to the outer wall and through the first interior along the longitudinal axis of the pet toy, and wherein the second opening terminates at the end of a second diameter tangential to the outer wall that is different from the longitudinal axis and is spaced from the first opening a distance sufficient to prevent a pet's tongue from simultaneously sealing the first and second openings from the first interior; and   f) wherein the pet toy is a one-piece, molded construction.   
     
     
         12 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the first opening has an opening diameter that is greater than or equal to five times the diameter of the second opening. 
     
     
         13 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the second opening has an opening diameter that is within a range of approximately ten to twenty percent of the opening diameter of the first opening. 
     
     
         14 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the second bulbous portion further comprises a second outer wall, a third opening in the outermost portion of the second outer wall that defines a second interior in said second end, a portion of the second interior being hollow, a fourth opening in the second outer wall that extends into the second interior to prevent a pet's tongue from simultaneously sealing the fourth opening from the second interior. 
     
     
         15 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 14 , wherein the first and third openings terminate along a longitudinal axis of the pet toy and the second and fourth openings terminate along a different axis from the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         16 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein the first through fourth openings are the only openings in the pet toy. 
     
     
         17 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the bridge is a solid bridge. 
     
     
         18 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the second bulbous portion is solid. 
     
     
         19 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the pet toy is molded in one piece out of natural rubber. 
     
     
         20 . A pet toy in accordance with  claim 11 , the first interior comprising at least one of a treat or a sound device that is sized for passage through the first opening but not the second opening.