US 12156508

Here is a concise summary of U.S. Patent 12,156,508.

Title: Pulley system allowing for passage of object attached to line

Assignee: Swift Paws Inc

Inventors: Meghan Wolfgram, John Ritter

Filing Date: April 11, 2022

Issue Date: December 3, 2024

Abstract:
A pulley system for enabling an object attached to a line to pass around a rotating pulley at least partially enclosed by a housing, without causing the object to encounter interference from the housing structure as the object passages through. An inward beveled edge of the housing structure may act to guide the line into the pulley groove. An object passthrough window for allowing the object to pass around the pulley while the pulley is rotating, without encumbrance of the object, may comprise a substantially solid, or continuous, inner surface formed of the inward beveled edge and the pulley groove. An exemplary use of the pulley system is in drive or transfer pulleys, or both, in systems utilizing pulley arrangements: for example, in systems such as lure coursing systems that continuously loop a line having a lure attached, for the enjoyment of domesticated animals.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

This patent has four independent claims, each describing a variation of a pulley system designed to let an object attached to a line move smoothly around the pulley without getting stuck.

• Claim 1: This claim describes a pulley system where the pulley is housed within a structure. The key feature is an "inwardly beveled pulley shield." This shield is part of the housing and helps guide the line, and the object attached to it, through a special "passthrough window" so it can go around the pulley without interference. The pulley itself has a groove to hold the line.

• Claim 6: This claim focuses on a pulley system with a housing that has a hinged cover. This design allows for easy access to the pulley to place or remove the line. The system is designed with a "passthrough window" to allow an object on the line to move freely around the pulley.

• Claim 11: This claim details a pulley system where the "passthrough window" is specifically defined as an "annular passage" (a ring-shaped opening) through the housing. This passage ensures that an object attached to the line can pass through the housing structure as the line moves around the rotating pulley.

• Claim 15: This claim describes a pulley system that is connected to a controllable motor, making it a "drive" pulley. Like the other claims, it includes a housing with a hinged cover for easy line access and a "passthrough window" for an attached object. The connection to a motor indicates this pulley actively drives the line.

A search of the CAFC (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) 2026 dockets for litigation involving patent 12,156,508 yielded no results.