PRIORITY DOCUMENTS

[0001] The present application claims priority from Chinese Utility Model No. 201720665465 .8 titled "TOOL HANDLE BENDING AND ROTATING CONNECTION MECHANISM AND PET

GROOMING TOOL" and filed on 9 June 2017, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a pet grooming tool. In a particular form, the present disclosure relates to an adjustable handle for a pet grooming tool.

BACKGROUND

[0003] With the improvement of living standards, people's demand for pets has gradually increased and ownership of pets has become a part of our lives.

[0004] Many pets will shed hair or fur which unless it is removed may potentially become tangled and knotted. This can be unsightly and cause discomfort to the pet. There exist pet grooming tools specifically for removing the shed hair to assist with grooming a pet.

[0005] US Patent Nos 7,077,076 and 6,782,846 disclose pet grooming tools having a handle and a comb with a blade portion mounted at one end of the handle. A user holds the handle and brings the comb into contact with the pet's fur. When the user combs the pet's hair in locations such as the back, abdomen, neck, etc., because the handle orientation relative to the comb is fixed, use of the pet grooming tool may be inconvenient and difficult for the user.

[0006] It is against this background that the adjustable handle for a pet grooming tool of the present disclosure has been developed.

SUMMARY

[0007] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an adjustable handle for a pet grooming tool, comprising:

a first handle portion; and

a second handle portion; a rotatable connection mechanism connecting the first handle portion and the second handle portion to provide relative rotation of the first handle portion and the second handle portion to adjust an angle of bending of the handle, wherein said rotatable connection mechanism comprises:

a pair of first opposed mounting portions symmetrically located on the end of the first handle portion, each of the first mounting portions including at least one through hole;

a pair of second opposed mounting portions symmetrically located on the second handle portion and configured to receive the pair of first opposed mounting portions, each of the second mounting portions including at least two blind holes, and

a pair of opposed locking members having a ring configuration and symmetrically located within the first opposed mounting portions, each of said locking members including a third mounting portion comprising at least one locking projection extending from the third mounting portion and operable to extend through the at least one through hole of a respective first mounting portion and into a selected blind hole of the at least two blind holes of a respective second mounting portion; wherein on retraction of the locking projection from the selected blind hole, the first handle portion is rotatable relative to the second handle portion to allow the locking projection on said locking member to enter another blind hole and as a result lock the first handle portion with respect to the second handle portion to adjust the angle of bending of the handle.

[0008] In another form, the first mounting portion includes a first annular region comprising a plurality of through holes being uniformly distributed around the first annular region, and wherein said second mounting portion includes a second annular region comprising a plurality of blind holes corresponding to the plurality of through holes of the first annular region, and wherein said third mounting portion includes a third annular region comprising a plurality of locking projections corresponding to the plurality of through holes and blind holes.

[0009] In another form, each of the third mounting portions is located on an inner side of a respective first mounting portion, and wherein each of the second mounting portions is located on an outer side of a respective first mounting portion.

[0010] In another form, each of the locking members includes a locking button extending outwardly from the locking member and configured to extend through respective central apertures of the first annular region and the second annular region.

[0011] In another form, a return spring is disposed between the respective locking buttons.

[0012] In another form, a limit ring is disposed between the locking members to prevent the respective locking button being pressed inwardly to cause the locking projections to be removed from the through holes of the first annular region. [0013] In another form, the locking button is attached to the locking member by a snap fit mechanism.

[0014] In another form, the first annular regions of the pair of first opposed mounting portions are connected by a part cylindrical shaped housing defining an internal cavity to receive the pair of opposed locking members.

[0015] In another form, the part-cylindrical housing is provided with a limit protrusion, wherein the second handle portion is provided with a limit groove, and wherein the limit protrusion moves within said limit groove to limit the magnitude of rotation between the first handle portion and the second handle portion.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a pet grooming tool, comprising:

a head having a comb, and

the adjustable handle according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the head is attached to the first handle portion of the adjustable handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pet grooming tool in accordance with an illustrative embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the separated metal blade body and a plastic comb of the pet grooming tool illustrated in Figure 1;

[0020] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the metal blade body illustrated in Figure 2;

[0021] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the plastic comb illustrated in Figure 2;

[0022] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the metal blade body and the plastic comb of Figure 2 after being assembled;

[0023] Figure 6 is a side structural schematic view of the separated metal blade body and the plastic comb of Figure 2;

[0024] Figure 7 is a side structural schematic view of the assembled metal blade body and the plastic comb of Figure 2; [0025] Figure 8 is a structural schematic view of the pet grooming tool depicting the hair removal member in a retracted position;

[0026] Figure 9 is an enlarged view of A in Figure 8;

[0027] Figure 10 is an enlarged view of B in Figure 8;

[0028] Figure 11 is a structural schematic view of the pet grooming tool depicting the hair removal member in an extended position to remove hair from the comb;

[0029] Figure 12 is an enlarged view of C in Figure 11;

[0030] Figure 13 is an enlarged view of D in Figure 11;

[0031] Figure 14 is an exploded view of a linkage assembly of the pet grooming tool;

[0032] Figure 15 is a structural schematic view of the pet grooming tool when it is bent forward at a large angle;

[0033] Figure 16 is a structural schematic view of the pet shaving tool when it is bent forward at a small angle;

[0034] Figure 17 is a structural schematic view of the pet grooming tool in an unbent configuration;

[0035] Figure 18 is an exploded view of a rotatable connection mechanism of the pet grooming tool illustrated in Figure 1;

[0036] Figure 19 is a perspective view of a locking member according to an illustrative embodiment; [0037] Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view of the pet grooming tool;

[0038] Figure 21 is a perspective view of a locking member assembly comprising a pair of the locking members illustrated in Figure 19;

[0039] Figure 22 is a sectional view of the locking member assembly illustrated in Figure 21;

[0040] Figure 23 is a structural schematic view depicting the locking projections of the locking members inserted into respective blind holes to lock the first handle portion with respect to the second handle portion; [0041] Figure 24 is an enlarged view of E in Figure 23;

[0042] Figure 25 is a structural schematic view depicting the locking projections of the locking members withdrawn or removed from respective blind holes to allow the first handle portion to rotate with respect to the second handle portion; and

[0043] Figure 26 is an enlarged view of F in Figure 25.

[0044] In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the figures.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0045] Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these descriptions are only illustrative and exemplary, and should not be construed to define the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] For ease of description, the pet grooming tool of the present disclosure is described below in its usual assembled position as shown in the accompanying drawings and terms such as front, rear, upper, lower, horizontal, longitudinal etc., may be used with reference to this usual position. However, the pet grooming tool may be manufactured, transported, sold, or used in orientations other than that described and depicted in the specification.

[0047] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, there is shown a pet grooming tool 1 for removing shed hair from a pet and which further combs the hair in the process dealing with knotted or tangled hair of the pet according to a first embodiment. In this illustrative example, pet grooming tool 1 includes a comb 2 and a handle 3. The comb 2 includes a plastic comb 4 and a metal blade body 5. The metal blade body 5 and the plastic comb 4 are detachably assembled together. The plastic comb 4 includes a elongate base portion 6 and a row of comb teeth 7 extending perpendicularly form the elongate base portion 6. After the comb 2 is assembled, the front end surface of the blade edge 52 of the metal blade body 5 exceeds the comb base portion 71 of the teeth 7 of plastic comb 4.

[0048] As shown in Figures 2 to 7, the metal blade body 5 and the plastic comb 4 may be separated from each other so that the metal blade body 5 may be sharpened or replaced as compared to prior art arrangements where the blade is integrated with the comb. The metal blade body 5 is mounted on one side of the plastic comb 4, but as would be appreciated the exposure of the blade edge 52 of the metal blade body 5 can present a safety hazard to the user or to the pet's skin. In accordance with the embodiment described below, the positioning of the metal blade body 5 with respect to the plastic comb 4 may be controlled precisely.

[0049] In this example, the elongate base portion 6 forms an upper ledge for a fitting notch 8 extending forward from the elongate base portion 6 and further extending forward beyond the comb base portion 9 of the teeth 7 by a predetermined distance. On assembly, the front end of the metal blade body 5 is inserted to the fitting notch 8 and the front end of the blade edge 52 abuts the front end of the fitting notch 8 as best shown in Figure 7 resulting in a precisely controlled exposed portion of blade edge 52 extending between the comb teeth 7 which functions as effective cutting blade.

[0050] In this manner, the blade edge 52 of the metal blade body 5 is disposed between the feet of the comb teeth 7 so that a part of the blade edge 52 is completely hidden by the feet portions of the comb teeth 7 and another part of the blade edge 52 is exposed between the respective feet portions of pairs of comb teeth 7 as the effective cutting blade edge so that the pet's knotted hair may be cut and the pet's hair smoothly combed.

[0051] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the plastic comb 4 includes a planar mounting surface 9 extending from the rear of elongate base portion 6, and the metal blade body 5 includes a complementary body portion 51 sized and shaped to be received by planar mounting surface 9. The longitudinal direction of the elongate base portion 6 is aligned with the horizontal direction of the comb teeth 7. In this example, the comb teeth 7, elongate base portion 6 and planar mounting surface 9 are injection molded as a unitary item. Planar mounting surface 9 is positioned beneath and offset from elongate base portion 6 resulting in the upper surface of body portion 51 of the metal blade body 5 lying flush with the upper surface of the elongate base portion 6 on insertion of blade body 5 into plastic comb 4 as has been described above.

[0052] In this example, planar mounting surface 9 includes a peripheral wall portion 10 to restrict movement of the body portion 51 of the metal blade body 5 within wall portion 10 which again allows the metal blade body 5 to be precisely positioned on assembly of the blade 5 and comb 4 assembly as the metal blade body 5 is mounted onto the planar mounting surface 9 and into fitting notch 8.

[0053] In this example, planar mounting surface 9 is in the same plane as the lower surface of the comb teeth 7 so that the injection molding process can be simplified. The base or feet portion of the comb teeth 7 extends forward and obliquely downward from the upper end surface of the elongate base portion 6 and an included angle is formed between the upper surface of the comb teeth 7 and the lower surface of the comb teeth 7 so that the cross section of each comb tooth 7 is configured as a triangle providing increased structural strength of the comb teeth 7. [0054] As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7, after the metal blade body 5 is mounted into the plastic comb 4, the upper surface of the body portion 51 of the metal blade body 5 is flush with the upper surface of the elongate base portion 6 further improving the structural integrity of the combined metal blade body 5 and plastic comb 4 assembly. The front end surface of the body portion 51 is located on the rear side surface of elongate base portion 6 resulting in fixing of the relative position of the metal blade body 5 with respect to the plastic comb 4.

[0055] As shown in Figures 8 to 13, located on the other side surface of the planar mounting surface 9 is a hair removal member 11 that can be moved back and forth. The front end surface of the hair removal member 11 is moveable between an extended position and a retracted position where in the extended position, the hair removal member 11 is extended and exceeds the front end surface of the comb teeth 7and in the retracted position the hair removal member 11 is retracted and positioned behind the blade edge 52.

[0056] In use, the hair removal member 11 is located on the rear side of the blade edge 52. At this time, the pet grooming tool performs the function of combing, de-shedding and/or cutting off knotted hair. When removed hair from the pet is lodged or stuck in the gaps between the comb teeth 7, the hair removal member 11 may be moved from the retracted position to the extended position so that the hair stuck on the comb teeth 7 is pushed forward to leave and clean the comb teeth 7.

[0057] In another embodiment, other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment except that the metal blade body 5 is movable back and forth with respect to the plastic comb 4. In this example, the blade edge 52 of the metal blade body 5 may be retracted from the base region of the comb teeth 7 of the plastic comb 4 and the grooming tool may then be used only for combing the hair as there is no exposed blade.

[0058] In one example, when the pet is initially combed, the blade may be exposed for the purpose of removing shed hair and/or cutting knotted hair following which the blade may be retracted for standard combing. As would be appreciated, the ability to retract the blade from the comb will reduce the likelihood of damage to the skin of the pet in cases where the pet's skin is especially sensitive. In addition, this capability will also avoid unnecessary wear and prolong the service life of the blade.

[0059] In another embodiment, the front end surface of the hair removal member 11 may be moved to a third position that is located in a middle position between the first position and the second position, and exceed and cover the blade edge 52 to allow standard combing of a pet as described above.

[0060] As shown in Figures 8 to 13, a pet grooming tool 1 comprising a handle 3 having a grip portion 12 and a comb 2 comprising teeth 7 and including a blade 5 for combing and removing shed hair from a pet where the comb 2 is located at a front end of the handle 3. Pet grooming tool 1 includes a hair removal member 11 for removing shed hair from the comb, where the hair removal member is moveable in a direction corresponding to an extension direction of the teeth 7 of the comb 2 and a toggle button 13 that is movable along a surface of the handle 3 between a first position and a second position.

[0061] Pet grooming tool also includes a linkage assembly linking the toggle button 13 to the hair removal member 11 to control movement of the hair removal member; wherein when the toggle button is located at the first position, a front end surface of the hair removal member 11 is located in a retracted position and when the toggle button is moved to the second position, the front end surface of the hair removal member 11 is moved forward to an extended position to remove hair from the comb 2.

[0062] When combing the pet's hair, a pet grooming tool 1 is held by hand on the grip portion 12 of the handle 3 with the plastic comb 4 at the head combing the pet's hair. When too much hair of the pet is stuck in the gaps of the comb teeth 7, the palm of the hand is still on the gripping portion 12 of the handle, and the toggle button 13 is pushed forward by lifting up the thumb to move the hair removal member 11 forward in the extended position to remove hair. Once the hair has been removed, toggle button 13 may be conveniently pushed backwards to move the hair removal member 11 backward to the retracted position to allow further combing and de-shedding to occur. As would be appreciated, a pet grooming tool 1 in accordance with the present disclosure provides a convenient and comfortable device for the grooming of a pet.

[0063] As shown in Figure 10, Figure 13, and Figure 14, the linkage assembly includes a connection member 14 connected to the toggle button 13 and configured to move with the toggle button 13, a linkage member 15 and a first connection channel 16 located on the hair removal member 11. A second connection channel 17 is provided on the connection member 14.

[0064] The linkage member 15 comprises a first arm 152 terminating in a first engagement member 153 and a second arm 154 terminating in a second engagement member 155, the linkage member pivotable about a fixed pivot point 151 with respect to the handle 3. In this example, the first engagement member 153 is in the form of a pin or shaft and is slidably received within the first connection channel 16 and the second engagement member 155 is also in the form of a pin or shaft and is also slidably received within the second connection channel 17. As a result, movement of the connection member 14 causes movement of the linkage member 15 and in turn movement of the hair removal member 11.

[0065] In this example, the length of the second arm 154 is shorter than the length of the first arm 152, that is, movement of the toggle button 13 by a small distance will result in larger movement of the hair removal member 11. Since the movement distance of the user's thumb is smaller this provides a comfortable and ergonomic operation of the hair removal member 11. As would be appreciated, the structure of the linkage assembly provides a lever advantage so that minimum effort is required by a user operating toggle button 13.

[0066] In this example, the first arm 152 and the second arm 154 of linkage member 15 form an L- shaped configuration where the fixed pivot point 151 is located at a corner of the L-shaped configuration. In a specific embodiment, the angle of the L-shaped arm may be between 80 degrees and 135 degrees as long as the condition is satisfied that the movement direction of the toggle button 13 is switched to the movement direction of the hair removal member 11.

[0067] As shown in Figures 8 to 13, a first protrusion 141 is provided on the connection member 14, and a latching protrusion 31 is provided on an inner side of the handle 3. When the toggle button 13 is located at the second position, the first protrusion 141 is located on an inner side of the latching protrusion 31. When the first protrusion 141 passes over the latching protrusion 31, the toggle button 13 is located and removably retained at the first position. The connection member 14 includes a base portion 143 having a central aperture 142. The base portion 143 includes a laterally extending portion 144 where the first protrusion 141 is located at the end of the laterally extending portion 144. In this example, the connection member 14, laterally extending portion 144 and the first protrusion 141 are formed as unitary item. The laterally extending portion 144 is elastically bendable to facilitate deflection.

[0068] When the first protrusion 141 is below the latching protrusion 31, the toggle button 13 is limited to the first position. When the toggle button 13 is pushed forward by force, the deformation of the laterally extending portion 144 allows the first protrusion 141 to pass over the latching protrusion 31 so that the first protrusion 141 can transition to the other side of latching protrusion 31 and the toggle button 13 is limited to the second position. Conversely, the toggle button 13 may be transitioned from the second position to the first position once the process of the hair removal member 11 has been completed where the first protrusion 141 passes over the latching protrusion on deformation or deflection of lateral extending portion 144.

[0069] In this example embodiment, the first position is close to the grip portion 12, and the second position is away from the grip portion 12. That is, when the thumb pushes the toggle button 13 forward, the toggle button 13 is transitioned from the first position to the second position. When the thumb pushes the toggle button 13 backwards, the toggle button 13 is transitioned from the second position to the first position. In another example, the first position may be located away from the grip portion 12 and the second position may be located closer to the grip portion 12.

[0070] As shown in Figure 10 and Figure 13, the first connection channel 16 is located on the lower side of the hair removal member 11 and the first connection channel 16 is formed by four downwardly connection columns 111 to receive the first engagement member 153. The second connection channel 17 is located on the inner side of the base portion 143 and the second connection channel 17 is formed by four inwardly extending connection columns 18 to receive the second engagement member 155.

[0071] As shown in Figure 14, an inner side of the toggle button 13 is provided with a connection extension 19 terminating in a resilient locking tab configured to engage to the central aperture 142 of the base portion 143. In this manner, mounting and fixing structures between the toggle button 13 and the connection member 14 can be conveniently assembled and disassembled as required.

[0072] A pivot aperture (not shown in the drawing) is provided on linkage member 15 which receives axle member 21 extending from the handle 3 to provide a fixed pivot point 151 for the linkage member 15 so that the first arm 152 and the second arm 154 may be rotated around the fixed pivot point 151 within a certain range.

[0073] As shown in Figure 14, the handle 3 includes a button groove in which the toggle button 13 is operable to move from the first position to the second position. Toggle button 13 includes a manually operable region 22 configured to be convex in a middle portion 23 and concave in a periphery portion. In this example, the middle portion includes a plurality of parallel ribs 23 to increase the frictional force between the thumb and toggle button 13. As would be appreciated, the above configuration of toggle button conforms with the thumb as pressure is being applied by a user grooming their pet.

[0074] As shown in Figures 15 to 26, there is depicted a pet grooming tool that includes a comb 2 and an adjustable handle 3, where a comb 2 is mounted on the front end of the handle 3 according to an illustrative embodiment. The handle 3 includes a first handle portion 32 and a second handle portion 33, and the first handle portion 32 and the second handle portion 33 are connected by a rotatable connection mechanism 34 to provide relative rotation of the first handle portion 32 and the second handle portion 33 to adjust the angle of bending of the handle 3. In this illustrative example, the first handle portion 32 is provided with a toggle button 13 for controlling the forward and backward movement of a hair removal member 11 and the second handle portion 33 includes a grip portion 12 for facilitating gripping of the handle 3 during grooming.

[0075] As shown in Figure 18, the rotatable connection mechanism 34 comprises two first opposed mounting portions 341 symmetrically located on the end of the first handle portion 32 where each of the first mounting portions 341 includes at least one through hole 343. Rotatable connection mechanism 34 further comprises two second opposed mounting portion 342 symmetrically fixed on the second handle portion 33 and configured to receive the pair of first opposed mounting portions 341 where each of the second mounting portions 342 includes at least two blind holes 344. [0076] Rotatable connection mechanism 34 additionally comprises a pair of opposed locking members 345 each having a ring configuration and symmetrically located within the first opposed mounting portions 341 where each locking member 345 includes a third mounting portion 346 comprising at least one locking projection 347 extending from the third mounting portion 346 which can extend through a through hole 343 of the first mounting portion 341 and in to a blind hole 344 of the second mounting portion 342.

[0077] When the locking projection 347 on the locking member 345 leaves the blind hole 344, the first handle portion 32 is rotatable relative to the second handle portion 33 to allow the locking projection 347 on said locking member 345 to enter another blind hole 344. When the locking projection 347 on the locking member345 enters a different blind hole 344, the first handle portion 32 is as a result adjusted and locked to a different angle with respect to the second handle portion 33 to adjust the angle of bending of handle 3.

[0078] As shown in Figure 19 and Figure 20, in the present embodiment, the number of the locking projections 347 on the locking member 345 is 18, and the rotation angle of the handle 3 corresponding to movement of the handle portions 32, 32 between two locking projections 347 is 20 degrees. As would be appreciated, the number of locking projections and associated through and blind holes may be varied as required.

[0079] When the locking projection 347 on the locking member 345 passes through the through hole 343 of the first mounting portion mounting portions 341 and penetrates into the blind hole 344 of the second mounting portion 342, the first handle portion 32 and the second handle portion 33 of the handle 3 are locked to each other and cannot rotate.

[0080] When the locking projection 347 on the locking member 345 leaves the blind hole 344 of the second mounting portion 342, the first handle portion 32 and the second handle portion 33 of the handle 3 are able to rotate relative to each other. When the locking projection 347 on the locking member 345 enters a different blind hole 344 of the second mounting portion 342, the first handle portion 32 is adjusted to different angles relative to the second handle portion 33 and locked to each other, so that the relative rotation of the two sections of the handle 3 within a plane can be achieved for adjusting the magnitude of bending of the handle 3. As would be appreciated, this ability to change the magnitude of bending of the handle greatly assists a user in being able to comb or de-shed the hair on various parts of a pet.

[0081] In this example, the first mounting portion 341 comprises a first annular region 341 and a plurality of through holes 343 which are uniformly distributed on the first annular region 341. The second mounting portion 342 comprises a second annular region 342 and a plurality of blind holes 344 with the same number of through holes 343 uniformly distributed on the second annular region 342. The third mounting portion 346 includes a third annular region 346 incorporating the same number of locking projections 347 as the number of through holes 343. As such, all the locking projections 347 extending outwardly from the third annular region 346 in this example are inserted into respective through holes 343 of the first annular region 341.

[0082] As would be appreciated, this provides an improved and stable interconnection between the third annular regions 346 and the first annular regions 34 las all the locking projections 347 on the third annular region 346 are inserted into respective blind holes 344 located on the second mounting portion 342. As a result, the reliability of the connection between the second handle portion 33 and the first handle portion 32 is enhanced.

[0083] In this illustrative embodiment, the second mounting portion 342 of the second handle portion 33 is located on an outer side of the respective first mounting portion 341 of the first handle portion 32. Additionally, each of the third mounting portions 346 is located on an inner side of a respective first mounting portion 341.

[0084] As described above, the rotatable connection mechanism 34, moving from the external to the internal components, comprises opposed outermost second mounting portion 342 fixedly connected to the grip portion 12 of the handle 3. Extending from the inner side of the second mounting portion 342 there are located blind holes 344. Located on the inside of each second mounting portion 342 is the first mounting portion 341 of second handle portion 33 including throughs holes 343 that extend through first mounting portion 341. Located internally of each first mounting portion 341 is a respective locking member 345 including a third mounting portion 346 incorporating a plurality of locking projections 347 that extend outwardly and penetrate through the throughs hole 343 of the first mounting portion 341 and into the blind holes 344 of the second mounting portion 346.

[0085] As shown in Figures 23 to 26, each of the locking members 345 includes a locking button 348 that extends outwardly from respective locking member 345 and which is configured to extend through the respective central apertures of the first annular region 341 and the second annular region 342. In this example, locking button 348 is of a cylindrical configuration and extends through corresponding circular shaped central apertures in the first and second annular regions 341, 342.

[0086] When the buttons 348 are pressed inwardly, the locking projections 347 on the third mounting portion 346 will also move inwardly and retract and exit the blind holes 344 of the second mounting portion 346 resulting in the first handle portion 32 and the second handle portion 33 being disengaged and freed to rotate relative to each other. When the pressure of a finger on the buttons 348 is released, the return spring 349 that is located between the two buttons 348 will urge the buttons 348 outwardly resulting in the locking projection 347 located on the third mounting portion 346 moving forwardly and inserting into the blind holes 344 of the second mounting portion 346 so that the angle of bending of the first handle portion 32 with respect to the second handle portion 33 is locked.

[0087] As shown in Figure 18, a limit ring 35 is disposed between the two third mounting portions 346 of locking members 345 to prevent the respective locking button 348 being pressed inwardly to cause the locking projections 347 on the third mounting portions 346 to be removed from the through holes of the first annular region 341. In this manner, the disposition of the limit ring 35 ensures that the third mounting portions 346 do not move backward excessively as a result preventing the locking projections 347 on the third mounting portions 346 from leaving the through holes 343 on the first annular region 341.

[0088] In this example, the locking button 348 is attached to the inner side surface of the third mounting portion 346 by a snap fit mechanism 37 to fix the locking button 348 and the third mounting portion 346 to each other. In this manner, when a finger forcefully presses the button 348 inwardly, the third mounting portion 346 will also move backwards with the button 348.

[0089] In this illustrative embodiment, two first annular regions 341 are connected by a part cylindrical shaped housing 38 of the first channel portion 32 defining an internal cavity to receive the pair of locking members 345 and their respective third mounting portions each comprising a third annular region 346 separated by limit ring 35 and return spring 349 to form a spring loaded assembly that prevents the limit ring 35 and the locking members 345 from being disengaged from the rotatable connection mechanism 34.

[0090] As shown in Figure 20, a limit protrusion 39 is provided on the part cylinder shaped housing 38 with a corresponding limit groove 40 provided on the second handle portion 33. In operation, the limit protrusion 39 moves within the limit groove 40 to limit the magnitude of rotation between the first handle portion 32 and the second handle portion 33. Since the magnitude of rotation between the first handle portion 32 and the second handle portion 33 does not need to be too large it can be restricted to a predetermined angle. The magnitude of rotation between the two sections of the handle 3 is limited by the magnitude of movement of the limit protrusion 39 within the limit groove 40.

[0091] As would be appreciated, an adjustable handle in accordance with the present disclosure allows a user to adjust the angle of bending of the handle by having two handle portions that are connected together by a rotatable connection mechanism which allows the two handle portions to be conveniently rotated with respect to each other and then locked in position. This allows a user to configure the adjustable handle to conveniently comb and groom the hair on various parts of the pet's body as required. In one example, opposed spring loaded buttons may be depressed and released in order to release the rotating connection mechanism and rotate the handle portions with respect to each other and then released to relock the rotating connection mechanism once the desired angle of bending of the handle has been achieved.

[0092] Throughout the specification and the claims that follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words "comprise" and "include" and variations such as "comprising" and "including" will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers, but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

[0093] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

[0094] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described. Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodiment with regard to the particular elements and/or features described or depicted herein. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.