Beau Nouveau of Bend, Ore., and founder and inventor Kristen Smith Ehlers report they have received final approval for a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its collar design.
 
“We went all the way,” Ehlers said. “We hired a Madison Avenue law firm, Schweitzer Cornman Gross and Bondell LLP, to push the patent through, and they did a fabulous job.”

The Hollywood 2 collar, introduced at the HH Backer Spring Industry Show in Atlantic City two years ago, is designed so that pet owners can view all the collar’s adornments when the pet is on a leash.

The company expects the patent to be issued by August and plans to actively enforce its patent rights against competitors that have copies of Ehlers’ invention.

“I came up with the idea so the adornments would always be visible to the pet owner,” said Ehlers.

“After all, it’s the pet owner who enjoys the beautiful designs. I’m not sure their dog really knows the difference. But who can tell?”