Patent Application
20190357498
Pet chew toys are often given to pets, such as dogs, to prevent boredom and curb destructive chewing. Such pet chew toys may additionally clean the pet's teeth.
Disclosed herein are example pet chew toys that have a core formed from a thermoplastic elastomer (sometimes referred to as a thermoplastic rubber) and small wood particles. The wood particles or material provide flavor to the chew toy. Unfortunately, the core may be subject to premature breakdown or breakage. The disclosed pet chew toys additionally comprise a coating or layer of a thermoplastic elastomer about the core. The layer enhances the life of the chew toy. More specifically, the layer serves as a spine or encasement partially about the core that strengthens the core, allowing the core and the pet chew toy itself to have more irregular, potentially aesthetic, shapes with projecting portions and narrow portions that without the layer, might provide weaker points subjecting the chew toy to premature breakage.
As shown by
Layer 24 comprise a layer of a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoplastic rubber, which covers or coats lower face 30 and side edges 34 of core 22, leaving the majority, if not all, of upper face 32 exposed. In one implementation, layer 24 is co-molded over in about lower face 30 and side edges 34. In the example illustrated, layer 24 comprises a floor 40 and sidewalls 42 which form a pan that receives core 22. Floor 40 and sidewalls 42 cooperate to retain the shape of core 22 by inhibiting breaking of core 22 during chewing. Floor 240 and sidewalls 42 facilitate the shaping of core 22 into more complex, aesthetically pleasing shapes having narrower portions and projecting portions, with a reduced risk that such narrower portions or projecting portions may otherwise provide points of structural weakness at which core 22 would otherwise separator break apart during chewing. In one implementation, layer 22 comprises a thermoplastic elastomer or thermoplastic rubber such as thermoplastic rubber (TPR), thermoplastic vinyl (TPV), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyester poly pro (YPE), poly propylene (PP), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide nylon (PA), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS) or other thermoplastic rubber-like materials/elastomers.
As shown by such figures, sidewalls 42 extend along at least a majority of a height of side edges 34 of core 22. In the example illustrated, sidewalls 42 extend along an entire height of side edges 34, sidewalls 42 having a height substantially equal to the thickness of core 22. As a result, sidewalls 42 better retain the shape of core 22, inhibiting breaking a fracturing of core 22 along its periphery.
In the example illustrated, ribs 38 project above and beyond the top edge of sidewalls 42. Because ribs 38 project above and beyond the top edge of sidewalls 42, the texture provided by ribs 38 is prominent and is not off you skated by the presence of sidewalls 42. This texture provides an enhanced chewing experience for the pet. Because layer 24 does not completely encompass core 22, but instead leaves substantially the entire upper face 32 of core 22 exposed, core 22 is able to release a greater degree of flavor for the pet chewing toy 20.
As shown by
As further shown by
In the example illustrated, core 22 has a thickness of at least 50 mm and no greater than 70 mm. At the same time, layer 24 has a thickness of at least 5 mm and no greater than 10 mm. In other implementations, such dimensions may be varied.
Overall, pet chew toy 20 provides enhanced flavor through the exposure of faced 32 as well as portions of lower face 30 through openings 44. Pet chew toy 20 provides an enhanced chewing experience by providing enhanced texture the use of ribs 38 on upper face 32 of core 22 and through the use of ribs 48 on face 46 of floor 40 of layer 24. Pet chew toy 20 provides further enhanced texture and chewing shapes by providing various narrow portions, such as neck portion 52 and various projecting portions, such as projecting portions 54, 56 and 58 (corresponding to the tail, legs and head. These asymmetric or irregular shape and enhanced chewing experience. At the same time, such narrow portions and projections do not render core 22 subject to premature breaking or degradation during chewing due to the provision of layer 24. Layer 24 maintains the shape of core 22, even when core 22 has an irregular shape which might otherwise provide structurally weaker regions where breakage of core 22 would more likely occur.
Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to example implementations, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. For example, although different example implementations may have been described as including features providing one or more benefits, it is contemplated that the described features may be interchanged with one another or alternatively be combined with one another in the described example implementations or in other alternative implementations. Because the technology of the present disclosure is relatively complex, not all changes in the technology are foreseeable. The present disclosure described with reference to the example implementations and set forth in the following claims is manifestly intended to be as broad as possible. For example, unless specifically otherwise noted, the claims reciting a single particular element also encompass a plurality of such particular elements. The terms “first”, “second”, “third” and so on in the claims merely distinguish different elements and, unless otherwise stated, are not to be specifically associated with a particular order or particular numbering of elements in the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62676606 | May 2018 | US |
