Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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VACCINIUM INJECTION MOLDING
Cross Reference To Related Applications
The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Utility
Application
Ser. No. 10/995,028 filed November 22, 2004, the teachings of which are
incorporated herein
by reference.
Field of Invention
The present invention relates to animal chews and animal chew additives. More
specifically, the present invention relates to the addition of vaccinium
powder to animal
chews either of the edible or non-edible type, depending upon the edible
and/or plastic type
carrier ingredients.
Background
Most dogs and other animal pets enjoy chewing on various items, and many are
especially attracted to animal bones and animal-derived chew toys. A variety
of products
have been manufactured to provide animal pets with objects to chew or gnaw.
These
products are intended to provide the pet with exercise for the teeth to
maintain a healthy
condition satisfying a need that arose when the natural pet food, raw meat,
was replaced with
processed pet foods. Rawhide. strips knotted on the ends to resemble bones,
for example,
provide abrasion for cleaning teeth by removing tartar and massaging the gums,
which is not
provided by the typical canine dog food.
Numerous pet chews have been developed to address the various dental and
nutritional concerns. Examples of these devices include but are not limited to
the following
U.S. Patents. These patents are commonly owned by the assignee herein: U.S.
Pat. No.
5,476,069 entitled "Molded Rawhide Chew Toy"; U.S. patent application Ser. No.
08/923,070 filed Sep. 3, 1997 entitled "Vegetable Based Dog Chew now U.S. Pat.
No.
6,093,427; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/738,423 filed Oct. 25, 1997
entitled "Edible
Dog Chew" now U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565; U.S. patent application Ser. No.
08/784,834 filed
Jan. 17, 1997 entitled 'Carrot-Based Dog Chew" now U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,197;
U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/114,872 filed Jul. 14, 1998 entitled "Heat Modifiable
Edible Dog
Chew" now U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,161; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/138,804
filed Aug.
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21, 1998 entitled "Improved Edible Dog Chew" now U.S. Pat No. 6,126,978; U.S.
patent
application Ser. No. 09/116,070 filed Jul. 15, 1998 entitled "Wheat & Casein
Dow Chew
With Modifiable Texture" now U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,521; U.S. patent application
Ser. No.
09/116,555 filed Jul. 15,.1998 entitled "Heat Modifiable Peanut Dog Chew" now
U.S. Pat.
No. 6,093,441; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/227,767 filed Jan. 8, 1999
entitled
"Method of Molding Edible Starch" now U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,516; and U.S. Patent-
No.
6,200,616 entitled "Animal Chew".
U.S. Patent No. 5,407,661 entitled "Pet Chew Product Having Oral Care
Properties"
discloses an edible pet chew product having a flexible cellular matrix in
which is contained
cellulosic fibrous material such as corn cob fractions which are described as
having a
mechanical cleansing function when chewed by a pet.
Other earlier examples of chew products are disclosed in U.S. Patent No.
3,871,334 to
Axelrod (nylon substrate containing liquid flavor and odor components), U.S.
Patent No.
4,771,733 to Axelrod (polyurethane toy containing aqueous-based flavor and
odor
components), and U.S. Patent Nos. 4,557,219 and 4,513,014 to Edwards (use of
flavorings in
a molded polyurethane dog chew).
European Patent 0 272 968 B 1 discloses a chewable product for dogs and other
domestic animals wherein certain aqueous solutions of oral care agents, e.g.,
sodium fluoride
(anti-caries agent), sodium benzoate (anticalculus - agent) and
bromochlorophene
.(antimicrobial/antiplaque agent) are used to soak rawhide, beef tendon, or
ligament. The
solution treated product is then dried whereby the oral care agents are
absorbed into the
surface of the product..
As is apparent from the above review of the prior art, a variety of efforts
have been
made to create animal pet chews and particularly dog chews that are
nutritionally satisfying,
digestible, devoid of deleterious additives and/or of modifiable texture or
hardness.
An object of the present invention is to improve. and expand upon the art of
providing
nutritional and dental supplementation in animal pet chew and particularly dog
chews.
Furthermore it is an object of the present invention to provide an additive
that
introduces both a flavoring and a colorant to starch media hereinbefore not
seen in the art.
. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an additive
that
supplements nutritional pet chews with an antioxidant.
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Summary
According to one aspect, the present invention provides an animal chew
comprising a
resin and a vaccinium additive,.wherein .the resin may be selected from the
group consisting
of starch, thermoplastic, casein, denatured and partially hydrolyzed collagen,
wheat gluten,
rawhide, moldable proteins, and mixtures thereof.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a process for
forming a
molded animal chew comprising providing a resin and a vaccinium additive,
wherein the
resin is selected from the group consisting of 'starch, thermoplastic, casein,
denatured and
partially hydrolyzed collagen, wheat gluten, rawhide, moldable proteins and
mixtures thereof;
combining the resin and vaccinium additive to form a mixture; introducing and
mixing the
mixture in a melt mixing apparatus and forming the mixture into a desired
shape.
Detailed Description
The present invention relates to animal chews and animal chew additives. More
specifically, the present invention relates to the addition of vaccinium to
animal chews of
either edible or non-edible type, depending upon the edible and/or plastic
type carrier
ingredients.
An embodiment of the present invention relates to an animal chew comprising a
starch and a vaccinium additive. Preferably, the vaccinium additive is a
blueberry powder.
More preferably, the blueberry additive is prepared from a blueberry
concentrate disposed on
a malto-dextrin carrier. Most preferably, the vaccinium supplements the animal
chew with an
antioxidant. In the context of the present invention the vaccinium may be
present at levels of
about 0.1-40% (wt.), and all incremental values therebetween.
In addition to the nutritional benefit of the vaccinium herein, it is worth
noting that the
vaccinium powder also supplies a unique appearance and color to the chew
product, along the
lines of an aqua-marine type color. It is also believed to provide an
attractive flavor for the pet, thereby making the treats herein desirable to
various pets.
Preferably, the starch is composed of any carbohydrate of natural or vegetable
origin
composed mainly of amylase and/or amylopectin. More preferably, the starch may
be
isolated from potato, rice,. tapioca, corn, rye, oats or wheat. As alluded to
above, the starch
may be present. at levels between 99% - 60 % (wt.), and at all incremental
values
therebetween.
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In another embodiment of the present invention a thermoplastic (polyurethane,
polyamide, ethylene copolymers), or a thermoplastic such as a polyesteramide
may be mixed
with the vaccinium. The amount of vaccinium may again be present at levels of
between
about 0.1-40% (wt.) and the thermoplastic present at levels of about 99% - 60%
(wt.), and at
all incremental values therebetween. Most preferably, the thermoplastic is an
aliphatic
polyesteramide, a mixed aliphatic/aromatic polyesteramide, an aromatic
polyesteramide, and
a mixture thereof.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a number of additives may be
added
to the vaccinium animal chew, of either the edible (starch) or plastic
variety. Preferably,
these additives include attractants or humectants. More preferably,
attractants such as
chicken powder, liver powder, ham, turkey, beef or fish may be used. Also more
preferable
is the use of oat fiber, sorbitol, glycerol or propylene glycol as a
humectant.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a process for forming a
molded animal chew comprising combining starch (or thermoplastic) and a
vaccinium
additive to form a mixture; introducing and mixing the mixture in a melt
mixing apparatus
such as an extruder or injection molding machine and forming the mixture.
According, the
mixture may be formed through extrusion and injection molding techniques into
a desired
shape. More preferably, the mixture may be formed by injection molding the
mixture into a
desired shape such as bone, a disk, a rod or a ring.
In the context of the melt processing herein, it is also preferable that the
melt mixing
is carried out under those conditions wherein any thermal degradation of the
vaccinium is
substantially minimized or avoided. In that context, moisture may be included
in the mixture,
at levels of between 1-40% (wt), and at all increments therebetween which
moisture level is
then selectively reduced during melt processing to a desired level. In that
fashion, the
moisture serves to allow for melt processing at lower temperatures, thereby
minimizing or
avoiding thermal degradation of the vaccinium.
In one particularly preferred process of manufacturing the animal chew toy
herein,
starch and water and vaccinium are first combined wherein the water content
is. in the range
of 20-40% by weight with respect to that of said starch. The mixture is
introduced into a
vented barrel extruder to form extruded beads, wherein the water content upon
discharge is
less than the water content of said mixture entering the extruder.
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This is followed by introduction of the extruded beads to a heated injection
molding
machine containing a mold and injection molding and cooling to form the molded
article
wherein the water content of the molded article is at or below about 20% by
weight, wherein
the injection molding machine contains a hopper feed section, a barrel and an
output nozzle,
including a plurality of heating zones in said barrel extending from said
hopper section to
said nozzle including a plurality of heating zones extending from the hopper
section to said
output section wherein the heating zones are set at the following temperature
ranges: zone 1
is at or below about 70 F; zone 2 is at or below about 150 F, zone 3 is at or
below about
300 F and zone 4 is at or below about 375 F and melt mixing and molding and
cooling to
form said chew toy wherein the water content of said chew toy is between 5%
and 20% with
respect to the resin so that a portion of the vaccinium mixed therein is not
thermally degraded
by said molding.
The foregoing description is provided to illustrate and explain the present
invention.
However, the description hereinabove should not be considered to limit the
scope of the
invention set forth in the claims appended here to.
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