Animal husbandry – Exercise or amusement device – Toy – lure – fetch – or related device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-14
2001-06-05
Price, Thomas (Department: 3643)
Animal husbandry
Exercise or amusement device
Toy, lure, fetch, or related device
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240879
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an amusement article, principally for domestic animals, and more particularly, to an amusement article having a microbe-inhibiting agent or property that substantially inhibits the proliferation of microbes on, within, or around the amusement article. The term “microbe” herein refers broadly to classes of bacteria, viruses, germs, molds, mildews, fungi, allergens, and other microorganisms. An article of the present invention provides both comfort and health benefits to both pets and people involved with the use of such an article.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some conventional amusement articles for pets generally comprise a textile-based outer material and a filler material, e.g., fiberfill, foam, beads, etc. In addition, various types of noisemakers or materials such as catnip have also been associated with amusement articles.
The prior art amusement articles do not include a microbe-inhibiting agent or property, and therefore, do not address the problems that can arise if microbes are allowed to grow or proliferate on, within, or around the articles. A damp environment often encourages the proliferation of microbes. Because it is common for pets, especially dogs, to salivate upon, deposit partially digested food upon, urinate upon, or otherwise soil their amusement articles; and because such articles are generally porous and absorbent, microbial proliferation is especially problematic. The fact that the articles can remain at favorable incubation temperatures (e.g., in a dog's mouth or close to a dog's body while sleeping) further aggravates the problem. These conditions can also make the articles attractive to other pests such as fleas and ticks. Pets using such articles, as well as their owners, can thus be exposed to an increased health hazard. The environment to which such articles are exposed is unique; and the difficulty in designing and developing a product which is efficacious, safe, non-toxic, and economical is not easy to produce. This may explain why amusement articles for pets have not included a microbe-inhibiting agent or property.
Although the exteriors of pet articles can be washed, it is difficult to effectively wash the interior stuffed or filled articles. This is due to the difficulty of diffusing the cleaning agents into and out from the materials which comprise the article. Organic and inorganic nutrients for microbes, as well as microbes themselves, often remain after washing. Accordingly, there is a demand in the pet products industry for amusement articles which are microbe inhibiting in nature, promote good hygiene, are economical to manufacture, and are at the same time usable in their usual manner by the pets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, amusement articles for pets have an effective amount of a microbe-inhibiting agent or property that is effective in limiting microbial proliferation, and at the same time is not present in quantity, concentration or nature whereby the articles may be harmful to the pets or humans who come into contact with the articles. The effective amount of the microbe-inhibiting agent or property limits the spread of the microbe-inhibiting chemicals or agents within and about the article, and takes into consideration the patterns of use and material structure of the article.
According to the invention, a textile-based amusement article for a domestic animal comprises an outer textile casing formed of a tough, chew-resistant textile defining a shape in the form of a small article of a size which can typically be carried by a domestic animal, an inner filling and at least one of the outer textile casing and the inner filling having an effective micro-inhibiting agent or property. Typically, the article is in the form of an animal, a bone, a heart or a geometric shape. The weight of the article is typically less than 250 gm, although somewhat heavier articles can be made for bigger animals. Preferably, the outer textile casing is made from at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of acrylics, polyester, nylon, olefin polymers, triacetate polymers, rubber and spandex.
The outer textile casing can comprise a woven, a non-woven or a knit fabric made from natural or synthetic fibers. In one embodiment, the fabric comprises a high-pile component attached to a backing material to form an artificial fleece. Preferably, the articles are in the shape of an animal.
The inner filling for the article can comprise a number of different materials, including, a foam, a particulate material or a fibrous filling. The fibrous filling can be selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, acrylics, nylon, polyester, polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate, celluous acetate, triacetate resin fibers and blends thereof. In one embodiment, the microbe-inhibiting agent or property is applied to at least a portion of the fibers in a fibrous filling for the article.
The microbe-inhibiting agent or property can be at least one of a microbe-cidal, microbe-starving and microbe-impenetrable agents. In one embodiment, a microbe-inhibiting agent in the form of a compound can be present in an effective amount depending on the nature of the product, but generally in the range of 0.5 to 10 percent by weight of the article. In another embodiment, the microbe-inhibiting agent is a compound selected from at least one of the group consisting of heavy metal salts, halogenated dioxides, quaternary ammonium compounds, halogenated compounds, sulfur compounds, phenyl derivatives, phenoxy derivatives, thiazoles, chlorinated phenolic compounds, polysubstituted imine salts and phosphate esters, and mixtures thereof. Preferred compounds are chlorine dioxide, 2,4,4′-trichloro-2′-hydroxydiphenyl and the latter is incorporated into at least a portion of resin fibers which constitute the filling or the casing. In a preferred embodiment the filling comprises acrylic fibers and the 2,4,4′-trichloro-2′-hydroxydiphenyl compound is incorporated into at least some of the acrylic fibers. In another embodiment, the microbe-inhibiting agent or property is applied to the fibers which form either the outer casing or the filling for the article. In another embodiment, the microbe-inhibiting agent or property is bonded to at least a portion of the fibers. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the microbe-inhibiting agent or property exhibits a zone of influence which extends beyond the portion of the fibers on which the microbe-inhibiting agent or property is incorporated.
The microbe-inhibiting agent or property can be applied to the outer casing. In one embodiment, the outer casing of the article comprises a tightly-woven fabric which prevents the passage of microbes therethrough. In another embodiment, the outer casing comprises a laminate, the inner layer of which has microbe-inhibiting or microbe-cidal properties.
The article according to the invention can have odor-controlling agents in the form of an odor-masking, odor-modifying and an odor-absorbing agent. The article can further include noise-making articles and the article can be washable. Further, at least one of the outer casing and inner filling can be impregnated with a flame-resistant modacrylic polymer.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the amount of microbe-inhibiting agent which is added to the article is computed in accordance with the following formula:
C
B
=C
MI
f
MI
wherein C
B
is the concentration of the microbe-inhibiting agent in the entire blend if the agent were to diffuse and become completely homogeneous throughout the blend. C
MI
is the average concentration of the microbe-inhibiting agent within the initially microbe-inhibiting fiber and f
MI
is the fraction of the filter blend that is composed of initially microbe-inhibiting fibers.
Further according to the invention, an amusement article for a domestic animal comprises a unitary piece of non-woven material defining the shape in the form of a small article which can be carrie
Denesuk Matthew
Uhlmann Eugenie V.
Price Thomas
Rader, Fishman, Grauer & Mc Garry
Seefar Technologies, Inc.
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