Animal husbandry – Bed or rest
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-14
2001-03-06
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3643)
Animal husbandry
Bed or rest
C005S690000, C005S698000, C005S636000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196156
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to bedding articles, principally for domestic animals, and more particularly to a bedding article having a microbe-inhibiting agent or property that substantially inhibits the proliferation of microbes on, within, or around the bedding article. The term “microbe” refers broadly to classes of bacteria, viruses, germs, mold, mildew, fungi, allergens, and other microorganisms. Articles of the present invention provide comfort and health benefits to both pets and people involved with the use of the articles.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Bedding-type articles for pets are very popular. Such articles can serve several purposes. They can provide a surface upon which the pet may rest which is more comfortable than typical floors. They can also provide a means for confining the pet to a particular location. Although in some cases some training is required, pets can come to recognize the bedding-type article as the appropriate location for sleeping and resting. In addition, blanket-type products can aid in keeping a pet warm and comfortable.
There are great varieties of bedding-type articles available, but no pet bedding articles have been disclosed which possess microbe-inhibiting activity. Bedding-type articles are available, however, which have been treated to repel insects. U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,688 granted to Nicholas and U.S. Pat. No. 1,569,710 granted to Burt disclose the impregnation or saturation of a pet cushion with insecticides. U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,456 granted to David alternatively uses an adhesive in conjunction with an intermediate cushion layer to trap insects.
The proliferation of microbes is often encouraged by a damp environment. Because it is common for pets, especially dogs, to urinate or defecate upon, to salivate upon, deposit partially digested food upon, or otherwise soil their bedding articles; and because such articles are generally porous and absorbent, microbial proliferation is especially problematic. The fact that the articles often remain at favorable incubation temperatures (e.g., partially covered by a dog's body the dog is resting or sleeping) 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, may thus be exposed to a significant 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 and non-toxic, and is economical to produce, is not easy. This may account for the fact that no one has ever produced microbe-inhibiting bedding articles for pets.
The exteriors of bedding articles for pets may be washed, but it is difficult for typical washing processes to be effective inside the filling of such an article (typically comprised of fiber, foam, beads, etc.). 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.
Bedding articles for pets are typically expensive, and pet owners intend to keep the bedding articles through multiple washings. The microbe-inhibiting qualities must therefore be stable enough to retain their efficacy even after multiple aggressive washings.
Accordingly, there is a real need in the pet products industry for pet bedding 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, bedding articles for pets have an effective amount of a microbe-inhibiting agent or property which is effective in limiting microbial proliferation, and at the same time is not present in quantity, concentration or nature whereby they 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, takes into consideration the patterns of use and material structure of the article.
According to the invention, a textile-based bedding article for a domestic animal comprises an outer textile casing defining a shape in the form of an article of a size which can support 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. The outer textile casing can comprise a woven, a non-woven or a knit fabric made from natural or synthetic fibers.
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 fiber 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
ƒ
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
Denesuk Matthew
Hingst Erin
Smith Maryclay
Uhlmann Eugenie V.
Bergin James S.
Carone Michael J.
Rader, Fishman, Grauer & Mc Garry
Seefar Technologies, Inc.
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