Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-14
2001-01-30
Sayala, Chhaya D. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
C426S630000, C426S635000, C426S805000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180161
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dog chews, and more particularly, pertains to a vegetable starch-based completely digestible, nutritious dog chew, the texture or hardness of which is easily heat modified to suit a particular dog.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Most dogs enjoy chewing on things although preferences vary as to the hardness of the substances favored. Some dogs like to chew on very hard materials such as cow bones, wood, nylon, others prefer softer chews such as polyurethane or rubber while still others favor freeze dried snacks. Some dogs, due to their age, may not be able to chew on the very hard substances. Young dogs have insufficiently developed teeth, while old dogs may have diseased gums or may have lost some of their teeth.
Many indigestible objects are given to dogs as a chew and although the dogs may enjoy chewing thereon, the objects are often swallowed in whole or in part. Once swallowed, these objects or fragments thereof can have an adverse effect on the dogs digestion and can become impacted in the dog's intestinal tract with life-threatening consequences. By way of example, dog chews have been marketed which utilize an ethylene copolymer which can be fractured by the chewing action of a dog, and when ingested can block the dog's stomach passages.
Other edible dog chews have been marketed which have a comparatively short shelf life and therefore must be replaced by retail outlets at frequent intervals. Yet other prior art dog chews are lacking in structural integrity whereby they arc susceptible to breakage during handling and shipping.
Applicant's assignee T.F.H. Publications, Inc. has previously developed an edible dog chew that is wholly digestible, nutritious and having a texture or hardness which is individually adjustable by the application of heat to suit a wide variety of dog's preferences or needs. Such dog chews utilize a mixture containing primarily casein and are disclosed in Herbert R. Axelrod U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,200,212 and 5,240,720. Such dog chews, while constituting a major improvement over other prior art edible dog chews, do not provide all the advantages of the dog chew of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an edible dog chew that is completely digestible, nutritious, devoid of deleterious additives and of a modifiable texture or hardness that is quickly and easily tailorable by the owner to suit the need or preference of his particular dog. In addition, such edible dog chews have a long shelf life as compared to prior edible dog chews. The chews are extremely rugged so as to be able to withstand shocks resulting from shipping and handling. Upon removal from the chew's package, the chew can be caused to swell up to four to eight times its original volume, if desired, by subjecting it to microwave radiation. With this procedure, the chew's texture or hardness can be adjusted to any magnitude from its original high density extremely hard state to a low density expanded easily chewed state depending upon the amount of microwave exposure to which it is subjected. Accordingly, the chew can thereby be quickly and easily to the texture preference of a wide variety of dogs from a strong large healthy dog to a small puppy with puppy teeth or an older dog with decayed molars. Additionally, the dog chew of the present invention is biodegradable which is important should a dog bury the bone.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention.
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Hayes, Soloway, Hennessey Grossman & Hage, P.C.
Sayala Chhaya D.
T.F.H. Publications, Inc.
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