Edible pet chew made from a single initially malleable sheet

• US 8,455,025 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Petmatrix LLC (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Petmatrix LLC (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stern, Mark, Wheeler, Peter B.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAYALA, CHHAYA D
• Application Number:
  US12/764,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20110262587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 426/72, 426/74, 426/805, 426/615, 426/622, 426/623, 426/516
• US Class Current: 426/72
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/026 Chewable toys, e.g. for dental care of pets
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 40/20 by moulding, e.g. making cakes or briquettes
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 40/25 by extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/40 for carnivorous animals, e.g. cats or dogs
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/42 Dry feed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 426/805 Pet food for dog, cat, bird, or fish

Abstract

An edible pet chew has a single sheet of a hardened chewable material dimensioned large enough and thin enough to be initially malleable for flexing, folding or rolling into a final shape. The single sheet is shaped into a final shape by flexing, folding or rolling and then hardened.

Claims

1. An edible pet chew consisting of:

a single sheet of a hardened chewable animal hide free material dimensioned large enough and thin enough to be initially malleable for flexing, folding or rolling into a final shape; and

said single sheet shaped by flexing, folding or rolling before hardening into said final shape.

2. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said single sheet is a hardened chewable substantially plant based material.

3. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said single sheet of plant based material is a substantially starch composition.

4. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 3 wherein:

said single sheet is made from extruded plant based material.

5. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 4 wherein:

said single sheet is rolled and knotted at each end to form the final shape of said pet chew.

6. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said single sheet is rolled to form a cylindrical roll;

said single sheet has a first edge section having a different appearance or flavor from a mid-section of said single sheet; and

said first edge section is positioned at an outer edge of said cylindrical roll.

7. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said single sheet is made from extruded plant based material.

8. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 7 wherein:

said single sheet is rolled and knotted at each end to form the final shape of said pet chew.

9. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said single sheet has a second edge section having a different appearance or flavor from a mid-section of said single sheet;

said second edge section is positioned at an interior portion of said formed pet chew.

10. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 9 wherein:

said single sheet is made from extruded plant based material.

11. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 10 wherein:

said single sheet is rolled and knotted at each end to form the final shape of said pet chew.

12. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 11 wherein:

said single sheet of plant based material is a substantially starch composition.

13. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said single sheet has chunks of flavored material embedded therein.

14. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said single sheet is rolled and knotted at each end to form the final shape of said pet chew.

15. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said single sheet has co-extruded first and second areas with a different appearance or flavor from each other.

16. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 5 wherein:

said single sheet is made from extruded plant based material.

17. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 16 wherein:

said single sheet is rolled and knotted at each end to form the final shape of said pet chew.

18. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 17 wherein:

said single sheet of plant based material is a substantially starch composition.

19. An edible pet chew consisting of:

a co-extruded single sheet of hardened chewable material dimensioned large enough and thin enough to be initially malleable for flexing, folding or rolling into a final shape;

a first section of said co-extruded single sheet having a first appearance or first flavor;

a second section of said co-extruded sheet having a second appearance or second flavor; and

said single sheet being shaped by flexing, folding or rolling before hardening into said final shape.

20. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 19 wherein:

said first and second sections are respective first and second layers of said co-extruded single sheet.

21. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 20 wherein:

said single sheet is a hardened chewable substantially plant based material.

22. An edible pet chew as defined in claim 21 wherein:

said single sheet is a substantially starch composition.