Patent ID: 7678402
Filing Date: 2010-03-16
Classification: A01K,A23K,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of processing a sheet of an animal rawhide to make an animal chew product, the sheet of rawhide being divided into a first, a second and a third adjacent strips with the first strip being contiguous to a first edge of the rawhide, the third strip being contiguous to a second edge of the sheet of rawhide, and the first and the third edges of the rawhide being opposite edges of the sheet of rawhide, and the second strip being between the first and third strips and defining a middle area between the two opposite edges of the sheet of rawhide, the method for making the animal chew product comprising the steps of: cutting a first plurality of perforations through the rawhide in a first direction in the first strip adjacent to the first edge and in the third strip adjacent to the second edge, but there being no first direction perforations through the sheet of rawhide in the second strip which defines the middle area of the sheet of rawhide between the two opposite edges; cutting a second plurality of perforations through the rawhide in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction, the second plurality of perforations being in the first strip adjacent to the first edge and in the third strip adjacent to the second edge, but there being no second direction perforations through the sheet of rawhide in the second strip which defines the middle area of the sheet of rawhide between the two opposite edges; and forming the sheet of rawhide into the shape of the animal chew product by rolling the rawhide so that the middle area with no perforations is in the middle of the rolled sheet of rawhide, the sheet of rawhide being formed by rolling the sheet of rawhide so that the first, second and third strips of the sheet of rawhide are each rolled onto themselves and the rolled first strip defines a first end of the rolled sheet of rawhide, the rolled third strip defines a second end of the rolled sheet of rawhide, and the rolled second strip defines the middle area of the rolled sheet of rawhide and there are no perforations in the middle area of the rolled sheet of rawhide, wherein the first plurality of perforations and the second plurality of perforations in each of the first and third strips of the rolled sheet of rawhide cooperate to control the size of pieces that break off the first end and the second end of the rolled sheet of rawhide at the perforations as an animal gnaws on the animal chew product.