Abstract:
A chew toy for a carnivorous domestic animal comprises a combination of rawhide and pigskin formed into a suitable shape, such as a bone, roll, donut, or various other shapes. The rawhide and pigskin are provided as sheets which are rolled or otherwise sandwiched together or otherwise intertwined to form a chew toy having improved flavor and order, thereby encouraging the animal to chew on the toy.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/319,852, filed Jan. 10, 2003. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates to chew toys for domestic animals. In one aspect, the invention relates to a chew toy for dogs comprising a combination of rawhide and pigskin.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Chew toys are well known for carnivorous domestic animals, such as dogs, who have an instinctive need to chew. Such toys frequently comprise rawhide formed into the shape of a bone or other shapes. The rawhide provides some degree of flavor and a texture that is appealing to the animal, thereby encouraging the animal to use the chew toy. The rawhide also provides a cleaning function to the animal&#39;s teeth and is thus desirable for the hygiene of the dog&#39;s teeth. An example of such a chew toy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,988,045 to Fisher.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,653 to Sherrill, issued Oct. 7, 1997, discloses a combination of rawhide and jerky formed into a bone-shaped chew toy. The jerky comprises meat flavored with spices or marinade and smoked or otherwise dried, which improves the flavor and odor of the chew toy over the rawhide alone. However, meat is expensive, and the use of jerky made of meat adds significant cost and calories to the chew toy. In addition, jerky has fat calories that add to a dog&#39;s weight problems. The bone shaped chew toy can be used as a treat for a dog, thus addicting the dog to weight producing products. Furthermore, preparation of the jerky requires additional manufacturing steps, adding further cost to the chew toy. Moreover, jerky is substantially softer and less fibrous than rawhide and more readily consumed, thereby shortening the effective life of the chew toy.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     A chew toy or chew resistant article for a carnivorous domestic animal comprises a combination of rawhide and pigskin (also known as pork rind) pieces interlayered together. The composite combination of rawhide and pigskin is preferable formed, for example by rolling, into a suitable shape, such as a cylindrical article. The rawhide and pigskin pieces are preferably in the form of sheets that are rolled or otherwise sandwiched or intertwined together to form a chew toy having improved flavor and odor, thereby encouraging the animal to chew on the article.  
         [0008]     The rawhide-based chew article has improved flavor and odor and utilizes a flavor enhancer comprising an inexpensive material which is less costly to manufacture and has a longer useful life than previous chew articles. The pigskin is a tough, fibrous material that resists chewing like rawhide and thus does not materially change the longevity of the rawhide product. Further, the pigskin has little or no nutritional value although it has a considerable amount of flavor that encourages the dog to chew on the rawhide and thus improve the dental hygiene of the animal without adding weight calories to the animal. Kennel tests on pork skin/rawhide product show a canine acceptance rate is 7-8 on a scale of 10. The pigskin tends to be thinner than rawhide but far more palatable due to taste of the pigskin. Dogs seem to like the pork rind taste. On the other hand, pure rawhide is considerably less palatable to dogs due to the lack of any significant and enduring taste.  
         [0009]     The pigskin and rawhide sheets can form a variety of shapes and can be substantially coextensive with each other in at least one dimension. Typically, the sheets or pieces are wrapped into a substantially cylindrical shape, for example to simulate a bone. In one embodiment, the cylindrical shape is knotted at the ends thereof. It is contemplated that the rawhide sheet will forms an outer layer in the cylindrical or other shape but the pigskin sheet can also form the outer layer in the cylindrical or other shape.  
         [0010]     In those instances where the rawhide sheet or piece is the outer layer, the pigskin is exposed at a longitudinal seam of the rawhide sheet to attract the animal. The pigskin can be continuous or intermittent along the longitudinal seam of the rawhide sheet. In the latter case, there are multiple pigskin sheets or pieces that are in the form of elongated strips that are laterally spaced from each other between portions of the rawhide sheet. In the former embodiment, the pigskin sheet can be substantially coextensive with the rawhide sheet in two mutually perpendicular directions or, alternatively, there can be multiple pigskin sheets that are in the form of elongated strips that are adjacent to or laterally spaced from each other between portions of the rawhide sheet and the longitudinal direction of the pigskin sheets is parallel to the longitudinal seam of the rawhide is intermittently exposed along the longitudinal seam of the rawhide.  
         [0011]     The invention typically will be formed of single layers of pigskin and rawhide but the invention contemplates multiple layers of each or either material. The article or toy according to the invention desirably is made solely of the pigskin and rawhide materials but the invention contemplates that other flavor enhancing materials or other chew resistant materials can be incorporated into the article. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     In the drawings:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a first embodiment of a chew toy according to the invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the chew toy shown in  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a chew toy according to the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a chew toy according to the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the chew toy shown in  FIG. 1  at an intermediate stage of fabrication.  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 2  of a fourth embodiment of a chew toy according to the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0019]     Referring now to the figures, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a first embodiment of a chew toy  10  comprises an outer rawhide sheet  12  and one or more inner pigskin sheets  14  interlayered and formed into the shape of a bone having ends  16 . The rawhide sheet  12  is a thin, sheet-like body of processed rawhide having an interior edge  18  and an exterior edge  20 . The pigskin sheet  14  is a thin, sheet-like body of processed pigskin having an interior edge  22  and an exterior edge  24 .  
         [0020]     The rawhide sheet  12  and the pigskin sheet  14  are sandwiched together and rolled into a tube-like member in a manner well-known in the art so that the rawhide sheet  12  forms an outer layer  26  which envelops the pigskin sheet  14 . Preferably, the interior edges  18 ,  22  are brought together in cooperative juxtaposition and the exterior edges  20 ,  24  are brought together in cooperative juxtaposition so that the sheets  12 ,  14  are in laminated communication. As shown in  FIG. 1 , after rolling the sheets  12 ,  14  into the tube-like member, the ends  16  are knotted to form a chew toy  10  closely resembling a bone.  
         [0021]     Preferably, the exterior edge  24  of the pigskin sheet  14  extends through a seam  28  formed between the outer layer  26  and the adjacent inner layer of the rawhide sheet  12  by the rolling of the rawhide sheet  12  and the pigskin sheet  14  so that the exterior edge  24  will be exposed for an animal to smell and taste.  FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment comprising a plurality of narrow pigskin sheets  14 . Alternatively, a single pigskin sheet  14  can be used having a width approximately equal to the width of the rawhide sheet  12 , extending across the full width of the seam  28 , and interlayered with the rawhide sheet  12  as described generally above.  
         [0022]     As the chew toy  10  is consumed, the pigskin sheet  14  will be continuously exposed for the animal to smell and taste, thereby encouraging the animal to chew. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the exterior edge  24  of the pigskin sheet  14  is exposed near the exterior edge  20  of the rawhide sheet  12 , and another portion of the pigskin sheet  14  is located immediately beneath the outer layer  26  of the rawhide sheet  12 . As the animal continues to chew for extended periods of time, the rawhide sheet  12  slowly disintegrates and is consumed by the animal with portions of the pigskin sheet  14  immediately thereunder. As layers of rawhide  12  and pigskin  14  are consumed, the chew toy  10  continues to provide an attractive flavor and odor as pigskin  14  becomes exposed. In a further embodiment, the pigskin sheet  14  can be positioned relative to the rawhide sheet  12  so that a short length, e.g. ½ to 1 inch, of the pigskin  14  projects out of the seam  28 , thereby providing an immediate attraction to the animal.  
         [0023]     A second embodiment of a chew toy  30  is shown in  FIG. 3 . The chew toy  30  is similar to the chew toy  10  in that one or more sheets of pigskin  32  are rolled with a sheet of rawhide  34 . However, unlike the knotted ends  16  of the chew toy  10 , the chew toy  30  has unknotted ends  36 . In a further embodiment, the pigskin sheet  32  can be positioned relative to the rawhide sheet  34  so that a short length along an exterior edge  38 , e.g. ½ to 1 inch, of the pigskin  32  projects out of a seam  40  formed adjacent an outer edge  44  between an outer layer  42  and an adjacent inner layer of the rawhide sheet  34  by the rolling of the rawhide sheet  34  and the pigskin sheet  32 .  
         [0024]     A third embodiment of a chew toy  50  is shown in  FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, a pigskin sheet  52  and a rawhide sheet  54  are first folded in half before being wrapped or rolled into the chew toy  50 , thereby providing a double layer of pigskin  52  and rawhide  54  in the interior of the chew toy  50 . An interior edge  60  and an exterior edge  62  of the pigskin  52  are brought together in layered communication to form a double-layered sheet. An interior edge  64  of the rawhide sheet  54  is brought into layered communication with the interior edge  60 , and an exterior edge  66  of the rawhide sheet  54  is brought into layered communication with the exterior edge  62  by wrapping the rawhide sheet  54  around the pigskin sheet  52 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the pigskin sheet  52  and the rawhide sheet  54  are formed into the chew toy  50  by folding the sheets  52 ,  54  one or more times upon themselves. The chew toy  50  shown in  FIG. 4 , is shown with unknotted ends  56 . However, the ends can be knotted as with the first embodiment  10 .  
         [0025]     As with the previously-described embodiments, the pigskin sheet  52  can be positioned relative to the rawhide sheet  54  so that a short length, e.g. ½ to 1 inch, along the edges  60 ,  62  extends through a seam  58  formed adjacent the exterior edge  66  between the rawhide sheet  54  and an adjacent inner layer of the pigskin sheet  52 . The chew toy  50  can be formed by folding the layers  52 ,  54  to provide a pre-selected number of folds and layers greater than that shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0026]     The previously described chew toys  10 ,  30 ,  50  are preferably formed by folding or rolling one or more pigskin sheets in a rawhide sheet. A single sheet of pigskin can be used which is substantially the same size as the rawhide sheet. Alternatively, a plurality of spaced-apart pigskin strips can be used. For example, the chew toy  10  of  FIG. 1  is formed by arranging a plurality of pigskin strips  70 ,  72 ,  74 ,  76  over a sheet of rawhide  12  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The rawhide sheet  12  and the pigskin strips  70 - 76  can then be rolled in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axes of the pigskin strips  70 - 76 . This creates longitudinally-separated exposed sections of pigskin  14  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Alternatively, the pigskin strips may be placed immediately adjacent to one another to form a longitudinally-continuous exposed section of pigskin similar to a single sheet of pigskin as depicted in the chew toy  30  of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0027]     In an alternative embodiment, the pigskin strips  70 - 76  can be wrapped in the rawhide  12  in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axes of the strips  70 - 76  to form a chew toy  78  substantially as shown in  FIG. 6 . It will also be evident that different sizes and orientations of pigskin can be wrapped within the rawhide sheet to form a chew toy having different distribution and exposure patterns within the chew toy. Furthermore, the chew toy can be fabricated in a shape other than a bone, and the rawhide sheet can be wrapped around pieces of pigskin that are not in sheet form, such as rods, cylinders, spheres, or irregular shapes, particularly if such pigskin shapes are conducive to the fabrication of chew toys having different shapes. Finally, the relative positioning of the rawhide and the pigskin can be reversed from that previously described. For example, in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the pigskin sheet  14  can occupy the outer layer  26  with the rawhide sheet  12  rolled within the pigskin sheet  14 . In such an embodiment, the numeral  12  refers to the pigskin sheet and the numeral  14  refers to the rawhide sheet. Each of the other embodiments  30 ,  50  can incorporate a similar transposition of the pigskin sheet and the rawhide sheet.  
         [0028]     To manufacture the chew toys  10 ,  30 ,  50 ,  78 , of the present invention, rawhide is cut into generally rectilinear sheets having a predetermined size depending upon the desired length and thickness of the chew toy. For example, the length of the rawhide sheet  12  for the chew toy  10  is equal to the nominal length of the rolled center portion of the chew toy  10  plus an additional length sufficient to tie a knot at both ends  16 . Additionally, the width of the rawhide sheet  12  is preferably sufficient for the rawhide sheet  12  to be rolled over itself between 1-½ and 2 times. The thickness of the rawhide sheet  12  may vary as a function of the length of the chew toy to provide it with sufficient structural stability and stiffness. In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the rawhide sheet is approximately ⅛ inch. Nevertheless, the length, width, and thickness of the rawhide can vary as desired to provide chew toys of different shapes, configurations, and stiffnesses.  
         [0029]     The preferred rawhide is a standard international grade, of either cow or buffalo origin. As is generally well known in the art, rawhide can first be processed through a de-hairing, soaking, and cleansing process. Furthermore, whole hides or splits can be further processed and cleansed in a solution which can include hydrogen peroxide and various other cleansing and/or bleaching agents. This process makes the material sufficiently malleable to manipulate as desired, e.g. folded, rolled, braided, and/or knotted. This process also results in making the material suitable for consumption by pets. Each rawhide piece is laid out and one or more pieces of pigskin are placed on the rawhide piece in a layered fashion. Alternatively, a reverse application in which the rawhide is placed on the pigskin can also be utilized to locate the more flavorful pigskin along the exterior of the chew toy.  
         [0030]     The preferred pigskin is a standard international grade of pig hide otherwise referred to as “skin.” Pigskin can first be processed through a scalding de-hairing process followed by a soaking and cleansing process. Whole hides or splits can be further processed and cleansed in a solution that can include hydrogen peroxide and various other cleansing and/or bleaching agents. This process makes the material sufficiently malleable to manipulate as desired.  
         [0031]     While in the malleable condition, the pigskin and rawhide sheets  12 ,  14  are rolled or folded into the cylinder shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , and knotted, if desired, manually or mechanically. The pigskin and rawhide sheets  52 ,  54  can also be folded, either manually or mechanically, to provide the chew toy  50  shown in  FIG. 4 . The chew toy is then dried thoroughly in a conventional manner, such as sun drying or oven drying, during which the chew toy will become rigid and will maintain its rolled or folded shape. The chew toy will then be ready for packaging and distribution.  
         [0032]     The pigskin sheets provide a chew toy which has enhanced flavor and odor compared to a rawhide chew toy, thereby encouraging chewing of the chew toy. The use of pigskin rather than a meat-based product provides a chew toy having a flavor-enhanced component which is less expensive than a meat-based product, and is less costly to produce. Furthermore, pigskin has a durability closely approximating that of rawhide, thereby providing a useful life generally equivalent to that of a chew toy comprising rawhide alone. Still further, the pigskin sheets provide significantly less calories, especially fat calories, than the meat/rawhide chew toys.  
         [0033]     While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope of the forgoing description and drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is described in the appended claims.