Abstract:
A horseshoe for securing to an animal foot and methods for forming and securing the horseshoe to an animal foot are disclosed. A body portion contains at least one channel having a cross-sectional shape that is wider at a level below a top surface than at an upper level. The channel retains a rigid material forming a bonding lug which is substantially co-planar with the top surface of the horseshoe body. The bonding lug interacts with a bonding agent to increase the strength of the bond between the horseshoe and the animal foot.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/301,178, entitled “Animal Shoe and Methods for Securing with Animal Foot,” filed Feb. 3, 2010. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to devices securable with an animal foot, such as a horseshoe secured to a horse&#39;s hoof, to methods for constructing such devices, and to methods for securing such devices, and in particular, to an animal shoe having an undercut groove or channel for forming a lug that is bonded with the animal foot. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Animal shoes such as horseshoes and the like are well known and likely familiar to any person. Generally speaking, the best known manner for securing a horseshoe to a horse&#39;s hoof is by driving nails through holes in the shoe and into the hoof The nails are relatively slender so as to minimize the possibility of causing a crack in the hoof and have a head to retain the shoe on the hoof The head typically sits in a countersunk region of the shoe to minimize abrasion when the horse moves, and such often requires use of a punch or awl used in combination with a hammer to set the nail. 
         [0004]    In a typical application of a shoe, a farrier first prepares the hoof This is somewhat akin to a manicure in which the surface and edges are shaped and smoothed to remove burrs and the like. The farrier then selects a size and type of shoe based on the horse hoof and expected conditions for the horse. A skilled farrier is usually successful on an immediately proper selection of a shoe, though one may occasionally place the shoe against the hoof only to realize the shoe is not be a good match. 
         [0005]    It is expected that a properly selected shoe will still require some adjustment. That is, the arc or curve of the shoe is often adjusted once the shoe is compared directly to the animal&#39;s hoof Aluminum is much easier than iron for the farrier to shape and re-shape on an anvil due to its relative softness. 
         [0006]    Some attempts have been made to glue shoes on horses. For example, SoundHorse Technologies of Unionville, Pa., has produced several types of shoes that are securable to a hoof via glue, without the need for nails. However, such shoes are more of a system, being relatively complex and complicated to apply. The shoes include a base portion that would resemble what one would commonly expect to see as a shoe. The periphery of the base portion is connected with a partial or C-shaped cloth-like sleeve extending upward from the base portion, an opening in the sleeve defining the C-shape and being coincident with the open portion of the horseshoe-shaped base portion. In applying the shoe, the farrier must pay careful attention to having the outer edge of the base portion aligned with the edge of the hoof The sleeve is then glued to the outside of the hoof to retain the base portion against the bottom of the hoof The whole process requires a significant amount of time, shoe shaping, and careful positioning. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, there has been a need for an improved animal shoe. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    In the Figures,  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an animal shoe of the present invention in the form of a horseshoe; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the animal shoe of  FIG. 1  showing bonding lugs deposited in channels formed in a body of the shoe; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational cross-sectional view taken through the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2   
           [0000]    showing a cross-sectional shape of the channels in the body and showing a cross-sectional shape of the bonding lug producing an interference fit between the lug and the channel; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are perspective views of the shoe without the bonding lugs in 
           [0000]    the
 
channels; and
 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the shoe of  FIG. 1  with a cross-sectional graphical representation of an animal hoof secured with the bonding lugs via a bonding agent in a bonding region of the hoof. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an embodiment of an animal shoe of the present invention in the form of a shoe  10  for a hoof  12  ( FIG. 6 ) of an animal such as a horse (not shown) is illustrated. The shoe  10  is formed in a typical horseshoe-shape such that there are two legs  10   a,    10   b,  and a central arc  10   c  connecting the legs  10   a,    10   b.  Two clips  14  are illustrated though these may vary in number and size, as is well known in the art. 
         [0014]    As a broad description of one aspect of the present invention, the shoe  10  is secured with the hoof  12  via a bonding agent  40  ( FIG. 6 , discussed in greater detail below) that bonds with the hoof  12  and bonds with a distinct portion of the shoe that forms an interference with the meta of the shoe  10 . In the present embodiment, the shoe  10  includes a bonding lug portion  16  and, in the present form, each leg  10   a,    10   b  includes a bonding lug  18  of the bonding lug portion. The bonding lugs  18  are formed of a material other than that of the shoe  10 , the bonding lugs  18  being deposited in respective channels  20  (discussed in greater detail below) of the legs  10   a,    10   b.  In particular, the bonding lugs  18  may be a glue, a curable epoxy, or another polymeric material. As such, the bonding lugs  18  form a relatively rigid structure within the channels  20 . 
         [0015]    Turning to  FIG. 3 , the structural shape of the bonding lugs  18  and the channels  20  can be seen. Generally speaking, the channel  20  is undercut so that the cross-sectional shape thereof is wider at a level  20   a  below a top surface  22  than at an upper level  20   b,  for instance. More generally, the channel  20  is shaped so that the deposited bonding lug  18  forms an interference fit with respect to the opening  20   c  of the channel  20 , thereby preventing the bonding lug  18  from being pulled out of the channel  20 . 
         [0016]    To form the shoe channel  20  of the present form, a frusto-conical bit (not shown) may be advanced into the shoe  10 , initially forming a simple rectangular cross-section for the channel  20 . The frusto-conical bit is then shifted laterally to either side of the center line of the channel  20  to form the undercut. It should be appreciate that other methods of forming the channel  20  with a shape that prevents separation or removal of the lug  18  from the channel  20  are within the scope of the present teaching. It should also be noted that the size and extent of the channels  20  form the current preferred embodiment as they provide a significant amount of bonding area comparable to a range over which nails would normally be utilized for securing a conventional shoe. 
         [0017]    Material is then deposited in the channels  20  to form the bonding lugs  18 . While the top surface level  18   a  of the bonding lug  18  need not be perfectly flat, it is advantageous in securing the shoe  10  to the hoof  12  for such to be close to coincident with the opening  20   c  of the channel  20 . If the bonding lug  18  is shy of the opening  20   c  (i.e., below), additional bonding agent  30  (discussed below, see  FIG. 6 ) may be necessary, or insufficient bonding agent  30  may accidentally be applied. If the bonding lug  18  extends beyond the opening  20   c  (i.e., out of the channel  20 ), the bonding lug  18  may cause an improper mating between the shoe  10  and the hoof  12 . 
         [0018]    To secure the shoe  10 , the hoof  12  is first prepared. This preparation includes a good balanced trim of the hoof  12 , and all flaky hoof material is ideally removed. The shoe  10 , preferably formed of aluminum, is shaped for the individual hoof such as by a farrier on an anvil. If one or more clips  14  are present, they should be set to the hoof wall angle. The hoof  12  should be dry and, preferably, drying to continue for 45 seconds to a full minute. 
         [0019]    The shoe  10  is also prepared. This involves brushing off the gloss from the hoof  10  or, generally, roughing the surface of the shoe  10  and the bonding lugs  18  to increase bonding properties as is commonly understood for all adhesive-type applications. Next, it is preferred that the shoe  10  be wiped with denatured alcohol, then permitted to dry. 
         [0020]    Obviously, some of these steps could be performed in a different order. Spacers may also be used. 
         [0021]    A bonding agent  40  is then applied, and the shoe  10  is applied to the hoof  12 . In the preferred form, the bonding agent  40  chemically bonds with the bonding lugs  18 , and the bonding agent  40  bonds with the hoof  12 . In a preferred form, the bonding agent  40  flows into the somewhat porous material of the hoof  12  to form somewhat of a lattice therewithin. Depending on selection of a bonding agent  40 , time should be given for the bonding agent  40  to set and bond with both the hoof  12  and the bonding lugs  18 . 
         [0022]    It should be noted that a basic concept of the invention is that the bonding agent  40  bonds directly with and into the hoof  12 , and that the bonding agent  40  bonds directly with the bonding lugs  18 . The connection between the bonding agent  40  and the bonding lugs  18  is preferably a bond other than simply a surface bond, such as would be the case with an epoxy-toaluminum surface interface. More broadly, it is noted that the bonding lugs  18  could be formed of a porous material such that the bonding agent  40  seeps into the bonding lugs  18  so that, upon hardening with the bonding lugs  18 , the bonding agent  40  forms an interference fit or lattice within the bonding lugs  18 . Accordingly, the bonding lugs  18  may also simply be a porous structure such as a sintered metal formed integral with the shoe  10  or deposited in the channels  20  in a separate step. 
         [0023]    While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.