Abstract:
An animal dental care device that cleans the teeth as the animal chews on it, wherein the device can include a plurality of protrusions and/or bristles to remove food particles and plaque.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/699,552, filed Jul. 15, 2005, the complete contents of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present device relates to the field of veterinary care, specifically dental care for animals.  
         [0004]     2. Related Art  
         [0005]     Dental health is essential to an animal&#39;s overall well being. As in humans, the only efficient way to ensure oral health is daily brushing combined with regular professional care. It is a common misconception that dry pet food or “kibble” will act to keep a pet&#39;s teeth clean. This is not true, but pet owners of both dogs and cats subscribe to the theory because it gives them some hope that they are doing something proactive for their pets&#39; oral health. Pet owners would be compliant with brushing their pets&#39; teeth if it was easy. However, it is usually a struggle and most people are too busy to spend the time required to train the pet to let them brush their teeth in addition to the time required to do it on a regular basis. After all, most people will not even take the time to floss their teeth on a regular basis.  
         [0006]     Several devices have been developed to address this issue. Since many pet owners do not wish to actually brush their pets&#39; teeth, these devices provide a means for the animal to clean his own teeth though a chewing process. These are usually a molded rubber “chew toy” that has grooves, protrusions, or other texture to rub against the teeth and clean them as the animal chews. Some devices are coated with an additional flavoring agent to make the chew toy more palatable for the animal, or a fluoride-based cleaning agent to further clean and polish the teeth. These chew devices are more suited for dogs than cats, because dogs are more likely to display the necessary chewing behavior.  
         [0007]     For example the Dental Kong™ device (Kong Co., Golden, Colo.) is an elongated cylindrical rubber chew having a series of ridges and grooves presented circumferentially along its length. As the dog chews it, his teeth move into the grooves, which provide a cleaning surface for both sides of the teeth. The action of the teeth rubbing up against the surfaces presumably removes plaque and food particles.  
         [0008]     Although this device provides an enjoyable chew toy and may clean the dog&#39;s teeth to some extent, the smooth rubber surfaces do not thoroughly remove enough food particles and plaque to maintain acceptable dental health. Further, dogs often prefer to chew the ends of such devices rendering the “effective surfaces” in the middle of the device ineffective. This devise, is therefore, not very beneficial when chewed in this manner, because only smooth rubber and a piece of cordage rub the tooth surfaces. Moreover, the device only provides a rubbing action on the teeth and does not include a way to enhance the cleaning with toothpaste.  
         [0009]     Other devices, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,741 entitled “DOG CHEW TOY FOR CANINE DENTAL CARE AND METHODS FOR MAKING CHEW TOY” to O&#39;Rourke issued on Nov. 21, 1995, consist of a length of knotted rope or cordage that is impregnated with therapeutic or freshening agents. As the dog chews, these agents are released and the fibers and threads of the material serve to clean the dog&#39;s teeth and massage the gums. Again, this device can provide some cleaning benefit, but it really cannot provide the needed scrubbing action to thoroughly clean the teeth. Further, once the flavoring or therapeutic agent is used up, the device loses effectiveness and must be replaced.  
         [0010]     Another device, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,516 entitled “ANIMAL TOOTH CLEANING DEVICE AND METHOD” to Deshaies issued on Aug. 31, 1999, utilizes brushes on the outer surface of the device. When the dog bites down on the device, a plurality of holes in the outer shell of the device allow it to compress so that the brushes protrude outward more. Although this device appears to provide an improved brushing function, the radially outward orientation of the bristles would not effectively clean the teeth, even with the dog biting down on the device.  
         [0011]     What is needed is a device that adequately cleans the animal&#39;s teeth, either with or without a replenishable source of flavoring or therapeutic agents.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  depicts perspective view of an embodiment of the present device.  
         [0013]      FIG. 1   a  depicts a side view of an embodiment of the present device.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  depicts a side view of an embodiment of the present device, in which the surrounding segments and end members are not fixed.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3   a  depicts an alternative embodiment of surrounding segments.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3   b  depicts an alternative embodiment of surrounding segments.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3   c  depicts an alternative embodiment of surrounding segments.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  depicts an embodiment with alternative end members.  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  depicts a side view of an embodiment of the present device with a non-uniform cross-sectional area.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5   a  depicts a side view of a detail of an embodiment of an surrounding member.  
         [0021]      FIG. 5   b  depicts an transverse cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  depicts another embodiment of the present device with a non-uniform cross-sectional area.  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  depicts a side view of an embodiment of the present device with a hollow interior chamber.  
         [0024]      FIG. 7   a  depicts a perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0025]      FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of the present device. A central elongated member  102  can be coupled with a plurality of surrounding segments  104 . Said surrounding segments  104  can be oriented such that their central axes coincide with that of the central elongated member  102  and their substantially planar surfaces face that of the adjoining segments  104 . A plurality of bristles  106  can be partially inserted into the substantially planar surfaces of the surrounding segments so that they can be substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of the surrounding segments  104  and substantially parallel to the outer surface of the central elongated member  102 . In this way, the distal ends of the bristles  106  face each other in the spaces between the surrounding segments  104 . End members  108  can be attached to each end of the central elongated member  102 .  
         [0026]     In  FIG. 1 , the central elongated member  102  is depicted as a cylinder having a uniform and substantially circular cross-section along its longitudinal axis. However, the central elongated member  102  can have any other polygonal cross-section, such as, but not limited to a quadrilateral, a pentagon, an ellipse, as well as any irregular planar shape. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the central elongated member  102  is also depicted as having a uniform cross-sectional area. However, the cross-sectional area can also vary along the longitudinal axis of the central elongated member  102 . The central elongated member  102  can be formed from any known and/or convenient material, such as, but not limited to, polymers or elastomeric polymers, and food-grade polymers. Further, the material used to form the central elongated member  102  can be of any known color and enhanced with any known and/or convenient flavoring or scented agent to make the device more attractive and palatable to an animal. The material can also be dish-washer safe to allow for convenient cleaning of the device.  
         [0027]     In embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the plurality of surrounding segments  104  and end members  108  are coupled with the central elongated member  102 . The segments  104  and the end members  108  can be integrated with the central elongated member  102 , such as, but not limited to, being molded as one piece with the central elongated member  102 . Alternatively, the segments  104  and end members  108  can be fabricated separately and then coupled with the central elongated member  102 . Said surrounding segments  104  and said end members  108  can be formed from any known and/or convenient material, such as, but not limited to, polymers or elastomeric polymers, and food-grade polymers. Further, the material used to form the surrounding segments  104  and said end members  108  can be of any known color and enhanced with any known and/or convenient flavoring or scented agent to make the device more attractive and palatable to an animal. The material can also be dish-washer safe to allow for convenient cleaning of the device.  
         [0028]     In this embodiment, the surrounding segments  104  are stationary relative to the central elongated member  102 . In alternative embodiments shown in  FIG. 2 , the surrounding segments  104  can be freely translatable about the longitudinal axis of the central elongated member  102 . In some embodiments, the end members  108  can be either fixed or removable. In the embodiments having removable end members, the surrounding segments  104  can be removed and replaced if they become worn out or damaged.  
         [0029]      FIG. 3   a  depicts an embodiment of a surrounding segment  104  that would fit onto some embodiments of the device with the central elongated member  102  having a hexagonal cross-section.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3   b  depicts another embodiment with the surrounding segment  104  that would fit onto embodiments of the device with the central elongated member  102  having a circular cross-section. The embodiment in  FIG. 3   b  also depicts alternate embodiments with pointed nubs  302  instead of bristles protruding from the substantially flat surface of the surrounding segment  104 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 3   c  depicts another embodiment of the surrounding segments  104  that would fit onto embodiments of the device with the central elongated member  102  having a quadrilateral cross-section. The embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3   c  can have thicker, pointed bristles  106  protruding from the substantially flat surface of the surrounding segment  104 , rather than the bundles in other embodiments. Further, the spacing between the surrounding members  104  can be altered by removing surrounding members  104  and either leaving the space open on the central elongated member  102 , or inserting a spacer  202  to maintain a desired spacing between the surrounding segments  104 . Said spacers  202  can be formed from any known and/or convenient material, such as, but not limited to, polymers or elastomeric polymers, food-grade polymers. Further, the material used to form the spacers  202  can be of any known color and enhanced with any known and/or convenient flavoring or scented agent to make the device more attractive and palatable to an animal. The material can also be dish-washer safe to allow for convenient cleaning of the device.  
         [0032]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , in alternative embodiments the end members can have any convenient shape, such as, but not limited to, spherical, hemispherical, conical; pyramidal, or shaped like the end of a bone. The end members  108  can be formed from any known and/or convenient material, such as, but not limited to, polymers or elastomeric polymers, and food-grade polymers. Further, the material used to form the end members  108  can be of any known color and enhanced with any known and/or convenient flavoring or scented agent to make the device more attractive and palatable to an animal. The material can also be dish-washer safe to allow for convenient cleaning of the device. Further, as shown in  FIG. 4 , in other embodiments, a plurality of bristles  402  can protrude from the end members  108  to provide additional cleaning brushes when the animal chews on the end of the device. Said bristles can be made of any known and/or convenient material, such as, but not limited to nylon filaments, polymers, and food-grade polymers. Further, the bristles can be of any known and/or convenient dimensions and bundled together in any known and/or convenient quantity. In other embodiments, the bristles  106  can be colored, flavored, or treated in any known and/or convenient manner to enhance the appeal and efficacy of the device.  
         [0033]     In other embodiments, as discussed above and shown in  FIG. 2 , the end members  108  can be removably coupled to allow for cleaning of the device or removal or replacement of the surrounding segments  104 . In some embodiments, the end members  108  can be attached to the central elongated member by any known and/or convenient mechanism, such as, but not limited to a friction-fit, a threaded screw connection, or a locking connection.  
         [0034]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 4 , the plurality of bristles  106  are arranged in bundles and integrated with the surfaces of the surrounding segments  104  that are oriented perpendicularly to the outer surface of the central elongated member  102 . In some embodiments, the bristles  106  can be oriented such that they are perpendicular to this surrounding segment surface and parallel to the outer surface of the central elongated member  102 . However, the bristles  106  can be oriented at an angle other than ninety degrees relative to said surrounding segment  104  surface. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the bristles  106  increase in length as they are positioned closer towards the central elongated member  102 . However, in alternative embodiments, said bristles  106  can be of uniform length or can vary in length in any uniform, non-uniform, or random pattern.  
         [0035]     The bristles  106  can be made of any known and/or convenient material, such as, but not limited to nylon filaments. Further, the bristles can be of any known and/or convenient dimensions and bundled together in any known and/or convenient quantity. In another embodiment, the bristles  106  can be flavored or treated in any known and/or convenient manner to enhance the appeal and efficacy of the device.  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  shows an alternate embodiment of the device, wherein the cross-sectional area of the central elongated member  102  is at a maximum substantially at the longitudinal midline and then decreases towards each end, forming a “double-taper” or “football” shape. In some embodiments, the surrounding segments  104  have a pointed outside edge; they are also depicted as adjoining without any space in between. However, they can also be spaced apart, as depicted in  FIG. 5   a . As shown in  FIG. 5 , in some embodiments, along the midline of the thickness of the surrounding segment  104 , a plurality of protrusions  502  can extend radially from the longitudinal axis of the central elongated member  102 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 5   b  depicts an embodiment, wherein said protrusions  502  can be semicircular. However, in alternate embodiments, the protrusions  502  can have any known and/or convenient geometry and can be spaced along the outer circumference of the surrounding segment in any known and/or convenient manner. In some alternative embodiments, bristles can also be integrated with the surfaces of the surrounding segments  104 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 6  depicts an alternate embodiment of the present device, in which the surrounding segments  104  can be permanently affixed to the central elongated member  102  and are not continuous circumferentially, but are broken into radial segments  602  protruding substantially perpendicularly from the surface of the central elongated member  102 . However, in alternative embodiments, the radial segments can protrude at any other known and/or convenient angle relative to the surface of the central elongated member  102 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 7  depicts an alternate embodiment of the present device, wherein an interior hollow chamber  702  runs substantially symmetrically along the longitudinal axis of said central elongated member  102 . At least one terminal opening of this hollow chamber  702  can coincide with an end of said central elongated member  102 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , a plurality of holes  704  can be made through the exterior surface of said central elongated member  102  in the regions between said surrounding segments  104 . Said holes  704  lead to the interior hollow chamber  702  to allow at least a portion of the contents of the interior hollow chamber  702  to pass through the holes  704 . The contents of the interior hollow chamber  702  can include, but are not limited to, any known and/or convenient therapeutic or flavoring agent.  
         [0040]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the end members  108  can be removable to allow a therapeutic or flavoring agent to be inserted into the interior chamber. As discussed above, in this embodiment, the end members  108  can be connected by any known and/or convenient mechanism, such as, but not limited to a friction-fit, a threaded screw connection, or a locking connection. Further, there can be security clips  706  attaching the end members  108  to the central elongated member  102  of the device so that they cannot come free and be swallowed by the animal.  
         [0041]     In operation, as the animal chews on the embodiment of the device shown in  FIG. 1 , the animal&#39;s teeth enter the regions along the central elongated member  102  between the surrounding segments  104 . While chewing, the bristles  106 , which can be treated with a therapeutic or flavoring agent, brush away bits of food and plaque that have accumulated on the animal&#39;s teeth. In some embodiments with the solid central elongated member  102 , a therapeutic or flavoring agent can be applied to the surface of the device to make it more attractive to the animal and to enhance the efficacy of the device.  
         [0042]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , as the animal chews, the animal&#39;s teeth enter the regions along the central elongated member  102  between the surrounding segments  104 , where they are cleaned by the bristles  106 . However, in this embodiment the freely translatable surrounding segments provide more bristle  106  motion and additional cleaning action. As the animal chews, the freely translatable surrounding segments  104  can rotate about the central elongated member  102 . The freely translatable surrounding segments  104  can also move laterally along the longitudinal axis of the central elongated member  102 . Adding spacers  202  can limit this lateral motion, as well as adjust the spacing between the surrounding segments  104 . Removing spacers  202  can allow for freer lateral motion along the longitudinal axis of the central elongated member  102  and decrease the spacing between the surrounding segments. In embodiments with removable end members  108 , the surrounding segments  104  can be removed either for cleaning or replacement. If the bristles  106  on the surrounding segments  104  lose their flavor or enhanced cleaning properties, or wear out or before the rest of the device does, or if alternative shapes, colors, or flavors are desired, or for any other reason, a consumer can purchase new surrounding segments, with fresh bristles. In addition, the removable end members  108  could be replaced in the same manner.  
         [0043]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the interior chamber  702  can hold a therapeutic agent, flavoring agent, scented agent, treat, or any combination thereof. By removing one or both end members  108 , a user can fill the interior chamber  702  with the agent and then re-attach the end members  108  to hold the agent inside the central elongated member  102 . When an animal bites down on the device, the bite pressure squeezes down on the central elongated member  102 , releasing at least a portion of the contents of the chamber  702 . The contents of the chamber  702  can then rest on the outer surface of the device and or the surrounding segments  104 . As the animal chews, interior and exterior portions of the animal&#39;s teeth can be in contact with the bristles  106 , which, with their substantially perpendicular orientation to the animal&#39;s teeth in this embodiment, serve to brush the animal&#39;s teeth not unlike that of a human toothbrush. After the animal finishes with it, the device can be cleaned out and then refilled for the next use.  
         [0044]     Having end members  108  with additional bristles  106  protruding from their surfaces provides additional cleaning efficacy. Often, animals could desire to chew on the end of a toy, or bone, in the case of a dog. In this situation, the additional bristles  106  can help to ensure that the animal gets the maximum cleaning benefit from the device. In another embodiment relating to the embodiments with the hollow interior chamber  702 , the end members  108  could also have holes  704  to allow the therapeutic agent, flavoring agent, or any combination thereof to more effectively get to the surfaces of the end members  108 .  
         [0045]     In embodiments with removable end members  108 , a user could change the ends not only due to wear, but to utilize the most effective shape for the animal. For example, different breeds of dogs have different shaped jaws that can be better cleaned by differently shaped end members  108 .  
         [0046]     Another embodiment could include a noise-making device, such as a squeaker, embedded in the central elongated member  102 , the surrounding segments  104 , or the end members  108  to further reward the dog for chewing on the device.  
         [0047]     Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention as described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.