Edible Animal Chew With Internal Support Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dog chews are either too hard, posing health risks or too soft, leading to rapid consumption and unsatisfactory lasting time, and often lack nutritional value and palatability, with indigestible materials potentially causing digestive issues.
Innovation Solution
An edible animal chew with an internal support structure that contacts the outer wall at multiple points, defining channels to increase chewing time and reduce calorie intake, allowing for longer lasting and more effective oral cavity cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the chew material is made hard to increase lasting time, then the duration of chewing is extended, but the chew poses health risks through tooth fractures and becomes difficult for dogs with insufficiently developed or decayed teeth to chew
Solution Approach 1:
The chew is divided into an outer wall and an internal support structure with channels, creating a segmented architecture that provides structural integrity without requiring excessive hardness. The channels create internal voids that reduce overall density and hardness while maintaining external shape stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal support structure defines a plurality of channels extending through the chew, creating a porous or hollow internal architecture. This reduces the amount of material present, lowering the chew's overall hardness and density while maintaining structural framework that supports extended chewing duration.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the chew material is made soft to reduce health risks, then tooth fracture risk is reduced, but the chew is eaten very quickly and does not provide sufficient lasting time
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation into outer wall and internal support structure creates a framework that resists deformation during chewing, providing mechanical support that extends chewing duration even when the material itself is softer and safer for teeth.
Solution Approach 2:
The chew combines an outer wall with an internal support structure in a composite architecture. This composite design integrates different functional elements - the outer wall provides chewability and safety, while the internal structure provides mechanical support for extended duration.
3Duration of action of moving object
If more material is used to extend lasting time, then the chewing duration is increased, but the calorie intake increases and the cost to the owner increases
Solution Approach 1:
The porous or channelled internal structure reduces the quantity of material present in the chew while maintaining structural framework. This lowers the calorie content and material cost while the channelled architecture extends chewing duration by providing structural resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented architecture with internal channels divides the material into separate regions, creating structural support with less material. The channels provide mechanical resistance to chewing without requiring additional material, thus extending lasting time while reducing quantity of substance.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a longer-lasting edible animal chew (1) having a longitudinal axis comprising: i) an outer wall (2) extending in the direction of said longitudinal axis; and ii) an internal support structure (4) that contacts the inner surface of said outer wall (2) at three or more points.