Integrated Multi-Color Animal Chew Toy Molded Rubber
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal chew toys lack versatility in hardness and color, often requiring separate components connected by buckles or glue, which are prone to damage under strong biting forces and fail to meet the needs of dogs with varying chewing abilities and preferences.
Innovation Solution
A process to create an integrated multi-color animal chew toy by fusing rubbers of different hardness and colors in one body using a multi-step mold forming process, eliminating the need for external connections and enhancing structural strength and visual appeal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate components are connected using buckles or glue to achieve multi-color and multi-hardness, then color variety and hardness variety are improved, but structural strength deteriorates and product reliability worsens due to weak connection points under strong biting forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple rubber components of different colors and hardness into a single integrated molded product. The multi-step molding process combines hard rubber and soft rubber sections into one cohesive toy structure, eliminating weak connection points from buckles or glue while maintaining color variety and hardness differentiation throughout the product.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining hard rubber and soft rubber in a single molded structure. Different rubber compounds with varying durometer values are integrated during the molding process to create regions of different hardness within the same toy, providing both versatility and structural integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate components are assembled using buckles or glue to achieve multi-color design, then color variety is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to additional assembly steps and quality control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple molding operations into an integrated multi-step molding process. Instead of separately molding components and then assembling them with buckles or glue, the process molds hard and soft rubber sections in sequence within the same mold system, producing a single assembled-free multi-color toy structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary molding actions by first forming the hard rubber base structure, then subsequently molding soft rubber sections directly onto it. This sequential preliminary action eliminates the need for post-molding assembly operations, reducing manufacturing complexity while achieving multi-color and multi-hardness design goals.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single rubber compound is used to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but adaptability deteriorates because the toy cannot satisfy both hard-chewing and soft-chewing dogs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different hardness zones within the same toy structure. The multi-step molding process allows different rubber compounds with specific durometer values to be placed in different regions of the toy, providing hard sections for strong chewers and soft sections for gentle chewers, all in a single integrated product.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite rubber materials with different physical properties in different sections of the toy. By combining hard rubber and soft rubber compounds in a single molded structure, the toy achieves both manufacturing efficiency and adaptability to different chewing styles without requiring separate products.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated multi-color animal chew toy and preparation process thereof, including selecting N types of rubbers used to form a product, wherein the rubbers have different colors and different hardness; selecting one type of rubber from the rubbers used to form the product, putting the rubber selected into a first mold, and performing mold forming to form a first molded product; putting part of the first molded product into a second mold, closing the second mold, and then injecting a second rubber selected from the rubbers used to form the product for mold forming to form a second molded product; putting part of the second molded product into a Nth mold, closing the Nth mold, and then injecting a Nth rubber selected from the rubbers used to form the product for mold forming, and then cooling to obtain the product completely.