Probiotic Pet Chew Toy Oral Care Composite

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional pet chew toys fail to effectively address oral microbial flora imbalance and tartar accumulation, leading to dental diseases in pets, and do not provide sustained oral care benefits due to lack of probiotics and prebiotics that can colonize and inhibit harmful bacteria.

Innovation Solution

A pet chew toy comprising a main body made from materials like woven fabrics, rubber, or starch, combined with plant-based or animal-based adhesives, probiotics (such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Bacillus), and prebiotics, which are released during chewing, adhering to the pet's mouth surfaces to promote microbial balance and inhibit pathogenic bacteria.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional pet chew toys are made from materials like rubber, starch, or animal protein powder, then the chew toy provides mechanical cleansing function through chewing friction, but it cannot eliminate tartar accumulation and dental calculus effectively

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing processVSAvoidoral care effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines conventional chew toy materials (rubber, starch, animal protein powder) with probiotics and prebiotics to create a composite material that provides both mechanical cleansing through chewing friction and chemical/oral care benefits through probiotic colonization and prebiotic support, thereby eliminating tartar accumulation and dental calculus effectively while maintaining ease of manufacture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces new parameters (probiotics and prebiotics) into the existing chew toy material composition, transforming the material from providing only mechanical cleansing to providing combined mechanical and biological oral care functions, thereby improving reliability without compromising manufacturing ease

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If antibiotics are prescribed to treat pet oral diseases, then curative efficacy is achieved in the short term, but the balance of microbial flora in the pet's mouth and digestive tract is broken, exacerbating oral problems over the longer term

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecurative efficacyVSAvoidmicrobial flora imbalance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful effect of broad-spectrum antibiotics (which destroy beneficial microbial flora) into a benefit by using probiotics and prebiotics to selectively promote the growth of beneficial oral bacteria, thereby achieving curative efficacy while restoring and maintaining microbial flora balance in the pet's mouth and digestive tract

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces probiotics and prebiotics as intermediary substances that mediate between the pet's oral environment and the microbial flora, providing curative efficacy through probiotic antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria while simultaneously supporting the restoration of beneficial microbial balance, thereby avoiding the harmful effects of antibiotics

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If pet owners manually brush their pets' teeth regularly, then dental plaque formation is slowed down, but the process is time-consuming and most consumers do not commit to a daily brushing regiment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedental hygiene effectivenessVSAvoidbrushing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the manual brushing process into a self-service system where the probiotics and prebiotics in the chew toy automatically colonize the pet's oral cavity and continuously provide oral care benefits during the pet's natural chewing behavior, thereby achieving sustained dental hygiene effectiveness without requiring time-consuming daily brushing regimens from owners

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Ease of operation

If pet chew toys are designed with mechanical cleansing structures, then chewing friction can remove food debris to a degree, but the toys do not provide sustained oral care benefits due to lack of probiotics and prebiotics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechewing functionVSAvoidoral care duration
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines mechanical cleansing structures with probiotics and prebiotics in the chew toy material, creating a composite that provides both immediate mechanical cleansing during chewing and sustained oral care benefits through probiotic colonization and prebiotic support that continue to function throughout the chew toy's usage life

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent ensures continuous oral care action by incorporating probiotics and prebiotics that continuously colonize and function in the pet's oral cavity throughout the chewing process, transforming the intermittent mechanical cleansing of chewing into a continuous oral care system that maintains effectiveness throughout the chew toy's service life

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The pet chew toy provides extended oral care benefits by promoting the colonization of probiotics, inhibiting harmful bacteria, and improving oral health, while being reusable and effective in reducing tartar accumulation and fetid breath.

Implementation Method 1

adhering to the pet's mouth surfaces to promote microbial balance and inhibit pathogenic bacteria

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP3479701B1Method of preparation of a pet chew toy with oral care properties
Publication Date: 2020.07.01 GONGLIN IND SHENZHEN
  • EP3479701B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3479701B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3479701B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention discloses a pet chew toy with oral care properties and preparation method thereof. The pet chew toy comprises a main body, adhesives, probiotics and prebiotics. The present invention takes the advantage of pets' preference to chew, gnaw and tooth grind, which provides sufficient time for the probiotics and prebiotics to adhere to the oral mucous membranes and teeth. During chewing, the pet chew toys of the present invention not only clean the pet's teeth but also cause the ingredients contained in the dental care components to release, adhere, activate and reproduce in the mouth of the pet. In addition, the prebiotics promotes the colonization of the probiotics and the formation of predominant probiotic microflora. In conclusion, the present invention displays desirable effects of inhibiting the pathogenic bacteria detrimental to pets and contacted humans while promoting improved pet oral health and eliminating fetid breath.