Animal dentistry apparatus and methods
AssigneeMars, Incorporated
InventorDavid Garrec
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An animal dentistry apparatus is provided and comprises a jaw assembly. The jaw assembly comprises a lower jaw and an upper jaw, and is configured such that the lower jaw and the upper jaw can move apart and together in a mastication action. The upper and lower jaw comprise at least one tooth. The apparatus further comprises a means, such as a motor, to effect the mastication action. The animal dentistry apparatus may be used to assess a chewable product, and such methods are also provided.
Claims16
An animal dentistry apparatus comprising:
- a jaw assembly, wherein the jaw assembly comprises a lower jaw and an upper jaw, wherein the jaw assembly is configured such that the lower jaw and the upper jaw can move apart and together in a mastication action, and wherein the upper jaw comprises at least one tooth, and the lower jaw comprises at least one tooth, and wherein the at least one tooth comprises a coating configured to be removed by application of pressures between 0.69 kPa and 689.5 kPa;
- and
- a hand or foot operated mechanism, or motor, that effects the mastication action, wherein the mechanism or motor is configured to apply up to at least 50 kg of normal load to the jaw assembly.
A method for assessing a chewable product, comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing a jaw assembly, wherein the jaw assembly comprises a lower jaw and an upper jaw, wherein the jaw assembly is configured such that the lower jaw and the upper jaw can move apart and together in a mastication action, and wherein the upper jaw comprises at least one tooth, and the lower jaw comprises at least one tooth;
- (ii) placing the chewable product between the upper jaw and the lower jaw of the jaw assembly;
- (iii) using a hand or foot operated mechanism, or motor, to move the jaws relative to each other in the mastication action in order to impact the at least one tooth of the upper jaw and the at least one tooth of the lower jaw onto the chewable product;
- and
- (iv) assessing a coating by comparing coverage of a coating after step (iii) with coverage of a coating before step (iii).
An animal dentistry apparatus comprising:
- a jaw assembly wherein the jaw assembly comprises a lower jaw and an upper jaw, wherein the jaw assembly is configured such that the lower jaw and the upper jaw can move apart and together in a mastication action, wherein the upper jaw comprises at least one tooth, and the lower jaw comprises at least one tooth, wherein the at least one tooth comprises a coating configured to be removed by application of pressures between 0.69 kPa and 689.5 kPa, and wherein at least a portion of the jaw assembly is artificial or manufactured;
- and
- a means to effect the mastication action, wherein the means is configured to apply up to at least 50 kg of normal load to the jaw assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.