Method for mechanically knotting pet chews and pet chews made thereby

Abstract

A fully mechanized method for making artificial knotted pet chews such as edible dog bones. The method employs a knot box having a tubular chamber in the form of a knot. Rolled or folded pet chew material is mechanically inserted into and pushed through the chamber of the knot box, clamped at the far end, pulled from both ends to form a knot, and then withdrawn. According to one embodiment, the knot box separates to facilitate knotting and withdrawal of the knotted chew. The process is repeated for double knotted chew. The method can be used with pet chews made from treated rawhide, extruded plant material, and rawhide or extruded plant material combined with a meat layer. The method allows the manufacture of knotted dog bones without the use of human labor, avoiding the consequent costs and other drawbacks encountered when requiring workers to engage in simple, repetitive manual tasks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.