US 7,429,421 B2
Coated clumping litter comprising non-swelling particles
Phillip Brent Greene, Jackson, Mo. (US); James Dean Job, Kelso, Mo. (US); James Max Kearbey, St. Louis, Mo. (US); Cesar J. Mauras, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. (US); and W. Craig Marx, St. Louis, Mo. (US)
Assigned to Nestec, S.A., Vevey (Switzerland)
Filed on Jul. 01, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/883,164.
Application 10/883164 is a continuation in part of application No. 10/068058, filed on Feb. 05, 2002, granted, now 6,887,570.
Prior Publication US 2005/0056229 A1, Mar. 17, 2005
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B32B 5/16 (2006.01); A01K 29/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 428—403  [119/173; 428/404] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An animal litter comprising:
non-swelling particles that have been agglomerated in a pin mixer, said non-swelling particles having a size range of about −10 to about +50 mesh, said non-swelling particles are selected from the group consisting of clay, quartz, feldspar, calcium bentonite, calcite, illite, calcium carbonate, carbon, mica, Georgia white clay, hectorite, smectite, opal, kaolinite, pumice, tobermite, slate, gypsum, vermiculite, halloysite, sepiolite, marls, diamomaceous earth, dolomite, attapulgite, montmorillonite, Monterey shale, Fuller's earth, silica, fossilized plant materials, perlites, expanded perlites, and mixtures thereof; and
a swelling agent having a size range of about 60 mesh to about 300 mesh coated on said non-swelling particles, wherein said swelling agent has a particle size distribution such that at least 90% of the particles pass through 100 mesh and said swelling agent is selected from the group consisting of bentonite, sodium bentonite, calcium bentonite, guar gum, starch, xantham gum, gum Arabic, gum acacia, silica gel, and mixtures thereof, wherein the swelling agent includes an additive selected from the group consisting of an odor control agent, a fragrance, an anti-microbial agent, an anti-sticking agent, an agent for controlling pH, a powder for coloring, a dye, a coloring agent, colored particles, a dedusting agent, a disinfectant and combinations thereof.