Herd control and/or monitoring procedures
First Claim
1. A method of herd management, which method comprises or includes providing at least one animal of the herd with a device capable of sensing a characteristic of the animal, dispensing an active agent to the animal, communicating with at least some other device, and communicating (directly or indirectly, or both) with a monitor externally of the animals of the herd, having said devices and/or monitor determine by reference to the proximity of the devices to each other and sensed characteristic of the animal which animals are appropriate for the dispensing and/or the halting of the dispensing of an active ingredient, and dispensing the active ingredient into that or those animals indicated by said sensed characteristic and/or their grouping.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of herd management which includes providing each member of the herd with a device (eg; an intra vaginal device) capable of identifying the member, of sensing at least one physiological condition of the member of the herd and communicating with other such devices and/or a base station. With such communication the proximity of devices each other allows groupings to be determined such as a grouping indicative of behavioural oestrus. With such devices it is possible by monitoring groupings of the animal to determine those in oestrus and to have the device administer appropriate active ingredients to some of the animals of the herd.
169 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method of herd management, which method comprises or includes
providing at least one animal of the herd with a device capable of sensing a characteristic of the animal, dispensing an active agent to the animal, communicating with at least some other device, and communicating (directly or indirectly, or both) with a monitor externally of the animals of the herd, having said devices and/or monitor determine by reference to the proximity of the devices to each other and sensed characteristic of the animal which animals are appropriate for the dispensing and/or the halting of the dispensing of an active ingredient, and dispensing the active ingredient into that or those animals indicated by said sensed characteristic and/or their grouping.
- 4. An intra-vaginal device having a utility for the animal in question over at least part of a retention period, said device being characterised in that it is provided with transmission and/or interrogatable and/or means externally determinable capable of identifying the recipient animal.
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11. A method applicable to a population of members which comprises or includes
(i) providing each member of the population with a device in such a way as to identify the member and to sense at lease one physiological condition of the member, (ii) allowing that device to communicate directly to a receiver (whether a device of another member or via at least one device of another (or other) members(s) or not) to thereby allow some determination for that identified member.
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20. In a herd population, a device retainable in each member of the herd which includes a battery powered circuit or circuits capable of doing at least one or more of the following
(i) transmitting data to some external receiver and/or at least some other device or devices of the herd, (ii) actively releasing some substance from the device to the animal, (iii) reporting any such active release of substance to at least one other device of the herd or some external receiver, and (iv) communicating with at least proximate devices of the herd with a view to render possible a determination of those animals with a device in close proximity that may have and/or be exhibiting an important characteristic (eg; - behavioural oestrus, eating, etc.).
- View Dependent Claims (10, 33, 35, 36)
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21. Methods of control of herd animals and/or data collection and/or sub grouping of animals in a herd when performed substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.
- 22. An intra-vaginal device insertable and retainable in the vagina of a target species mammal, said device including an antenna of communication means carried by the device capable of allowing communication to and/or from a communication device externally of the recipient mammal capable of receiving and/or transmitting signals from and/or to said antenna.
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23. A device as claimed in 22 wherein said antenna can at least in part be relied upon for the removal of the device from the vagina of a recipient said target species mammal.
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24. A device as claimed in 22 wherein said device includes a sensor to sense at least one physiological state of a recipient mammal and conveying that sensed condition to a receiver or like device reliant upon the communication means e.g. the communication circuit and said antenna.
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25. A device as claimed in 22 wherein said sensor is capable of detecting one or more of temperature, pressure and motion of a recipient mammal.
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26. A device as claimed in 22 wherein said device is one retainable by its attempting to resume resiliently a condition from which it was deformed in order to allow or facilitate its intra vaginal insertion.
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27. A device as claimed in 22 wherein such retention variable geometry retention is of a kind substantially as herein described with or without reference to the accompanying drawings.
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29. A device as claimed in 28wherein said device has a plunger syringe-like release.
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30. A device as claimed in 22 wherein said device includes at least one active release delivery system for a recipient mammal, such active release being under the action or control of a battery powered circuit, the battery of which is capable of powering the communication circuit of said communication means.
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31. A device as claimed in 22 wherein said antenna is substantially in the form of a flexible tail for the device.
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32. Apparatus substantially as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings and related uses and methods.
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34. A device of any of the kinds hereinafter described with or without reference to the accompanying drawings and to related methods of use, manufacture and the like.
Specification