Systems for customizing pet food

• US 6,576,280 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2002
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NPPC Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Bhatnagar, Sandeep, Fritz-Jung, Cathryn, Gleason, Timothy, Speck, Donald, Singh, Bhajmohan, Bebiak, David M., Stoll, Jill, Kettinger, Karl, Klas, Daryl F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhat, Nina
• Application Number:
  US10/059,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20020081356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 426/232, 426/231, 426/805, 426/635, 426/2, 705/16
• US Class Current: 426/232
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/00 Other apparatus for animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/02 Automatic devices automatic identification devices for stock A01K11/006
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/40 for carnivorous animals, e.g. cats or dogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 426/805 Pet food for dog, cat, bird, or fish

Abstract

Methods for customizing pet food for an individual pet are described. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of obtaining user input through an electronic user interface, processing the input with stored data on a main computer which is coupled to the user interface, and generating control signals to control the operation of food manufacturing and packaging apparatus according to the user input. The user input is used to form an individual pet profile, which is used to generate a customized pet food formula. The customized pet food formula is then used in the control of the manufacture and packaging of the customized pet food.

Claims

1. A system for manufacturing customized pet food, said system comprising:

a computer;

a manufacturing apparatus; and

a user interface including a data entry system, said user interface coupled to said computer and configured to prompt a user at said user interface to answer a series of questions to form an individual pet profile of the pet, said computer configured to receive electronically communicated answers from the user and process the electronically received information contained in the individual pet profile to generate a customized pet food formula, said computer further configured to generate at least one control signal to control said manufacturing apparatus to manufacture a customized pet food according to the customized pet food formula.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said computer comprises a database for storing nutritional information, said computer further configured to combine the electronically communicated answers with the stored nutritional information to generate the customized pet food formula.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said computer is configured to assemble the electronically received information and the stored nutritional information into printed material.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a PLC coupled to said computer and said manufacturing apparatus, said PLC configured to receive an input signal from said computer and generate at least one output control signal to said manufacturing apparatus.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4 wherein the PLC input signal represents the customized pet food formula as determined according to the individual pet profile of the pet and nutritional data stored in the database.

6. A system in accordance with claim 4 wherein the PLC output signal represents a set of manufacturing instructions to said manufacturing apparatus.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the received information includes at least one of a species of the pet, an age of the pet, a weight of the pet, a gender of the pet, a breed of the pet, an activity level of the pet, a breeding status of the pet, a medical history of the pet, and genetic information of the pet.

8. A system for generating a customized pet food formula, said system comprising:

a computer; and

a user interface including a data entry system, said user interface coupled to said computer and configured to prompt a user at said user interface to answer a series of questions to form an individual pet profile of the pet, said computer configured to receive electronically communicated answers from the user and process the electronically received information contained in the individual pet profile to generate a customized pet food formula.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said computer comprises a database for storing nutritional information, said computer further configured to combine the electronically communicated answers with the stored nutritional information to generate the customized pet food formula.

10. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein the received information includes at least one of a species of the pet, an age of the pet, a weight of the pet, a gender of the pet, a breed of the pet, an activity level of the pet, a breeding status of the pet, a medical history of the pet, and genetic information of the pet.

11. A system for obtaining a customized pet food for a pet, said system comprising:

a computer; and

a user interface including a data entry system, said user interface coupled to said computer and configured to prompt a user at said user interface to answer a series of questions to form an individual pet profile of the pet, said computer configured to receive electronically communicated answers from the user and process the electronically received information contained in the individual pet profile to generate a customized pet food formula, said computer further configured to utilize the customized pet food formula to suggest a pet food in accordance with the customized pet food formula.

12. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said computer comprises a database for storing nutritional information, said computer further configured to combine the electronically communicated answers with the stored nutritional information to generate the customized pet food formula.

13. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the received information includes at least one of a species of the pet, an age of the pet, a weight of the pet, a gender of the pet, a breed of the pet, an activity level of the pet, a breeding status of the pet, a medical history of the pet, and genetic information of the pet.