Mobile telephone dog training tool and method

• US 9,538,725 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Specifi-Kali, LLC
• Original Assignee: EB Partners
• Inventors: Bianchi, James C., Holland, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABBOTT-LEWIS, YVONNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US14/462,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20150053144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 119/720, 119/721, 119/712, 119/719, 340/573.1, 340/573.2, 340/573.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/008 incorporating GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/021 Electronic training devices specially adapted for dogs or cats
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/001 Collars
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/009 with electric-shock, sound, magnetic- or radio-waves emitting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption

Abstract

A mobile telephone adapts to use as a gundog training tool by interfacing with a dog collar using a wireless communication device, such as a WWAN text or IP interface, a WLAN interface or a radio transceiver that couples to the mobile telephone and is accessible to a training application running on the mobile telephone. The dog collar includes a GPS receiver to provide position information to the mobile telephone and a shock device to provide training stimulus to the dog. A wireless headset interfaces with the mobile telephone to provide audible indications of position to an end user, such as a dog point and tone indicators of directions to the dog. A wireless handset interfaces with the mobile telephone to accept inputs for application to the collar, such as training stimulus.

Claims

1. A dog training tool comprising:

a mobile processing device having a WPAN interface;

an adapter having a WPAN interface operable to communicate with the mobile processing device WPAN interface and a wireless communication module operable to communicate with a wireless radio signal;

a collar adapted to couple to a dog, the collar having a GPS receiver, a WPAN interface and a wireless communication module, the WPAN interface operable to communicate GPS positions of the GPS receiver to the mobile processing WPAN device and the wireless communication module operable to communicate GPS positions of the GPS receiver to the adapter wireless communication module with the wireless radio signal; and

a training application stored in memory of the mobile processing device and operable to execute on a processor of the mobile processing device, the training application operable to retrieve the collar GPS positions from the collar by the WPAN interface and from the adapter by the WPAN interface, the adapter retrieving the collar GPS positions from the collar by the adapter wireless communication module with the wireless radio signal, the training application further operable to present the GPS positions at a display of the mobile telephone.

2. The dog training tool of claim 1 wherein the training application is further operable to shut off wireless radio signal communications between the collar and the adapter when collar GPS positions are retrieved by the WPAN interface between the mobile processing device and the collar.

3. The dog training tool of claim 2 wherein the wireless communication signal between the adapter and collar comprises a MURS band frequency of approximately 150 MHz.

4. The dog training tool of claim 3 wherein WPAN comprises Bluetooth Low Energy communication and the training application is further operable to compare the GPS position with hazards presented on the map and issue an alert if the GPS position and hazard has a predetermined condition.

5. The dog training tool of claim 1 wherein the collar sends GPS positions to the adapter by the wireless communication signal at a predetermined timed intervals, the collar further comprising a power manager, the power manager operable to place the GPS receiver in a reduced power state for at least some of the time between the wireless communication signal timed intervals.

6. The dog training tool of claim 1 wherein the collar sends GPS positions to the adapter by the wireless communication signal at predetermined distance change measured at the collar by the GPS receiver.

7. The dog training tool of claim 6 further comprising a power manager on the collar and operable to place the GPS receiver in a reduced power state between the wireless communication signals sent by the wireless communication module, the power manager estimating distance traveled by the collar based upon accelerations sensed by an accelerometer and bringing the GPS receiver out of the reduced power state when the estimated distance approaches predetermined distance change.

8. The dog training tool of claim 6 further comprising:

plural accelerometers;

plural gyroscopes;

an integrator disposed on the dog collar, the integrator operable to analyze accelerations sensed by the plural accelerometers and orientations sensed by the plural gyroscopes to estimate the predetermined distance change; and

a power manager operable to place the GPS receiver in a reduced power state for at least some of the time between the predetermined distance change.

9. A method for communicating position information from a collar, the method comprising:

gathering position information at the collar with a GPS receiver;

sending the GPS positions from the collar to a mobile processing device by a WPAN interface between the collar and the mobile processing device;

detecting a disconnection event associated with the WPAN interface; and

in response to the detecting, sending the GPS positions from the collar to the mobile processing device by a VHF wireless signal.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining at the collar a delay between sending a first GPS position and sending a second GPS position; and

placing the GPS receiver in a reduced power sleep state during at least part of the delay.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the determining at the collar a delay further comprises:

determining a time interval between the VHF wireless signals to communicate the first and second GPS positions; and

placing the GPS receiver in the reduced power sleep state during at least part of the time delay.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the determining at the collar a delay further comprises:

determining that the collar transmits the second GPS position at a predetermined distance from the first GPS position;

placing the GPS receiver in a reduced power sleep state after the first GPS position is determined;

monitoring accelerations at the collar to estimate that the collar has the predetermined distance; and

in response to estimating that the collar has the predetermined distance, waking the GPS receiver to measure the GPS position.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

detecting that a predetermined time without a VHF wireless signal sending a GPS position from the collar; and

in response to detecting, commanding a VHF wireless signal to send a GPS position from the collar.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the in response to the detecting, sending the GPS positions from the collar to the mobile processing device by a VHF wireless signal further comprises:

sending the VHF wireless signal from the collar to an adapter having a VHF wireless transceiver and a WPAN interface with the mobile processing device; and

sending the GPS position from the adapter with a WPAN interface.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein plural collars send a GPS position to the adapter and the adapter sends the GPS positions to the mobile processing device by the WPAN interface, the method further comprising:

determining at the mobile processing device the number of collars and a time interval that the collars use to send the GPS positions; and

adjusting a connection interval of the WPAN interface by analyzing the number of collars and time interval.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein plural collars send a GPS position to the adapter and the adapter sends the GPS positions to the mobile processing device by the WPAN interface, the method further comprising:

determining at the adapter a predetermined queue of GPS positions to send by the WPAN interface to the collar; and

in response to determining, adjusting a connection interval of the WPAN interface to increase the rate at which GPS positions are sent through the WPAN interface.

17. A system for training a dog, the system comprising:

a mobile processing device having a processor, memory, WPAN interface and display, the mobile processing device operable to the mobile telephone having a GPS receiver operable to present the position of the mobile processing device on a map presented at the display;

plural dog collars, each dog collar having a GPS receiver operable to determine the position of the dog collar, a WPAN interface and at least one wireless communication device to communicate the position of the dog collar with a wireless communication signal; and

an adapter operable to receive the position from the plural dog collars with the wireless communication signals and to communicate the position of the dog collar to the mobile processing device through the WPAN for presentation of the dog collar position at the display;

wherein the mobile processing device is further operable to selectively receive the GPS position from only one of the WPAN interface with a collar or the WPAN interface with the adapter, and to shut off wireless communication signals between the selected one or more of the plural dog collars and the adapter if the mobile processing device obtains the GPS positions of the selected one or more of the plural collars from the WPAN interface.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein each of the plural dog collars includes a power manager to place the GPS receiver in a reduced power state between wireless communication signals, the reduced power state maintaining a GPS clock signal, last detected position and ephemeral data in memory for rapid reacquisition of a current GPS position.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the mobile processing device is further operable to extract GPS time, position and ephemeral data from the mobile processing device and communication the GPS time, position and ephemeral data to at least one of the plural collars to hot start the GPS receiver of the at least one of the plural collars.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the adapter and mobile processing device cooperate to establish a connection interval for the WPAN between the mobile processing device and adapter based at least in part on the number of the plural collars sending GPS information to the adapter.