Pet training system with geofence boundary indicator and software application

• US 9,693,536 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leashfree Com LLC
• Original Assignee: Sean P. Dana
• Inventors: Dana, Sean P.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABBOTT-LEWIS, YVONNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US15/378,912
• Time in Patent Office: 202 Days
• Field of Search: 119720, 119721, 119908, 119719, 119712, 119859, 119718, 3405733, 3405731, 3405732, 3405734
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/008 incorporating GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/023 Anti-evasion devices
• 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: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0205 Specific application combined with child monitoring using a transmitter-receiver system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0233 System arrangements with pre-alarms, e.g. when a first distance is exceeded
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A pet-related system with a first dog collar operably configured to determine if the first dog collar is at or outside of a first user-selected geofence boundary; and a mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to the first dog collar. The mobile electronic device is operably configured to display a user interface of a first instance of a pet-related social network application associated with a first social network identity; receive a user input selecting the first user-selected geofence boundary of the first dog collar; communicate the first user-selected geofence boundary to the first dog collar; and receive a proximity notification of the mobile electronic device'"'"'s proximity to a second mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to a second dog collar and operably configured to execute instructions of a second instance of the pet-related social network application associated with a second social network identity.

Claims

1. A pet-related system comprising:

a first dog collar including a GPS receiver and a processor operably configured to determine if the first dog collar is at or outside of a first user-selected geofence boundary; and

a mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to the first dog collar and including a processor operably configured to execute instructions of a first instance of a pet-related social network application to;

display a user interface of the pet-related social network application, the first instance of the pet-related social network application associated with a first social network identity;

receive, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a user input corresponding to the first user-selected geofence boundary of the first dog collar;

broadcast the first user-selected geofence boundary to the first dog collar; and

receive a proximity notification of the mobile electronic device'"'"'s proximity to a second mobile electronic device, the second mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to a second dog collar, different from the first dog collar, and the second mobile electronic device operably configured to execute instructions of a second instance of the pet-related social network application, the second instance of the pet-related social network application associated with a second social network identity, different from the first social network identity.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the processor is further operably configured to execute instructions of the first instance of the pet-related social network application to:

receive, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a second user input corresponding to a second geofence warning boundary different from the first user-selected geofence boundary, the second geofence warning boundary disposed simultaneously with and within the first user-selected geofence boundary so as to provide a warning prior to the first dog collar being at or outside of the first user-selected geofence boundary; and

as a result of the second user input, communicate the second geofence warning boundary to the first dog collar, the processor of the first dog collar operably configured to determine if the first dog collar is at or outside of the second geofence warning boundary.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2, wherein:

the first dog collar includes a shocking device operably configured to shock a dog wearing the first dog collar as a result of the processor determining that the first dog collar is at or outside of the user-selected geofence boundary.

4. The system in accordance with claim 3, wherein:

the first dog collar includes a warning indicator that is formed as at least one of a vibrator and a speaker operably configured to at least one of vibrate, via the vibrator, and emit, via the speaker, an audible warning to the dog wearing the first dog collar, prior to shocking the dog, as a result of the processor determining that the first dog collar is at or outside of the second geofence warning boundary.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the first dog collar is paired to the mobile electronic device, to the exclusion of the second mobile electronic device; and

the second dog collar is paired to the second mobile electronic device, to the exclusion of the first mobile electronic device.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the processor is further operably configured to execute instructions of the first instance of the pet-related social network application to:

receive, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a second user input corresponding to a screening selection to prevent the second mobile electronic device from receiving a notification of the mobile electronic device'"'"'s proximity to the second mobile electronic device.

7. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the processor is further operably configured to execute instructions of the first instance of the pet-related social network application to:

as a result of receiving the proximity notification of the mobile electronic device'"'"'s proximity to the second mobile electronic device, display, on a computer display of the mobile electronic device, a user profile of the second social network identity corresponding to the second mobile electronic device that is in proximity to the mobile electronic device.

8. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the processor is further operably configured to execute instructions of the first instance of the pet-related social network application to:

receive, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a second user input corresponding to a rating of a pet associated with a third social network identity of a third instance of the pet-related social network application executing on a third mobile electronic device.

9. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the proximity notification is received, by the mobile electronic device, as a result of an area defined by the first user-selected geofence boundary overlapping with an area defined by a second user-selected geofence boundary associated with the second dog collar.

10. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the first user-selected geofence boundary is a dynamic geofence boundary based on a real-time current GPS location of the mobile electronic device by being automatically updated in real-time as a result of a movement of the mobile electronic device detected by a GPS receiver of the mobile electronic device.

11. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the first user-selected geofence boundary is formed as a circle with the mobile electronic device as a center of the circle and the user input is a radius of the circle, the circle moving automatically as the mobile electronic device moves such that the center of the circle remains the mobile electronic device and the radius of the circle remains as indicated by the user input.

12. A pet-related method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to a first dog collar over a network, a user interface of a first instance of a pet-related social network application, the first instance of the pet-related social network application associated with a first social network identity;

receiving, by a processor of the mobile electronic device, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a user input corresponding a first user-selected geofence boundary of a first dog collar;

communicating, by the processor of the mobile electronic device, the first user-selected geofence boundary to the first dog collar;

determining, by a processor and a GPS receiver included in the first dog collar, if the first dog collar is at or outside of the first user-selected geofence boundary; and

receiving, by the processor of the mobile electronic device, a proximity notification of the mobile electronic device'"'"'s proximity to a second mobile electronic device, the second mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to a second dog collar, different from the first dog collar, and the second mobile electronic device operably configured to execute instructions of a second instance of the pet-related social network application, the second instance of the pet-related social network application associated with a second social network identity, different from the first social network identity.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor of the mobile electronic device, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a second user input corresponding to a second geofence warning boundary different from the first user-selected geofence boundary, the second geofence warning boundary disposed simultaneously with and within the first user-selected geofence boundary so as to provide a warning prior to the first dog collar being at or outside of the first user-selected geofence boundary; and

as a result of receiving the second user input, communicating, by the mobile electronic device, the second geofence warning boundary to the first dog collar, the processor of the first dog collar operably configured to determine if the first dog collar is at or outside of the second geofence warning boundary.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising:

providing the first dog collar with a shocking device; and

shocking a dog wearing the first dog collar as a result of the processor of the first dog collar determining that the first dog collar is at or outside of the first user-selected geofence boundary.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, further comprising:

providing the first dog collar with a warning indicator that is formed as at least one of a vibrator and a speaker; and

at least one of vibrating, via the vibrator, and emitting, via the speaker, an audible warning to the dog wearing the first dog collar, prior to shocking the dog, as a result of the processor determining that the first dog collar is at or outside of the second geofence warning boundary.

16. The method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor of the mobile electronic device, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a second user input corresponding to a screening selection to prevent the second mobile electronic device from receiving a notification of the mobile electronic device'"'"'s proximity to the second mobile electronic device.

17. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein receiving the proximity notification further includes:

receiving the proximity notification as a result of an area defined by the first user-selected geofence boundary overlapping with an area defined by a second user-selected geofence boundary associated with the second dog collar.

18. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein:

the first user-selected geofence boundary is a dynamic geofence boundary based on a real-time current GPS location of the mobile electronic device by being automatically updated in real-time as a result of a movement of the mobile electronic device determined by a GPS receiver of the mobile electronic device.

19. A pet-related system comprising:

a first pet accessory including a GPS receiver and a processor operably configured to determine if the first pet accessory is at or outside of a first user-selected geofence boundary; and

a mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to the first pet accessory, over a network, and including a processor operably configured to execute instructions of a first instance of a pet-related social network application to;

display a user interface of the pet-related social network application, the first instance of the pet-related social network application associated with a first social network identity;

receive, via the user interface of the pet-related social network application, a user input corresponding to the first user-selected geofence boundary of the first pet accessory;

communicate the first user-selected geofence boundary to the first pet accessory; and

receive a proximity notification of the mobile electronic device'"'"'s proximity to a second mobile electronic device, the second mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to a second pet accessory, different from the first pet accessory, and the second mobile electronic device operably configured to execute instructions of a second instance of the pet-related social network application, the second instance of the pet-related social network application associated with a second social network identity, different from the first social network identity.

20. The system in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

the pet accessory is a dog collar.