Mobile telephone dog training tool and method

• US 9,763,427 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Specifi-Kali, LLC
• Original Assignee: Specifi-Kali, LLC
• Inventors: Bianchi, James C., Holland, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABBOTT-LEWIS, YVONNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US14/486,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20150000612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 119720, 119721, 119712, 119719, 3405731, 3405732, 3405733
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/021 Electronic training devices specially adapted for dogs or cats
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions

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 computing device having a display and a WPAN interface;

a collar adapted to couple to a dog, the collar having a GPS receiver and a wireless communication module operable to communicate GPS positions of the GPS receiver by a wireless radio signal;

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

a training application stored in memory of the mobile computing device and operable to execute on a processor of the mobile computing device, the training application operable to retrieve the GPS positions from the adapter through the WPAN interface and to present the GPS positions at a display of the mobile computing device;

wherein the training application configures the collar to transmit GPS positions in a first manner and a second manner, the second manner automatically applied instead of the first manner based upon one or more predetermined conditions.

2. The dog training tool of claim 1 wherein the first manner comprises a wireless radio signal from the collar to the adapter and a WPAN interface from the adapter to the mobile computing device, and the second manner comprises a WPAN interface from the collar to the mobile computing device with the wireless radio signal turned off, the predetermined condition comprising detection of the collar in WPAN interface range with the mobile computing device.

3. The dog training tool of claim 2 wherein the wireless radio signal is automatically turned on if the collar leaves the range of the WPAN interface.

4. The dog training tool of claim 3 wherein WPAN comprises Bluetooth communication and the mobile computing device comprises a mobile telephone having a microphone, the training application further operable to identify gunshots detected by the microphone.

5. The dog training tool of claim 1 wherein the first manner comprises a wireless radio signal periodically sent from the collar to the adapter, and the second manner comprises a wireless radio signal sent from the collar to the adapter based upon a change in position detected at the collar.

6. The dog training tool of claim 5 further comprising an accelerometer, the change in position determined by analyzing accelerations detected by the accelerometer to determine that a predetermined change in position has occurred.

7. The dog training tool of claim 5 wherein the change in position detected at the collar comprises a first GPS position detected by the GPS receiver having a predetermined distance from a second GPS position sent by the wireless radio signal to the adapter.

8. The dog training tool of claim 7 wherein the collar sends the wireless signal in a time slot determined by reference to a clock provided by the GPS receiver.

9. A method for communicating position information from a dog collar to a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

determining position information with a GPS receiver at the collar;

sending the position information in a first predetermined manner with a wireless radio signal;

detecting a predetermined condition; and

in response to the predetermined condition, sending the position information in a second predetermined manner;

wherein;

detecting a predetermined condition further comprises detecting a WPAN interface available between the collar and mobile computing device; and

in response to the predetermined condition further comprises sending the position information from the collar to the mobile computing device by the WPAN interface instead of the wireless radio signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the wireless radio signal comprises a VHF radio signal, the VHF radio signal turned off when position information is sent by the WPAN interface.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

detecting loss of the WPAN interface; and

in response to detecting loss of the WPAN interface, turning on the VHF radio signal to send the position information in the first predetermined manner.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the first predetermined manner comprises a wireless radio signal periodically sent from the collar, and the second predetermined manner comprises a wireless radio signal sent from the collar based upon a predetermined change in position detected at the collar.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined change in position is determined by analyzing accelerations detected by an accelerometer in the collar to determine that the position has changed by a predetermined distance from a position sent by a previous wireless radio signal, the predetermined condition comprising determination of the position change by the predetermined distance before a next periodic radio signal is due.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined change in position is determined by comparing a first GPS position detected by the GPS receiver having a predetermined distance from a second GPS position previously sent by the wireless radio signal.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the wireless radio signal is sent from the collar to an adapter and from the adapter to the mobile computing device, the adapter having input buttons to accept end user inputs to control the collar.

16. A tracking device comprising:

a processor;

a GPS receiver interfaced with the processor and operable to determine a position of the tracking device;

a wireless communication device interfaced with the processor, the wireless communication device operable to communicate the position determined by the GPS receiver to a mobile computing device with a wireless communication signal; and

a WPAN device interfaced with the processor, the WPAN device operable to communicate with the mobile computing device through a WPAN interface;

wherein the processor is operable to automatically turn off the wireless communication signal in response to one or more predetermined conditions, the one or more predetermined conditions including at least a determination that the WPAN device is in range to communicate the position to the mobile computing device through the WPAN interface.

17. The tracking device of claim 16 further comprising:

a housing, the processor, GPS receiver, wireless communication device and WPAN device disposed in the housing;

an adapter separate from the housing, the adapter having a wireless communication device and a WPAN device, the wireless communication device disposed in the housing communicating the position to the mobile computing device by sending the wireless communication signal to the adapter wireless communication device, the adapter forwarding the position to the mobile computing device through a WPAN interface between the adapter and the mobile computing device.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

an accelerometer operable to sense accelerations;

a gyroscope operable to sense orientations; and

a GPS signal evaluator, the GPS signal evaluator operable to determine a predetermined condition associated with the GPS receiver and, in response to the predetermined condition, to send information associated with the accelerometer and gyroscope by the wireless communication signal.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the wireless communication device is further operable to send the wireless communication signal at first and second transmission powers based upon a return signal strength associated with the wireless communication signal.