Animal tag system
First Claim
1. An ear tag assembly for an animal, comprising:
- a first attachment member having a first housing;
an elongated shaft assembly configured to pierce and extend through an outer ear of the animal, the shaft assembly having opposing proximal and distal ends, the first attachment member configured to be affixed to the proximal end of the shaft assembly adjacent a first side of the outer ear of the animal;
a second attachment member having a second housing and configured to be affixed to the distal end of the pin adjacent an opposing second side of the outer ear of the animal, the respective first and second attachment members cooperating to maintain the ear tag in a fixed relation to the outer ear of the animal;
a first temperature sensor incorporated into a medial portion of the shaft assembly for placement of the first temperature sensor between the opposing first and second sides of the ear of the animal to obtain an outer ear temperature of the animal;
a second temperature sensor disposed within a selected one of the first or second housings at a position away from the ear of the animal to obtain an ambient temperature of an environment external to the animal; and
a control circuit disposed within a selected one of the first or second housings and configured to obtain a first sequence of temperature measurements from the first temperature sensor over a selected time interval, obtain a second sequence of temperature measurements from the second temperature sensor over the selected time interval, and transmit, via a wireless communication link, the first and second sequences of temperature measurements to a memory of a receiver unit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for managing animals such as but not limited to livestock. In some embodiments, an ear tag assembly has a tag, a backing member and an elongated shaft assembly configured to pierce and extend through an outer ear (auricle) of the animal. A first temperature sensor is disposed within the shaft assembly to obtain an ear temperature measurement of the animal. A second temperature sensor obtains an ambient temperature measurement adjacent the animal. A control circuit accumulates temperature data from the first and second temperature sensors in a tag memory for subsequent transfer, via a wireless communication network, to a data collection unit. Additional sensors may be utilized. In some cases, the backing member may house a battery to power the control circuit. The backing member may be removably attachable to the shaft to allow replacement of the battery.
57 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An ear tag assembly for an animal, comprising:
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a first attachment member having a first housing; an elongated shaft assembly configured to pierce and extend through an outer ear of the animal, the shaft assembly having opposing proximal and distal ends, the first attachment member configured to be affixed to the proximal end of the shaft assembly adjacent a first side of the outer ear of the animal; a second attachment member having a second housing and configured to be affixed to the distal end of the pin adjacent an opposing second side of the outer ear of the animal, the respective first and second attachment members cooperating to maintain the ear tag in a fixed relation to the outer ear of the animal; a first temperature sensor incorporated into a medial portion of the shaft assembly for placement of the first temperature sensor between the opposing first and second sides of the ear of the animal to obtain an outer ear temperature of the animal; a second temperature sensor disposed within a selected one of the first or second housings at a position away from the ear of the animal to obtain an ambient temperature of an environment external to the animal; and a control circuit disposed within a selected one of the first or second housings and configured to obtain a first sequence of temperature measurements from the first temperature sensor over a selected time interval, obtain a second sequence of temperature measurements from the second temperature sensor over the selected time interval, and transmit, via a wireless communication link, the first and second sequences of temperature measurements to a memory of a receiver unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus comprising:
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an ear tag assembly for an animal comprising a tag, a backing member and an elongated shaft assembly configured to pierce and extend through an outer ear of the animal, the elongated shaft assembly having a proximal end that extends from the tag and a distal end configured to engage the backing member, the ear tag assembly further comprising a first temperature sensor disposed within the shaft assembly, a second temperature sensor disposed within a selected one of the tag or the backing member, and a control circuit disposed within a selected one of the tag or the backing member configured to accumulate temperature data from the first and second temperature sensors in an ear tag memory; and a data collection unit configured to establish a wireless communication link with the tag to receive a transfer of the temperature data from the first and second temperature sensors stored in the ear tag memory into a data collection unit memory of the data collection unit. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification