Livestock health monitoring system and method of use

• US 10,398,317 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FeverTags LLC
• Original Assignee: FeverTags LLC
• Inventors: Crider, Jr., Richard Arelin, Fults, Alvin Cecil
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Mohammad K
• Application Number:
  US15/440,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20190059741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/00 Marking of animals marking poultry or other birds A01K35/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/001 Ear-tags
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/004 with electronic identification means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6816 Ear lobe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/005 Circuits arrangements for indicating a predetermined temperature fire detection G08B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold

Abstract

An animal wellness notification system includes an attachment body configured to securely engage with an ear of the animal; an elongated temperature probe secured to the attachment body and configured to extend within the ear of the animal; a housing secured to the attachment body; a computer disposed within the housing and operably associated with the temperature probe; and a notification device in data communication with the computer, the notification device being configured to provide notice if a temperature of the animal goes beyond a determined threshold.

Claims

1. An animal wellness notification system, comprising:

an attachment body configured to securely engage with an ear of the animal;

an elongated temperature probe secured to the attachment body and configured to extend within the ear of the animal;

a housing secured to the attachment body;

a computer disposed within the housing; and

a notification device in data communication with the computer, wherein the notification device is configured to provide notice,

wherein the computer is configured to;

receive a selection of a temperature threshold along with a time duration;

record animal'"'"'s core temperature for the selected duration and time;

determine whether the animal'"'"'s core temperature remains above the temperature threshold for the time duration; and

cause the notification device to provide the notice, after the time duration, if the animal'"'"'s core temperature exceeds the temperature threshold for the time duration.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch secured to the housing and operably associated with computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the switch is configured to reset the computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is a light.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is a speaker.

6. The system of claim 1, the notification device having:

a transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate with a portable computer.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a database in communication with the computer;

wherein the database is configured to store data from the notification device.

8. An animal wellness notification system, comprising:

a temperature probe configured to extend within and secure to an ear of an animal and to generate temperature data; and

a notification device secured to the temperature probe, wherein the animal wellness notification system is configured to;

receive a selection of a temperature threshold along with a time duration;

record animal'"'"'s core temperature for the selected duration and time;

determine whether the animal'"'"'s core temperature remains above the temperature threshold for the time duration; and

cause the notification device to provide notice, after the time duration, if the temperature data indicates that the animal'"'"'s core temperature exceeds the temperature threshold for the time duration.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an attachment body configured to securely engage with the ear of the animal;

wherein the temperature probe is secured to the attachment body.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a housing secured to the attachment body.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a computer disposed within the housing and operably associated with the temperature probe.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a switch secured to the housing and operably associated with computer.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the switch is configured to reset the computer.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification device is a light.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification device is a speaker.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein system further comprises:

a remote computer; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate the temperature data with the remote computer;

wherein the remote computer is configured to determine if the temperature data indicates that animal'"'"'s core temperature exceeds the selected temperature threshold for the selected duration of time.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a database in communication with the remote computer;

wherein the database is configured to store data from the transmitter.

18. A method to determine the wellness of an animal, comprising:

placing a temperature probe associated with an animal wellness notification system within an ear of the animal;

securing the temperature probe to the ear of the animal;

selecting, via a computer associated with the animal wellness notification system, a temperature threshold along with a time duration,

wherein the computer is configured to;

record animal'"'"'s core temperature for the selected duration and time;

determine whether the animal'"'"'s core temperature remains above the temperature threshold for the time duration; and

cause a notification device associated with the animal wellness notification system to provide notice, after the time duration, if temperature data from the temperature probe indicates that the animal'"'"'s a temperature exceeds the selected temperature threshold for the selected time duration.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the notice comprises a p visual notification.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting the temperature data to a computer.