Pet trainer and exercise apparatus

• US 20120024237A1
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dillon Rice
• Original Assignee: Dillon Rice
• Inventors: Rice, Dillon
• Granted Patent: US 10,582,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/703
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/027 Exercising equipment, e.g. tread mills, carousels equipment for racing or riding sports events A63K

Abstract

The invention is a device for exercising a pet. One embodiment of the invention is a combination of a treadmill and control configured to motivate a pet to use the treadmill responsive to motivation provided to the pet in the form of visual, audio, aromatic, and/or food rewards. Another embodiment of the invention is a device having a motivation control system configured to be secured to and/or adjacent to a separate treadmill, with the device controlling operation of the treadmill and the motivational control system providing appropriate motivation to the pet to use the treadmill.

Claims

1. A method for exercising a pet animal having an eye level, comprising:

providing a treadmill device comprising a support frame, one or more rollers, a driving motor, and a treadmill belt, wherein the treadmill belt passes over the one or more rollers and defines a treadmill upper surface, treadmill lower surface, treadmill belt front end, and treadmill belt back end, wherein the driving motor drives rotational movement of the treadmill belt over the one or more rollers;

providing a motivational control system communicatively linked to the treadmill, wherein the motivational control system comprises a control component and a motivational component, wherein the control component provides operational control signals to the treadmill and motivational control signals to the motivational component, the control component comprising a microprocessor and a memory, wherein the motivational component is configured, responsive to motivational control signals from the control component, to provide one or more exercise motivational signals to a pet animal which is standing on or adjacent the treadmill upper surface;

without the physical presence of a human supervisor at the treadmill device, providing a startup signal from the control component to the treadmill to activate the driving motor and thereby cause the treadmill belt to rotate so that the treadmill upper surface moves in a direction from the front end to the back end of the treadmill belt;

with the treadmill surface moving in a forward direction and without the physical presence of a human supervisor at the treadmill device, activating the motivational component to provide one or more of the exercise motivational signals to encourage the dog to walk in a forward direction on the treadmill upper surface, wherein activating the motivational component comprises providing a motivational component activation signal from the control component to cause the motivation component to provide the one or more exercise motivation signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the motivational component comprises a speaker, and the one or more exercise motivational signals comprise the sound of a voice of an owner of the pet animal, and activating the motivational component to provide one or more of the exercise motivational signals comprises transmitting the sound of the voice of the owner via the speaker.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the motivational component comprises a video display, and activating the motivational component to provide one or more of the exercise motivational signals comprises providing a moving video of a prey animal on the video display.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a monitoring component, wherein the monitoring component is configured to monitor the pet animal'"'"'s position on the treadmill surface;

without the physical presence of a human supervisor at the treadmill device, monitoring the pet animal'"'"'s position on the upper treadmill surface via the monitoring component to detect whether the pet animal is in a proper exercise position; and

upon detecting that the pet animal is not in a proper exercise position, and without the physical presence of a human supervisor at the treadmill device, automatically ceasing rotation of the treadmill belt.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a monitoring component, wherein the monitoring component comprises a camera taking one or more images a space immediately above the upper treadmill surface;

monitoring the pet animal'"'"'s position on the upper treadmill surface with the monitoring component, comprising taking one or more images of the pet animal via the camera;

providing a remote monitoring device comprising a display configured to present received images to a human user;

providing a communication link between the monitoring component and the remote monitoring device;

without the physical presence of a human supervisor at the treadmill device, transmitting the one or more images of the pet animal to the remote monitoring device via a real-time communication link, whereby a human user of the remote monitoring device can view the images of the pet animal in real-time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the motivational component comprises a speaker, the method further comprising:

providing a remote device comprising a microphone configured to receive sounds made by a human user and a transmitter configured to transmit signals corresponding to the sounds made by the human user;

providing a communication link between the monitoring component and the remote device;

without the physical presence of a human supervisor at the treadmill device, providing sounds from the human user to the microphone, transmitting signals corresponding to the sounds made by the human user from the remote device to the motivation component, and recreating the sounds provided by the human user to the pet animal via the speaker of the motivational component.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the motivational component is configured to provide a calling signal to encourage the pet animal to come to the treadmill and to step onto the treadmill surface, the method further comprising:

without the physical presence of a human supervisor at the treadmill device, activating the motivational component to provide the calling signal to encourage the pet animal to come to the treadmill and to step onto the treadmill surface, wherein providing the calling signal is performed prior to activating the motivational component to provide the one or more exercise motivational signals.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the treadmill device is a specific model of treadmill and comprises a built-in control system, and the control component provides the operational signals to the treadmill built-in control system, and wherein the control component and motivation component are part of motivational control system computer having a memory and internal processor and display, wherein providing the motivational control system comprises providing to the motivational control system memory a control software which is specific to the specific model of treadmill, and further comprises hanging the motivation control system computer from a structure at the front of the treadmill device with the display facing back over the treadmill belt and with the display at the eye level of the pet animal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the treadmill device is a specific model of treadmill and comprises a built-in control system, and the control component provides the operational signals to the treadmill built-in control system, and wherein the control component and motivation component are part of motivational control system computer having a memory and internal processor and speaker, wherein providing the motivational control system comprises providing to the motivational control system memory a control software which is specific to the specific model of treadmill, and further comprises positioning the motivation control system computer on a structure at the front of the treadmill device.

10. A device for exercising an animal, substantially as disclosed herein.

11. A system for exercising an animal, substantially as disclosed herein.