Method for determining the biological age of a companion animal

• US 8,382,687 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mars Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IAMS Company (Mars Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lepine, Allan John, Ditmer, Dennis Richard, Halsey, Lori Lee, Burr, John Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, SEAN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/395,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20100222709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 600/587, 600/592, 600/595, 119/712
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/00 Other apparatus for animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait

Abstract

A method for determining the biological age of the companion animal. A companion animal ambulates from a first region to a second region of a pressure detection unit and the footfall data is utilized in the determination of the biological age of the companion animal.

Claims

1. A method of determining a companion animal'"'"'s biological age, said method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one pressure detection unit having one or more pressure sensors;

ambulating the companion animal from a first region of the pressure detection unit to a second region of the pressure detection unit to collect footfall data;

analyzing the footfall data and converting the footfall data into movement data;

utilizing the movement data in a biological age equation from a representative class of animals, and determining a biological age for the companion animal;

wherein the biological age equation is selected from a group of two or more equations, the equations differing based at least on the chronological age of the companion animal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of comparing the biological age to the chronological age of said companion animal.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of providing a management program recommendation for the companion animal.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of collecting medical history related to the companion animal.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of providing a personalized report to an owner, breeder, or caregiver of said companion animal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said personalized report comprises information selected from the group consisting of biological age of said companion animal, footfall data of said companion animal, movement data of said companion animal and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said movement data is selected from the group consisting of number of pressure sensors activated in a given paw placement, pressure peak, pressure mean, pressure time, step length, stride length, step time, stride time, swing time, stance time, distance, ambulation time, velocity, step count, cadence, step time of all four paws, step length measured individually on each leg, cycle time measured individually on each leg, stride length measured individually for each leg, stride velocity measured individually for each leg, swing percentage of cycle measured individually on each leg, swing time measured individually for each leg, stance percentage of cycle measured individually for each leg, stance time measured individually for each leg, number of pressure sensors measured individually for each leg, mean pressure, center of gravity, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure detection unit is associated with an image collector.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure detection unit is associated with a load cell.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein kinematics sensors have been placed on the companion animal.

11. A method for evaluating a companion animal'"'"'s biological age with respect to a biological age of a representative class of animals, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one pressure detection unit comprising one or more pressure sensors;

ambulating the companion animal from a first region of the pressure detection unit to a second region of the pressure detection unit to collect footfall data;

analyzing the footfall data and converting the footfall data into movement data and utilizing the movement data in a biological age equation from a representative class of animals and determining a biological age for the companion animal; and

comparing the biological age of the companion animal to an average biological age of said representative class of animals;

wherein the biological age equation is selected from a group of two or more equations, the equations differing based at least on the chronological age of the companion animal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said movement data is selected from the group consisting of number of pressure sensors activated in a given paw placement, pressure peak, pressure mean, pressure time, step length, stride length, step time, stride time, swing time, stance time, distance, ambulation time, velocity, step count, cadence, step time of all four paws, step length measured individually on each leg, cycle time measured individually on each leg, stride length measured individually for each leg, stride velocity measured individually on each leg, swing percentage of cycle measured individually on each leg, swing time measured individually for each leg, stance percentage of cycle measured individually for each leg, stance time measured individually for each leg, number of pressure sensors measured individually for each leg, mean pressure, center of gravity, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising a step of providing a personalized report to an owner, a breeder or a caregiver of said companion animal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said personalized report comprises information selected from the group consisting of biological age of said companion animal, footfall data of said companion animal, movement data of said companion animal and combinations thereof.

15. A database comprising a biological age of at least one companion animal, said biological age determined by a method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one pressure detection unit comprising one or more pressure sensors;

ambulating the companion animal from a first region of the pressure detection unit to a second region of the pressure detection unit to collect footfall data;

analyzing the footfall data and converting the footfall data into movement data and utilizing the movement data in a biological age equation from a representative class of animals and determining a biological age for the companion animal, wherein the biological age equation is selected from a group of two or more equations, the equations differing based on the chronological age of the companion animal; and

storing the biological age in the database.

16. The database of claim 15 wherein said database comprises biological age data of a representative class of animals.

17. The database of claim 15 wherein said movement data is selected from the group consisting of number of pressure sensors activated in a given paw placement, pressure peak, pressure mean, pressure time, step length, stride length, step time, stride time, swing time, stance time, distance, ambulation time, velocity, step count, cadence, step time of all four paws, step length measured individually on each leg, cycle time measured individually on each leg, stride length measured individually for each leg, stride velocity measured individually for each leg, swing percentage of cycle measured individually on each leg, swing time measured individually for each leg, stance percentage of cycle measured individually for each leg, stance time measured individually for each leg, number of pressure sensors measured individually for each leg, mean pressure, center of gravity, and combinations thereof.

18. The database of claim 15 wherein said database further comprises information selected from the group consisting of conformation data, medical history, footfall data, movement data, biological age determinations made at different times, biological age equations, management programs and combinations thereof.

19. The database of claim 15 wherein said database is associated with a publicly accessible medium.