Abstract:
An animal identification and security system and method assigns an identifying code uniquely associated with each system member and each animal owned by the member. An identification code imprinted on a marker attached to the animal includes information uniquely identifying the animal&#39;s owner including a two letter abbreviation of the state of residence, a numerical identifier of the county of residence, and an assigned number designating the owner&#39;s ranch/farm within the indicated county. The identification code further includes a letter designation of the type of animal and the individual animal&#39;s number within the owner&#39;s herd/flock, as well as a two letter designation of the animal&#39;s country of origin. The identifying codes are maintained in a computerized system at a central location for dissemination on a global information network for facilitating the return of lost or stolen animals to the rightful owner and to indicate the origin of all registered animals.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to identification of and security for animals such as used in commercial businesses and is particularly directed to a system and method for assigning and recording an individual owner-animal identifying code for each system member as well as for each animal owned by each member. Each animal is permanently marked with this code which also identifies the type of animal and the country of origin of the animal. All of the owner-animal codes are stored in a computerized system connected to a global information network for worldwide dissemination of this information to facilitate the return of lost/stolen animals to their rightful owner and the tracking of individual animals for public health and safety reasons.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A need exists for identifying and tracking domesticated animals such as used in commercial businesses such as those involving dairy and beef cattle, sheep, hogs, horses, goats, llamas, birds, etc. Marking personal property such as tools and machines essential to the operation of a business is common. However, there is currently no available system for identifying which animals belong to a particular owner and the location of that owner. This information would be helpful in the recovery of lost or stolen animals to return the missing animals to their rightful owner, as well as for identifying the owner or source of animals having a dangerous disease which may threaten humans or other animals. The need for this type of system as a high priority became clear with the recent “mad cow” disease threat in the beef industry. Information as to the source and history of a diseased animal could be vitally important in locating and identifying the origin of a dangerous and possibly economically devastating animal disease, as well as for limiting exposure of humans and other animals which might be potentially affected by the disease. This important information is currently not available to any government or regulatory body for use in preventing or combating a dangerous animal epidemic. In addition, a centralized animal identification and security system would facilitate the return of lost/stolen animals to their rightful owner as well as the transfer of ownership of animals by using a single database which is easily updated and universally accessible to provide realtime animal ownership information.  
         [0003]     The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing an animal identification and security system and method which assigns an identifying code uniquely associated with each animal owner member as well as each individual animal owned by the member. This identification and security system and method is particularly adapted for use with commercial animals used in the conduct of a business such as cattle, hogs, sheep, horses, etc. The animal identification and security system provides for the centralized recording and storage of ownership information relating to animals as well as to the permanent marking of ownership indicia on each animal. Ownership indicia includes information relating to the state and county of residence or location of the animal owner and the owner&#39;s ranch or farm, as well as the particular type of animal, the specific animal in each owner&#39;s herd/flock, and the country of origin of each animal.  
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for marking animals in a manner which uniquely identifies the animal&#39;s owner and location.  
         [0005]     It is another object of the present invention to mark animals such as used in commercial businesses in a manner which uniquely identifies the animal&#39;s owner using a marking code which identifies the state and county of residence or location of the owner, as well as the owner&#39;s ranch or farm within the designated county.  
         [0006]     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an animal marking code uniquely identifying the animal&#39;s owner as well as the owner&#39;s state and county of residence or location and the type of animal, which indicia is recorded and stored in a central location and is available on a global information network.  
         [0007]     A still further object of the present invention is to provide an international registration and recording system for commercial-type animals which uniquely identifies the owner and location of the animal as well as the type of animal and its country of origin and makes this information available on a global information network.  
         [0008]     The present invention contemplates a system and method for identifying an animal and the owner of the animal. The system makes use of first coded indicia comprising a first portion identifying a state of residence or location of the owner; a second portion identifying a county of residence or location of the owner; and a third portion uniquely identifying a farm or ranch on which the owner resides or is located within the owner&#39;s county. The system further employs second coded indicia uniquely identifying the animal, which comprises a fourth portion identifying the type of animal; a fifth portion identifying the individual animal within the owner&#39;s herd or flock by number; and a sixth portion identifying the country of origin of the animal. The invention also includes a marker, or tag, containing the first and second coded indicia permanently attached to the animal; a memory storing the first and second coded indicia in a central location for future reference; and a global information network coupled to the memory for making the first and second coded indicia available on a worldwide basis. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The appended claims set forth those novel features which characterize the invention. However, the invention itself, as well as further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference characters identify like elements throughout the various figures, in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram of an animal identification and security system in accordance with the principles of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a simplified flow chart illustrating the sequence of steps involved in carrying out the animal identification and security system and method of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of a marker, or tag, containing indicia uniquely identifying an animal and the animal&#39;s owner which is adapted for permanent attachment to or implantation in an animal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is an end-on view of the animal marker shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates two different markers containing animal and animal owner indicia attached to a cow in accordance with different embodiments of the present invention; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  illustrates another embodiment of a marker containing animal and animal owner indicia implanted in a cow in accordance with the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a simplified block diagram of an animal identification and security system  10  in accordance with the principles of the present invention.  
         [0017]     The animal identification and security system  10  makes use of first coded indicia  12  identifying the owner of an animal to be registered in the system. The format and content of this first coded indicia  12  is described in detail below. The first coded indicia  12  associated with a respective animal owner is affixed to a tag or marker  16  for permanent attachment to the animal. Marker  16  may take on various forms, with a preferred embodiment for the marker described in detail below. The animal identification and security system  10  also makes use of second coded indicia  14  which uniquely identifies each animal. The second coded indicia  14  is also clearly and permanently affixed to the marker  16  for attachment to the animal.  
         [0018]     The first coded indicia  12  and second coded indicia  14  are also input to a data processing system  18 . Date processing system  18  includes, among other things, a memory  20  for storing the first and second coded indicia  12 ,  14  for the animals of each registered animal owner. Data processing system  18  may be conventional in design and operation and is preferably disposed at its central location. Memory  20  in which animal owner identification as well as coded indicia associated with each individual animal is stored is also of conventional design and operation. Memory  20  could typically be in the form of a random access memory (RAM) which allows for the entry and update of animal ownership data stored in the memory. Data processing system  18  is connected to a global information network  22 , such as the Internet, to allow for universal accessing of the animal ownership and identification information in the form of the first and second coded indicia  12 ,  14  stored in the data processing system&#39;s memory  20 . This permits individuals as well as various organizations, such as regulatory agencies and healthcare organizations, around the world to check the animal owner and animal identification coded indicia stored in the data processing system&#39;s memory  20  to determine or verify ownership of a given animal as well as to determine the history of an animal. By storing this information and making it available on a universal basis, animal ownership determination and animal identification can be accomplished faster, more easily and more reliably than heretofore available.  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a simplified flow chart illustrating the series of steps involved in carrying out an animal identification and security system method in accordance with the principles of the present invention. At step  30 , a request is received from a new client, or member, to mark an animal with coded indicia uniquely identifying the client as the owner of the animal. The first coded indicia  12  is comprised of a combination of alphanumeric characters identifying the state and county of residence or location of the owner. For example, the first two characters of the first coded indicia  12  are comprised of a two letter abbreviation of the state in which the owner resides or is located. More specifically, the first two characters of the first coded indicia  12  for an Indiana resident are “IN”, while the first two characters for an Illinois resident are “IL”. The next two characters in the first coded indicia  12  are in the form of a number representing the county of residence or location of the owner within a given state. All states make use of a numerical system for designating each county within that state. An example of a numerical listing employed by the state of Indiana for counties in that state is shown in Table I. For example, the first four characters in the first coded indicia  12  for a resident of Porter County in Indiana would be “IN64”. Finally, a last set of characters in the first coded indicia  12  identifies the ranch or farm of the owner within the designated state and county. A “slash” separates the county designation number and the ranch or farm designation number. As each new owner is registered, a number is assigned to that owner&#39;s ranch or farm. Thus, a complete first coded indicia for a new owner residing in Porter County, Ind. might be represented as “IN64/201”, where the number 201 indicates that the client resides or is located on ranch or farm number 201 within Porter County, Ind.  
                   TABLE I                           1.   Adams       2.   Allen       3.   Bartholomew       4.   Benton       5.   Blackford       6.   Boone       7.   Brown       8.   Carroll       9.   Cass       10.   Clark       11.   Clay       12.   Clinton       13.   Crawford       14.   Daviess       15.   Dearborn       16.   Decatur       17.   Dekalb       18.   Delaware       19.   Dubois       20.   Elkhart       21.   Fayette       22.   Floyd       23.   Fountain       24.   Franklin       25.   Fulton       26.   Gibson       27.   Grant       28.   Greene       29.   Hamilton       30.   Hancock       31.   Harrison       32.   Hendricks       33.   Henry       34.   Howard       35.   Huntington       36.   Jackson       37.   Jasper       38.   Jay       39.   Jefferson       40.   Jennings       41.   Johnson       42.   Knox       43.   Kosciusko       44.   LaGrange       45.   Lake       46.   Laporte       47.   Lawrence       48.   Madison       49.   Marion       50.   Marshall       51.   Martin       52.   Miami       53.   Monroe       54.   Montgomery       55.   Morgan       56.   Newton       57.   Noble       58.   Ohio       59.   Orange       60.   Owen       61.   Parke       62.   Perry       63.   Pike       64.   Porter       65.   Posey       66.   Pulaski       67.   Putnam       68.   Randolph       69.   Ripley       70.   Rush       71.   St. Joseph       72.   Scott       73.   Shelby       74.   Spencer       75.   Starke       76.   Steuben       77.   Sullivan       78.   Switzerland       79.   Tippecanoe       80.   Tipton       81.   Union       82.   Vanderburgh       83.   Vermillion       84.   Vigo       85.   Wabash       86.   Warren       87.   Warrick       88.   Washington       89.   Wayne       90.   Wells       91.   White       92.   Whitely                  
 
         [0020]     The second coded indicia  14  is also comprised of a combination of alphanumeric characters, with these latter alphanumeric characters identifying the type, or species, of the animal, the specific number of the animal within the owner&#39;s herd or flock, and the country of origin of the animal. Thus, the second coded indicia  14  may take the form of “BD175CA”, where “BD” designates a bovine dairy animal, or cow, “175” designates the 175th animal in the owner&#39;s herd or flock, and “CA” designates Canada as the country of origin of the animal. Table II is a partial alphabetic listing of letters representing various types of animals contemplated for use in the animal identification and security system of the present invention. Similarly, Table III is a partial listing of country codes which could be used for identifying the country of origin of the animal. While the present invention is disclosed primarily for use with animals used in commercial businesses such as in agriculture, the inventive animal identification and security system may be used in identifying and tracking virtually any type of animal owned by man.  
                   TABLE II                       LETTER           DESIGNATION   ANIMAL                   A   Alpacas       BB   Bovine Beef (Cattle)       BD   Bovine Dairy (Cows)       C       D   Donkeys       E   Equine       F       G   Geese       H   Hogs       I       J       K       L   Llamas       M       N       O   Ostriches       P   Poultry       Q       R   Rabbits       S   Sheep       T   Turkeys       U       V   Vicunas       W       X       Y   Yaks       Z   Zebras                  
 
         [0021]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 TABLE III 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 COUNTRY 
                 ABBREVIATION 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Australia 
                 AU 
               
               
                   
                 Austria 
                 AT 
               
               
                   
                 Belgium 
                 BE 
               
               
                   
                 Brazil 
                 BR 
               
               
                   
                 Canada 
                 CA 
               
               
                   
                 China 
                 CN 
               
               
                   
                 Colombia 
                 CO 
               
               
                   
                 Costa Rica 
                 CR 
               
               
                   
                 Czech Republic 
                 CZ 
               
               
                   
                 Denmark 
                 DK 
               
               
                   
                 Finland 
                 FI 
               
               
                   
                 France 
                 FR 
               
               
                   
                 Germany 
                 DE 
               
               
                   
                 Granada 
                 GD 
               
               
                   
                 Greece 
                 GR 
               
               
                   
                 Hungary 
                 HU 
               
               
                   
                 Indonesia 
                 ID 
               
               
                   
                 Ireland 
                 IE 
               
               
                   
                 Israel 
                 IL 
               
               
                   
                 Japan 
                 JP 
               
               
                   
                 Korea, Republic of 
                 KR 
               
               
                   
                 Mexico 
                 MX 
               
               
                   
                 Netherlands 
                 NL 
               
               
                   
                 New Zealand 
                 NZ 
               
               
                   
                 Russian Federation 
                 RU 
               
               
                   
                 South Africa 
                 ZA 
               
               
                   
                 Spain 
                 ES 
               
               
                   
                 Sweden 
                 SE 
               
               
                   
                 Switzerland 
                 CH 
               
               
                   
                 Turkey 
                 TR 
               
               
                   
                 Ukraine 
                 UA 
               
               
                   
                 United Kingdom 
                 GB 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a simplified flowchart illustrating the series of steps involved in carrying out an animal identification and security system and method in accordance with the principles of the present invention. At step  30 , a request is received from a new client, or animal owner, to mark an animal for uniquely identifying the animal&#39;s owner, the residence or location of the animal&#39;s owner, the type and identity of the specific animal being marked, and the origin of the animal. The request received in step  30  may also come from an animal owner already registered in the system who would like to register additional animals in the system.  
         [0023]     After a request is received from a new or existing client at step  30 , the next step  32  involves a client signing a statement to the effect that the animal, or animals, to be registered and marked is the property of the client. This statement would preferably be in the form of an affidavit made under oath before a notary public or other person of authority. The next step  34  in the inventive process is to determine the client&#39;s state and county of residence or location and the client&#39;s ranch/farm identifying number. The client&#39;s state and county of residence or location is assigned an alphanumeric code as described above, while the client&#39;s ranch/farm may be assigned a numerical identifier in accordance with the order in which the client registers in the animal identification and security system. After the client&#39;s state and county of residence or location is determined as well as the client&#39;s ranch/farm identifier at step  34  the type, number in the owner&#39;s herd/flock, and country of origin of the animal to be marked is determined at step  36 . The client indicia (first coded indicia) and the animal indicia (second coded indicia) are then stored in memory in a paired relationship for uniquely identifying the owner as well as the animal being marked at step  38 . At step  40 , the client indicia and animal indicia are permanently applied to the marker to be attached to the animal. The marker is then attached to the animal at step  42  as described below and the client indicia and animal indicia assigned to that specific animal are made available on a global information network for worldwide dissemination.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a side elevation view of one embodiment of a marker, or tag,  50  for use in the animal identification and security system of the present invention. An end-on view of the marker  50  is shown in  FIG. 4 . Marker  50  is preferably comprised of a high strength, lightweight material such as plastic and is on the order of ⅝″ long and ¼″ wide at its maximum width. Marker  50  is preferably white and unitary in structure and includes a semi-spherical end member  52  having a semi-spherical distal end  52   a , a rectangular member  56  disposed on a second, opposed end, and a cylindrical shaft  54  connecting the cylindrical end and the rectangular end. In a preferred embodiment, the semi-spherical end member  52  is ¼″ in length and ¼″ in diameter; the cylindrical shaft  54  is ⅛″ in diameter and ¼″ long; and the rectangular member  56  is ¼″ on each lateral side and ⅛″ thick. Disposed on each of the four (4) lateral faces of the rectangular member  52  is a first indicia line  58  and a second indicia line  60 . As previously described, the first indicia line contains information uniquely identifying the animal&#39;s owner, while the second indicia line  60  contains information uniquely identifying the animal to which the marker  50  is attached. The first and second indicia lines  58  and  60  are permanently placed on the marker  50  by conventional means, such as by molding into the rectangular member  52 , but may be changed if ownership of the animal changes. This indicia could be changed by imprinting or affixing new indicia on the marker  50  by any of various well known processes or techniques. A camera  71  is shown in  FIG. 5  for photographing the indicia on a marker attached to each animal while the animals are eating or drinking water for making a permanent record of the owner&#39;s animals. Over time, the cartilaginous material in the cow&#39;s muzzle  68  will overgrow and cover the marker&#39;s semi-spherical end member  52  and will be in tight fitting engagement with the marker&#39;s cylindrical shaft  54  for permanent attachment of the marker  50  to the animal.  
         [0025]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown the manner in which a marker  70  in accordance with the present invention is permanently attached to an animal such as a cow  62 . The marker  70  shown in  FIG. 4  is of the same configuration and size as the marker shown in  FIG. 3  and described in detail above. The semi-spherical end of marker  70  is inserted in the muzzle, or snout,  68  of the cow  62  intermediate its nostrils as shown in  FIG. 4 . Marker  70  is preferably attached to the cow when the cow is a young calf, which allows the cartilaginous material of the cow&#39;s muzzle to grow around the spherical end and cylindrical shaft portions of the marker  70  to permanently embed the marker in the cow. The size of the marker&#39;s rectangular end is such as to allow the owner and animal indicia disposed thereon to be easily read, with the marker not interfering with the eating, drinking or breathing of the cow. This location of the marker  70  on the cow&#39;s muzzle facilitates reading of the indicia on the marker&#39;s flat plate end when the cow is eating or drinking water. Marker  70  is inserted in an opening made in the cow&#39;s muzzle  68  by a sharp cutting instrument perhaps after administering a local anesthetic to the animal. The cutting instrument may preferably form an “X” shaped incision in the muzzle to facilitate insertion of semi-spherical end member  52  of the marker.  
         [0026]     Also shown in  FIG. 5  is another embodiment of a marker  66  for permanently affixing animal and animal owner information to an animal in accordance with the present invention. Marker  66  is also comprised of a high strength, rigid or semi-rigid material such as plastic and is permanently affixed to the cow&#39;s right ear  64  by conventional means such as staples or wire (not shown for simplicity). The location of marker  66  on cow  62  also facilitates reading of the animal and animal owner indicia on the marker when the cow is eating or drinking water.  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , there is shown another embodiment of a marker  76  (shown in dotted line form) for use with a cow  72 . Marker  76  is implanted in the cow&#39;s muzzle  74  by means of an incision in the muzzle, which may be closed by conventional means such as stitches or staples. Marker  76  is thus permanently installed in the cow  72 . Marker  76  preferably includes an integrated circuit (IC) chip which is responsive to an RF inquiry signal from an animal identifier apparatus  78  which includes a transmitter for directing an RF inquiry signal to the marker  76  and a receiver for receiving a response emitted by the marker. The response provided to the animal identifier apparatus  78  includes the aforementioned animal and animal owner identifier information. By merely scanning the marker  76  with the animal identifier apparatus  78 , the animal and the animal owner may be uniquely identified. The animal identifier apparatus  78  may be handheld, or may be mounted to a structure disposed adjacent to where the animals are located or adjacent to a path along which the animals travel. The IC chip marker  76  is preferably re-programmable after being implanted in an animal to accommodate for changes in animal ownership and identification of a new owner.  
         [0028]     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the relevant arts that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.