Abstract:
An animal behavior modification system including a collar, a receiver device and a transponder. The receiver device is attached to the collar, the receiver device having a receiver circuit and a stimulation circuit. The transponder is in communication with the receiver device. The transponder is positioned proximate to the receiver device. The transponder includes a signal transmitter; and an antenna intermittently electrically connectable to the signal transmitter. The signal transmitter wirelessly communicating to the receiver circuit of the receiver device.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/254,155, entitled “CLIP-ON TRANSLATOR FOR AN ANIMAL CORRECTION COLLAR”, filed Oct. 19, 2005; which is a non-provisional application based upon U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/620,469, entitled “CLIP-ON TRANSLATOR FOR AN ANIMAL CORRECTION COLLAR”, filed Oct. 20, 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a correction collar system, and, more particularly, to a device to expand the functionality of an animal correction collar.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Stimulation devices are used for the modification of the behavior of an animal. The stimulation device is often associated with a collar worn by the animal and is provided to improve the behavior of the animal. Some stimulation devices include twin electrodes that are positioned against the skin of an animal, which deliver an electrical stimulus to modify the behavior of the animal. The stimulus can also be in the form of a vibration, an audible noise or other sensory stimulation to gain the attention of the animal.  
         [0006]     Stimulation devices have been developed for specific functions. For example, some stimulation collars respond to a boundary transmission system, which provides a stimulus to the animal as the animal approaches the boundary. This type of device is also understood to be a containment type system. In a containment type system the boundary is defined by a buried radio frequency transmitting wire that can be placed along a boundary of a property. A confinement system may produce an audible tone to warn the animal that it is approaching the boundary and that if the animal continues toward the boundary further stimulus is applied to the animal. In a similar fashion a transmitter may be positioned proximate to an area, such as a flower garden, with the system transmitting to the receiver worn by the animal, which again provides a warning and then a stimulus as the animal approaches the flower garden. This type of system is known as an avoidance system.  
         [0007]     What is needed in the art is a system that can expand the functionality of a containment and/or avoidance type system.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention provides a transponder that expands the functionality of a containment and/or avoidance type of animal modification system.  
         [0009]     The invention comprises, in one form thereof, an animal behavior modification system including a collar, a receiver device and a transponder. The receiver device is attached to the collar, the receiver device having a receiver circuit and a stimulation circuit. The transponder is in communication with the receiver device. The transponder is positioned proximate to the receiver device. The transponder includes a signal transmitter; and an antenna intermittently electrically connectable to the signal transmitter. The signal transmitter wirelessly communicating to the receiver circuit of the receiver device.  
         [0010]     An advantage of the present invention is that the functionality of a containment or avoidance collar system can be expanded to have additional functionality.  
         [0011]     Another advantage of the present invention is that it expands functionality without requiring the purchase of a new collar system.  
         [0012]     Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the transponder can be removed from the collar, thereby allowing the transponder to be installed on another collar worn by another animal.  
         [0013]     Still yet another advantage of the present invention is that the transponder translates a command from a newer transmitter into a command understood by an older receiver. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of an animal collar system including a transponder utilized in the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a schematicized illustration of the elements of the animal control system, including those depicted in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a functional schematic of the transponder of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  depicts a method utilized by the transponder of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
     
    
       [0019]     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplification set out herein illustrates one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown an animal behavior modification system  10  including an animal stimulation system  12 , a transponder  14  and a transceiver  16 . Animal stimulation system  12  includes a collar  18  and a receiver device  20 .  
         [0021]     Receiver device  20  includes electrodes  22 , an antenna  24 , a receiver/transmitter  26 , a control  28 , a high voltage circuit  30  and a housing  32 . Receiver device  20  provides a stimulation to an animal wearing animal stimulation system  12  in the event the animal approaches a boundary transmitter. An initial stimulation may be in the form of an audio signal, thereby warning the animal that it is approaching a boundary. If the animal persists in approaching the boundary a further stimulation may be provided by way of electrodes  22  to the skin of the animal. Antenna  24  receives a signal indicating that the boundary condition is approaching. Receiver/transmitter  26 , which may just be a receiver circuit  26  receives a signal and provides information to control  28  for the determination if high voltage circuit  30  should be activated. High voltage circuit  30  is connected to electrodes  22  to provide an electrical stimulation to the animal. Receiver circuit  26  may additionally have a transmitting function, which would transmit information from animal stimulation system  12  to another receiver.  
         [0022]     Transceiver  16  includes a housing  34 , an antenna  36  and a receiver/transmitter  38 . Transceiver  16  may be considered to be a handheld device that sends commands to an animal training device. For clarity in the understanding of the present invention it will be assumed that transceiver  16  transmits a signal that is not of the type of signal, which animal stimulation system  12  would process or respond to. A signal from transceiver  16  is interpreted by transponder  14 , which then rebroadcasts an appropriate signal to receiver device  20 .  
         [0023]     Now, additionally referring to  FIG. 3 , there are shown further details of transponder  14 , which includes a housing  40 , an antenna  42 , a receiver  44 , a transmitter  46  and a processor  48 . A command transmitted from transceiver  16 , which may be in the format of an advanced command, is received by receiver  44  by way of antenna  42 . Information of the command from transceiver  16  is then processed by processor  48 . Processor  48  is programmed to alter the command issued by transceiver  16  into a command, to which receiver device  20  can adequately respond. For example, transceiver  16  may be activated by a user to warn the animal to stop. This command is received by transponder  14  and is reinterpreted to transmit a signal to receiver device  20  to cause receiver device  20  to issue an audible tone. Processor  48  provides information to transmitter  46  that it then broadcasts as a signal on antenna  42 , which is then received by receiver circuit  26  by way of antenna  24 . In a like manner transceiver  16  may issue a command to apply electrical stimulation to the animal, which is received by transponder  14  and passed onto receiver device  20  and high voltage circuit  30  is activated causing a stimulation to the animal by way of electrodes  22 . This advantageously allows a confinement type collar to be utilized by a training transceiver  16 , by way of transponder  14  associated with receiver device  20 . Transponder  14  may be attached to collar  18  or to receiver device  20  itself.  
         [0024]     Transmit/receive control line  50  controls a switch  58  that switches transponder  14  from a receive mode to a transmit mode. This advantageously allows the utilization of a single antenna  42  in transponder  14 . Processor  48  keeps switch  58  in a default mode of receive. Upon the need for processor  48  to transmit a signal, transmit/receive control line  50  is activated causing switch  58  to switch from receiver  52  to transmitter lines  54  and  56 . In the receive mode antenna  42  is connected to receiver amplifier  52 , which provides a signal to processor  48  that it receives from either transceiver  16  or animal stimulation system  12 . Processor  48  determines that a proper command has been received by way of receiver  52  the information received is processed and retransmitted by switching switch  58  to transmit lines  54  and  56 . Transmit lines  54  and  56  can be understood to represent two transmitters. Normally only one transmitter is activated by keeping either transmitter A line  54  or transmitter B line  56  in a high impedance mode. This allows processor  48  to transmit either to transceiver  16  or to animal stimulation system  12  with different formats of information, signal composition and power levels. For example, transmitting to receiver device  20 , which for purposes of clarity will be understood to relate to transmit A line  54 , can be done at a low power level due to the proximity of transponder  14  to receiver device  20 . Conversely transmitting information to transceiver  16  occurs by way of transmit B line  56 , which is done at a higher power level, since transceiver  16  may be at some distance from transponder  14 .  
         [0025]     Now, additionally referring to  FIG. 4  there is shown a method  100  utilized by transponder  14  to determine which transmitter to utilize in sending out a signal. Transponder  14  receives a signal at step  102 , which may be from either transceiver  16  or receiver device  20 . The signal is validated, at step  104 , by comparing the signal to expected signals received from a transceiver  16  or receiver device  20 . The information from the signal is processed, at step  106 , to produce the information that can be sent on to either transceiver  16  or receiver device  20 . Information received in the method can be identical to the information that is sent by way of the method. Once the information is prepared for transmitting, antenna  42  is switched, at step  108 , to transmit lines  54  and  56  by way of the activation of transmit/receive control line  50  causing switch  58  to switch antenna  42  to lines  54  and  56 . At step  110 , processor  48  has determined whether the received signal was from A, which is understood to be receiver device  20  or B, which is understood to be from transceiver  16 . If the signal originated at A the information is then transmitted to B at step  112 . Conversely if the information was received from B then the information is transmitted to A at step  114 . Once the information has been transmitted control line  50  causes switch  58  to revert to the default receive mode at step  116 . Method  100  then repeats by returning to step  102 .  
         [0026]     Advantageously the transponder of the present invention interprets the origin of the signal and transmits the information received thereby to another receiver. This can be understood to include processing signals with different carrier frequencies or formats. For example, a digitally encoded signal may be transmitted on a first carrier frequency from transceiver  16  and transponder  14  then transmits an analog signal by way of a second carrier frequency to receiver device  20 . Information can be relayed in both directions if receiver device  20  has a transmitter to transmit information to transponder  14 . Even if receiver device  20  does not have a transmitter, information relative to the functioning of transponder  14  can be transmitted to transceiver  16 .  
         [0027]     It is to be understood that power is provided to transponder  14  by an internal power source, which is not shown. Further, transponder  14  is connected to collar  18  by any of various methods.  
         [0028]     Further advantages of the present invention include the ability to expand the functionality of a containment or avoidance collar system, thereby making it available for us with an advanced training transmitter. The transmission range of the transponder can be relatively short perhaps just a few inches to about one foot. The antenna is multiplexed to reduce space and cost in transponder  14 .  
         [0029]     While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.