Patent Publication Number: US-2023146762-A1

Title: Electronic training collar and base system

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of pet behavior modification using at least one electronic training collar in combination with at least one base to prevent the pet from entering the area around the base. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant: 
     U.S. Patents 
       
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Patent Number 
                 Kind Code 
                 Issue Date 
                 Patentee 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,664 
                 A 
                 2000 Apr. 11 
                 Lyerly 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,770 
                 B2 
                 2003 Sep. 9 
                 Patterson et al. 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,592 
                 B2 
                 2003 Nov. 25 
                 Maddox et al. 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,310 
                 B1 
                 2012 May 29 
                 Smith 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 9,125,380 
                 B2 
                 2015 Sep. 8 
                 Deutsch 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 9,538,728 
                 B2 
                 2017 Jan. 10 
                 Womble et al. 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 10,058,072 
                 B2 
                 2018 Aug. 28 
                 Jin 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     U.S. Patent Application Publications 
       
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Publication Nr. 
                 Kind Code 
                 Publ. Date 
                 Applicant 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 U.S. 2014/0331942 
                 A1 
                 2014 Nov. 13 
                 Sarazyn 
               
               
                 U.S. 2015/0075446 
                 A1 
                 2015 Mar. 19 
                 Hu 
               
               
                 WO 2006/019488 
                 A1 
                 2006 Feb. 23 
                 Kates 
               
               
                 WO 2011/032055 
                 A3 
                 2011 Mar. 17 
                 Hardi et al. 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Pet owners have many reasons to want their pets to stay out of various areas. Pets could eat another pet&#39;s food which could be medicated. With finicky pets, it might be difficult to know if the pet ate its own food or if another pet ate it instead. Dogs might try to eat a cat&#39;s food, and the owner might not want to feed the cat on a cabinet or table. Pets could be present at the table when people are eating. The prior art has many examples of ways to overcome this problem, but none as optimal as the current invention. 
     Electronic collars are well known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,664 (2000) to Lyerly. U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,310 (2012) to Smith. and U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. 2014/0331942 to Sarazyn all disclose electronic collars but do not include a base or other means to delineate a protected area. U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,310 (2012) to Smith shows a second collar which causes the first collar to activate, so that, for example, a dog could wear the first collar and the cat could wear the second collar and the dog would receive a shock if it came within range of the cat. This patent is limited by the claims to use with cats and dogs. 
     An electronic collar has been paired with a smart phone in Patent Application Publication 2015/0075446 (2015) to Hu. In this invention, the pet is kept within range of the smartphone, but this again would not help with keeping a pet away from a defined area. 
     An electronic device has been disclosed that uses motion detection to keep a pet out of a protected area. U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,770 (2003) to Patterson et al. proposes using sound, heat, vibration, and motion detectors to determine that a pet is in a protected area and then produces a signal such as the owner&#39;s voice, other tones, or bursts of light to scare the pet away. This has the disadvantage that it scares or startles the pet so that it could not eat. This device also does not use a collar and thus there is no way to distinguish which pet is in the protected area. 
     International Publication Number WO 2011/032055 (2011) to Hardi et al., shows a base station and pet tags or electronic collars. Hardi et al., shows a remote controller that delivers audible pet training instructions but does not include any shock or other deterrent measures. This would not solve the problem of one dog eating another dog&#39;s food. 
     Several types of automatic feeder mechanisms have been disclosed in the prior art, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,592 (2003) to Maddox et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,125,380 (2015) to Deutsch, U.S. Pat. No. 9,538,728 (2017) to Womble et al., U.S. Pat. No. 10,058,072 (2018) to Jin, and International Publication Number WO 2006/019488 (2006) to Kates. These may include a collar or not, but all have the limitation that the food would have to be put in a specialized automatic feeder. This would only work for dry food, not canned. All of these automatic feeders have the drawback that the food could become stuck in the mechanism and the pet would not get fed. Also these have the drawback that the pet would have to eat out of a specialized feeder and could not use its own bowl. This could be a drawback in particular for cats who sometimes need a bowl of a particular elevation and angle so that they don&#39;t vomit their food. 
     SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In a first embodiment of an electronic collar and base system the base has a power source, a microprocessor, and a transmitter. The electronic collar has a collar housing which contains a power source, a microprocessor, a receiver, a shock component, an audio alarm component, and a vibrational signal component. 
     In a second embodiment of an electronic collar and base system the base has a power source and a beacon transmitter. The electronic collar has a collar housing which contains a power source, a microprocessor, a beacon scanner, a shock component, an audio alarm component, and a vibrational signal component. 
     A third embodiment of an electronic collar and base system has a base that is shaped like a durable, hand washable mat. 
     A fourth embodiment of an electronic collar and base system has a plurality of collars paired with one base. 
     A fifth embodiment of an electronic collar and base system has one collar paired with a plurality of bases. 
     A sixth embodiment of an electronic collar and base system includes audible tone within the auditory range of the pet or vibration or both when a pet approaches the base and before a shock is administered. 
     Advantages 
     Accordingly several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide a collar which in combination with a base uses a vibration, audio tone, or shock to keep a first pet from entering an area defined by the base and thus from eating a second pet&#39;s food which could be medicated or otherwise unsuitable for the first pet. Some pets could become hypoglycemic if they do not eat their own food and may be finicky, so it is important that an owner be able to put out the food for the day and know that another pet will not eat it. The base could be placed under a table to keep the pet from that defined area. The base could be put in a doorway to prevent pets from accessing a room, for example a baby&#39;s room where a cat might suffocate a baby or a dog might wake a baby. Two systems could be used together to ensure that two pets eat their own food. The base could be attached to a TV tray or trash can that pets might get into. This invention modifies the pet&#39;s behaviors without requiring human involvement and oversight. In the case of a cat and a dog pet, the cat could be fed on the floor without the dog eating the cat&#39;s food, so the owner would not have to feed the cat on a kitchen counter or other high surface where people eat. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic representation of the electrical components of the system of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a top view of an electronic training collar and base system of the present invention. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic representation of the electrical components of the system of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG.  4    is a top view of a third embodiment of an electronic training collar and base system of the present invention in which the base is shaped like a durable, hand washable mat. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of the combination of at least one electronic training collar paired with a single base. 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of the combination one training collar paired with at least one base. 
         FIG.  7    is a top view of a fifth embodiment of an electronic training collar and base system in which the pet receives an audible tone within the auditory range of the pet or vibration as a warning when the pet gets within a particular distance and then a shock if the pet gets within a second particular distance of the base. 
         FIG.  8    shows the use of a combination of two electronic training collar and base systems so that two pets will each eat from their respective mat. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG.  1    shows a collar band housing  110  in which a first microprocessor is operatively connected to a shocking component. The first microprocessor is connected to a first power source which could be a battery or a rechargeable battery. The first power source is also stored in the collar band housing.  FIG.  1    also shows a base  214  which contains a second power source which could be a battery or rechargeable battery and a transmitter. A second microprocessor may also be contained in the base  214 . The second microprocessor is operatively connected to the second power source and a transmitter. The transmitter sends a signal  216  which is received by the receiver in the collar band housing  110 . The first microprocessor then triggers either a shocking component, an audio alarm component or a vibrational signal component. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the electronic training collar  122  and base  214  system features a collar band  111  for securing around the neck of a pet via a first attachment means  113 , for example a buckle, a snap, a clasp, a button, etc. The collar band housing  110  for housing various electrical components is disposed on the collar band  111 . The collar band housing has an inner surface, an outer surface, and an inner cavity. A shocking component is disposed on the inner surface of the housing. An audio alarm component and a vibrational signal component are disposed in the inner cavity of the collar band housing. The base  214  contains means to transmit a signal  216  which triggers an alert  114  which could be an audio signal, vibration, or shock. Shocking components, audio signals, and vibrations are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Transmitter-receiver systems are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The first microprocessor is adapted to receive a first receiver signal from the receiver when the receiver receives the transmitter signal. Upon receipt of the first receiver signal, the microprocessor is configured to send an alert signal to the audio alarm component or the vibrational signal component to send an alert that is audible to the pet or a vibration that is felt by the pet, respectively for a length of time. The first microprocessor is further adapted to receive a second receiver signal from the receiver and to deliver an alert output command to the shocking component at an adjustable level or intensity for an adjustable length of time. 
       FIG.  3    shows a second embodiment of an electronic training collar  122  and base  214  system. A beacon transmitter (e.g., Bluetooth, or Bluetooth low energy) and a second power source are disposed in a base  214 . The second power source is operatively connected to the beacon transmitter (e.g., Bluetooth, or Bluetooth low energy) which emits a signal  216 . The collar housing  110  contains a first power source which could be a battery or a rechargeable battery. The collar housing  110  contains a first microprocessor operatively connected to a shocking component, an audio alarm component, a vibrational signal component, and a beacon scanner (e.g., Bluetooth or Bluetooth low energy). When the beacon scanner receives a signal from the beacon transmitter, the microprocessor then triggers either a shocking component, an audio alarm component or a vibrational signal component. 
       FIG.  4    shows a third embodiment of an electronic training collar  122  and base  214  system wherein the base  214  is shaped like a mat  217  which has a mat first edge, an opposing mat second edge, a mat posterior edge, a mat anterior edge, a mat top surface, and a mat bottom surface wherein the mat bottom surface is designed to interface with a ground surface; a microprocessor operatively connected to a power source and a transmitter, wherein the microprocessor, power source, and transmitter are disposed in the mat. The mat is made of a durable, hand washable material. The transmitter issues a transmission  216  to an electronic training collar. The electronic training collar  122  consists of a collar band  111  for securing around the neck of a pet via a first attachment means  113 , for example a buckle, a snap, a clasp, a button, etc. The collar band housing  110  for housing various electrical components is disposed on the collar band  111 . The collar band housing  110  has an inner surface, an outer surface, and an inner cavity, A shocking component is disposed on the inner surface of the housing. An audio alarm component and a vibrational signal component are disposed in the inner cavity of the collar housing. The base  214  contains means to transmit a signal  216  which triggers an alert  114  which could be an audio signal, vibration, or shock. Food could be placed in a bowl or directly on the mat. The base could also be small and attachable, for example to a table or a tray to keep pets away from the table or tray. 
       FIG.  5    shows a fourth embodiment of an electronic training collar  122  and base  214  system wherein a plurality of electronic training collars worn by pets  1 , pet  2 , and pet  3  is paired with one base  214  which transmits a signal  216 . Pairing is a term well known by those reasonably skilled in the art, 
       FIG.  6    shows a fifth embodiment of an electronic training collar  122  and base  214  system wherein a plurality of bases  214  are paired with one electronic training collar  122  worn by a pet. The bases  214  could be strategically placed so that the pet wearing the electronic training collar  122  is excluded from a more extensive area. 
       FIG.  7    shows a sixth embodiment of an electronic training collar  122  and base  214  system wherein when the pet wearing the electronic training collar  122  enters within a particular first distance  221 , which could be five feet, the electronic training collar  122  issues a warning vibration or audible tone within the auditory range of the pet. If the pet wearing the electronic training collar  122  then enters within a particular second distance  220 , which could be 1 foot, the electronic training collar  122  emits a shock. 
       FIG.  8    shows the use of a combination of two electronic training collar  122  and base  214  systems so that two pets will each eat from their respective bowl or food placed directly on the mat. A pet  1  is deterred from eating from base two  214  and a pet  2  is deterred from eating from base one  214 . Pet  1  is wearing an electronic training collar  122  which is paired with base two  214 . Pet  2  is wearing an electronic training collar  122  which is paired with base one  214 . Base one and electric training collar on pet  2  are color coded to match. Base two and the electric training collar on pet  1  are color coded to match with a different color. 
     Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.