Patent Publication Number: US-2007107669-A1

Title: Leash charging system and method for same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention concerns charging systems and more particularly, charging systems for pet accessories.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In recent years, pet owners have increased their spending on animal-related products. As an example, some pet owners have purchased pet collars that perform various functions. In particular, some collars include radio frequency (RF) circuitry, which can allow the pet wearing the collar to be tracked. Also, certain signals may be transmitted to these collars, and when they are received, the collars can signal the animal wearing the collar to perform some act. For example, a sheep dog may be signaled to herd a flock of sheep or a cow may be signaled to inform it that food is now available. In addition, some collars include circuitry for applying a small electric shock to the animal to prevent it from moving outside a virtual boundary or fence. A number of collars also have lights that illuminate under certain circumstances.  
      Many of these collars use disposable batteries as a power supply. These batteries, however, drain rather quickly and must be replaced, which can lead to greater expenses for the animal owner. Some collars may contain rechargeable batteries that can be recharged through a charger. Unfortunately, the collar must be removed from the animal to enable the batteries to be recharged.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention concerns a leash charging system. The leash can include a collar that can include a rechargeable power supply and an interface and a leash that also can include a rechargeable power supply and an interface that can detachably engage the interface of the collar. When the leash engages the collar, the rechargeable power supply of the leash can charge the rechargeable power supply of the collar. As an example, the collar can be substantially circular in shape to enable the collar to be worn by an animal. As another example, the leash can further include a handle on an end opposite that of an end containing the interface.  
      In one arrangement, the collar can further include a visual indication component to indicate a charge status of the rechargeable power supply of the collar. As an example, the visual indication component can be a display or one or more light emitting diodes. In another arrangement, the collar may also include a supplemental charging unit. For example, the supplemental charging unit can be an interface that receives a receptacle-based charger, one or more solar cells or a motion conversion element. As another example, the rechargeable power supplies of the collar and the leash may be lithium-ion batteries. Further, the collar and the leash can both further include waterproof casings that house the interfaces and rechargeable power supplies of the collar and the leash.  
      The system may also include a pet comfort element having an electric coil. The interface of the collar can further include a corresponding electric coil, and the coil in the pet comfort element may selectively induce a charging current in the coil of the interface of the collar. In particular, the coil in the pet comfort element may induce the charging current in the coil of the collar when the collar is worn by a pet that rests on the pet comfort element. The leash may further include a second interface that can receive a receptacle-based charger. Additionally, the system can include a charging unit having a coil, and the leash can further include a corresponding coil. The coil may induce a charging current in the corresponding coil of the leash when the leash is engaged with the charging unit.  
      The present invention also concerns a charging system for a pet collar. The system can include a collar having a coil and a rechargeable power supply coupled to the coil and a pet comfort element having a coil. The coil in the pet comfort element can selectively induce a charging current in the coil of the collar when the collar is worn by a pet that rests on the pet comfort element.  
      The present invention also concerns a method for charging. The method can include the steps of coupling a leash having a rechargeable power supply to a pet collar having a rechargeable power supply and charging the rechargeable power supply of the collar with the rechargeable power supply of the leash when the leash is coupled to the collar. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a leash charging system in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a block diagram of a collar, a leash and a pet comfort element in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements; and  
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a method for charging in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawings, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.  
      As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.  
      The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The terms “coupled” and “engagement,” as used herein, are defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The term “module” can be defined as any combination of hardware and/or software to enable an appropriate function to be performed. A pet can be any animal that a human may exert at least some control over.  
      The terms “program,” “application,” and the like as used herein, are defined as a sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system. A program, computer program, or application may include a subroutine, a function, a procedure, an object method, an object implementation, an executable application, an applet, a servlet, a source code, an object code, a shared library/dynamic load library and/or other sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system. Where suitable, the term “application” may even refer to a hardware setting or component.  
      The present invention concerns a leash charging system. Briefly, in one arrangement, the system can include a collar that can have a rechargeable power supply and an interface and can also include a leash that can have a rechargeable power supply and an interface that may detachably engage the interface of the collar. When the leash engages the collar, the rechargeable power supply of the leash may charge the rechargeable power supply of the collar. As a result, the rechargeable power supply of the collar can receive charging current without removing it from the animal wearing it. Other arrangements for charging the rechargeable power supply of the collar and the leash will be presented below.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , a leash charging system  100  is shown. In one arrangement, the system  100  can include a collar  110  and a leash  112 . As an example, the collar  110  can be substantially circular in shape and can be designed to be worn around a body part of an animal, such as the neck of a dog or cat. Of course, the invention is not so limited, as the collar  110  can be of any other suitable shape. In fact, the term collar can mean any device that is capable of being worn by an animal. Also, the term leash can include any device that can engage or couple to the collar and can provide the user of the leash with at least some control over the animal wearing the collar.  
      The collar  110  may include a casing  114  that can house several components, some of which will be presented below. This casing  114  can be weatherproof and can protect electrical components and circuitry from the elements. In one particular arrangement, the casing  114  can include a door  116  that can have a seal  118  that can be positioned along the edges of the door  116 . The door  116  can be opened to provide access to an interface (not shown here), which, as will be explained below, can enable the collar  110  to be engaged with the leash  112 . When closed, the seal  118  can engage the casing  114  to form a weatherproof barrier to protect the interface. The door  116  may include any suitable mechanism for enabling it to open and close and to snap shut and open with the casing  114 . Those of skill in the art, however, will appreciate that there are other suitable ways to provide access to the casing  114  without sacrificing the integrity of the components inside.  
      The leash  112  can have a first end  120  and a second end  122 , and a handle  124  may be provided at the second end  122 . In addition, the leash  112  may also include a casing  126 , which can be positioned at the first end  120 . Like the casing  114 , the casing  126  may be weatherproof for protecting electrical components and circuitry housed within and can have a door  128  for providing access to first and second interfaces (not shown). The first interface can detachably engage the interface of the collar.  
      Further, the door  128  can have a seal  130  that can enable the door to form a weatherproof barrier with the casing  126  when the door  128  is closed. Similar to the door  116 , the door  128  can include any suitable structure for enabling it to open and close and to snap shut and open with the casing  126 . Again, there are other suitable ways to provide access to the casing  126  without putting the components within the casing  126  at risk from weather-related damage.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , a block diagram showing an example of the collar  110  and the leash  112  is shown. In one arrangement, the collar  110  can include a controller or processor  129 , a rechargeable power supply  130 , an interface  132  and a safety circuit  134 . As an example, the rechargeable power supply  130  can be a lithium-ion battery or any other suitable type of rechargeable battery. As shown, the controller  129  can be coupled to the rechargeable power supply  130  and the safety circuit  134 , and the interface  132  can be coupled to the supply  130  through the safety circuit  134 . The interface  132  can include a suitable number of contacts (not shown) for receiving various types of signals, including charging current and/or data signals.  
      As an option, the collar  110  may also have a visual indication component  133 , which may be a display  135  or one or more light emitting diodes (LED)  136 , both of which may be coupled to the controller  129 . The visual indication component  133  can provide an indication as to the charging status of the rechargeable power supply  130 . For example, the display  135  and/or the LEDs  136  can display this information. The display  135  may also display other suitable types of information, such as the animal owner&#39;s name, address or other contact data. As another option, the interface  132  may include a coil  138  and a rectifier  140 .  
      In another arrangement, the collar  110  may include a supplemental charging unit, such as one or more solar cells  141  and/or one or more motion conversion devices  143  for providing supplemental power to the rechargeable power supply  130  or any other suitable component. As an example, the motion conversion device  143  can include an oscillating weight or rotor, which, as is known in the art, can allow the motion conversion device  143  to generate kinetic energy. Also, the interface  132  can be designed to accept a conventional, receptacle-based charger. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that at least a portion of each of the above-recited components can be contained within the casing  126 . Further, the door  116  can be opened to provide access to the interface  132 .  
      The leash  112  can include a controller or processor  142 , a rechargeable power supply  144 , a first interface  146 , a second interface  148  and a safety circuit  150 . The rechargeable power supply  144  can be, for example, a lithium-ion battery or some other suitable type of rechargeable type of battery. In one embodiment of the invention, the controller  142  can be coupled to the power supply  144  and the safety circuit  150 , and the first interface  146  and the second interface  148  can be coupled to the power supply  144  (the second interface  148  through the safety circuit  150 ).  
      The first interface  146  and second interface  148  can include contacts (not shown) for receiving or transmitting charging current and/or various data signals. Also, the first interface  146  of the leash  112  and the interface  132  of the collar  110  can both include suitable structure for detachably engaging one another. As an example, when engaged, a portion of the first interface  146  can fit within the interface  132  of the collar  110  and the contacts of both interfaces  132 ,  146  can touch one another.  
      The second interface  148  of the leash  112  may also include contacts (not shown) for receiving data and/or electrical signals from any suitable component. As an example, the second interface  148  can be coupled to a receptacle-based charging unit (not shown) that can be plugged into a conventional  110  volt wall outlet. As another example, the second interface  148  can include a coil  150  and a rectifier  152 . The system  100  can also include a charging unit  170  having a coil  172 . As will be explained below, the coil  172  can induce a charging current in the coil  150  of the second interface  148  of the leash  112 .  
      The door  128  can be opened to provide access to either one of the first interface  146  and the second interface  148 . It is understood that the first interface  146  and the second interface  148  may be separate units having separate electrical contacts or a single unit sharing electrical contacts that is capable of receiving either the interface  132  of the collar  110  or a charging unit for charging the power supply  144  of the leash  112 .  
      Like the collar  110 , the leash  112  may also include a visual indication component  153  for providing an indication as to the charging status of the rechargeable power supply  144 , which can be a display  154  or one or more LEDs  156 . At least a portion of each of the above-described components can be contained within the casing  126  of the leash  112  (see  FIG. 1 ).  
      In one particular arrangement, the system  100  may also include a pet comfort element  160 . The pet comfort element  160  can be, for example, a bed or some other component on which a pet may rest that is capable of having embedded electronics. As an example, a coil  162  can be embedded within the pet comfort element  160 . As those of skill in the art will appreciate, the element  160  can include suitable electrical components, circuitry and software for providing a time-varying signal, such as an AC current, in the coil  162 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , a method  300  for charging is shown. When describing the method  300 , reference may be made to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , although it must be noted that the method  300  can be practiced in any other suitable system or device. Moreover, the steps of the method  300  are not limited to the particular order in which they are presented in  FIG. 3 . The inventive method can also have a greater number of steps or a fewer number of steps than those shown in  FIG. 3 .  
      At step  310 , the method can begin. At step  312 , a leash having a rechargeable power supply can be coupled to a pet collar having a rechargeable power supply. In addition, at step  314 , the rechargeable power supply of the collar can be charged with the rechargeable power supply of the leash when the leash is coupled to the collar. At step  316 , the method  300  can end.  
      For example, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a user can charge the rechargeable power supply  144  of the leash  112 . In particular, the user may open the door  128  to gain access to the second interface  148 . The user can then couple a receptacle-based charging unit (not shown) to the second interface  148 , which can, as a result, provide charging current to the rechargeable power supply  144 . The controller  142  can monitor the charging process and can control the flow of charging current to the power supply  144  through the safety circuit  150 .  
      As another example, the second interface  148  can be coupled to the charging unit  170  having the coil  172 , and the coil  172  in the charging unit can generate a current in the coil  150  of the second interface  148 . The rectifier  152  can convert the charging current to DC, which can then be used to charge the rechargeable power supply  144 . In either arrangement, controller  142  can signal the display  154  or the LEDs  156  to provide an indication as to the status of the charge on the power supply  144 . Any suitable structure can be employed to secure the second interface  148  to the charging unit  170  sufficiently to cause the charging current to be induced in the coil  150 .  
      Once the power supply  144  is charged to an acceptable level, the user may remove the leash  112  from the charging unit and can couple the leash  112  to the collar  110 . In particular, the user can open the door  116  of the collar  110  and the door  128  of the leash  112  and can couple or engage the interface  132  of the collar  110  to the first interface  146  of the leash  112 . At this point, the power supply  144  of the leash  112  can provide charging current to the power supply  130  of the collar  110 . As an example, the collar  110  may be worn by an animal, such as a dog, and while the animal is being walked by the user, the power supply  130  of the collar  110  can be conveniently charged.  
      The controller  129  of the collar  110  can monitor the power supply  130  and can control the flow of charging current to the power supply  130  through the safety circuit  134 . The controller  129  can also signal the display  135  and/or the LEDs  136  to provide an indication as to the status of the charge on the power supply  130  or some other information. Depending on its charge, the power supply  130  may provide power to any suitable number of components of the collar  110 , such as other lights or displays, transceivers, controllers or processors, etc. The solar cells  141  and/or the motion conversion devices  143  may also provide supplemental power to the power supply  130  or any other component of the collar  110 .  
      When the user is finished with the leash  112 , the user can disengage or decouple the interface  132  of the collar  110  from the first interface  146  of the leash  112 . In addition, the user can securely close the doors  116  and  128  to protect the integrity of the casings  114  and  126 .  
      The pet comfort element  160  may also provide charging current to the power supply  130  of the collar  110 . For example, an animal wearing the collar  110  may rest on the pet comfort element  160 , and the coil  162  of the element  160  can induce a current in the coil  138  of the interface  132 , which the rectifier  140  can convert to DC. This current can be used to charge the power supply  130 . This charging process can be similar to the process described above in that the controller  129  can monitor and control the flow of current to the power supply  130 . In either of the examples described above, the power supply  130  of the collar  110  can be charged without removing it from the animal wearing it.  
      It must also be noted that the leash  112  and/or collar  110  may include suitable structure to enable the leash  112  to engage or couple the collar  110  in a conventional manner, such as hooks, clips, hook and loop type fasteners, etc. This conventional engagement can supplement the interface  132  engaging the first interface  146  or can be used in lieu thereof.  
      Where applicable, the present invention can be realized in hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein are suitable. A typical combination of hardware and software can be a mobile communications device with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, can control the mobile communications device such that it carries out the methods described herein. Portions of the present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and which when loaded in a computer system, is able to carry out these methods.  
      While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.