Patent Publication Number: US-2017372567-A1

Title: Pet communication device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/353,308, filed Jun. 22, 2016, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to pets and, more particularly, to a pet communication device. 
     House-training is the process of training a dog to excrete (urinate and defecate) outdoors. Current methods of training dogs involve the dog notifying the owner that they need to go outside to excrete. For example, some dogs are trained to knock a bell by the door and others are trained to sit by the door. The owner may not notice a dog at the door or may not hear the dog ring the bell. In such cases, the dog may urinate or defecate inside the house. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for an improved system and method of determining when a pet needs to go outside. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a system for receiving a notification from a pet comprises: a remote computer comprising a notification application loaded on a memory; and a pet unit comprising a press activator, a wireless transmitter; and a processor, wherein the processor transmits a signal to the remote computer via the wireless transmitter when the push activator is pushed, and the signal activates the notification application to cause an alert to display on the remote computer. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a method of communication between a pet and a user comprises the steps of: loading a notification application on a memory of a remote computer; placing a pet unit at ground level, wherein the pet unit comprises a press activator, a wireless transmitter; and a processor, wherein the processor transmits a signal to the remote computer via the wireless transmitter when the push activator is pushed, and the signal activates the notification application to cause an alert to display on the remote computer. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a method of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     The present invention includes a pet unit with a press activator that sends push notifications to a mobile device when touched. The device may be used to alert dog owners that their pet needs to go outside/use bathroom, so indoor accidents can be avoided. The present invention may also allow owners to track pet schedules so they quickly notice changes or issues that can be indicative of health issues. 
     To use the present invention, a dog places a paw on the press activator which activates the pet unit to send a push notification to an application (on Android or IOS platform) alerting their owner they need to be let out. The application may capture and log every time the dog touches the press activator so schedules can be mapped. Since the pet unit is linked to the owner&#39;s mobile phone, there is a much higher likelihood of being alerted once the push notification has been sent. Further, the owner does not have to be at home and can still be alerted that their dog needs to go out. The tracking function is also an improvement as some health issues can be identified early by noticing changes in the dog&#39;s excrement habits. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the present invention includes a system for receiving a notification from a pet  14 , such as a dog. The system includes a remote computer  16  having a notification application  12  loaded on a memory. The system further includes a pet unit  10  having a press activator  20 , a wireless transmitter  18  and a processor. The processor transmits a signal to the remote computer  16  via the wireless transmitter  18  when the push activator  20  is pushed by the pet  14 . The signal activates the notification application  12  to cause an alert to display on the remote computer  16 . 
     The remote computer  12  of the present invention includes a processor and a memory. In certain embodiments, the remote computer  12  is a smart device, such as a smart phone or a tablet. The smart device may further include a touch screen, a speaker and a vibration device. When the signal activates the notification application  12 , the alert may display on the touch screen, produce a noise on the speaker, activate the vibration device or a combination thereof. 
     The notification application  12  may be downloaded over the Internet and loaded on the memory of the remote computer  16 . The notification application  12  may be automatically activated when the remote computer  16  receives the signal from the pet unit  10 . In certain embodiments, the notification application  12  may create a log each time the remote computer  16  receives the signal. In such embodiments, each log may be saved on the memory of the remote computer  16 . A user may navigate through the notification application  12  to bring up a record of the logs saved on the memory. Therefore, the user may check to see if there is any irregularity with the dog&#39;s routine. 
     As mentioned above, the pet unit  10  of the present invention may include a processor, a wireless transmitter  18  and a press activator  20 . The press activator  20  may include a touchscreen, a physical button and the like. The pet unit  10  may further include a port to receive a micro SD card, a memory or a combination thereof. The micro SD card and/or memory may include an operating system so that a user may interact with and program the pet unit  10 . The pet unit  10  may be powered by a battery or may include a power cord to plug into an electrical outlet. The pet unit  10  may further include a universal bus (USB) port to receive a USB drive. The pet unit  10  may also include a speaker. In such embodiments, a sound may be produced through the speaker when the pet touches the press activator  20 . 
     The wireless transmitter  18  wirelessly transmits the signal to the remote computer. The wireless transmitter  18  may wirelessly transmit the signal via BLUETOOTH® Technology, a local area network, the Internet, a wireless communication server and the like. 
     A method of communication between a pet and a user may include the following. A notification application is loaded onto a memory of a remote computer, such as a smart phone. The pet unit mentioned above is placed at ground level so that the pet may press the press activator. The user trains their pet to press the pet unit with their paw when the pet needs to go outside. The processor of the pet unit transmits a signal to the remote computer via the wireless transmitter when the push activator is pushed by the dog. The signal activates the notification application to cause an alert to display on the remote computer. The user may then let the pet outside of the house. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.