Patent Publication Number: US-2017360004-A1

Title: Dog train &amp; track systems

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of pet collars and more specifically relates to the dog train &amp; track system. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Many people like to know that their pet is safe and wish to be notified immediately in case their pet becomes distressed. Generally, a pet is kept secure on a lead or in a fenced in portion of their property. Unfortunately, a pet may still be capable of escaping a fence, or slipping a lead when an owner is otherwise occupied. When a pet escapes, the owner may not know that the pet is missing until some time has passed. The longer a pet is missing the more laborious it becomes to locate the pet. 
     In cases where a pet must be left unattended for an extended period of time, it can be difficult to ascertain if the pet is still safe and in the area where the pet was left. When walking a pet, or taking the pet to the park, the pet may run off without the owner&#39;s knowledge, resulting in a search to locate the pet. Traditional collars may have the owner&#39;s information imprinted on them, which may help in the event the pet is found by a responsible party; however, they do not offer a way to immediately notify an owner in events of escape/distress for their pet. A suitable solution is therefore desired. 
     Several attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0271281 to Gordon Jessop; U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0221140 to Jonathan Warren et al.; U.S. Pub. No. 2002/0021219 to Marlena Edwards; U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0222624 to Gail Eicken et al.; U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0289785 to Ellen Leonard; U.S. Pat No. 6,283,065 to John Ernest Turner Shorrock et al; U.S. Pat No. 8,514,070 to Clark L. Roper et al.; U. S. Pat No. 6,970,090 to Michael Sciarra; U. S. Pat No. 6,067,018 to Joan M. Skelton et al.; U. S. Pat No. 6,441,778 to Jennifer Durst et al.; U. S. Pat No. 9,055,733 to Jones II Johnny; International Pat No. WO/2008104810 to Jon Bryan; International Pat No. WO2013050763 to Andrew Stuart et al.; International Pat No. WO2011032055 to Jason A. Hardi et al.; International Pat No. WO/200503461 to Bjoern Thorstensen et al; International Pat No. AU2012101881 to Byron Clifford Hill et al.; International Pat No. CN202317987 to Yan its first; International Pat No. CN104472393 to Li Zhao; and International Pat No. CN101930066 to MM Zhuoen. This art is representative of pet collars. However, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. 
     Preferably, a dog train &amp; track system should provide tracking of a pet and monitoring should the ambient temperature in the pet&#39;s environment change beyond tolerable levels in cases of emergency and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable dog train &amp; track system to avoid the above-mentioned problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known pet collar art, the present invention provides a novel dog train &amp; track system. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide a pet tracking system which provides tracking of the pet and monitors pet vital signs in cases of emergency. 
     A dog train &amp; track system is disclosed herein, in a preferred embodiment, comprising: a dog train &amp; track assembly comprising a collar comprising, an inner volume comprising, a central processing unit comprising, a GPS, an antenna, a wiring harness, a microphone, a speaker, a transmitter, a battery, a fastener comprising a pressure detecting lock comprising, an alarm wire and a charging port. The dog train &amp; track system comprises the dog train &amp; track assembly. The dog train &amp; track assembly comprises in functional combination the collar, the fastener, and the charging port in a unitary design. The collar comprises the inner volume, allowing for incorporation of the central processing unit and the battery. The dog train &amp; track assembly comprises waterproof material and is sealed to prevent damage to components contained within the inner volume. The collar comprises a micro-digital camera for viewing the immediate surroundings while tracking the pet. The collar comprises a light emitting diode for easy locating of the pet in low light/dark conditions. The micro-digital camera allows the user to record media to review for training purposes. 
     The inner volume may further comprise a thermometer for remotely detecting the pet&#39;s temperature and alerting the owner in cases of distress. The central processing unit comprises in functional combination, the GPS, the antenna, the wiring harness, the microphone, the speaker, and the transmitter for training and tracking purposes. The speaker emits an audible command to the pet instructing the pet to return to a home location. The antenna receives instructional data from the owner, wherein the instructional data, when input by the owner, is trackable by way of software for the dog train &amp; track system. The transmitter conveys information comprising the instructional data to the owner operating the software. The central processing unit comprises a proximity sensor, wherein the proximity sensor comprises a digital coded key for disengaging a matching digital lock of a pet-door. Further, the proximity sensor alerts the owner in the event of the pet leaving preset boundaries. 
     The microphone and the speaker are used in conjunction to provide remote training while a pet is out of the vocal range of an owner. The execution parameters of the audible commands are set by the software as input by the owner, wherein the audible commands are recorded in the voice of the owner to facilitate cooperation of the pet. The central processing unit comprises a low voltage notification for the rechargeable battery. The fastener comprises pressure detecting lock. The pressure detecting lock comprises an alarm wire for communicating alerting when the fastener is disengaged. The transmitter continuously broadcasts a status of the pressure detecting lock. 
     The charging port is useful for receiving a charging cable to charge a rechargeable battery. The notifications are transmitted to a home computer/mobile device and the notifications are transmitted to multiple users in the event the pet distress notification is not addressed by the owner immediately. The collar and the fastener, when fastened to the pet, permits the owner to track the pet utilizing the central processing unit contained within the inner volume of the collar as well as enabling the owner to train the pet by audible commands using the speaker. 
     A kit is also disclosed herein including: a collar for attaching to a neck of a pet, a software disc for installing in a computer, a rechargeable battery for powering the collar components, a charge cable for charging the rechargeable battery, and a set of user instructions. 
     A method of using a dog train &amp; track system is also disclosed herein comprising the steps of: attaching the collar around a neck of the pet; programming the software on the computer; monitoring the pet utilizing the collar; tracking the pet via the collar with GPS function; removing the collar from the pet; and charging the collar with the charge cable. The method may further comprise the step of training the pet. 
     The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as a dog train &amp; track system. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, dog train &amp; track systems, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view illustrating a dog train &amp; track system during an ‘in-use’ condition showing a pet crossing a preset boundary and a collar sending a notification to an owner using a GPS satellite according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the dog train &amp; track system comprising internal components for the GPS, an antenna, a proximity sensor, a rechargeable battery, a thermometer, a micro-digital camera, a speaker, a charge port, and a microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view illustrating the dog train &amp; track system showing an owner viewing notifications and data sent from the GPS using the provided software disc and the pet accessing a pet door with a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-2 . 
         FIG. 3B  is a perspective view illustrating the dog train &amp; track system showing a pet door with a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating the dog train &amp; track system kit including the software disk, the collar, the charging cable, and a set of user instructions according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-3B . 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method of use for the dog train &amp; track system according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     
    
    
     The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to pet collars and more particularly to a dog train &amp; track system as used to improve the tracking of a pet in the event the pet leaves a set boundary and also notify the owner if the ambient temperature in the pet&#39;s environment changes beyond tolerable levels. 
     Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown in  FIG. 1 , dog train &amp; track system  100  comprising: dog train &amp; track assembly  110  comprising collar  112  comprising inner volume  114  comprising central processing unit  116  comprising GPS  118 , antenna  120 , wiring harness  122 , microphone  124 , speaker  126 , transmitter  128 , rechargeable battery  162 , fastener  132  comprising pressure detecting lock  142  comprising alarm wire  144 , and charging port  146 . Dog train &amp; track system  100  comprises dog train &amp; track assembly  110 . 
     Dog train &amp; track assembly  110  comprises in functional combination collar  112 , fastener  132 , and charging port  146  in a unitary design. Collar  112  comprises inner volume  114  allowing for incorporation of central processing unit  116  and rechargeable battery  162 . Central processing unit  116  comprises in functional combination GPS  118 , antenna  120 , wiring harness  122 , microphone  124 , speaker  126 , and transmitter  128  for training and tracking  166  purposes. Microphone  124  and speaker  126  are used in conjunction to provide remote training while pet  154  is out of vocal range of owner  140 . Central processing unit  116  comprises low voltage notification for rechargeable battery  162 . 
     Fastener  132  comprises pressure detecting lock  142  or other suitably equivalent means for locking. Pressure detecting lock  142  comprises alarm wire  144  for communicating an alert when fastener  132  is disengaged. Charging port  146  is useful for receiving charging cable  164  to charge a rechargeable battery  162 . Notifications are transmitted to home computer  158 /mobile device. The notifications are transmitted to multiple users  140  in the event the pet distress notification is not addressed by owner  140  immediately. Collar  112  and fastener  132 , when fastened to pet  154 , permits owner  140  to track pet  154  utilizing central processing unit  116  contained within inner volume  114  of collar  112  as well as enabling owner  140  to train pet  154  by audible commands using speaker  126 . Central processing unit  116  comprises proximity sensor  170 . Proximity sensor  170  comprises a digital coded key for disengaging a matching digital lock of pet-door  172 . 
     Collar  112  comprises micro-digital camera  174  for viewing immediate surroundings while tracking pet  154 . Micro-digital camera  174  allows user  140  to record media to review for training purposes. Antenna  120  receives instructional data from owner  140 . The instructional data, when input by owner  140 , is trackable by way of software disc  156  for dog train &amp; track system  100 . Transmitter  128  conveys information comprising the instructional data to owner  140  operating software disc  156 . Transmitter  128  continuously broadcasts a status of pressure detecting lock  142 . 
     Proximity sensor  170  alerts owner  140  in the event of pet  154  leaving preset boundaries  176 . Speaker  126  emits an audible command to pet  154  instructing pet  154  to return to a home location. Execution parameters of the audible command are set by software disc  156  as input by owner  140 . The audible commands are recorded in voice of owner  140  to facilitate cooperation of pet  154 . Inner volume  114  further comprises thermometer  178  for remotely detecting pet  154  temperature and alerting owner  140  in case of distress. Dog train &amp; track assembly  110  comprises waterproof material  180  and is sealed to prevent damage to components within inner volume  114 . Collar  112  comprises light emitting diode  182  for easy locating of pet  154  in low light/dark conditions. 
     Dog train &amp; track system  100  may be sold as kit  440  comprising the following parts: at least one collar  112  for attaching to neck  152  of pet  154 , at least one software disc  156  for installing in computer  158 , at least one rechargeable battery  162  for powering the collar components, at least one charge cable  164  for charging the rechargeable battery; and at least one set of user instructions  160 . 
     The kit has instructions such that functional relationships are detailed in relation to the structure of the invention (such that the invention can be used, maintained, or the like in a preferred manner). Dog train &amp; track system  100  may be manufactured and provided for sale in a wide variety of sizes and shapes for a wide assortment of applications. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other kit contents or arrangements such as, for example, including more or less components, customized parts, different charging/alarming combinations, parts may be sold separately, etc., may be sufficient. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5  showing flowchart  550  illustrating method of use  500  for dog train &amp; track system  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . As shown, method of use  500  may comprise the steps of: step one  501 , attaching a collar around a neck of a pet; step two  502 , programming software on a computer/mobile device; step three  503 , monitoring the pet utilizing the collar; step four  504 , tracking the pet via the collar with a GPS function; step five  505 , removing the collar from the pet; step six  506 , charging the collar with a charge cable; step seven  507 , training the pet. 
     It should be noted that step  507  is an optional step and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use  500  are illustrated using dotted lines in  FIG. 5  so as to distinguish them from the other steps of method of use  500 . 
     It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of&#39; should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, 91 6. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements such as, for example, different orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient. 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.