Patent Publication Number: US-2021177273-A1

Title: Livestock health monitoring system and method of use

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/993,390 filed on Aug. 14, 2020 and entitled “Livestock Health Monitoring System and Method of Use,” which is a continuation of, claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/439,518 filed on Jun. 12, 2019 and entitled “Livestock Health Monitoring System and Method of Use,” which is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/440,793 filed on Feb. 23, 2017 and entitled “Livestock Health Monitoring System and Method of Use,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/337,400 filed on May 17, 2016 and entitled “Livestock Health Monitoring System and Method of Use”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/440,793 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/879,407 filed on Oct. 9, 2015 and entitled “Livestock Health Monitoring System Having Elongated Temperature Probe for the Ear and Method of Use,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/102,416 filed on Jan. 12, 2015 and entitled “Electrical Mechanical Device Used to Detect and Alarm Health Status of Bovine”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/993,390, filed Aug. 14, 2020 is also a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/872,617, filed May 12, 2020 and entitled “Livestock Health Monitoring System and Method of Use” which is a continuation of, and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/879,407, filed on Oct. 9, 2015 and entitled “Livestock Health Monitoring System Having Elongated Temperature Probe for the Ear and Method of Use”, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/102,416 filed on Jan. 12, 2015 and entitled “Electrical Mechanical Device Used to Detect and Alarm Health Status of Bovine.” 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to systems and methods to determine the health of livestock, and more specifically, to a livestock health monitoring system for data collection and detection of abnormal health conditions. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Systems and methods to determine the health of livestock are well known in the art and are effective means to detect illness and implement treatment in livestock. For example, FIG. I depicts a simplified schematic of a conventional livestock monitoring system  101  having a livestock manager  102  overseeing a plurality of livestock  103  and in communication with a veterinarian  104 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , a flowchart  201  depicts an example of the process of system  101 . The livestock manager  102  monitors livestock  103  via visual inspection. When unusual behavior of the livestock occurs, as indicative of illness, the livestock manager  102  contacts a veterinarian  104 , who then makes a prognosis and begins treatment accordingly, as shown with boxes  203 - 206 . 
     One of the problems commonly associated with system  101  is insufficient monitoring and/or inexperience of the livestock manager. For example, the process of monitoring could involve a large number of livestock, making the monitoring process difficult. In addition, the process suffers a substantial risk of human error, as many livestock illnesses are visually undetectable and/or the livestock manager fails to adequately determine whether the livestock is ill. 
     Accordingly, although great strides have been made in the area of system and methods to determine livestock wellness, many shortcomings remain. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the embodiments of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the embodiments themselves, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein. 
         FIG. 1  is a simplified schematic of a common livestock method to determine wellness of the livestock; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a process of the simplified schematic of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a livestock health monitoring system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the heath monitoring device from  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of the process of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a simplified schematic of a system in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present application; and 
         FIG. 7  is a flow chart depicting the preferred method of use. 
     
    
    
     While the system and method of use of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrative embodiments of the system and method of use of the present application are provided below. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     The system and method of use in accordance with the present application overcomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonly associated with conventional livestock monitoring systems. Specifically, the present invention provides a rapid and effective means to monitor large numbers of livestock and reduces the risk of human error. These and other unique features of the system and method of use are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     The system and method of use will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the system are presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless described otherwise. 
     The preferred embodiment herein described is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described to explain the principles of the invention and its application and practical use to enable others skilled in the art to follow its teachings. 
     Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views,  FIG. 3  depicts a front view of a livestock health monitoring system  301  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present application. It will be appreciated that system  301  overcomes one or more of the above-listed problems commonly associated with conventional systems and method to monitor livestock wellness. 
     In the contemplated embodiment, system  301  includes a health monitoring device  302  in communication with an animal  303  via an ear attachment  304 . During use, the ear attachment  304  is secured to the ear of the animal (not shown) via one or more types of fasteners commonly known in the art. To achieve this feature, ear attachment  304  includes a body having a hole  701  extending there through. The fastener is secured to the hole  701 , which in turn is secured to the ear. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the health monitoring device  302  comprises of one or more of a data collection house  401 , an on/off depression switch  402 , in communication with an ear attachment  304  via a rotational device  403  and a temperature probe  404  via a wire  405 . In the preferred embodiment, the elongated temperature probe  404  is positioned through the rotation device  403  and comprises a material capable of changing hardness upon reaching a particular temperature. In addition, the data collection house  401  can comprise a notification device  406  and is enclosed in weather resistant plastic. In the preferred embodiment, the notification device  406  is a light that can be visually seen by the worker; however, it will be appreciated that the notification device  406  could be an audible speaker and/or a transmitter configured to provide notification to a remote computer, as depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
     A computer system  400  having the necessary software, hardware, and power supply are carried within housing  401  to determine if a temperature threshold is reached and to activate device  406 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , a flowchart  501  depicts a preferred process of system  301 . The heath monitoring device  302  is secured to the animal&#39;s ear  305  via the ear attachment  304  and turned on by the on/off depression switch  402 , as shown with boxes  502  and  503 . A temperature probe  404  of the appropriate length is placed in communication with the ear  305  and transmits temperature recordings to the data collection house  401  via the wire  405 , as shown with boxes  504  and  505 . The health monitoring device  302  monitors the animal&#39;s body temperature and can provide a notification when user set parameters are breached, as shown with box  506 . 
     It should be understood that body temperature measurements in livestock can indicate useful information in regards to illnesses, disease, distress, and hormone levels. 
     It should be appreciated that one of the unique features believed characteristic of the present application is the incorporation of an on/off depression switch  402 . It is understood that this switch will reduce the risk of the animal deactivating the health monitoring device. During use, the worker can determine whether the system is active by depressing the switch  402 . 
     Additional unique features believed characteristic of the present application are the rotational feature  403  of the health monitoring device  302  and the material of the temperature probe, capable of changing hardness. It is understood that these features allows for stabilization and comfort of the temperature probe  404  in the animal ear  305 . 
     In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the health monitoring device  302  can function independently by way of the notification light  406  when a user set parameter is breached. For example, if the animal&#39;s temperature increases to a certain value, as set by the user, the notification light  406  will signal to the user that such a parameter has been met. It is understood that this feature will allow for quick visual identification of ill livestock 
     Accordingly, as shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , a notification system is disclosed herein wherein a temperature probe is secured within the ear of the animal and provides notification, preferably via a light, when a threshold temperature reading is reached. Thus, the system is configured to provide notification when the animal falls outside a determined temperature range. The notification could be via a light, audible noise, and/or a wireless transmission, as discussed in the below disclosure. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a simplified schematic of a system  601  is shown in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present application. System  601  incorporates the features of the system  301 , and is further provided with a transmission system  600  having a transmitter configured to communication wirelessly to a cloud service  603  and/or database  605  and/or a portable computer such as a phone, tablet, or personal computer. 
     During use, system  601  allows the monitoring of multiple animals simultaneously and reduces the chances of human error. For example, the computer  607  could provide notification when system  301  is triggered, which in turn allows the worker to conduct visual inspection of the animal. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a flowchart  701  depicting the preferred method of use is shown. The process includes activating a health monitoring device and placing a probe of the health monitoring device within the ear of the animal, as depicted in boxes  703 - 707 . This feature can be achieved via one or more of the devices discussed above. The temperature measured by the probe is then transmitted to a data collection house via one or more transmitters, as shown in box  707 . 
     One the unique features of the preferred method is selecting a temperature threshold along with a time duration that the animal reaches and/or exceed the temperature threshold, as shown in box  709 . One or more computers are utilized to record and determine whether the animal&#39;s temperature remains above the threshold for the selected duration of time. If so, the health monitoring device provides notice in the form of a visual or audible alert, as shown in boxes  711 , 713 . Further, one or more computers monitoring the animals could provide visual or audible notification via a display. In the alternative, if the threshold temperature does not last the selected duration of time, the temperature readings are recorded but the health monitoring device is not provide an alert. 
     The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the embodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. Although the present embodiments are shown above, they are not limited to just these embodiments, but are amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.