Patent ID: 8505488

Claim:
A system for tracking an animal, comprising: a physical identifier to transmit animal data for an identified animal, wherein at least a portion of the animal data comprises an animal identifier; a data reader to read transmitted animal data from the physical identifier; a GPS device for transmitting location data for the identified animal; a data service provider to store received data from the data reader, wherein the data service provider adds to the animal data a premises identifier that corresponds to a location, wherein the data service provider correlates the animal data according to an animal identification value; and a data trustee to receive at least a portion of the animal data from the data service provider, wherein the data trustee is configured to store received animal data, apply a filter to the stored animal data to filter confidential information from the received animal data, thereby providing filtered data including the animal identifier, wherein the confidential information includes the premises identifier, receive a request for a trace report, wherein the request includes the animal identifier, a data record address corresponding to the stored animal data, or a combination thereof, and generate a trace report based on the received animal data, wherein the trace report lists one or more locations that the identified animal has occupied without disclosing the premises identifier; and a database maintained by the data trustee.