# US 11,432,528 B2 · Devices and methods for analyzing rodent behavior > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,432,528 B2 - Document ID: US11432528B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/275,810 - Filed: 2019-02-14 - Published: 2019-08-29 - Granted: 2022-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-01 - Assignees: President and Fellows of Harvard College; Children's Medical Center Corporation - Applicants: Children's Medical Center Corporation; President and Fellows of Harvard College - Inventors: Clifford J. Woolf; David P. Roberson; Alexander B. Wiltschko; Sandeep Robert Datta - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432528B2 ## CPC - A01K 1/031: {Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals} - A01K 1/0317: {Monitoring or measuring animal properties or behaviour} - A01K 29/005: {Monitoring or measuring activity} - A61B 5/1038: {Measuring plantar pressure during gait} - A61B 5/1105: {of laboratory animals, e.g. activity} - A61B 5/112: {Gait analysis} - A61B 5/1128: {using image analysis (A61B5/1127 takes precedence)} - G06T 7/20: Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A device for detecting and recording animal behavior may include at least one corral that defines a contained field, the base surface of the at least one corral being sensitive to the animal's footprint. The device also includes an image capturing device that cooperates with the base surface to capture both a profile of the animal's full footprint and a profile of the animal's toe print when the animal is standing on its toes. In some embodiments, the device is capable of providing a stimulus to the animal and observing the resulting behavior of the animal via the image capturing device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of detecting and recording behavioral information of a group of animals in a corral, the method comprising: emitting band lights into a base surface of the corral via a plurality of lights positioned around the base surface, the band lights being totally internally reflected within the base surface, the base surface being sensitive to a footprint of one or more animals in the corral such that contact between the footprint of the one or more animals frustrates the totally internally reflected light and refracts the light out of the base surface; and capturing an image of both a full footprint of a first animal and an image of a toe print of the first animal when the first animal is standing on its toes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the image includes detecting refracted light when the first animal contacts the base surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein capturing includes detecting refracted light resulting from contact between a foot and a toe of the first animal and the base surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the image includes capturing the image of both the full footprint of the first animal and the image of the toe print of the first animal via an image capture device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein capturing the image includes capturing the image via the image capture device positioned beneath the base surface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein capturing includes capturing a spatial extent and intensity of a profile of the full footprint of the first animal and a profile of the toe print of the first animal and capturing a change of the profiles over time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing an image of the whole first animal independent of surface contact between the first animal and the base surface in conditions that mimic day or night. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein emitting band lights includes emitting non-visible band lights into the base surface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: stimulating the first animal with a first stimulus; and observing a resulting behavior of the first animal via imaging both the footprint and the toe print of the first animal in response to the first stimulus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein stimulating includes stimulating the first animal via at least one of a light stimulus, a temperature stimulus, or a texture stimulus. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein stimulating the first animal includes stimulating the first animal via the base surface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein stimulating the first animal via the base surface includes delivering light through the base surface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein delivering light includes delivering light having different wavelengths or different patterns. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: stimulating a second animal with a second stimulus; and observing a resulting behavior of the second animal via imaging both a footprint and a toe print of the second animal in response to the second stimulus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein imaging both the footprint and the toe print of the second animal includes capturing an image of both the full footprint of the second animal and an image of the toe print of the second animal when the second animal is standing on its toes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein capturing the image includes detecting refracted light when the second animal contacts the base surface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein stimulating the second animal comprises stimulating the second animal with a second stimulus that is different from the first stimulus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying the group of animals for behavioral monitoring. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein supplying the group of animals includes supplying a group of genetically modified animals. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the base surface is transparent. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the base surface includes a glass or plastic material.