# US 11,897,334 B2 · Vehicle having pet bowl communication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,334 B2 - Document ID: US11897334B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/952,160 - Filed: 2020-11-19 - Published: 2022-05-19 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-19 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Stuart C. Salter; Annette Lynn Huebner; Marguerite Lynn Kimball; Hussein Berry; John Robert Van Wiemeersch; Pietro Buttolo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897334B2 ## CPC - B60K 35/65: Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - A01K 7/02: Automatic devices - B60K 35/22: Display screens - B60K 35/60: Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles (arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10) - B60K 35/656: {the user being a passenger} - B60K 35/80: Arrangements for controlling instruments - B60N 3/18: of drinking-water {or other beverage} dispensing devices - G01S 5/04: Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders - H04W 4/33: for indoor environments, e.g. buildings - H04W 4/48: for in-vehicle communication - B60K 35/28: characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver - B60K 2360/16: Type of output information - B60K 2360/741: Instruments adapted for user detection - G01S 5/14: Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location - G01S 2205/01: specially adapted for specific applications - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS - B60N: SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract A vehicle is provided that includes a vehicle body, a plurality of RF signal receivers located at a plurality of locations within the vehicle, a portable pet bowl configured to be transported in the vehicle body, the pet bowl including a container for holding content such as water, an RF signal transmitter located on the pet bowl for transmitting an RF signal, and a controller for processing the RF signal received by each of the plurality of RF signal receivers and determining a location of the pet bowl based on the received RF signals. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle comprising: a vehicle body; a plurality of RF signal receivers located at a plurality of locations within the vehicle; a pet bowl configured to be transported in the vehicle body; an RF signal transmitter located on the pet bowl for transmitting an RF signal; a controller for processing the RF signal received by each of the plurality of RF signal receivers and determining a location of the pet bowl based on the received RF signals; and an RF signal transmitter located on a pet for transmitting another RF signal, wherein the controller determines a location of the pet based on the another RF signal received by each of the plurality of RF signal receivers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pet bowl further comprises one or more sensors for sensing one or more characteristics of the pet bowl, wherein the controller receives the one or more sensed characteristics and generates an output signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a sensed level of content in the pet bowl. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the content comprises water. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors senses a temperature of the content in the pet bowl. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller processes an amplitude of the RF signal received from each of the plurality of the RF signal receivers and performs triangulation to determine the location of the pet bowl. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the RF signal transmitter comprises a low energy wireless RF signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a human machine interface, wherein the controller outputs the location of the pet bowl on the human machine interface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the human machine interface comprises a display. ### Claim 10 A vehicle comprising: a vehicle body; a plurality of RF signal receivers located at a plurality of locations within the vehicle; a portable pet bowl configured to be transported in the vehicle body, the pet bowl including a container for holding water; an RF signal transmitter located on the pet bowl for transmitting an RF signal; a controller for processing the RF signal received by each of the plurality of RF signal receivers and determining a location of the pet bowl based on the received RF signals, wherein the controller generates an output based on the location of the pet bowl; and an RF signal transmitter located on a pet, wherein the controller determines a location of the pet based on the RF signal received by each of the plurality of RF signal receivers. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the pet bowl further comprises one or more sensors for sensing one or more characteristics of the pet bowl, wherein the controller receives the one or more sensed characteristics and generates an output signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a sensed level of the water in the pet bowl. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors senses a temperature of the water in the pet bowl. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the controller processes the RF signal received from each of the plurality of the RF signal receivers and performs triangulation to determine the location of the pet bowl. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the RF signal transmitter comprises a low energy wireless RF signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The vehicle of claim 10 further comprising a human machine interface, wherein the controller outputs the output signal on the human machine interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the human machine interface comprises a display.