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US 12,628,794 B2Granted
Dog place marker system and method
OwnerAlisa Charpentierinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dog place marker system and method providing a place-marker unit formed as a planar mat of a colored single-ply waterproof fabric with a low-profile binding, grommets, and a leash opening, having an electronic subsystem with a main electronic unit, a power unit, a controller, an RF antenna, and a sensor unit. The proximity of the dog to the place-marker unit can be sensed and reported through a remote unit to a person who is not in the immediate vicinity of the dog and the place-marker unit. In a preferred embodiment, an on-dog electronic unit is also provided to enhance the ability to identify a specific dog and provide more detailed information about the dog's position on or near the place-marker unit.
Claims18
A dog place marker system comprising a place-marker unit comprising:
- (i) a substantially rectangular body having a planar configuration and formed from a sheet of colored single-ply waterproof fabric;
- (ii) a low-profile binding secured about a peripheral edge of the substantially rectangular body;
- (iii) at least two grommets formed adjacent opposing corners of the substantially rectangular body, wherein the grommets are configured to be joined using a carabiner to form a wraparound enclosure for a dog, enabling a mat to function as both a resting surface and a protective cover;
- (iv) said substantially rectangular body having a leash opening formed through the substantially rectangular body a distance from the peripheral edge of the substantially rectangular body;
- (v) an electronic subsystem embedded within the substantially rectangular body and having a main electronic unit, a power unit, a controller, an RF antenna, and a sensor unit, the sensor unit being positioned adjacent to the leash opening to detect a presence of a collar in proximity to the substantially rectangular body;
- (vi) a remote unit configured to receive proximity data from the electronic subsystem and display alerts when the dog moves beyond a predefined threshold distance from the substantially rectangular body, in unfamiliar environments;
- and (vii) an on-dog electronic unit configured to communicate with the electronic subsystem to uniquely identify the dog and report its position relative to the substantially rectangular body.
4 more elements
A dog place marker system comprising a place-marker unit comprising:
- (i) a substantially rectangular body having a planar configuration and formed from a sheet of colored single-ply waterproof fabric;
- (ii) a low-profile binding secured about a peripheral edge of the substantially rectangular body;
- (iii) at least two grommets formed adjacent opposing corners of the substantially rectangular body, the grommets being configured to selectively couple together to convert the substantially rectangular body between a flat mat configuration and a wrap-around covering configuration for a dog;
- (iv) said substantially rectangular body having a leash opening formed through the substantially rectangular body a distance from the peripheral edge of the substantially rectangular body;
- (v) an electronic subsystem integrated within the substantially rectangular body having a main electronic unit, a power unit, a controller, an RF antenna, and a sensor unit, the sensor unit being positioned within the substantially rectangular body to detect a proximity of the dog located on or near the substantially rectangular body;
- (vi) an on-dog electronic unit configured to communicate with the electronic subsystem to identify the dog and provide additional positional information relative to the substantially rectangular body;
- and (vii) a remote unit configured to receive the proximity and the identification information from the electronic subsystem and the on-dog electronic unit.
4 more elements
A dog place marker method comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing a dog place-holder unit comprising a substantially rectangular body having a planar configuration and formed from a sheet of colored single-ply waterproof fabric, a low-profile binding secured about peripheral edge of the substantially rectangular body;
- and at least two grommets formed adjacent opposing corners of the substantially rectangular body, wherein said substantially rectangular body has a leash opening formed through the substantially rectangular body a distance from the peripheral edge of the substantially rectangular body and further comprising an electronic subsystem integrated within the substantially rectangular body and an on-dog electronic unit configured to communicate with the electronic subsystem, and a remote unit configured to receive proximity information;
- (ii) providing a carabiner;
- (iii) training a dog by removably placing said place-holder unit upon the dog as a covering and connecting said grommets at the dog's chest using said carabiner, wherein the on-dog electronic unit communicates with the electronic subsystem during said training;
- (iv) bringing the dog to an unfamiliar environment;
- and (v) placing said place-holder unit at a location where the dog is expected to sit and lie down and training the dog to recognize the place-holder unit as the dog's place to said sit and said lie down, wherein the electronic subsystem detects proximity of the dog to the place-holder unit and transmits the proximity information to the remote unit.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.