# US 2026/0096540 A1 · A method for dispensing material consumed by an animal and monitoring the animal's consumption of the material, and related systems and devices

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- Number: US 2026/0096540 A1
- Document ID: US20260096540A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/112,987
- Filed: 2023-09-22
- Published: 2026-04-09
- Earliest claimed: 2022-09-22
- Inventors: Dan Munro
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260096540A1

## CPC

- A01K 29/005: {Monitoring or measuring activity}
- A01K 5/0275: {with mechanisms for delivery of measured doses}
- A01K 7/02: Automatic devices
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS

## Abstract

A method for monitoring an animal's consumption of material includes sensing an amount of material that is held in a container and that is to be consumed by an animal, and comparing the sensed amount with an amount of material that was previously sensed in the container. Then, in response to the sensed amount of material being less than the previously sensed amount of material, the method also includes determining whether the animal consumed the removed material. In response to the animal consuming the removed material, the method then includes calculating the amount of material consumed by the animal, recording the amount of material consumed by the animal, and establishing the sensed amount of material as the amount of material previously-sensed for use in a future comparison of a subsequent execution of the method.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for monitoring an animal's consumption of material, the method comprising:
sensing an amount of material that is held in a container and that is to be consumed by an animal;
comparing the sensed amount with an amount of material that was previously sensed in the container;
in response to the sensed amount of material being less than the previously sensed amount of material, determining whether the animal consumed the removed material; and
in response to the animal consuming the removed material:
calculating the amount of material consumed by the animal,
recording the amount of material consumed by the animal, and
establishing the sensed amount of material as the amount of material previously-sensed for use in a future comparison.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein sensing the amount of material held in the container includes continuously sensing the amount of material held in the container.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the animal consumed the removed material incudes:
determining the amount of material removed during a period,
comparing this amount with a threshold amount, and
in response to the amount of material removed during the period being less than the threshold amount, concluding that the material was not removed by the animal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein the period is 60 seconds.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein the threshold amount is three ounces.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the amount of material consumed by the animal includes approximating a volume of the material consumed from a change in the location of the surface of the material in the container.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein recording the amount of material consumed by the animal includes the time of day of the consumption.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to the animal consuming the removed material:
determining whether the sensed amount of material held in the container is below a minimum amount,
in response to the sensed amount being below the minimum amount, providing material to the container to increase the amount held in the container to a maximum amount, and
establishing the maximum amount of material in the container as the amount of material previously sensed for use in a future comparison.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to the animal not consuming the material, establishing the sensed amount of material as the amount of material previously-sensed for use in a future comparison.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to the animal not consuming the material:
determining whether the sensed amount of material held in the container is below a minimum amount,
in response to the sensed amount being below the minimum amount, providing material to the container to increase the amount held in the container to a maximum amount, and
establishing the maximum amount of material in the container as the amount of material previously sensed for use in a future comparison.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to the sensed amount of material being more than the previously-sensed amount of material, establishing the sensed amount of material as the amount of material previously-sensed for use in a future comparison.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
sensing when an animal is approaching the container, and
when an animal is approaching the container, not sensing an amount of material that is held in the container and that is to be consumed by an animal.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
Sensing when an animal is in the container, and
When an animal is in the container and material is being provided to the container, stop providing material to the container.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing the amount of material consumed by an animal with the animal's historical consumption.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing the amount of material consumed by an animal with the animal's historical consumption, and generating an alarm when the amount of material consumed is substantially different than the animal's historical consumption.

### Claim 18

A method for monitoring an animal's consumption of material, the method comprising:
a transmitter transmitting a signal toward material located in a container;
reflecting the signal from a surface of the material;
a receiver receiving the echo of the transmitted signal;
analyzing the echo for noise;
in response to the echo having noise in an amount less than a threshold amount of noise:
using the echo to determine the distance of the surface of the material from the receiver;
comparing the determined distance with the distance of the surface of the material from the receiver that was determined from a previous echo from the surface of the material located in the container;
in response to the previously determined distance being shorter than the currently determined distance:
comparing the currently determined distance with a maximum distance, and, in response to the currently determined distance exceeding the maximum distance, adding material to the container.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the signal is a sound wave.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the material located in the container is water.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein analyzing the echo for noise includes comparing the echo with a previous echo.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21 wherein the threshold amount of noise occurs when the difference between the two echoes is small.

### Claim 23 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the distance to the surface of the material is determined by the duration between the transmission of the signal and the reception of the echo.

### Claim 24 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the previous echo from the surface of the material resulted from a signal from the transmitter generated immediately prior to the currently transmitted signal.

### Claim 25 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 further comprising calculating the volume of the material in the container from the distance of the surface of the material from the receiver.

### Claim 26 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 further comprising, in response to the echo including noise in an amount greater than the threshold amount of noise, not using the echo to determine the distance of the surface of the material from the receiver.

### Claim 27 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 further comprising, in response to the previously determined distance exceeding the currently determined distance, comparing the currently determined distance with a minimum distance and if the currently determined distance exceeds the minimum distance, then:
continue adding material, if material is being added,
not adding material, if material is not being added, and
saving the currently determined distance for use as a distance from a previous echo from the surface of the material located in the container, in a future comparison.

### Claim 28 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 further comprising determining the location of an animal and in response to the location being near the container:
stop adding material to the container, if material is being added, and determining the identity of the animal.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28 wherein determining the location of an animal includes determining an amount of noise in the echo that exceeds the threshold amount of noise.

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28 wherein determining the location of an animal includes:
comparing the currently determined distance with a minimum distance, and
in response to the currently determined distance being less than the minimum distance, concluding that an animal is in the container.

### Claim 31 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 further comprising, in response to the previously determined distance being shorter than the currently determined distance, determining whether an animal consumed the removed material.

### Claim 32

A system for monitoring an animal's consumption of material, the system comprising:
a transmitter operable to transmit a signal toward material located in a container;
a receiver operable to receive the signal reflected from a surface of the material;
a valve operable to control the flow of the material into the container from a source of the material; and
a controller coupled with the sensor and with the valve, and operable to:
analyze the signal received by the receiver for noise, and in response to the received signal having noise in an amount less than a threshold amount of noise then the controller is operable to:
use the received signal to determine the distance of the surface of the material from the receiver;
compare the determined distance with the distance of the surface of the material from the receiver that was determined from a signal previously reflected from the surface of the material located in the container, and in response to the previously determined distance being shorter than the currently determined distance, the controller is operable to compare the currently determined distance with a maximum distance, and:
open the valve to add material to the container if the currently determined distance is greater than a maximum distance, and
close the valve to not add material to the container if the currently determined distance is less than a minimum distance wherein the minimum distance is different than the maximum distance.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 wherein the signal is a sound wave.

### Claim 34 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 wherein the material includes at least one of the following: water, food, and medicine.

### Claim 35 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 wherein the container includes a bucket sized and configured to allow a horse to retrieve material disposed inside the bucket.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 wherein the controller is operable to calculate the volume of the material in the container from the distance of the surface of the material from the receiver.

### Claim 37 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 further comprising the controller operable to ignore the received signal in response to the received signal having noise in an amount greater than the threshold amount of noise.

### Claim 38 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 further comprising the controller, in response to the previously determined distance being longer than the currently determined distance, operable to compare the currently determined distance with the minimum distance and if the currently determined distance is greater than the minimum distance then the controller is operable to:
keep the valve open, if the valve is open,
keep the valve closed, if the valve is closed, and
save the currently determined distance for use as a distance from a signal previously reflected from the surface of the material located in the container, in a future comparison.

### Claim 39 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 further comprising the controller operable to determine the location of an animal and in response to the location being near the container:
close the valve if the valve is open, and
determine the identity of the animal.

### Claim 40 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 wherein the controller is operable to:
determine an amount of material consumed over a period, and
compare the amount of material consumed over the period with an historical average amount of material consumed over a similar period.

### Claim 41 (depends on 40)

The system of claim 40 wherein the controller is operable to generate an alert in response to the amount of material consumed over the period being substantially different than the historical average amount consumed over the similar period.

### Claim 42 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 further comprising a sensor operable to sense the identity of an animal while the animal removes material from the container.

### Claim 43 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 further comprising a second receiver and a second transmitter operable to receive and transmit radio waves over a network.

### Claim 44 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32 further comprising a database coupled with the controller and operable to store data about the operation of the device.