Tracking and monitoring of animals with combined wireless technology and geofencing

Abstract

A networked cattle tracking system may track cattle using a base station, smart tags for cattle, and a mobile device. Tags are placed on each animal within a group of cattle. The tags may communicate with each other and with a base station. The tags may communication animal location and other information, including temperature, movement, blood information, and so on. A user may track cattle location, behavior, health, and other information at a base station monitor or a remote wireless device in communication with the base station and plurality of tags.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional application number 61 / 659,285 filed Jun. 13, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Cattle loss through theft and fraudulent invoicing, fictitious death loss, under reported livestock on BLM managed lands, and low compliance with federal laws for tracking imported livestock cause multimillion dollar losses to cattle ranchers, bankers, and taxpayers. Several issues face the livestock industry in the United States. First, cattle theft & fraud is at an all time high, costing insurers millions of dollars per incident, and there are many high-value incidents reported each year. Most theft cases go unsolved, and there is no traceability across state lines, so stolen cattle in one state can be transported across state boundaries and be sold at full price using a stolen tag. Second, stock have a high cost to manageme...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The technology described in this patent allows for the tracking of cattle using a networked system. Each animal is tagged with a special tag that can communicate with each other and a base station. The tags can send information about the animal's location, movement, blood information, and temperature. This system allows users to track the location, behavior, and health of the cattle from a base station or a remote wireless device.

Problems solved by technology

Cattle loss through theft and fraudulent invoicing, fictitious death loss, under reported livestock on BLM managed lands, and low compliance with federal laws for tracking imported livestock cause multimillion dollar losses to cattle ranchers, bankers, and taxpayers.

Several issues face the livestock industry in the United States.

First, cattle theft & fraud is at an all time high, costing insurers millions of dollars per incident, and there are many high-value incidents reported each year.

Second, stock have a high cost to management in many aspects of production, such as feeding, immunization tracing, disease quarantine, herding for counting and identification, and many other area.

Additionally, source location is unknown for diseased or contaminated animal food products, which causes widespread recall of food products.

Food recall has a high cost association and high social impact to end consumers.

In addition to these issues, there is a market demand whereby consumers want to know the source of their food purchased at food markets.

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