Lost and found notifications for pets based on geolocation and profile information

Abstract

An infrastructure and methodologies to support automated lost and found pet alerts based on geo-proximity and other criteria. In various embodiments, a pet / dog owner initiates a lost pet alert by entering location and lost pet report information via a downloadable application. This information is processed and stored in a database maintained by a cloud / remote server. The server identifies potential recipients for a lost pet alert and transmits alerts for display on user devices meeting select criteria such as proximity thresholds. Upon receiving a found pet report, the server sends an automated found pet notice to the owner of the animal and other users meeting predetermined criteria. Curated listings of lost and found pet notifications may also be maintained for selective presentation on user devices.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 346,912, entitled “LOST AND FOUND NOTIFICATIONS FOR PETS BASED ON GEOLOCATION AND PROFILE INFORMATION”, filed Jun. 7, 2016, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility Patent Application for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to social networking systems and, more particularly, to automated lost and found notifications for pets based on geolocation and social profile information.DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART[0003]Pet owners often confront the distressing problem of a lost animal, such as a dog or cat. Unfortunately, the existing options for alerting others about a lost pet can be time consuming and largely rely on serendipity for success. For example, pet owners often pos...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a system and method for automated lost and found pet alerts based on geolocation and social profile information. The technology allows pet owners to create lost pet notifications and find pet notifications through a mobile application. The system uses existing social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, to connect pet owners with potential helpers in locating or retrieving their lost pet. The technology also includes a server that generates and sends out the lost and found pet notifications to the pet owners' social networks. The system helps to streamline the process of finding lost pets and reduces the time-consuming process of searching for lost pets.

Problems solved by technology

Pet owners often confront the distressing problem of a lost animal, such as a dog or cat.

Unfortunately, the existing options for alerting others about a lost pet can be time consuming and largely rely on serendipity for success.

Using dogs as an example, most do not have GPS tracking devices, and many do not wear proper identification tags and have not been implanted with an identification microchip.

Even when a lost dog is equipped with such identification, someone locating or sheltering the dog has limited ability to the unite dog with its owner.

Images