Use of meaning boards and meaning buttons to aid in learning language expression and comprehension

Abstract

A device designed to provide language-like abilities to dogs. Using polygonal layouts, audible, olfactory, visual, and other signals, the device provides efficient and unique capabilities for communicating with dogs in a detailed manner. Devices for capturing or emitting scents are provided. The unique button design and functions are trained with special suitability for animal learning.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] Cross-reference for related applications

[0002] This application claims priority under U.S. provisional application serial number 62 / 945,574 filed under 35 USC § 119(e) on December 9, 2019, and U.S. provisional application serial number 63 / 030.312 filed on May 27, 2020, which are incorporated into this document by reference in their entirety.

[0003] The current content relates to the design and methods of devices and systems, and promotes the development of animal exchange. Background Technology

[0004] introduction

[0005] It has already been established that dogs can use buttons that produce the sounds of words to express themselves to humans. Currently, the spatial arrangement of these buttons that allow dogs to use them is likely almost entirely arbitrary, just as it is perceived by humans and by dogs; this has been demonstrated by videos showing different and sometimes unplanned layouts. Furthermore, because the buttons themselves do not differ in the way dogs perceive or can perceive them, it is difficult for language learners to identify their meaning. It should be noted here that, unless otherwise required by the content, the term should be understood to include other trainable animals (e.g., cats, rabbits, ferrets, pigs, etc.). In many cases, very young children and people with conversational communication disorders or limitations may also be included in the term.

[0006] Research on word-concept relationships involves tasks in which speech pathology researchers organize words using constructs or concepts of speech pathology, such as the “Fitzgerald Key” (Figs. 5A and 5B). Additionally, caregivers of individuals with special needs may also want to use the physical instantiation of actual objects.

[0007] Merging neuroscience and cognitive science design principles with physical hardware design principles in a scalable set of devices represents a substantial and novel departure from any previous techniques. From a learning perspective, the polygonal grid design incorporates semantic vectors that suggest ways in which meaning can be explained, while simultaneously providing learners with local cues for word meanings through a low-cost, easy-to-configure and use, and durable design.

[0008] As a preliminary step, we teach the inventions of this document in a manner accessible to those familiar with the technology. To make the training in this document more accessible, we do not clearly distinguish between background discussions of the domain and impromptu invention discussions. Accordingly, while we discuss background materials outside of the summary and detailed invention sections, new, uncertain, and useful inventions outside of those sections may also be discussed in the introduction or background sections. Including materials within a given section does not imply an acknowledgment that such materials are prioritized technology, and therefore should not be understood as such. In other words, the majority of this document is intended to provide a general overview of materials for teaching those familiar with the technology how to implement the inventions. There is no intention to acknowledge or recognize any prior materials discussed in this section, and such should not be speculated.

[0009] background

[0010] It has been believed that dogs developed a relationship with humans approximately 14,000 to 30,000 years ago. While the exact mechanism by which this symbiotic relationship developed is not yet fully understood, the current prevailing hypothesis is that dogs self-tamed by feeding on food scraps, garbage, and carcasses discarded by humans. Humans likely quickly eliminated aggressive dogs, while the better and most useful types (those possessing traits associated with caring for humans, such as large eyes) probably succeeded in winning over human minds by acting as a sort of warning system first. Since then, of course, the role of dogs in human life has expanded significantly, and many people now consider them "part of the family."

[0011] Just a few hundred years ago, it was common for women to have children in their teens. Over the past few hundred years, almost all women have had children in their early or mid-twenties. However, as people postpone marriage and children these days, the urge for the experience of having something to care for has gone unfulfilled for many individuals and couples. Instead of babies, many people turn their attention to pets, particularly dogs. The sight of babies and the "cuteness" people feel about them are evolutionary adaptations that evoke human interest, and it is highly likely that dogs (especially puppies and kittens) have utilized these traits. If so, as baby-types, dogs elicit many of the same caregiving behaviors from their caregivers. One particular caregiver impulse is the often-frustrated need for higher-bandwidth conversation—a need for better understanding and to "get inside the other person's head." This is evidenced by the frequent use of emergency "baby talk" when conversing with some dogs. “Baby talk,” also known as infant-led conversation or the formerly called “mother’s tone of voice with her child,” is a form of conversational generation that enhances language acquisition through the exaggeration of voice and intonation.

[0012] The utility of dogs in improving the mental health of isolated individuals, such as prisoners and hospital patients, has long been a subject of research. However, the significant role dogs play in assisting those isolated by COVID-19 restrictions—or simply those living alone—has been highlighted. Recognizing the importance of pets to human well-being and mental health, jurisdictions such as Vancouver, Canada, have adopted agreements supporting public policies banning "pet bans" in rental laws. As pets come to play a more central and significant role in human welfare and mental health, it is crucial that interspecies communication modalities be developed beyond what is possible with existing technology.

[0013] Dogs are social animals, famous among them for hunting, traveling, and living in packs. Therefore, a successful pack requires an understanding that it is a social association, or to some extent hierarchical, meaning that social situations are highly evolutionarily adapted to pack members. This understanding of individual group organization is likely the reason why dogs became useful helpers for human shepherds. As humans and dogs evolved together, dogs gradually developed the ability to form and protect packs, as well as the ability to learn and obey commands. The degree of variation in dogs' appearance (size and form) is evidence of the speed and productivity of selective breeding based on physical attributes—it is reasonable that a similar degree of effect manifested itself in the evolution of canine cognitive and behavioral attributes.

[0014] Most dogs today exist as pets and act as human companions. In fact, most households consider their dogs to be “members of the family.” As members of the family and “proto-babies” who participate in many family activities, most households are highly interested in having better conversations with their dogs. Currently, this need is only partially met by hiring dog trainers or learning dog training techniques. Such training techniques are broadly considered types of classical conditioning and operant conditioning learning / training. In the case of classical conditioning, learning is a form of prediction: a bell sound is associated with food for the dog, and food is associated with mucus production in that dog; therefore, the bell sound can be the cause of mucus production in the same dog. In the case of operant conditioning, the positive or negative feedback a dog receives as a result of performing a certain behavior causes an increase or decrease in the future performance of that behavior.

[0015] Of course, most dog behaviors are not the direct result of intentional classical or operant conditioning. Many stories in which dogs acquire words or social conventions within the home completely unintentionally are not the result of any intentional training. Like all animals, dogs are sensitive to the rich environmental content of their behavior and the environmental consequences of their actions. Therefore, they can acquire new and clever behaviors, such as continuously throwing a ball down stairs, escaping from a cage by lifting the latch, or coming to help a person in distress, without punishment or food rewards.

[0016] If humans were the only ones trained through direct operant conditioning, I would have little chance of writing this sentence. There are almost no “schools of human obedience,” because language exists as a rich conversational method that avoids or provides a substitute for the kind of behavior an infant will exhibit. An unhappy dog ​​and an infant will behave to attract attention, and that unwanted behavior often persists until attention is given or the problem is resolved.

[0017] Therefore, providing dogs with the ability to understand and express words is not only ingenious but also beneficial to the welfare of both dogs and humans. Trust in high-level conversation produces a universal element that prevents unwanted behavior. Individuals who engage in rich conversation with one another can better predict each other's reactions. This helps prevent unwanted behavior and encourages the selection of more prosocial behaviors. For example, a dog may be much less likely to express the need to urinate in unauthorized places, such as indoors. One particularly necessary case is when meaning is unclear. Without the common conversation proposed as an embodiment of this invention, dogs may develop a signaling system that indicates ambiguity to humans in the same way. As a simple example, a dog may sit at a person's feet when hungry or when it needs to walk.

[0018] As another example, dogs can bark for various reasons. Excitement, seeking attention, foraging for food, boredom, fear, concern, territory, pain, surprise, a reaction to an unexpected stimulus, dementia, warning, and other reasons can all cause a dog to bark. Although a dog's body language and the characteristics of its barking sounds may provide clues as to why it barks, it is frustrating for humans—and possibly for dogs as well—that we usually cannot understand why a dog has started barking. In fact, communication between dogs may be supplemented by signals that humans do not perceive. For instance, a dog's superior hearing and sense of smell can provide a basis for other dogs to determine whether the sound of a barking dog is an unknown, distant, and quiet bark, or a barking in response to the presence of a nearby stranger through the scent of a human.

[0019] By allowing dogs to communicate more clearly or specifically, barking can be characterized by the dog. For example, barking accompanied by a “play” button can express boredom, barking accompanied by “danger” can be a warning, and barking accompanied by “handle” can indicate hunger, etc. In one aspect, barking can be detected by an audio detection device functionally connected to a network and at least one button. Certain combinations—barking combined with “warning”—can trigger a signal on a human-interactive device, such as a mobile phone. In some cases, if a button is present, loud and destructive barking may no longer be necessary.

[0020] As a result of these benefits, devices, systems, and methods for rich conversation with dogs are highly likely to be needed in almost every household (or business, community, or similar structure) that owns a dog. If puppies can be trained to understand and express their needs, desires, emotions, and thoughts, this will lead to richer relationships with other breeds, and the impact will not be overstated. Advanced conversation with dogs will improve and enable greater participation of working dogs in the economy, allowing them to train more quickly and perform tasks more reliably. For example, dogs already provide excellent assistance in safety situations and patrols. With just basic language skills, dogs can even replace humans in this role—or at least in a role where human handlers operate dogs at a higher rate. Dogs are also in a better position to stay entertained when left alone at home, allowing them to be more independent and less anxious in such cases. Just as a dog can play without someone nearby to throw a ball, it can also play through language expressed via invention. It will provide richer and more meaningful companionship to many people entering old age, potentially help with the current loneliness crisis, and could even transform senior care facilities as currently understood.

[0021] Training protection and service dogs is expensive; however, word-based conversation has the potential to significantly reduce training time, resulting in potential cost savings. Since we know that dogs can detect early signs of cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and seizures, word-based conversation could lead to major medical advancements. Similarly, dogs and many other animals can detect impending natural phenomena before they occur. For example, in the case of earthquakes, animals can detect the primary wave, or "P-wave," which precedes the dangerous hoose.

[0022] It is important to note that the normal methods of communication between dogs and humans are very limited. For example, a dog may bark when excited, bored, in response to auditory stimuli, to react to an intruder, simply to warn humans that something is happening, or for other reasons. However, without the ability to be more explicit, humans continue to question what the dog is feeling or trying to convey. This phenomenon is similar to a dog scratching at a door to the outside. The dog might need to urinate or defecate; it might be bored, want to go out, or want to visit someone. Again, with such blunt communication tools, humans continue to question what the dog wants. Dogs can improve their communication by allowing them to improve their expression, such as by barking while pressing a button indicating "fear." Furthermore, by enabling such improvements, pressing a button can be used to trigger a real-world response. For example, pressing a "fear" button can send a signal to the owner's mobile phone accompanied by video of the room or front door. A "light" button can turn on the lights.

[0023] In fact, assistance dogs can even be trained to press a button to call for help if their owner appears incapacitated. One implementation involves a scenario where an alert can be triggered (via an alarm, light, signal to a handheld device, or other means) and the owner can cancel it within a certain timeframe (approximately 60 seconds) before emergency responders are called. In another implementation, a normal alert / cancel sequence can be utilized. In this scenario, the device may send an alert indicating a theft alarm, an acute cardiac event detected by a watch with an EKG or pulse monitor, or a problem with a human or a person who has lost consciousness and collapsed, as detected by a sensor. The dog can confirm the signal with the “Help” button and cancel it with the “OK” button, or transfer it to a lower-priority recipient, such as a neighbor, rather than an ambulance.

[0024] On another note, “drug sniffer dogs” and other animals trained to detect contraband by smell can distinguish between various drugs (or other items). For instance, consider Pang, an airport drug sniffer dog; Pang may have been trained to identify heroin, cocaine, and Adderall. Pang might send a warning about a carry-on bag, but according to the owner, this could simply end with the statement that there is an Adderall prescription and some remains in the bag. Instead of searching the bag or detaining the person, one could tell Pang to press the “Adderall” button (if it is Adderall) and instruct the officer to text a picture of the prescription bottle to their partner. Without such ambiguity resolution, the officer is likely to react as if the dog has detected the worst-case scenario. This situation could be similar to a bomb sniffer dog sending a warning about nitrogen fertilizer. Because officers cannot know if the dog is sending a warning about highly energy-dense materials, such as C-4 explosives, that a person might be hiding, they are forced to body search the person. If a dog can press a button labeled “nitrogen fertilizer,” officers will know they are searching for potential explosives with much lower energy density—and as a result, they can avoid searching even very small spaces, for example. Another specification is that the dog could heighten alerts by indicating the relative intensity of a scent. Dogs can be trained to detect and distinguish different substances, but indicating a degree of certainty is much more difficult. Current technology fundamentally represents binary “yes” or “no,” whereas buttons could be positioned to indicate “somewhat,” “maybe,” “very certain,” etc. In fact, a single button could be implemented and used to enhance communication through rapid, robust, hard, and repeatable button presses.

[0025] It is unknown whether a cat's language ability will lead to a significant improvement in its intelligence. Language acquisition plays a crucial role in the development of many of the most advanced cognitive abilities in humans. Wild children—individuals who reach puberty without exposure to language—most all exhibit significantly reduced cognitive abilities. This is partly because complex cognition is closely linked to words and how we use them. For example, the word "if" is believed to have originated from a word related to "doubtful" objects. Now, while we have "if," we can engage in a new kind of conversation that is deeper than just the concept of doubt. For example, "If you hit the glass, it will break," or the use of "if" more strongly in computer programming. We may not see a canine Albert Einstein anytime soon, but we may see dogs writing words with new abilities that were previously impossible.

[0026] What is interesting is that enabling dogs' verbal abilities could improve communication between them. For example, one dog can press the “Play” button, and the other dog can then press “Play” and “Out.” Then the dogs will run out of the dog door.

[0027] It is not surprising that if a dog can communicate its needs, it will suffer less mental distress. Dogs that suffer less are less likely to engage in destructive behavior.

[0028] The market for a product like this has the potential to be vast, perhaps even leading to category creation. Currently, 50 million U.S. households own dogs, and the pet market in the U.S. alone exceeds $90 billion. Customer costs could potentially increase two or three times if many dogs can or do demonstrate simple language skills.

[0029] Many devices have been invented in attempts to train non-human animals to use language. The chimpanzee Kanzi was trained to point to icons on a board to converse.

[0030] Other attempts at dog language training have been successful only in the area of ​​word comprehension and have not attempted word generation or expression meaning; even when attempted, such efforts were made only by experts using home-customized hardware. Ana Jane Grossman, a trainer at the “Dog School” in New York City, trained a limited number of dogs to touch “yes” or “no” visual images on an iPad.

[0031] The late retired psychology professor Dr. John Philly trained his personal Chaser with over a thousand names. Doing so required years of deliberate effort, but the result was that while Chaser could recognize words, it could not generate them. Chaser did not possess the understanding, ability, or need to generate those words on its own.

[0032] Furthermore, the Cleverpet Hub device, commercialized in 2016, was designed by cognitive scientists and neuroscientists to use its software to facilitate the learning of complex tasks. In 2019, Cleverpet released source code that enables Cleverpet standard training, allowing community members to create games such as example-trained dogs learning the names of different colors. To do so, a second computer was required. Patents and applications relating to the Hub device, and their use or improvement, include, without limitation, US 10,506,794 (“Animal Interaction Device, System and Method”), US 10,349,625 (“Animal, Interaction Device, System and Method”), USD775769S1 (“Animal Interaction Device”), applications PCT / US2015 / 047431, 16 / 896,042, and 16 / 839,003, and any non-US counterparty.

[0033] Most recently, speech pathologist Christina Hunger had her dog Stella “speak” over 29 words (at the time of writing) using buttons that played recorded words. She was able to do so within a timeframe comparable to how a human learns language—that is, within 12 months. Surprisingly, Stella appears capable of expressing new concepts through word combinations, such as “water outside” when, for example, the button for “beach” is not working; Stella also seems capable of constructing original texts (e.g., “want, eat, play).” The buttons Christina used for this purpose are readily available for purchase and can be used by speech pathologists for training. She distributed the buttons on a Cartesian grid “word board.”

[0034] The present invention provides devices, systems, and methods for training both non-human and human beings to communicate more effectively than was previously possible. Although domestic dogs are used as exemplary animals in this invention, unless clearly specified otherwise, the term "dog" shall, from now on, refer to any animal that lacks the ability to understand their needs and thoughts to the level of a typical human adult without loss of generality. Unless required otherwise specified, the term includes pre-speech children and people with communication disorders. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0035] Figure 1A is a simplified diagram showing some basic linguistic components (semantic axes) of a conversational device. Figure 1B is a more complex diagram showing some basic language components of a conversational device. Fig. 1C is a diagram showing some basic language components of a dialog device overlaid on a set of tiles that may include buttons or button-like functionality. Fig. 2A is a simple depiction of interconnected tiles with different patterns organized to promote conversation. Fig. 2B is a complex depiction of interconnected tiles with different patterns organized to promote conversation. Fig. 3 is an interconnected tile diagram with buttons. Fig. 4 is a set of patterns that may be printed on tiles. Fig. 5A is the Fitzgerald key diagram. Fig. 5B is a modified Fitzgerald key diagram. Fig. 6 is a color wheel with a semantic grid overload, and rotation around the color wheel can refer to different kinds of words. Fig. 7 is an absorbent odor capture device. Fig. 8 is a hexagonal grid (with tiles) with interchangeable button holes. Fig. 9A-9F is a hexagonal grid showing the use of various types of button numbers. Fig. 10 is an exemplary diagram of six tiles organized by word categories according to the concretization of discovery. Fig. 11A-11F is a diagram showing an example made of several occlusal tiles according to the embodiment of the discovery. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of many hexagonal tiles according to the embodiment of the invention. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of several different hexagonal tiles with patterns according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the tiles and interconnections. FIG. 15A-15D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 16A-16B are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 17A-17B are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to one isosceles trapezoid according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 18A-18D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to scalene trapezoids, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 19A-19D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and arrow-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 20A-20B are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 21A-21D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 22A-22D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to isosceles trapezoids, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 23A-23D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and trapezoidal-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 24A-24D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and arrow-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 25A-25D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a plan view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 26A-26D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 27A-27D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to isosceles trapezoids, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 28A-28D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and trapezoidal-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 29A-29D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and arrow-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 30A-30D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having bone-like connectors without a cutout for button placement, a triangular shape according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 31A-31D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, a cutout for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 32A-32D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, a medium-sized button placement, a single cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 33A-33D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, a large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 34A-34D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing small-sized buttons in a triangular shape according to an embodiment of the invention and connectors similar to a bone shape. FIG. 35A-35D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing a triangular, medium-sized button according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 36A-36D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing large-sized buttons and bone-like connectors, each according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 37A-37D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 38A-38D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 39A-39D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for placing large-sized buttons and bone-like connectors, each according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 40A-40D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 41A-41D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 42A-42D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a triangular shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 43A-43D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 44A-44D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 45A-45D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a triangular shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 46A-46D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 47A-47D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 48A-48D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for placing large-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors, each according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 49A-49D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 50A-50D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 51A-51D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a triangular shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 52A-52D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having bone-like connectors without cutouts, with a square shape and small size button arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 53A-53D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, a small-sized button placement, a cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 54A-54D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, a medium-sized button arrangement, a single cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 55A-55D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, a large-sized button placement, a cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 56A-56D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 57A-57D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 58A-58D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 59A-59D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 60A-60D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 61A-61D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 62A-62D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 63A-63D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 64A-64D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 65A-65D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 66A-66D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 67A-67D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 68A-68D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 69A-69D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 70A-70D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 71A-71D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 72A-72D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a square shape, medium-sized button arrangement, and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 73A-73D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 74A-74D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having bone-like connectors without cutouts for placing small-sized buttons, in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 75A-75D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, one cutout for small-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 76A-76D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, a medium-sized button placement, a single cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 77A-77D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, one cutout for large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 78A-78D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing small-sized buttons and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention, with a hexagonal shape. FIG. 79A-79D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 80A-80D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 81A-81D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 82A-82D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-like connectors. FIG. 83A-83D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, three cutouts for large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 84A-84D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 85A-85D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 86A-86D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, four cutouts for large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 87A-87D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 88A-88D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 89A-89D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 90A-90D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 91A-91D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 92A-92D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 93A-93D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 94A-94D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors. FIG. 95A-95D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 96A-96D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, capable of arranging buttons of two different sizes according to an embodiment of the invention, and having bone-like connectors. FIG. 97A-97D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of each of the six independent kite-shaped parts according to an embodiment of the invention, each part having four connectors similar to a bone shape, each part of a separable hexagonal tile. FIG. 98A-98D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a hexagonal tile capable of arranging buttons of two different sizes according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 99A-99D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a separable hexagonal tile, each having six independent kite-shaped parts, each part having four connectors similar to a bone shape, according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 100 is a multi-capture (absorption) device. Fig. 101 is an absorption capture device. Fig. 102 is an odor camera (absorption capture device). Fig. 103A-103D is an odor absorption system. Fig. 104 is a flowchart of language acquisition methods. Fig. 105 is a flowchart of the button neural learning method. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0036] Specific examples of the invention will now be described in detail. Examples are shown in the attached drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with preferred specific examples, it will be understood that it is not intended to be limited to these specific examples. On the contrary, the invention is intended to include alternatives, modifications, and substitutes that may be included within the scope and spirit of the invention. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, many specific details are specified for a complete understanding of the present invention. However, it will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, processes, and parts have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present invention. This convention is intended to make this document easier for those practicing or improving the invention to understand, and the level of detail provided is not an indication that such examples, methods, and processes are known in the art, novel, or obvious.

[0037] Abbreviations and Definitions

[0038] To facilitate understanding of the invention, many terms and abbreviations used herein are defined as follows.

[0039] Meaning Button: As used here, a “meaning button” is a physical or digital (e.g., touch screen-based) object that a learner can execute (e.g., press) and, in the process, express the concept that the meaning button signifies.

[0040] Semantic Board or Tile: As used herein, “semantic board” or “semantic tile” refers to a physical or digital object on which semantic buttons can be placed. For example, the board may be hexagonal, but it may also be of other shapes. Another example is that interlocking or adjacent tiles can be arranged to form a single large board made of tiles.

[0041] Elaboration: As used here, “elaboration” (or “to elaborate”) is defined to mean a set of more abstract, complex, elaborate, ambiguous, peculiar, or strange concepts or words that are broadly considered, or otherwise closer to the center of the semantic axis. It includes concepts that are combinations of things being considered, like others. For example, an elaboration of “dog” could be a dace (a breed of dog).

[0042] As used here, the term “meaning vector” refers to a direction and proceeds with the sophistication of concepts or words arranged along this vector.

[0043] Semantic Axis: A semantic vector representing the three sentence subjects, sentence verbs, and sentence objects, all originating from the same point, with the sentence subject and sentence object moving away in opposite directions from each other, and the sentence verb elaborating perpendicularly to the axis defined by the sentence subject and object.

[0044] Trainer: As used herein, “Trainer” broadly refers to any agent (human or non-human animal, or digital / electronic entity) that has the will to interact with a learner or trains (or teaches) the learner to interact with them.

[0045] Learner: As used herein, the term “learner” is broadly defined to include any agent (human or non-human animal or digital / electronic entity) that learns using a meaning button or meaning board.

[0046] Here, the term “Cleverpet” ® When using the term “hub,” it should be understood to include other devices having similar functions as part of the technology described in U.S. Patent Application 14 / 771,995. Also, when using the term “button,” it means any touch or other interface that can be activated by a dog.

[0047] The present application discloses several language-training devices and systems. Several consist of one or more polygonal semantic boards, which include, but are not limited to, semantic boards having triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, nonagons, or decagons. The semantic board has semantic buttons that generate sounds on the sides of the semantic board, and the semantic board may be installed horizontally, like a floor, vertically, like a wall, or at an angle, like an inclined surface. The semantic board is designed so that the sound-generating semantic buttons can be firmly attached to the side visible to the learner. In one example, the sound and the buttons are not placed together. For example, the sound may come from a tile, another button, a movable device, a speaker, a warning system, a dog collar or other wearable device, or another sound generator. In one aspect, the sound may be within the range of human and dog hearing. In another aspect, the sound may be within the range of dog hearing only. In one aspect, two sounds may be generated, one within the human hearing range and the other outside the human hearing range but within the dog's hearing range, and the sounds may optionally differ from each other in loudness, duration, number of repetitions, or other aspects. In one example, a sound may be emitted from a first button and trigger a sound from another sound source. In one example, the sound may be encrypted, such as a modem encoding data to be transmitted over a telephone line and received by a receiver connected to operate the speaker. In one aspect, the triggering sound may be outside the human hearing range. In another aspect, the triggering sound may be outside the dog's hearing range.

[0048] Therefore, the language training device consists of the following: multiple polygonal boards, each polygonal board installed on a horizontal, vertical, or inclined surface; and one or more meaning buttons, each meaning button connected to a surface, wherein (I) the corners of each polygonal board do not have meaning buttons to provide a clue to the direction of the board; and (II) multiple polygonal boards are arranged to facilitate the learning of words and word categories. New polygonal boards may be added to the device along meaning vectors.

[0049] In some examples, semantic buttons generate audible words. In other examples, a polygonal board consists of one or more visual, tactile, and olfactory cues to help learners identify word categories placed on the board. In yet another example, each semantic button has a section where an object can be placed, a detachable button surface on which an object can be placed, and is transparent so that an observer can see the object. The button may also consist of a hole that serves as a pathway for smells to pass through from the object.

[0050] In another example, each tile may include hook or loop connectors on the bottom surface of some or all tiles. Similarly, each button may include hook or loop connectors on the bottom surface of some or all buttons. When floor space density is sparse, buttons and / or buttons or tiles may be attached to walls or doors. Such attachments include hook and loop connectors, 3 M Command ® It can be attached using a strip-like method, or with magnets or other connection forms.

[0051] In some examples, a semantic board may have clear directional cues in the form of a corner where a semantic button is omitted. The unusual arrangement of multiple semantic boards is designed to facilitate learning and the elaboration of concepts or word categories.

[0052] Another example consists of a similarly polygonal semantic board with unique visual, textual, or olfactory cues that provide intuitive clues for identifying concepts or word categories.

[0053] Another embodiment consists of a semantic board and semantic buttons within the board, which not only facilitate the acquisition of the meaning and location of the semantic buttons but also provide clues regarding the types of conceptual or grammatical changes occurring along different semantic vectors across the arrangement of semantic boards. In particular, semantic buttons associated with the sentence subject (e.g., person and animal) extend far in one direction from the centerline of the arranged set of semantic boards, semantic buttons associated with the sentence object extend in the opposite direction from the device, and action or verb concepts extend at a perpendicular angle from a line defined by the axis of meaning defined by the subject-object extension line (see, e.g., Fig. 1A).

[0054] However, another embodiment consists of a language expression and comprehension device comprising one or more meaning buttons. The meaning button of the device has compartments inside that accommodate various types of objects and smells to which a learner assigns meaning, and the surface of the meaning button allows one to see any object or image inside. The device allows a trainer (and a potential learner) to remove the surface of the meaning button to access the compartments so that objects can be placed inside. Furthermore, the surface of the meaning button may also be permeable to open a path for smells emitted by objects to exit to the space outside the button.

[0055] As described above, the language learning system is explained as consisting of sound-generating buttons arranged according to one or more recommended layouts. The system described herein integrates meaning buttons and meaning boards through preferred meaning board placements as well as preferred button positions on the meaning boards.

[0056] A method of English acquisition is described, including the placement of a meaning board on a horizontal plane (e.g., a floor or table), a vertical plane (e.g., a wall or door), or an inclined plane (e.g., a ramp). Subsequently, meaning buttons are placed on the meaning board to facilitate the learner's concept acquisition. Then, the learner is trained on the meanings of the meaning buttons. Afterward, the meaning board and meaning buttons are added to one or more meaning axes to expand the learner's vocabulary.

[0057] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 104, the language training method can be constructed as follows: (I) position one or more sound-generating buttons on a hexagonal board near reference target 10401; (ii) train the learner to use each sound-generating button 10402; (iii) identify one or more sound-generating buttons on a hexagonal board while maintaining the position of each button near reference target 10403; and (iv) connect the hexagonal board with one or more other hexagonal boards 10404, where one or more other hexagonal boards are added along semantic vectors. The hexagonal board and other hexagonal boards can constitute one to seven sound-generating buttons.

[0058] Also, in some embodiments, the method further comprises: (v) emitting a scent to each sound-generating button to aid in training; and / or (vi) assigning meaning to one or more sound-generating buttons to aid in training for the learner.

[0059] The current teaching involves design components of buttons and a board arranged in a way that facilitates learning to use buttons to express meaning. The buttons trigger the generation of sounds that refer to known concepts (e.g., words) that the trainer (e.g., dog owner / parent) believes the dog is associated with (e.g., “outside”) in learning. In this way, we call this device “meaning buttons.” They are fixed in place on the board and do not move unintentionally when pressed by a learner (e.g., a dog).

[0060] To facilitate learning, boards are arranged so that movement in one direction from one board to the next is more likely to generate meaningful sentences and to provide learners with clues regarding word categories and where words fit within the expression. In one example, this semantic board is typically positioned so that the sentence subject (human or animal) is on the left side of the layout, the sentence verb is in the center, and the sentence object (toy or place) is on the right side, opposite the sentence subject.

[0061] The current teaching also describes a board design that helps learners better remember the location of buttons within a grid, while providing space for the learner to place their feet or foreshoes and containing cues to recognize the same version of the direction in different locations. Although strong cues are preferred in most cases, they may not be strong in some implementations. In one implementation, the board is a hexagon with a single meaning button position in the center, with no meaning button positions except at one corner.

[0062] Consequently, on one side, the language training device may consist of one or more hexagonal boards, each hexagonal board configured as follows: (I) one or more buttons; (II) a place for the safe placement of one or more buttons, a space that can be easily removed and replaced but restricts unintentional movement of the buttons; (III) a surface marker indicating the direction relative to the observer, whereby the hexagonal board is connected in a manner that restricts relative movement when physically connected to a nearby board, and can be placed in a different location when physically separated, and where one or more buttons on the board provide one or more semantic cues.

[0063] In some embodiments, each hexagonal board may consist of 1 to 7 buttons, and the buttons may have a smell infused in the plastic elements of the buttons. Additionally, in some respects, each button may have a smell that is specific to the meaning that the button represents.

[0064] In many respects, the button can be activated in various ways. For example, the button can be activated by a capacitive touch sensor, a camera, the learner's gaze, the learner's neural signals, a magnetic sensor, or an infrared sensor. These various activation methods are explained in more detail below.

[0065] Figure 4 shows printed patterns 401–406 placed on the surface of a board (e.g., digital printing, screen printing, 3D printing, or other conventional printing methods, or by attaching or molding patterns onto the surface) to help learners better remember and distinguish word categories displayed on the board. In one aspect, noun or noun phrase patterns can be a set of triangles (e.g., sentence subject as pattern 402, place as pattern 403, and sentence object as pattern 404), and patterns for actions and verbs can be a set of curves (e.g., pattern 405). The sharp angles at the ends of triangles can increase visual spatial frequency, helping to evoke a sense of "unusuality" that the observer can refer to. Conversely, curved patterns can help recognize that the concept is movement, motion, or action. Additionally, adverb and adjective patterns can combine triangles and curves (e.g., pattern 406), and patterns for social words can be a chessboard pattern (e.g., pattern 401).

[0066] The current teaching also explains that the semantic board is arranged along a semantic axis to improve concept learning and facilitate sentence expression. On one side, subject nouns such as humans and animals extend to the left of the center line of the arranged semantic board, object nouns such as toys and places extend to the right of the center line, and verbs or actions extend at a perpendicular angle to the line formed by the subject and object nouns. With this arrangement, learners can construct many phrases while minimizing changes in the direction of movement. For example, “Mom plays ball outside” can involve movement from left to right on the arranged semantic board in this arrangement.

[0067] The current teaching method includes a system for understanding language that guides the expansion of the device as the learner increases their vocabulary, as well as training expressions and the use of meaning buttons.

[0068] In some respects, a language training system may be composed as follows: a computer network; a button connected to the computer network and consisting of one or more smells, textures, patterns, or sounds perceived by a learner (e.g., a dog or cat) that generates an initial sensory trigger; a button made to be triggered by the learner (a dog or cat); a button that is reprogrammed in more detail by a human user to generate a sensory trigger different from the initial sensory trigger; and a button that can be triggered remotely.

[0069] In some respects, the initial sensory trigger may be a sound that humans may or may not perceive. A second sound may be generated when the initial sensory trigger is inaudible to humans, while the second sound is perceptible. The initial sensory trigger can consist of a single word, a single smell, a single touch, or a pattern. It is also important to understand that when using smells as triggers, dogs can detect and distinguish odors more acutely than humans. Consequently, even in very small amounts, odors that humans find unpleasant—such as urination—may be detectable by dogs but not by humans. Similarly, while humans may feel frustrated or annoyed by olfactory dissonance, it may be desirable to provide dogs with multiple smells that they can identify but humans mostly cannot.

[0070] The current instruction includes a device for training language expression and comprehension. The device consists of a user-programmable sound-generating button with a transparent cover that allows the trainer to place an object or a representative object behind and / or underneath for the learner to perceive. On one side, the button may include a hole through which the learner can smell the scent content applied to the button, thereby providing the learner with an additional cue to recognize and remember the meaning of the button. On the other side, the scent may be applied to all or only some parts of the button.

[0071] The current teaching method includes placing meaning boards on a surface, positioning buttons on the meaning boards according to a pre-described meaning arrangement, training learners on the meaning of the meaning buttons, and expanding learners' vocabulary along a given meaning axis through the meaning boards or meaning buttons.

[0072] The distinct features, aspects, and advantages of the current teaching will be better understood by referring to the following description, examples, and attached claims.

[0073] Turning to the figure, 1A, there is an advanced semantic multi-axis diagram 101 illustrating semantic vectors that define the concept space. Words or concepts placed further away from the origin of the semantic axis must be elaborations on the semantic vector. Words or concepts that can be sentence “subjects” 102 start to the left of the centerline, while those that can be sentence “objects” 104 are elaborated to the right of the centerline. In the same plane, action words 103 (such as verbs) start in the middle and become elaborated as they move further away from the origin of the semantic axis.

[0074] Figure 1B is the extended semantic axis diagram 110. Subject 102, object 104, verb 103, social language 113, adverbs and adjectives 117, and verb conjugations 114 and 116 exist alongside object conjugation 118 and subject conjugation 112. The hexagonal layout facilitates development in more directions, not just left, right, and bottom. Conceptually “middle” words and concepts can be placed along appropriate diagonals. Therefore, in this presentation, “social words” 113, such as greetings, are placed to the left of the action semantic vector and near the semantic subject 102 semantic vector. On the same plane, words that change verbs or objects (adverbs and adjectives, etc.) 117 and 118 are located to the right of the centerline between verbs 103, 114, 116 and typical sentence object 104.

[0075] Fig. 1C is an extended semantic axis diagram superimposed on a set of 120 hexagonal tiles. The diagram in Fig. 1C shows that the number of unlimited semantic vectors appears as an elaboration that increases as the grid 120 is extended, demonstrating whether this can facilitate the learner's learning and generalization.

[0076] By organizing the distribution of tiles and buttons according to the organizational principles described in Fig. 1A-1C, the likelihood of success in a dog learning and utilizing the system is promoted.

[0077] Referring to Fig. 2, this is another example of semantic partitioning and organization. There is a social word 201, as in button 211 accompanied by a tile. There is a sentence subject like another person and an animal 202, as in button 212 accompanied by a tile. There is a verb and action word 203, as in button 213 accompanied by a tile. There is an object and an inanimate object 204, as in button 214 accompanied by a tile. There is a place 205, as in button 215 accompanied by a tile. There is an adjective and an adverb 206, as in button 216 accompanied by a tile.

[0078] The trainer may start with one or two meaning boards containing words such as “outside” (e.g., button 215 on meaning board 205) and “toy 1” (e.g., button 214 on meaning board 204), and then add additional meaning boards as the learner achieves proficiency. For example, meaning boards 203 and 202 may be added to the left of meaning board 204, for example, the words “play” (button 213) and “person 1” (button 212), such as “person 1” meaning “who” and “play” meaning “what”. “Toy 1” (button 213) on meaning board 204 corresponds to “what” and “outside” 215 on meaning board 205, which mean “where”.

[0079] The additional meaning board is attached to the left of meaning board 202 and may refer to other people or animals, and the additional meaning board is attached to the right of meaning board 205 and may refer to other objects or places. Similarly, meaning board 206 is attached to the word “now” (Button 216; descriptive, e.g., adjective or adverb), and meaning board 201 can be attached to the word “I love you” (Button 211; one social word, e.g., greetings and etiquette).

[0080] Looking at Figure 2B, semantic subdivision and organization are shown there. It exists for social words 251, like multiple buttons accompanied by a single tile. It exists for sentence subjects 252, such as other people and animals, like multiple buttons accompanied by a single tile. It exists for verbs and action words 253, like multiple buttons accompanied by a single tile. It exists for sentence objects and inanimate objects 254, like multiple buttons accompanied by a single tile. It exists for places 255, like multiple buttons accompanied by a single tile. It exists for adjectives and adverbs 256, like multiple buttons accompanied by a single tile. Multiple buttons such as button 260 are shown.

[0081] Referring to Figure 3, we see an interconnected set of example tiles with cutouts (spaces) for buttons. Multiple meaning boards are shown (similar to meaning boards 201-296 in Fig. 2A and meaning boards 251-256 in Fig. 2B). Each board has meaning buttons (e.g. 308) distributed within it. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the meaning boards have 3 to 6 meaning buttons, but the number of buttons on each board can vary from 0 to 7 (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). Likewise, the arrangement of meaning boards in Fig. 3 is merely an example, and the arrangement may have more or fewer boards, and the boards may be arranged differently from what is shown. Meaning buttons can be placed in any cutout (space) on the meaning boards. Spaces 301-307 are representative locations where additional meaning buttons will be placed.

[0082] To use a device that combines meaning boards and meaning buttons, the trainer distributes the meaning boards (e.g., shown in Fig. 2B) according to the meaning tree shown in Fig. 1B. Next, the trainer places meaning boards that the learner has already learned or meaning buttons that the trainer intends to teach (e.g., button 260 on board 251 in Fig. 2B) in appropriate places within the meaning board, removing any inserts as needed. Inserts (not shown here) are used to fill or cover cutouts / spaces (e.g., space 303 in Fig. 3). When the learner acquires a new concept, the trainer may add a new meaning button. When a new word category is learned, a meaning board may be added, along with a meaning button in the center of the meaning board, to be used as a memorable standard expression of the category implied by the meaning board.

[0083] To use meaning buttons and boards, add the meaning button to a meaning board of the correct category, or if the concept represented by the meaning button does not fit into any concept category implied by the board, add a new meaning board following an appropriate meaning vector.

[0084] To use a meaning button consisting of a space with a transparent cover, the trainer (or possibly a learner) separates parts of the device and reassembles the meaning button by adding appropriate sizes, shapes, smells, or objects. The button is then placed on the meaning board or set aside elsewhere.

[0085] Facilitating word training through spatial acoustic correspondence

[0086] There are several challenges in training a dog to use a touch interface that expresses meaning using a array of sound-producing buttons.

[0087] These challenges include the following:

[0088] ● Density:Maximizing the spatial density of buttons to minimize the area required for button distribution, ensuring that dogs do not confuse the meaning of the buttons or affect their ability to physically use and traverse the interface.

[0089] ● Learnability: A method of distributing buttons in a way that facilitates easy learning, easy memorization, and the development of more complex and / or subtle meanings.

[0090] ● Ease of use: Method of distributing buttons to speed up, encourage, and facilitate word combinations

[0091] ● Location irrelevance: Verifying that the dog can remember the meaning of the word even if the button is moved to a different location, such as, for example, another place in the home, another home, or any place where the learner can access the board and benefit.

[0092] ● Dog Portability: Allowing dogs to express their intentions to each other through the use of buttons.

[0093] ● Scalability: Minimize the dog's confusion while maximizing its ability to add buttons without compromising the meanings already memorized. If possible, provide additional semantic cues to the structure of the meaning the dog is learning.

[0094] ● Promotion of Human Training: Training a dog to use a button takes time and can quickly lead to obstacles that cause frustration for both the human and the dog involved.

[0095] ● Sense Translation:Senses vary by species. For example, it is estimated that dogs have about 220 million olfactory receptors, while humans have about 5 million olfactory receptors. Similarly, a dog's vision is very different from a human's. The invention was designed to function as a method that can effectively transmit between these different sensory systems.

[0096] To address the above challenge, we teach a new design layout for buttons with semantic meaning, called the Fluent Board (also identified here as a “board” or “tile” (see Example 201)).

[0097] The FluentPet board is typically hexagonal in shape and can accommodate six or seven buttons, such as cutouts 303 (e.g., spaces or recesses), to receive buttons 308. However, in some embodiments, there may be more than seven buttons. In some embodiments, the board may be triangular, square, or other polygonal in shape. The ability to receive buttons does not mean that all buttons to be received must be placed.

[0098] Figures 15A-15D through 99A-99D are examples of various boards (tiles). Each set of figures (e.g., 15A-15D, 16A-16D, 17A-17D, etc.) is different from other examples in the shape, number, size of the boards, and the placement of different cutouts for buttons and connector types.

[0099] FIG. 15A-15D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0100] FIG. 16A-16B are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0101] FIG. 17A-17B are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to one isosceles trapezoid according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0102] FIG. 18A-18D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to scalene trapezoids, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0103] FIG. 19A-19D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and arrow-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0104] FIG. 20A-20B are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0105] FIG. 21A-21D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0106] FIG. 22A-22D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to isosceles trapezoids, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0107] FIGS. 23A-23D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and trapezoidal-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0108] FIGS. 24A-24D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and arrow-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0109] FIGS. 25A-25D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a plan view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0110] FIGS. 26A-26D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0111] FIGS. 27A-27D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and connectors similar to isosceles trapezoids, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0112] FIG. 28A-28D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and trapezoidal-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0113] FIG. 29A-29D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, seven cutouts for button placement, and arrow-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0114] FIGS. 30A-30D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having bone-like connectors without a cutout for button placement, a triangular shape according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0115] FIGS. 31A-31D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, a cutout for button placement, and connectors similar to a parallelogram, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0116] FIG. 32A-32D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, a medium-sized button placement, a single cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0117] FIG. 33A-33D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a triangular shape, a large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0118] FIG. 34A-34D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing small-sized buttons in a triangular shape according to an embodiment of the invention and connectors similar to a bone shape.

[0119] FIG. 35A-35D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing a triangular, medium-sized button according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0120] FIG. 36A-36D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing large-sized buttons and bone-like connectors, each according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0121] FIG. 37A-37D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0122] FIG. 38A-38D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0123] FIG. 39A-39D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for placing large-sized buttons and bone-like connectors, each according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0124] FIG. 40A-40D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0125] FIG. 41A-41D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0126] FIG. 42A-42D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a triangular shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0127] FIG. 43A-43D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0128] FIG. 44A-44D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0129] FIG. 45A-45D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a triangular shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0130] FIG. 46A-46D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0131] FIG. 47A-47D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0132] FIG. 48A-48D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for placing large-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors, each according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0133] FIG. 49A-49D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for placing triangular, small-sized buttons and bone-shaped connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0134] FIG. 50A-50D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a triangular shape and medium-sized button placement according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0135] FIG. 51A-51D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a triangular shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0136] FIG. 52A-52D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having bone-like connectors without cutouts, with a square shape and small size button arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0137] FIG. 53A-53D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, a small-sized button placement, a cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0138] FIG. 54A-54D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, a medium-sized button arrangement, a single cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0139] FIG. 55A-55D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a square shape, a large-sized button placement, a cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0140] FIG. 56A-56D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0141] FIG. 57A-57D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0142] FIG. 58A-58D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0143] FIG. 59A-59D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0144] FIG. 60A-60D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0145] FIG. 61A-61D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0146] FIGS. 62A-62D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0147] FIG. 63A-63D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0148] FIG. 64A-64D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0149] FIG. 65A-65D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0150] FIG. 66A-66D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0151] FIG. 67A-67D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0152] FIG. 68A-68D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0153] FIG. 69A-69D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a square shape and medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0154] FIG. 70A-70D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0155] FIG. 71A-71D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a square shape and small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0156] FIG. 72A-72D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a square shape, medium-sized button arrangement, and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0157] FIG. 73A-73D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a square shape and large-sized button placement and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0158] FIG. 74A-74D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having bone-like connectors without cutouts for placing small-sized buttons, in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0159] FIG. 75A-75D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, one cutout for small-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0160] FIG. 76A-76D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, a medium-sized button placement, a single cutout, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0161] FIG. 77A-77D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, one cutout for large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0162] FIG. 78A-78D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for placing small-sized buttons and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0163] FIG. 79A-79D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0164] FIG. 80A-80D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having two cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0165] FIG. 81A-81D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0166] FIG. 82A-82D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having three cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-like connectors.

[0167] FIG. 83A-83D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, three cutouts for large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0168] FIG. 84A-84D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0169] FIG. 85A-85D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having four cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0170] FIG. 86A-86D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, four cutouts for large-sized button placement, and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0171] FIG. 87A-87D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape and bone-like connectors according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0172] FIG. 88A-88D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0173] FIG. 89A-89D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having five cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0174] FIG. 90A-90D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0175] FIG. 91A-91D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0176] FIG. 92A-92D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having six cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0177] FIG. 93A-93D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a small-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0178] FIG. 94A-94D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a medium-sized button arrangement in a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention and bone-shaped connectors.

[0179] FIG. 95A-95D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having seven cutouts for a large-sized button arrangement and bone-like connectors, each having a hexagonal shape according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0180] FIG. 96A-96D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a tile having a hexagonal shape, capable of arranging buttons of two different sizes according to an embodiment of the invention, and having bone-like connectors.

[0181] FIG. 97A-97D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of each of the six independent kite-shaped parts according to an embodiment of the invention, each part having four connectors similar to a bone shape, each part of a separable hexagonal tile.

[0182] FIG. 98A-98D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a hexagonal tile capable of arranging buttons of two different sizes according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0183] FIG. 99A-99D are, respectively, a perspective view, a top view, a bottom view, and an orthogonal side view of a separable hexagonal tile, each having six independent kite-shaped parts, each part having four connectors similar to a bone shape, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0184] The boards are designed to be placed close to each other or attached to each other so that the boards have expandability. A hexagonal board and cutouts (spaces or indentations) on which buttons can be placed are shown, for example, in FIGS. 2A-2B and 3.

[0185] Density

[0186] The buttons shown in Christina Hunger's video are based on a square Cartesian grid, where all buttons are at the same distance from the buttons above, below, to the left, and to the right. While this arrangement provides space for a dog to move within the grid, the distribution inefficiently limits the number of buttons that can be placed within a given area. As a dog's vocabulary increases, the Cartesian grid interface expands rapidly, becoming too large to be practically useful in most settings. Furthermore, the Cartesian grid is not an organized structure that is easy for a dog to navigate.

[0187] The hexagonal layout of the Fluent Pet board allows for a high-density placement of buttons within a given area, in addition to space for a dog to walk and stand, as shown in Figure 8. Buttons 802-807 can be positioned very close to each other around the perimeter of the hexagonal board 801, providing space in the middle for a dog's paws to be positioned. In another embodiment, the open space in the center of the six buttons can accommodate a button. In that case, additional margins around the perimeter of the button corners may be necessary.

[0188] In Figures 9A-9F, we see how buttons are gradually added to a word board, where 901 has one button, 902 has two buttons, 903 has three buttons, 904 has four buttons, 905 has five buttons, and 906 has six buttons.

[0189] Boards containing buttons can be easily added to the six sides of nearby boards while maintaining a dense layout of buttons (see, for example, Fig. 12). By gradually adding boards while maintaining the organization of other boards, interference with the button representations already learned by the dog is minimized. Additionally, when boards are added, the distance between newly added buttons is minimized, while the center and primary areas are maintained. For example, starting from Fig. 11A, we can add another board to the bottom right (Fig. 11B), and then continue adding boards to the bottom left (Fig. 11C) to maintain the overall innate orientation. By continuously adding boards to the top left (Fig. 11D) and top right (Fig. 11E), the orientation of the overall board layout is maintained. By adding another board to the top position (Fig. 11F), the six-board layout is concluded with minimal interference with the dog's mental representation of the board layout.

[0190] The usefulness of this layout is recognized, for example, the hexagonal grid layout used in the Apple Watch—in that case, there is no clear meaning associated with the button image layout, and it is highly likely that the hexagonal grid was used instead because it enables a more dense circular layout.

[0191] Learnability

[0192] The square Cartesian grid design offers few cues to facilitate learning. Dogs must remember the locations of buttons seemingly randomly distributed around a grid of arbitrary size. The lack of organization places a heavy burden of recognition on the child, which rapidly increases the number of words that must be memorized.

[0193] By distributing buttons 211–216 on a series of hexagonal tiles 201–206 (see Fig. 2A), the FluentPet board provides many powerful and clear spatial cues. In addition to the Cartesian X, Y coordinates currently used, buttons can be distinguished by their respective relative angles on a single board (polar coordinates) and by multi-scale “positioning on” through the identification of the board on which the button is located. Different boards can be identified using various cues; for example, one board can be distinguished from another by the color, shape, smell, texture, pattern of the board, or by flags or other vertically protruding cues (see e.g. Fig. 13). The visual appearance of the board can additionally be distinguished by images or words described on the board.

[0194] In another example, some or all buttons, tiles, or one or more other items may be scented because smell is a much more important sense for dogs than for humans. There are several types of beneficial scent organizations. For example, each tile may have a general scent category. For instance, a tile for the social word 201 might be scented with flowers, and each social word button (260, 211, etc.) might have a different floral scent. A tile for the verb 203 might be scented with grass, and each verb button might have a specific type of grass scent; for instance, rye grass could mean "jump" or bluegrass could mean "sit." By grouping word categories by scent category, tiles can be used in the dark or by visually impaired dogs. This method can also help them learn the tiles more quickly. It should be understood that in some practices, the tile itself may not need to have a primary scent. In other cases, the tile may have a scent, but the button may not.

[0195] Due to the different olfactory abilities of dogs and humans, there may be smell categories that are difficult for dogs to understand or entirely incomprehensible to humans; in these areas, it is highly likely that dogs do not map them in their brains in the same way that humans, who have lower olfactory abilities, do.

[0196] In one example, there is a device designed to enable dogs to form their own scent groups. One approach involves placing multiple buttons on a tile-like surface. In this case, the tiles rotate slowly so that the position corresponding to the dog's button is not fixed. There is a single distinctive scent ("Scent X"), and the dog can recognize whether or not it is present on the tile, button, independent item, or elsewhere. Scent X is applied to one or more buttons. When the dog presses a button with Scent X, the dog is rewarded. Afterward, Scent X can be slightly modified—for example, by becoming old, a different scent, or mixed in a different way—to become Scent X1. When the dog presses the button for Scent X1, the dog receives a reward. This can be repeated with various variations of Scent X. In this way, the dog is trained to receive a reward for pressing a button with a scent similar to the original scent. Once trained in this manner, the dog may encounter new original scents and be presented with various types of scents on multiple buttons. A dog trained in this way will press the button with a scent it recognizes as similar or nearby.

[0197] In one example, a scent collecting device such as “Madeline” (see https: / / www.theguardian.com / artanddesign / architecture-design-blog / 2013 / jun / 28 / scentography-camera-records-smells-memory) captures scents, and the captured scents are used in relation to a button.

[0198] Turning to Figure 7, we present a device used to extract or discharge odors. Air pump 701 is operated by a switch (which may be a binary, potentiometer, or computer-controlled flow controller). Air enters through intake 703 and is delivered to gas conduit 704. Gas conduit 704 optionally enters flow controller 705 and / or flow meter 706 before returning to second gas conduit 407. The gas then enters filter 708, where odors are separated. In one embodiment, the filter is zero-light. If ambient odors are to be collected, the flow ends at filter 708. Filter 708 can then be used as an odor source. In one embodiment, an odor-producing object can be placed in front of intake 703 so that odors can be collected from a specific odor source without the filter 708 following the device. However, ambient odors may mix with odors from the odor-coated object.

[0199] In another embodiment, filter 708 removes some or all of the odor from the gas before passing the less odorous gas through conduit 709 to chamber 713 710, which has one or more bone, sock, or grass odors. The gas with the new odor then moves through passage 711 to filter 712. In one embodiment, filter 712 is a zero-light filter and can absorb odors.

[0200] Filters 712 and 708 can be gels, matrices, foams, liquids, or other materials that can be in a emitting or attracting state. Electron energy or heat can be used for this purpose.

[0201] Although it may lack moral practicality, odor categories can be developed using the olfactory region test of dogs. Similarly, connection structures related to analogies for categories recognizable by dogs can be observed. Abstract odor relationships can be difficult to associate, and approximations can be obtained using ecological signals.

[0202] In one embodiment, the button may have a small fan (or other air moving device or scent emitting device, heat, pressure, or partial vacuum for this purpose), and the button may have scent-triggering parts that can be turned on to give more scent to the dog. Such scent-triggers may constitute filter 708 or 712. Such a fan may be triggered as the dog approaches.

[0203] One embodiment can clearly link time to smell, through a “yesterday” button that captures the average smell of “today.” By re-implementing the smell of the previous day and swapping it with the next day, one can have such a temporalized button / smell set representing a much earlier day (or month, or year). This design influences the perception science approach. Alexandra Horowitz hypothesized that dogs possess a distinct sense of time through smell, due to their ability to know when a person has left a room and to perceive the gradual change in the intensity of their smell over time.

[0204] The most anticipated scent-based dog conversation technology has the potential to utilize the scent of the environment itself. By possessing multiple small devices, such as balls, the operator can take them to other locations where the scent can be captured. This may include a scaled-down version of some or all of the elements shown in Madeline technology or Fig. 7. This device can draw scents into the air that can be absorbed by filters, gels, or liquids, and consequently, may release the same scent when the flow changes. Such a device could be quite useful if it could be connected to a dog language sound board.

[0205] In one embodiment, the odor capture system is used in conjunction with an animal (or other sensor) capable of detecting medical issues. For example, a dog can detect odors indicating the presence of cancer, coronavirus, or other conditions and send a warning. However, bringing a dog to a patient, or a patient to a dog, is not always feasible. By capturing odors and transporting them for analysis by a dog (or other sensor), odor-based animal diagnosis has become possible.

[0206] If you would like more discussion, please refer to the odor collection section here.

[0207] The main advantage of the proposed design is that it enables spatial-relationship-driven semantic learning by allowing natural semantic expansion outward from the central board along the horizontal axes 102, 104, vertical axis 103, and diagonal axes 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, and 118, as shown in Figure 1B. By utilizing the necessary hexagonal tiles for the board, the set of words the dog can choose from is among the words the dog already knows, and this fact makes learning and expression easier. Furthermore, the dog can easily remember through many mutually supporting signals: the uniqueness of the tile, its relative position from the center, and its position relative to nearby tiles. The spatial content of the board itself can aid the dog in understanding, remembering, or generalizing the meaning of the pressed button through the meaning of nearby groups.

[0208] For example, in Fig. 10, the word “Help” button can be located at the far left end of tile 1006, the “See” button at the bottom right of tile 1002, and the “Person 1” (main guardian) button at the top right of tile 1001. Thus, all buttons existing on adjacent but different tiles give the sense that while they are related to each other, they have significant different meanings. “Help” is a personal expression of need, “See” requires action from a person, and “Person 1” is usually the object to whom help is requested. However, the fact that they are located on different tiles and are semantically related to each other, yet each exist within their own group, explains that they are “similar but different” and furthermore, that they are different. In a similar way, the “Eat” button at the far right of tile 1006, the “Good” button at the bottom left of tile 1004, and the “Yes” button at the top left of tile 1005 are equally applicable. We can place the “Park” button on the bottom left of tile 1003, the “Play” button on the far right of tile 1002, and the “Outside” button on the top right of tile 1006.

[0209] Other groupings may be less semantically close but can still have semantic relationships with one another. “Play,” “Park,” and “Outside” are all things dogs like, but their semantic relationship is nothing more than that—because mapping depends on the contingent nature of the world, and it is likely impossible for every physical button to follow spatial, location-based relationships to rich semantics. The layout is not intended to be “perfect,” but instead accelerates and facilitates the speed of learning and the expansion of word knowledge. Boards also use semantic similarity in their organization: “No,” a button that can be located below right on tile 1006, and “Hello,” a button that can be located far left on tile 1005, but near the “No” word button on tile 1006; “Bed,” a button that can be located far right on tile 1003, and “After,” a button that can be located above left on tile 1004, but near the “Bed” word button on tile 1003; “Happy”, a button that can be located on the bottom right of tile 1004, and “Friend”, a button that can be located on the top right of tile 1005, but located near the word “Happy” button on tile 1004; and “Want”, a button that can be located on the bottom left of tile 1006, and the dog’s name, a button that can be located on the far right of tile 1001, but nevertheless located near the word “Want” button on tile 1006. This position-enhancement semantic relationship is possible while minimizing the physical space required by the buttons, because the empty space in the center of the tile could be the space where the dog can place its paws.

[0210] In one practice, a dog can be trained to converse using tiles or buttons before and after an event. The dog may then provide confirmation / non-confirmation responses or even a description of the situation it witnessed. For example, in cases of animal abuse, a dog can be trained to learn words such as “they” (as a gender-neutral pronoun), “kick,” “hit,” “I,” “not,” and “did.” The dog can also be trained to identify characteristics such as “beard,” “man,” and “woman.” While the various tests required to admit a dog’s testimony as evidence in court are expected to take a long time, they could be treated similarly to a lie detector. In other words, they could help determine or rule out a likely suspect.

[0211] Looking at this example further, a button can be installed using a combination of cognitive behavioral science and forensics. Words related to descriptions can be grouped together, words related to events can be grouped together, and so on. In another embodiment, a dog can be trained in basic terminology used by sketch artists and can even take the lead in creating sketches of suspects.

[0212] In the brain, semantically similar concepts often coexist. It removes some or all of the smell from gas. Since the structure of the brain is well described by a series of 2D maps, organizing the linguistic semantic space in a similar way simplifies memory processes.

[0213] Board games (such as Heroscape) sometimes use “hex” tiles because they allow for direct expansion along the diagonals while naturally filling the space. In tile distribution, expansion from the center outwards implies a meaning closer to “same kind, but more so,” whereas radial expansion with clockwise / counterclockwise variations completely alters the kind of meaning. This is analogous to color specification using polar coordinates: color can be assigned by position around the clock face, and distance from the center can be referred to as saturation (color intensity). As roughly depicted in Fig. 6, the color wheel (e.g., 603 to 604) can be thought of as representing very different kinds of words. Moving outward from the center 601 can be thought of as increasing intensity / saturation. In the case of semantics, this is best expressed as greater detail, specificity, sophistication, etc. This is equivalent to the meaning of a word being mapped on the polar left axis, where amplitude signifies specificity and rotation signifies semantic categories. Therefore, the button 602 located on the outer edge of the wheel can be very detailed, unique, and sophisticated.

[0214] This is also analogous to the structure of the brain itself, where the primary auditory-visual, motor, and somatosensory cortices are all distributed within a single cortical “sheet.” Furthermore, the design corresponds to the hexagonal layout of the brain’s “grid cells,” which are believed to form the basis of spatial representation in most animals. Grid cells are described in more detail at http: / / www.scholarpedia.org / article / Grid_cells as follows: “A single grid cell is a spatially regulated neuron that defines a periodic array of triangles covering an entire 2D environmental surface with multiple firing positions open. Grid cells are known to form an important part of the coordinate system for the brain’s metric navigation. They draw attention because the crystal-like structure beneath the firing area is generated within the nervous system rather than being imported from the outside. Understanding the origin and nature of grid cells is an attractive challenge for anyone seeking to know how brain circuits calculate.”

[0215] Starting with the hexagonal board system, the dogs and their people can use one board and add boards (e.g., Figs. 9A-9F and 11A-11F) as needed. In one embodiment, additional tiles may be placed before others are filled in, for reasons such as maximizing clarity, speeding up learning, or other reasons. In one embodiment, tiles and buttons may be grouped into a set containing all six tiles shown in Fig. 10.

[0216] On one hand, the tile itself can be used as an association or semantic signal in various colors (see Fig. 13), and it can even have an image of the type of information it refers to inside. Each button may also be included, on which a symbol representing a word is spoken.

[0217] Ease of use

[0218] In a square Cartesian layout where the buttons are spaced further apart, the dog must move large enough to produce a sound.

[0219] By adding buttons in sequence to the proposed board design shown in Fig. 9A-9F, the buttons provide a convenient interface that continuously “wraps around” the dog, minimizing the action required to switch from one touchpad to another.

[0220] Furthermore, the Cartesian layout currently in use requires dogs to move their entire bodies randomly and to direct themselves unpredictably toward the board. Since dogs are sometimes less aware of their hind legs, requiring too much movement around the board increases the risk of accidentally pressing a button. This forces the dog to expend more energy and prevents it from taking advantage of its natural language structure. It also hinders the dog's desire to be creative, as well as its ability and confidence in constructing multi-word sentences.

[0221] With the hexagonal board design described here, once the board is filled with buttons (which happens once the dog learns them), additional boards can be added as shown in Figures 11A-11F. These boards are designed to have a multi-scale semantic structure, and meaning is indicated based on which board a word is on and where the board is located. Words are sometimes used together, but words from different word categories are on different boards, although ideally they are close to each other.

[0222] The entire organization is designed to support human language word order and partially follows the layout of the “Fitzgerald Key” or the modified “Modified Fitzgerald Key” (see Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B), which are commonly used by speech pathologists who attempt to develop conversational strategies for non-verbal humans. In the Fitzgerald Key of Fig. 5A, Box 501 indicates people and pronouns, Box 502 indicates nouns (things), Box 503 indicates verbs (actions), Box 504 indicates descriptions (adjectives and adverbs), Box 505 indicates social, and Box 506 indicates various. In the modified Fitzgerald Key, Box 511 indicates people and pronouns, Box 512 indicates nouns (things), Box 513 indicates verbs (actions), Box 514 indicates descriptions (adjectives and adverbs), Box 515 indicates prepositions (e.g., above, as, by, etc.), and Box 516 indicates various things including social.

[0223] The fact that Christina Hunger, who possesses general technical skills in choosing to use a standard Cartesian grid, did not use a hexagonal structure indicates that this layout is unclear. In fact, a literature review reveals that no word boards using an scalable hexagonal approach can be found: they all use standard squares and almost always static grids.

[0224] Location irrelevance

[0225] First, buttons are learned through associations. For example, “Outside” can be learned by placing the button near the door the dog wants to use when going out. Once the association is learned, that button can be added to other button groups.

[0226] The current Cartesian button layout does not allow for easy or natural button addition. For example, if the Cartesian grid consists of 3x3 buttons and there are no other clues, adding three buttons from either side immediately creates ambiguity regarding which side the buttons were added from.

[0227] Through the use of the boards described here, the hexagonal boards can be separated, while the dog retains the meaning of the buttons on the boards as it learns their meaning. For example, a board for naming various toys can be placed in a room containing the toys. This board can be used independently of a larger complex board.

[0228] As noted above, the training method described involves placing buttons in various different locations around the house to facilitate the development of associations by the dog. The dog and its trainer are then presented with a challenge when the buttons are centralized. The use of independent, movable tiles makes this training method possible. A button is first placed right next to the object where the trainer wishes to teach the dog a meaning (e.g., “water”), and once the meaning is learned, the button can be added to a tile near the conceptual referent (water bowl). Subsequently, the entire tile can be relocated elsewhere while maintaining the association between the tile the dog learned through identity learning and the button position on it.

[0229] The use of movable tiles also enables the opposite case: tiles can be moved, separated, or copied to different locations, while maintaining contextual knowledge of the tiles' identities and the association of meanings of each button through the meanings represented by the buttons on the tiles. In one embodiment, each tile used in a house is identified by its unique texture. In another embodiment, each tile is identifiable by its visible pattern, and in another embodiment, by its embedded scent. In yet another embodiment, each tile can be identified by the color of the dogs. In yet another embodiment, the tiles are identifiable by the unique light patterns they display. In yet another embodiment, the tiles are made of different materials. In yet another embodiment, identity information is presented to the dogs by combining one or more of the above features, providing the dogs with various possible identification cues.

[0230] Direction and attachment

[0231] To improve ease of use for dogs, the board may have visible directional cues to indicate the direction in which the board is facing. On another side, it may be a color or color variation rate, texture variation rate, asymmetrically distributed light, or an asymmetrical logo in the center of the board.

[0232] The tiles can be attached to each other semi-permanently. In one embodiment, they can be connected in a way that allows them to be folded along the attachment line.

[0233] In another embodiment, the tiles may be connected using rope hinges. In other embodiments, seat buckle materials, metal, plastic, rubber, or Tyvek may also be used. The hinges may be the full length of one side or may be paired. They may be detachable and can be attached from one button side to another (so as to hide the attachment point).

[0234] In another embodiment, the tiles may be made of a material similar to tiles and can be connected to each other in a gap or insertion space where the tiles can be attached.

[0235] By appropriately selecting the tile surfaces on which the hinges are placed, the tiles can be stacked infinitely high for transport or storage. The hinges are designed to be easily added and removed, using, for example, snaps or Velcro. Velcro, strong magnets, snaps, or other materials are also used to keep the tiles attached to each other. The actual distribution and spacing of the buttons can be adjusted to ensure that dogs of all different sizes can easily navigate the "world" that their guardians help them create.

[0236] The exact layout, size, and convexity of the hexagon may vary depending on the size of the designed button, the size of the space it must occupy, and the size of the device to be used, in addition to other considerations. FIG. 14 shows an arrangement of hexagonal boards (e.g., board 1401) accommodating many different features. In the embodiment of FIG. 14, hexagonal board 1401 has a semi-bone-shaped connector cutout 1402 that accommodates a bone-shaped connector (e.g., connector 1404). Additionally, hexagonal board 1401 has six button cutouts 1403 that can accommodate round buttons (not shown), and at the same time, semi-circular “finger holes” to allow for easy placement and removal of the buttons.

[0237] Dog portability and semantic expandability

[0238] While not necessary for the advanced functionality made possible by the board design, the use of standardized button semantic placement on each tile allows dogs visiting other dogs to interact through shared button locations and semantic relationships. Just as computer keyboards have similar layouts that allow individuals to use any keyboard, standardized word boards enable dogs to converse using words they know.

[0239] Fig. 10 illustrates a button layout based on currently used button meanings, arranged to maximize the potential for providing semantic cues and accelerate learning. As described in Fig. 10, through the semantic expansion of the board, additional meanings can be added while maintaining the existing semantic relationships of learned buttons in their positions. For example, individuals who teach a dog a new word can claim rights to the button's location and tile on the “standard grid,” which is very similar to claiming domain name rights on the internet. This can promote competitive development in the work of individuals claiming semantic “real estate” rights on the standard board.

[0240] Promotion of human training

[0241] Although dogs have coexisted with humans for approximately 20,000 years, we are only now beginning to realize their ability to acquire words. While this is partly due to technologies like talking buttons, Christina Hunger’s discovery suggests that such technology may have already existed for 40 years. An important factor here is that training a dog to use words requires specific skills on the part of the trainer. There are many types of training methods that dogs dislike, perhaps because they involve too much correction or because the words are used outside of their social ecology.

[0242] One of the causes of training failure is attempting to train a dog on words it is not yet ready for. By providing standardized layouts and movable tiles, trainers gain a method of cues that allows them to command and control the pace of the dog's learning. This minimizes the possibility of the dog becoming confused by being asked to learn inappropriate concepts. — The layout of the words themselves can aid in dog training.

[0243] Scale irrelevance

[0244] Unfortunately, due to the limited spatial cues provided by the relatively square Cartesian layout, changing the size or spacing of buttons is likely to confuse the dog. On the other hand, by identifying the button's meaning through its location within the tile, all other spatial and visual cues are maintained even when the tile size is increased or decreased. Therefore, if a user wishes to change the tile structure to a more compact one, they can do so with minimal or no involvement of the dog.

[0245] The tile-based design allows dogs to use the “keyboard” in different environments: a larger board in a home environment and a smaller board in a travel-friendly environment. Additionally, the tile-based board design allows the word board to be delivered to digital environments such as tablet computers, more distant digital displays, projectors, or grids or other media created on a laser surface.

[0246] Using the Fluent Pet Board

[0247] Training a dog can be achieved using various methods, a single method, or a combination thereof, such as providing different meanings to each button, arranging more common meanings in the center of the board layout and more specific meanings towards the center of the layout so that word categories can change as they rotate around the center of the board, and also confirming that the words on the tiles are related to each other, thereby training is possible through the process of the dog “telling” people the location of the buttons and by confirming how the dog can learn the buttons one by one.

[0248] Word board physical design

[0249] There are certain additional challenges to dogs using word boards. Among them are:

[0250] ● Manufacturing costs:The device should not be expensive to produce. To achieve this, the device can be made of stamped rubber or silicone and then bonded together. Alternatively, it can be made of molded rubber or silicone. It can also be made using a 3D printer with materials such as NinjaFlex. In another embodiment, the board can be made of cardboard, in which case a waterproof coating is preferred for the rubber coating, which allows the board to have many of the same properties as when it is made entirely of silicone or rubber. The board can also be made of die-cut foam such as ethylene-vinyl acetate.

[0251] ● Visual Appeal: The device must be visually appealing and vivid to both dogs and humans. This can be achieved through attractive colors, strong tactile sensations, and an attractive visual design. The visual design must also respect and reflect the different color sensitivities of dogs and cats.

[0252] ● Tactile appeal: The device must be comfortable for a dog to walk on and step on. This is achieved by using a material that is neither too hard nor too soft. Additionally, it must adhere so that the dog does not slip when walking on its front paws—slippery surfaces are inherently unattractive to dogs. In one embodiment, the texture may be rubber or silicone, which is less hard than wood but harder than a mattress. The tile texture can be made easier for the dog to walk on by adding dents, knots, or other types of textures. In another embodiment, the board is made of a hard material and covered with a coating to make walking and standing more comfortable, and the buttons placed inside fit snugly so they cannot be accidentally removed (though they can be intentionally removed).

[0253] ● Location Integration:The design of the word board must minimize the inadvertent movement of the buttons from their intended positions. The buttons must not move inadvertently when pressed. Thus, the buttons must be fixed in one place. This can be achieved using Velcro, as demonstrated by Christina Hunger. Preferably, the user does not need to add Velcro to prevent movement. Therefore, a better embodiment involves slightly stretching stretchable rubber, silicone, or foam to keep them in place. An additional layer of rubber material can be placed over the buttons to increase the force required to remove them, further preventing accidental removal. Additionally, the stretching of the material when pressed can be adjusted to increase or decrease the force required to remove them.

[0254] ● Washability: The design must be easy and quick to clean. This can be achieved by making the tiles out of rubber or silicone rather than cardboard. If made of cardboard, the board must be waterproofed for washability. Ideally, the material from which the board is made is dishwasher safe and can be fully submerged in water without any loss of functionality or visual appeal. Additionally, the buttons themselves must be easy to clean. This can be achieved using a proposed design that makes it easy to remove the buttons from the trainers. In one embodiment, the cutout for button placement is raised sufficiently to protect all or part of the side and surface of the button. In another aspect, the bottom of the cutout may be covered. In one aspect, the covering material may be transparent or translucent. Protecting all or part of the buttons within the space embedded in the tile is far more important than removing the tile to allow for cleaning without risking damage to the buttons—which involves most exposure to environmental factors—whether the buttons require cleaning or not.

[0255] ● Ease of placement:The boards should be designed to be easy for the user to place and reposition as needed. For example, this can be achieved by attaching the boards to each other using connecting strings underneath. An alternative is to design the boards to minimize movement during use, thereby eliminating the need for them to be attached to each other. Magnets can be utilized on one side. The magnets are preferably embedded in the board in a way that dogs cannot ingest.

[0256] Integration of board and button

[0257] The button and board design presented here is a unique combination of design elements that, when combined, significantly enhance the speed and effectiveness of learning. The buttons are designed to be arranged regularly on the board and come in sets as small as the buttons themselves. By acquiring additional buttons and boards, the arrangement of buttons and boards can be expanded without limitation.

[0258] Previous device designs are general, standalone buttons designed to assist human learning rather than dog learning. Drawing on long-standing experience training dogs and cats to use physical interfaces and insights from the author's 15 years of research in cognitive science, we add important new features that expand the categories of people and dogs that can benefit from this device.

[0259] The combination of unique buttons and boards described here was designed for the following purposes.

[0260] ● To ensure that the sound generated by the button is easily integrated into the lives of the people and dogs involved

[0261] ● Facilitates dog learning by providing continuous visual and spatial cues regarding the meaning of buttons.

[0262] ● Promote learning by creating "groups" of buttons on the board that reflect related words and the meaning of the time the words are learned.

[0263] ● Promotes dog learning by providing strong visual, spatial, and tactile cues regarding the meaning of button groups.

[0264] ● Tracks and quantifies pressed buttons to facilitate dog learning.

[0265] ● Promotes learning by integrating buttons into software-driven learning and interaction to increase the rate, speed, and complexity of learning.

[0266] ● Integrate button activation into the system to entertain the dog.

[0267] ● Integrate button activation into the system to provide food rewards.

[0268] ● Button activation is integrated into the system to allow the dog to control its environment, including displays on the screen, the state of lights being on or off, music or speech from the sound system, the opening or closing of doors, or access to doors.

[0269] ● None of the above was possible in any button's past design or layout.

[0270] ● The combination of features described here for facilitating learning for humans and non-humans is original and novel.

[0271] Button physical design

[0272] The button includes the features presented in Fig. 1. Fig. 1; a microphone, a microphone set, a trigger method for recording and saving sound converted into a microphone for sound recording (e.g., a person saying a dog's name). An easy-to-press button to trigger playback through a speaker to play back the recorded sound with sufficiently high fidelity.

[0273] The button in Fig. 1 has a diameter of approximately 3.5 inches, and the width is not a requirement for the device to operate. Instead, the size can vary from 0.1 inches to 6 inches depending on the size of the animal using it. The pressure required to press the button can also vary depending on the weight of the animal pressing it. The button can display a signal or a pictorial image. This image can be inserted by the user, e.g., on paper or embedded within the button.

[0274] Button light

[0275] Such touch buttons already on the market may have built-in lights that serve as signals and / or entertainment. This describes how the addition of lighting and connectivity integration can significantly enhance training, learning, and button usage.

[0276] When a dog interacts with a device displaying images or videos of objects, behaviors, or commands to learn, a light within the buttons can be activated to provide "hints" or "suggestions" regarding the meaning of the presented objects. The light can be of various ranges and is ideally tailored to the dog's different visual systems. Additionally, by illuminating the buttons in sequence, the system can provide hints or suggest more complex meanings related to the displayed images or videos. The display can be e-ink, OLED, LCD, LED, or a similar display that changes dynamically if necessary.

[0277] Additionally, the button is illuminated first while the dog is generating a sequence, helping the dog find the next button to press. This can be used to assist the dog in learning button locations, as well as language and word sequences. In another embodiment, after a button is pressed, a continuous sequence of multiple presses is presented to the dog to allow it to select an expression process.

[0278] Connectivity

[0279] Smart, low-power, network connectivity modules or chip systems can be added to the buttons to enable them to connect to each other, to the home, and to the Internet. This connectivity makes the following possible:

[0280] ● When the button is activated, recording within the remote database enables computer recording, data analysis for analysis, and the use of human-interactive software.

[0281] ● Providing information to the software that the button is activated, and improving learning by associating the button's activation with the presentation of a video or image on a display visible to the dog.

[0282] ● Remotely triggering the sound generated by the button enables trainers to integrate the button sound into the normal flow of speech and further enhance the animal's learning. Additionally, remotely triggering the button allows for conversational phrases that dogs understand to be performed by humans or computer AI.

[0283] ● Enables the re-programming of the presented sound by uploading and downloading new sounds to modules or systems on the chip.

[0284] ● Smart combinations and changes in sounds played by the button

[0285] ● Automatic adjustment of button size based on ambient noise levels

[0286] ● Remote triggering of the operation of objects around devices and animals, such as opening doors, turning on lights, and turning devices on and off.

[0287] ● Integrating the device into existing home automation platforms or smart-home voice assistants

[0288] To limit device maintenance and, for example, battery charging or replacement, there are two different device versions: one high-power and one low-power version. All devices comply with IEEE 802.15.4, Bluetooth ® Low energy or ZIGBEE ®They will be interconnected via the same low-power personal area network technology. Higher-power versions of the devices, or hubs, sinks, and aggregators, will provide connectivity to the wider internet via technologies such as WiFi, LTE, LTE-M, NB-IoT, and LoRaWAN. Low-power devices or nodes are built in star or mesh network topologies to communicate with the wider internet via the internet connected to devices within the home or higher-power devices. Thus, customers can purchase a device “kit,” using one device as a more expensive hub and others as more economical peripherals. In this scenario, the “hub” can be the button itself, just like the “peripherals,” but it does not necessarily have to be. This implies that it can be powered by human energy rather than battery power, similar to low-power “peripherals.”

[0289] Connectivity allows buttons connected to the system to provide rewards, thereby facilitating the dog's learning. These rewards can take various forms, such as food or treats, videos that the dog enjoys or gets excited about, familiar conversations from a favorite person, the sounds of other dogs, the generation of scents that dogs, people, or cats like, or other objects that the dog finds rewarding.

[0290] Additional features and functions

[0291] Animals often possess senses that function differently from humans, which are often absent in humans. For example, bats and some marine animals utilize echolocation. For every olfactory receptor humans possess, dogs have 50. Bears have been observed traveling in a straight line for over 25 km—following sexually receptive females for several hundred km. Sharks can detect not only trace amounts of blood underwater but also electrical currents and pressure changes. Mice, rats, and other amphibians can communicate with their own kind using a great deal of ultrasonic noise, thereby avoiding many predators. While discussing dogs and the environment of smell, it must be understood that the inventions described throughout this document may be applied to other species and / or other senses not directly discussed. Indeed, some parts of these inventions could be applied to pre-conversational or non-conversational humans (such as babies).

[0292] When teaching a dog how to use inventions, it is important to clarify similar objects. For example, if Pido lives near two parks (both close to and on the beach), the smells will be almost identical. If one button signifies the “North Beach” and the other the “South Beach,” the dog will have great difficulty distinguishing which button represents which beach. Due to the importance of smell in a dog’s sensory hierarchy, this can be resolved in several ways.

[0293] The first solution is to take a sample from each beach (preferably one that is scent-specific, or at least distinctive or highly specific, to which the dog is regularly exposed) and apply it to the button corresponding to that beach. In one aspect, the scent can be incorporated into the button plastic during manufacturing. In another aspect, adhesives, epoxy, silicone, or drying materials (preferably safe around the dog) can be mixed with the sample and applied to the button. Other approaches involve simply rubbing the scent onto the button, placing it in a recess or within or near the button (e.g., inside a grate or on a grid), or applying it to the button. In yet another aspect, a cutout for the button in the tile may be placed near or incorporated with a scent holder, filled with the scent, or, in other cases, it may not be desirable to do so. It may be more desirable to avoid the risk of the scent applied to the button diminishing or changing over time. In such cases (for another reason), it may be more desirable to create a unique scent series. In one aspect, each button has a scent embedded within the material that makes up part, all, or a nearby area of ​​the button. In another aspect, the scent can be applied to the inner button or space. The corresponding, highly equivalent scent will frequently be provided to the user as a portable item. The user can take the scent with them when going to a location to be identified. For example, in the case of a beach, when Pido goes to a northern beach, the scent can be applied to a tissue for the dog to smell. It can be attached to the dog in the same way (applying the scent-retaining material to the dog's collar or sack). In this way, the animal will be trained to associate the scent with the location.

[0294] It may not be possible to uniquely identify a scent that is present in one place but not in another. In some cases, doing so may not be desirable. It may be desirable to avoid the risk of the scent diminishing or changing as it has been applied to the button for a long time. In such cases (or for other reasons), it may be desirable to create a unique series of scents. In one aspect, each button could be inherent in the materials applied to the button or a part thereof. That nearly identical scent would be provided to the user in a portable form. The user would then take the scent with them when going to a recognizable location. Taking the beach as an example, when Pido goes to a northern beach, the scent could be placed on a tissue for the dog to smell. It could also be attached to the dog in some way (such as by applying it to scent-retaining material attached to a dog's leash or muzzle). In this way, the animal would be trained to associate the scent with the location.

[0295] In another respect, there are simply things that are not naturally associated with smell. For example, a dog might simply want to go out for a run. Since running is not related to location, there is naturally no associated smell. In such cases, when the dog performs the action (such as running), an artificial scent (here, a naturally occurring scent that does not naturally exist in the same place as the artificial scent) can be sprayed into the air, placed on the dog's collar, or otherwise made available for the dog to detect. That scent can be applied (or embedded) to a single button, allowing the dog to later press the “run” button or even construct basic sentences such as “running to the north beach.”

[0296] In another respect, the positional independence of running implies that there is no specific odor associated with it, while running may be associated with a more abstract nature of odor: it may be related to the rate of change. Since running involves a different kind of breathing than smelling, it leads to a different sequence of perceived odors. This different odor rate of change can be embedded in a button capable of changing the odor it generates at a rate similar to the odor rate of change detected during running. Even if a wide range of odors is not easily reproduced, simply alternating between several odors may suffice. In such cases, multiple odor chambers can be opened and closed; fans can be used to emit different main odors at different times; or other methods can be utilized so that various types of odors are detected at a satisfactory rate of change.

[0297] Technology for reading neural signals is developing rapidly. Companies like Neuralink are designing neural implants that allow the brain to send signals to digital devices. The reverse direction is also possible. FMRI and other scanning technologies, along with electrical and electronic measurements of the brain, are additional methods for obtaining data on which areas of the brain are activated and in what ways.

[0298] The dog is taught to measure neural signals while performing tasks or experiences. In one aspect, datasets of brain activity, levels of activity, and patterns of neural activity are used to train an artificial intelligence system in combination with other data regarding the animal's state. This can be achieved by capturing measurements of neural activity patterns associated with a dog pressing a button. Each intentional button press has a unique signature associated with the pressed button that can be identified through the analysis of neural measurements taken before, during, or after the press. Once such training is complete, the system will be able to identify which button the dog is considering pressing. For example, if the pattern associated with a "hunger" button press can be reliably identified solely by neural signals, it is possible to infer that the dog is hungry even when the button is not pressed. Once this inference is made, the signal can be sent directly to a food dispenser. This can also be sent to humans by having a speaker say "food" or by notifying a human mobility device.

[0299] Referring now to Fig. 105, a neural training button method is shown therein. As proposed above, the presence of repeated external events, where the pressing of button 10501 becomes a neural measurement, enables the recognition internalization of the sound board (in the lev Vygotsky psychological sense) through the recording and training of a discriminator using many recorded press-associated neural activity cases 10512. When the predictive ability of the measured neural activity 10502 associated with the button press reaches a sufficient limit 10504, the button 10503 as a trigger can be deactivated, and instead, the system can rely entirely on the recognition of the neural activity associated with the button trigger. For example, the system may produce a sound associated with the word “outside” even when the button is not physically triggered, and instead, the dog is “neurally triggered” because it has generated a neural activity pattern associated with the button press meaning “outside.” The dog’s response to the detection of the sound generated by the neural trigger can be used by the system to verify whether this was the result the dog expected. Additionally, by identifying the spatial evolution of neural patterns that trigger button presses, it is possible to predict which button will be pressed before the dog touches it. This enables the dog to trigger the button by thought alone. Training the dog in this way involves activating neural triggers away from the time of the button press. For example, during the initial stages of training the dog's neural triggers, the trigger could occur at the moment of simply physically touching (rather than pressing) the button. Once the dog becomes accustomed to this, the button trigger can occur when the dog approaches the button without physically touching it. Eventually, once the maximum prediction is reached, the dog will be able to trigger the button without any physical movement. Because neural activity is constantly changing, the system will continue to adapt to the dog's ever-changing neural patterns.In particular, it will monitor the dog's behavior and neural activity responding to neural triggers (e.g., responding to a related word that occurs) and whether the dog is surprised or an unexpected event has occurred 10507; if so, the discriminator will cause the dog's behavioral volume 10508 to be reduced or eliminated so that the neural trigger that was interfering with the dog's conversational behavior is no longer present. In the case of physical activity, this will manifest as physical behavior associated with the surprise response. Since motor activity associated with surprise may be minimal or inhibited, neural signals indicating surprise can be monitored. For example, the system can use the “N400” Event Relation Potential (ERP), a neural signal whose amplitude peaks at 400 ms after a semantically surprised event. In this way, the dog can eventually be completely freed from the need to physically operate buttons on the sound board.

[0300] Even in cases where neural signal measurements are unavailable, the dog's intentions can be inferred and predicted by utilizing data segmentation and other animal state measurements. For example, the physical environment is used. This system can be likened to predictive text used as data for prediction, including execution methods such as striking and pushing.

[0301] A device that tracks a dog's gaze can be used to enhance the dog's learning by triggering a button simply by the dog visually gazing at it. In another embodiment, a sound triggered by gazing at a button can be quietly emitted to the dog's ear to help determine which button it intends to press.

[0302] A dog's gaze combined with an augmented reality device can trigger the dog to name a visually fixed object, thereby aiding the dog in learning the names of various other objects. Please note that traditional “augmented reality” devices are not the only examples of this implementation. For instance, a camera that follows the dog's gaze (something present in many AR systems) might be sufficient to identify a button that needs to be identified. In that case, the sound does not need to be silent and can instead be emitted from a speaker (positioned alongside the button or elsewhere).

[0303] Once a dog is trained to use a button, the problem that arises is that the button cannot simply move with the dog. For example, it would be very helpful if a walking dog could signal "thirst" or "water." In addition to the brain patterns described above, a subset of portable buttons can also be used. Ideally, the button should be provided with a pattern that most closely resembles the pattern the dog was trained to. Adding scents to the button may also be desirable in some cases.

[0304] In another approach, virtual buttons can be projected onto the ground. In one embodiment, a projection device may be placed on a part of the dog's body (e.g., attached to a collar), a leash, or a person accompanying the dog, whether wholly or partially. There is also a fixed projection device operated by the dog's proximity (e.g., proximity area computer signals, computer vision, or others). A good embodiment may have a transmitter that directs the dog to the projector, causing the virtual buttons to be projected at a specific location. In another embodiment, the dog may be identified by step counts, computer vision, or other methods and evaluated data to identify the correct layout and button response, which includes downloading a voice or sound associated with each virtual button. The dog's basic set of buttons may be configured to transmit the necessary information to facilitate such access.

[0305] In the case of portable projectors, one or more elements can be used to sufficiently stabilize the projected image so that a dog can interact with it. One or more rotation or other motion sensors can be used to determine the projector's movement, and through optical or digital adjustments, the projection can be stabilized even if the projector itself moves (e.g., when suspended from a leash). Alternatively, the projector can use a camera, and optical or digital modifications to the projected light can be used to stabilize images related to objects or markers detected by the camera. In another aspect, it may be desirable for a button to move in sync with the animal, such as when the animal walks. Such movements can be identified and excluded from the movements compensated by the projector. In yet another aspect, vocalizations or movements can be used to operate the projector. In yet another aspect, a speaker can respond to a virtual button “press.” In addition to the aforementioned projector stabilization methods, rotational stiffness in space can also be utilized.

[0306] In most applications to detect virtual button presses, a sensor, such as a camera, is used to determine which button has been pressed.

[0307] Humans speak with emphasis or volume when there is a particularly deep or important point. The same principle applies to animals. If a dog urgently needs to urinate, it can reliably and continuously press the “pee” or “walk” button. If the dog simply wants to go outside, the press could be light. At a very light end, the dog might accidentally press the button. The button can be designed so that resistance increases as it is pressed.

[0308] The amount of force applied to the button may be measured and used to convey urgency. In one embodiment, a distinct cutoff point may be used. For example, pressing the button less than 1 / 3 is treated as an accidental press; pressing between 1 / 3 and 2 / 3 is a light press; and pressing more than 2 / 3 is an emergency press. In an alternative, the amount of force is measured and used to convey urgency, whether or not a cutoff is present. In another aspect, the speed and / or duration of the button press may be utilized. In addition to, or instead of, the cutoff point, AI may be trained by combining the dog's press data with human input. For example, after the dog presses "walk," the owner may input the urgency of the dog needing to urinate (either through a connected device or directly). Over time, the AI ​​will be able to determine the press pattern and urgency. Similarly, the speed or intensity of personal or interrelated presses, such as "walk-pee" combinations, may be utilized.

[0309] In one embodiment, the intensity of the button press may be associated with the feedback provided to the dog. For example, a 50% press may result in verbal confirmation ("walk" or "food"), which is a conversational amount. A 90% press would be closer to a shouting amount. By increasing the expressiveness of the button, the usability of the button can be increased so that it becomes more useful to the dog, is used more frequently, and is learned more quickly.

[0310] In another embodiment, the duration of the press will affect the sustain of the generated word. A longer press will result in a later pronunciation of the generated word, while a shorter press will result in a faster, more abrupt expression. These advantages are similar to those found in pressure-sensitive buttons. Additionally, the length of time the dog holds the button may be related to the intensity of the feedback. Prosody (intersyllable, interword, or other) may also be used to reflect a button press mode, including an embodiment of button press prosody.

[0311] In one embodiment, the “button” may be a virtual or actual sensor along the line between the tiles. In another embodiment, all tiles may be a single button. In another embodiment, the size and / or size or shape and / or shape or height of the button may vary.

[0312] Using multiple buttons that provide feedback simultaneously can cause confusion for animals. In one embodiment, a pressed button may send a signal to another button to mute and / or disable it. (The duration of such mute and / or disablement may be associated with the completion of sound playback from the signaling tile.) In another embodiment, pressing the second button may send a signal to the first button to stop that sound or other feedback.

[0313] It will be important how a human can operate the button in a manner known as a human device. In one embodiment, capacitive touch measurement may be used to determine whether a finger has touched the button. (A dog's claws may have a different effect on the capacitive touch sensor.) In another embodiment, the button may have a single smaller button. In one other embodiment, the smaller button is positioned on top of the button. In another embodiment, the smaller button may be slightly, moderately, or significantly recessed, making it difficult for a dog to press the smaller button. In another embodiment, a fingerprint sensor may be present on the touch surface of the button to distinguish between human and dog input and uniquely identify which person or dog is activating the button. In another embodiment, the sensor may utilize a paw print or a front paw print. These embodiments may be combined if desired.

[0314] In one aspect, a complex concept like “Hello” can start with a single button or two adjacent or nearly adjacent buttons. Over time, the buttons can move so that “Good” and “Hello” become separate positions.

[0315] Although we are discussing the button as a physical object, it should be understood that it can be a virtual (as in the projected version) location on a touch-sensitive surface, tactile or force feedback, and an inflatable bladder or expandable pin can be used to identify the location of the button on the touch-sensitive surface.

[0316] When a specific type of press by a dog is detected as an accidental press, the button can indicate that the press is ineffective by emitting a sound, providing vibration feedback, or a combination thereof. Vibration feedback can utilize different vibration intensities and patterns as feedback from the button. Temperature feedback can be utilized, particularly among animals sensitive to temperature. The button itself can be heated or cooled. The buttons can be at different temperatures, thereby providing another signal to the dog. Buttons with related meanings can be grouped into similar temperature zones (or even very similar).

[0317] In one embodiment, it is desirable to utilize artificial intelligence to utilize the button's own program. The AI ​​can measure the button press and associate it with actions occurring before and / or after the press. In another embodiment, the button layout is associated with a specific dog. When the dog approaches another device, the button will automatically change to match the layout in the house. This can be accomplished by identifying the animal via computer vision, identifying dog objects (such as QR codes), collars or other items attached to the dog, measuring the output of a nearby area calculation network, and other methods. It is preferable if the button in the dog's house uploads its configuration to a common server and is associated with that specific dog. The automated configuration change then changes the button to match the contents of the database. In another embodiment, the house layout can be communicated to the dog or owner's device via network interfaces (such as a FOB on the dog's collar). The device can contact the new set of buttons and send configuration information to them.

[0318] In identifying the dog, the button may also read the dog's front paw prints and / or inscriptions. In another embodiment, the sleeve may be made to fit the dog's claws. The sleeve may be marked with a code (such as a QR code). The sleeve may have a radio frequency identification device, such as a passive or active tag. In this way, the sleeve can uniquely identify the dog. In another aspect, a light (outside the human and cat visual range, such as near infrared in one embodiment) may be mounted on the dog to generate an identifying pattern to distinguish the animal. In another embodiment, a unique barcode, such as a QR code, may be mounted on the dog and read by a camera placed on the button or otherwise operablely connected to the button.

[0319] It must be understood that the use of buttons in relation to dogs can be adapted to the needs and capabilities of other animals. For example, if a system were to be utilized for dolphins or other marine mammals, it could be useful to place tiles perpendicular to the water surface, modify sounds or other feedback to suit seawater conditions and the animal's needs, or adapt button presses in a way that is appropriate for the animal. Taking dolphins as an example, the buttons would need to be larger so that they can be pressed with the protrusion of the nose. In the case of rats, the buttons and tiles might need to be very small.

[0320] There are a few examples. This embodiment is not limited to just the examples shown.

[0321] In one embodiment, there is a button, which is a closed space, the first button above the space is suitable for a dog to operate, the second button above the space is unsuitable for a dog to operate, and includes a processor connected to the first and second buttons to operate other functions of the processor.

[0322] In another aspect of this embodiment, for the second button to be activated, the third button must be pressed simultaneously. In yet another aspect, a change in capacitance in response to touch is measured, and at least one function is activated or deactivated based on the magnitude of the change in capacitance. In yet another aspect, one or both first and second buttons can be operated only by inscription. In yet another aspect, one or both first and second buttons can be operated only by forefoot print. In yet another aspect, the first and second buttons are located together, and the second button is activated by the detection of a human fingerprint. In yet another aspect, the second button may be slightly, moderately, or significantly recessed. In yet another aspect, there is a smell associated with the semantic meaning of the button, and it may be associated with a different smell than that of the second button.

[0323] In another exemplary example, the button mechanism may be configured as follows: at least one closed space; a first button suitable for a dog to operate; a first processor operablely connected to the first button; a first button with a scent; a first button associated with meaning; a second button suitable for a dog to operate; a second processor operablely connected to the second button; a second button or second processor that activates the second function of the first processor; and a first processor that detects the operation of the second button in the language of detection and terminates the first function.

[0324] In another sense, detection is detecting an audible signal from the first button. In another sense, detection is detecting a network signal from the first button. In another sense, detection is detecting a radio signal from the first button.

[0325] In another exemplary example, there may be a semantic learning device, which is composed as follows: at least a first and second button, the first button with a first smell and the second button with a second smell different from the first, a first button associated with a first meaning, a second button associated with a second meaning, and a first and second button suitable for a dog to operate.

[0326] In another aspect, there is at least one button in which a scent is integrated into the button or part or all of the material used to mount the button. In another aspect, at least one button has a Zerolight inherent scent. In another aspect, Zerolight is heated; this heating is passive, at a specific time, while the button detects interaction with itself or another button, or in response to detecting a dog near the button. In another aspect, at least the first button contains a scent-containing material associated with the meaning of the first button. In another aspect, a fan, an air compressor, and / or compressed gas are utilized to create an airflow over the scent-containing material.

[0327] In another example, the button mechanism may be configured as follows: at least one space, a first button suitable for a dog to operate, a first processor operablely connected to the first button, a first processor that measures the amount of pressure applied to the button, and a processor whose response changes at least partially based on the amount of pressure applied.

[0328] In another example, the button mechanism may be configured as follows: at least one space, a first button suitable for operation by a dog, a first processor operablely connected to the first button, a first processor that detects multiple presses of the first button within a certain time, and a processor whose response changes to an operation at least partially based on the number of presses within a certain time.

[0329] In another exemplary example, the button mechanism may be configured as follows: at least one space, a first button suitable for a dog to operate, a first processor operably connected to the first button, a first processor that detects an accidental press of the first button, and one or more processors that cause noise, vibration, odor emission or temperature change in response to the detection.

[0330] In another exemplary example, a dog identification device may be configured as follows: a sleeve that fits around the circumference of a dog's leg portion, the portion extending from the part where the leg is connected to the body to the forepaw; one or more field computing signals, one FOB, QR code, radio signal, or sound signal; the mechanism of claim 79 in which the mechanism is a near-field computing signal; in another exemplary example, a button mechanism may be configured as follows.

[0331] On one side, the sleeve fits well around the ducle. On another side, the sleeve fits well around the claw. On yet another side, the sleeve fits well around the leg portion furthest from the torso but prior to the forefoot.

[0332] Looking at the interlocking mechanism of tiles, there are various practical examples as follows.

[0333] Basic bundle

[0334] Fluffy ball

[0335] magnetic connector

[0336] Electromagnetic connector

[0337] tongue

[0338] Half-lap

[0339] Mortiz and Tenon

[0340] Biscuit Joint

[0341] Pocket joint

[0342] rabbit joint

[0343] semi-blind dovetail

[0344] Velcro(r) (hook and loop)

[0345] adhesive

[0346] adhesive

[0347] hinge

[0348] Slot + Pin

[0349] static electricity

[0350] The surface finish can be modified. For example, tiles can be raised to create ridges between buttons, or create other separations between tiles and / or buttons. While other applications are possible, this can be utilized as a method to prevent users from touching multiple buttons simultaneously and / or to reduce accidental button presses.

[0351] The button depth can also vary.

[0352] In one embodiment, the tile shape may be any fractal variant. In fact, there is a method to design such tiles using fractal generation software.

[0353] In another embodiment, a system mounted on a dog may also assist the dog by describing the real-time world perceived by the dog using words that the system acknowledges the dog knows. It may describe a video displayed on a screen, name the person the dog is watching, and describe events around the dog. This can be done publicly, among other methods, or through a quieter ear-mounted interface. In another embodiment, the dog may be provided with new words (which may consist of, be written by, or not be a list of words that the system user wants the dog to learn).

[0354] A similar system can be used in response to a dog's button presses, helping the dog learn how to combine buttons in an understandable way. By responding to a sequence of understandable button press images, sounds, or response phrases accompanied by related images, the dog can verify its understanding more quickly and learn how to express itself, whether or not a human is present to provide feedback.

[0355] Smell collection

[0356] Fig. 102 is an example of an absorption capture device, referred to herein as a “smell camera” (the term “zeolite” as used in this specification is intended to simplify learning of this technology and is not limited to zeolite, but refers to a material capable of capturing and emitting odors as well as zeolite.

[0357] In one embodiment, the device 10201 starts in a sealed state (vacuum). In one embodiment, a solid surface and an actuated air seal (10202, 10207) are located at both ends. Air is injected into the air space 10203 through the actuated air seal 10202. In one embodiment, air inside or outside the odor camera 10201 is expelled by a fan 10204 or other air transfer device. The odor can be captured by a zero-light built-in filter 10206.

[0358] The GPS antenna 10208 and the system can be utilized in combination with a computer device 10209. In one embodiment, the computer may capture and store the location of the device, images captured by a camera, sounds captured by a microphone, or other data. In one aspect, the stored data may be associated with time, place, or a specific part of a zeolite filter. The computer may be connected via short-range wireless communication, a wireless network, or other modes. In one embodiment, the computer may also control the operation of the device. The GPS system may include other geolocation systems, such as Wi-Fi triangulation.

[0359] In one embodiment, Zerolight is marked in a unique way, such as a QR code. A code (or other mark) present in the Zerolight “frame” is read and associated with a GPS location within a data set or database. In one embodiment, a texture, appearance, and / or unique mark on the Zerolight frame (or part thereof) may be used as a code or mark.

[0360] In one embodiment, when a user activates odor capture and / or release, the port opens to both sides, allowing a fan to draw in or push air from the environment through a zeolite-embedded filter, eventually pushing air continuously or intermittently for a short period. Odor capture and / or release may vary depending on several factors, including the intensity of the emitted odor and the type of contaminants present. In one aspect, the capture period may continue until the system detects movement from the odor source.

[0361] After the “exposure time” has elapsed, the fan stops and the seal closes. When an odor is generated, heating elements (including any additional operating odor release mode) are activated to remove and release any odors captured by Zerolight from absorption. At a certain temperature and / or time interval, the fan is activated (or, possibly, a pressurized nitrogen tank, or other gas, or a highly filtered environmental gas is provided), and one or more seals open to expel the gas containing the odors removed from absorption. Using pure pressurized nitrogen or other gas, only the captured odors are released.

[0362] This suggests that Zero Light filters likely require various types of Zero Light to capture the "all colors" of different odors. Ensuring that the outgoing odor rate matches the incoming odor rate likely requires various parts of different Zero Lights with built-in filters (much like how a photographic camera has various color converters). Various combinations and parts of Zero Lights can be used to generate odors tailored to the different olfactory capabilities of different individuals or groups of people.

[0363] Additionally, the materials used in the camera should be designed to remain completely odorless even when heated. Since the heating element can be self-sealed, it eliminates the need for it to also be made of odorless material. For some purposes, such as when used for dogs, removing other sources of odor may be more important. For other purposes, such as when a blind witness identifies a location by smell, the absence of residual odor may be less important. In one respect, the ability to “smell” the emitted odor—that is, to understand that there may be a residual odor in the system itself—can dictate how the odorless device should be manufactured. In one embodiment, the entire structure can be designed to withstand high heat and can be heated to a temperature at which the odor is reduced, nearly eliminated, or completely removed.

[0364] In one aspect, the camera may be “disposable”, opening only when the seal captures the initial odor. However, over time, it may be possible to “reset” the system with sufficient heat and simultaneous nitrogen flushing (the nitrogen itself may be generated by another zeolite-based system). In one embodiment, the zeolite may be removed from the airflow or the airflow may be moved to the surroundings after use.

[0365] In another embodiment, multiple capture (absorption) devices may be utilized. One embodiment can be seen in FIG. 100. There are zero-light blocks 10001 and 10002. The blocks are divided into a series of independent zones 10003, 10004, etc. In one embodiment, there is a divider between zones 10005. In one aspect, this divider does not allow air or odor to pass through substantially or entirely. In another aspect, the divider can pass through the full depth of zero-light blocks 10001 and 100002 and may end in an air seal or part there. In such an embodiment, the first odor can be captured by moving and opening a part of the activated air seal. In another embodiment, the air source may travel through wiring that moves through wiring endpoints between cells 10003, 10004, etc. The size of the area may vary. For example, when capturing a large number of odor events is important, the area may be considerably small. Conversely, when it is important for the scent to be played multiple times, the area can be larger.

[0366] In another embodiment, multiple capture systems may utilize a rotating portion of the Zerolight. While it is preferred that the rotating portion be circular, other shapes may also be utilized. Turning to Fig. 101, there is an absorbent capture device that forms a circular portion of the Zerolight with a 10102 central selective cutout. A line splitter divides the Zerolight into different regions 10103, 10104, 10105, etc. As in Fig. 100, the lines forming the splitter may pass through the Zerolight. In one embodiment, the passage is through the entire depth. Another passage may end at an air seal. For the arrangement in Fig. 101 and Fig. 100, the end at the air seal may be an air seal that operates to open when an odor is captured and / or released. The Zerolight is rotated so that one segment 10103 is aligned with the air passage that captures and / or releases the odor. After the segment is utilized, the zerolight can rotate to the next nearby region 10104 or a non-adjacent region 10105. The size of the circular zerolight system region may vary, as shown in the system in Fig. 100.

[0367] It should be understood that other systems, such as flexible zeolite rolls and / or systems in which zeolite particles are absorbed into a flexible material, can also be utilized. In one aspect, a zeolite roll can be utilized like a fine art film. It can be unwound to pass through an odor capture (or release) location and then collected again. In another aspect, an odor barrier can be placed between collected zeolite films (especially zeolites that already have an odor) to prevent cross-contamination.

[0368] With any capture system, some or all captured odors can be released into a spectrogram, gas chromatography device, or other device capable of measuring odor components.

[0369] Another approach is to do something closer to (or constituting) Fig. 7. This approach focuses on capturing the scent of a specific object to the maximum extent. In this case, the preferred gas would be odorless nitrogen (or other odorless and / or highly filtered gas sources), but this time it is pushed over the object so that the scent we aim for is eventually captured using Zerolight. By using nitrogen (or a similar odorless gas), we can avoid environmental contamination of the object's scent without exception.

[0370] Thermally driven scent release, combined with nitrogen seals, enables the sale of large, pre-scented kits. When a specific scent is required, one or more holes are rapidly heated and opened to release nitrogen, after which they close. With appropriate scent density and properly designed Zerolite internals, these remain unchanged for a very long time.

[0371] In one embodiment, it is anticipated that a user creates a custom scent for a dog, such as the scent of a mother dog. Such a scent can be used, for example, to comfort a newly adopted puppy.

[0372] Additionally, it may be possible to create a “behavioral scent-movie” using an approach similar to the one originally described above, in which the zeolite reel is exposed to the air for only one “frame” at a time. (One embodiment is shown in FIG. 103A.) Again, one embodiment uses heat to release it. To produce more scent, the air can be compressed and the zeolite can be under pressure.

[0373] In fact, another approach here is to use compressed air instead of zeolite at all. A CO2 cartridge contains 12 gm of CO2, which corresponds to approximately 6 liters in an uncompressed state (at standard temperature and pressure). These small cartridges are inexpensive and sufficiently numerous. Before pressurizing air with the cartridge, the associated odor can first be concentrated and released into a volume of air smaller than the original volume used to capture the odor, for example through thermal desorption, using a zeolite-based odor concentration system that leverages the greater adsorption capacity of a larger zeolite mass. In fact, this odor concentration technique can be used to generate higher and higher odor densities for continuous capture using the same or different masses of zeolite. Through successive stages of absorption and desorption utilizing progressively smaller volumes of air or zeolite, it may be possible to reach odor density levels higher than those achievable in a single step. Alternatively, the zeolite can be desorbed at a lower air pressure than the environment in which the odor was captured. In a partial vacuum, since there are fewer gas molecules, the ratio of odor molecules to gas molecules will be greater.

[0374] Another type of behavioral smell—a film camera—will capture the “smell history” of a given experience, allowing it to be played back continuously. This could be used to train the concepts of “today” and “tomorrow” by continuously readjusting buttons or semantic tiles so that they always play the “smell” recorded yesterday at any given physical location, or to include tomorrow’s “smell” in the next day’s weather forecast. (This is based on the premise that heat, humidity, and perhaps even air pressure influence what the world smells like.)

[0375] Several methods can be applied to control the odor-absorbing material. These include determining its compatibility (including verifying that it is free of the intended odor, where "intended" refers to odors that interfere with identification), ensuring it is well distributed within the filter membrane, and verifying a sufficiently even distribution. The absorbing filter membrane will require a combination of various zeolite forms to capture the entire range of the developed olfactory senses. The zeolite may need to be contained within a flexible cylindrical, rope-like filament capable of gradually exposing and sealing the absorbing material over time. This utilizes a membrane that expands and contracts based on charge and thermal contact, allowing the same thermal influences that cause detachment to temporarily open the membrane, exposing it to nitrogen odor providers. Another approach involves a series of mechanical capsules, each containing the absorbing material. While this may be mechanically easy to design initially, it loses the continuous quality of analog, gradually expanding and contracting rope-like reels.

[0376] To maximize absorption at any given moment, the action scent-film camera can utilize an airflow that rapidly passes through the zeolite, concentrating the scent on the material as it passes. Another approach involves bringing air from the environment into a room surrounding the absorbent material, pressurizing it, and blowing it out to bring in fresh air in the process. This latter approach seems to require a capsule of the absorbent material, as air pressure, rather than a continuous “rope,” could push axially in an undesirable way otherwise. One approach pressurizes air into the zeolite capsule, cools it, and then maintains it under pressure or releases the pressure once the required scent is assessed to have been absorbed, allowing the use of zeolites that cannot absorb at low pressures at sufficiently high rates. By using cooling water, the cooling necessary for absorption is accelerated, eliminating the need for a pressurized absorbent capsule. Since rapidly pressurizing a large volume of air into a capsule-sized absorbent material will generate significant heat, scent fixation will be difficult when the absorbent material is at high temperatures. The accompanying depressurization will result in significant cooling, but to prevent odor loss, the gas surrounding the absorbent material must already be cooled. For this purpose, an external coolant will be required. The energy consumption of such a system can be minimized by utilizing the fact that the cooling associated with the depressurization of the previous air volume offsets the heat generated by the pressurization of the next one (much like how elevators use counterweights).

[0377] In one embodiment, a Peltier device can be utilized to provide both heating and cooling. Peltier, air, zeolite, and / or other elements that can be cooled; by changing the poles of the current, the elements and / or elements can be heated. In fact, if used in a system such as the one shown in Fig. 7 designed to collect odors from an object, one side of the Peltier can be used to heat the object on the system “object” side, and the cold side of the Peltier can be used to cool the air for better absorption on the system “zeolite” side.

[0378] “Playing back” a recorded “smell movie” will inevitably result in a decrease in odor intensity, as desorption will release the odor. However, the previously described pressurization and cooling processes can significantly concentrate the odor, making it possible to play it back more than once. It is also worth noting that the creation of a “smell movie” can lead to a reduction in environmental odors if a large volume of air is processed and the odor is absorbed. This can be compensated for by adjusting the processed volume relative to the air volume of the entire space where the odor is recorded.

[0379] By equipping a dog with such a system, its day can be replayed. In parallel with a computer vision system, scent capture can be adjusted so that the volume of air captured depends somewhat on the environment's interest, which is akin to a variable "bit rate." Certain events, such as getting out of a car for the first time, approaching another dog, or holding an individual, can trigger additional recordings. A simpler approach is likely to track the dog's own olfactory frequency—when a dog sniffs a lot, the scent capture device processes more air than when the dog is satisfied with the scent environment. While other approaches exist, this is possible using heart rate monitors to measure excitement, breathing monitors, acoustic detection for sniffing, and gyroscopes to record distinct scent head movements.

[0380] Similar to video monitors, scent reproduction is synchronized with odor reproduction to increase dog engagement in video-based training and entertainment. Additionally, through human-made or automated event classification, associated scents and images can be used as coercive training signals and for the identification of richly different dogs, people, places, events, and objects.

[0381] To minimize the limiting amount of possible odor, the odor release can be applied directly to the dog's nose at a concentration much lower than that required when the release is released into the general environment. This can be done by sending an airflow through a tube that is so thin that the dog may not be aware of it, or through a device or stationary device mounted on the dog, or by using a portable device that can track the dog's movements.

[0382] In fact, for scent simulation, the tube attached to the dog would ideally be positioned to capture the specific scent the dog is most interested in. Such a device needs to be designed so as not to interfere with the dog's own scent capture. To achieve this, the timing of the scents would likely be synchronized (e.g., by introducing air simultaneously or at the opposite time to what the dog does).

[0383] Referring to FIG. 103A-103D, a large number of odor “photos” (each one or more odor-absorbed collections) can be captured using odor “films” to form odor “frames” 10302 reels, each containing a suitable zeolite mixture. Each frame can be rapidly opened and exposed to air on both sides. In a more preferred embodiment, the frame is exposed by applying mechanical force to the side or boundary of the frame, as in peripheral element 10314. In another embodiment, each frame has a valve-like inlet on one side, which opens to a certain gas pressure level (outside or inside the frame) to allow communication between the zeolite and air. In a preferred embodiment, the top surface of the frame may be a smaller valve that opens at a specific pressure, made of a thermally conductive material such as copper. In a preferred embodiment, the frame is made of a flexible rubber-like material and is embedded in a flexible, rubber-like frame reel. The zeolite material of each frame is contained within a material such as the precision grid 10317, which prevents the zeolite from escaping while allowing gas to flow easily. In another embodiment, the bottom surface of the frame is structured to heat the heat-conducting material or zeolite more quickly and remove odors contained therein.

[0384] While heat can desorb the zeolite, an increase in air pressure increases adsorption, thereby reducing the amount of time required to capture odors from a given volume of air. In one preferred embodiment, the zeolite is exposed to gas contained in a pressurized cylinder, and pressure is generated by an air-pushing piston within the cylinder. While the piston pressurizes the air, it pushes air through a frame to expose more or all of the air to the zeolite, maximizing absorption and ensuring that low-density odors do not escape. To regulate the generated air pressure, a “regulating piston” may be built in, which contracts the volume of air pushed in after contact with the zeolite. In one embodiment, the piston can descend at a specific rate. In another embodiment, the piston may be attached in place by a spring and descend as the gas pressure increases. In another embodiment, the pressurizing cylinder 10308 can be opened and pressurized by pressing a rubber-like area around the odor capture frame (Fig. 103B) after creating a seal with the receiving cylinder 103011, which prevents the zeolite from being exposed to air by pressing the two sides of 10308 and the frame cover 10316. To expose a single zeolite frame, the two cylinders 10308 10311, arranged in a row, press the space around the corner 10312 and frame 10314. This space allows the frame to open when pressed, as in Fig. 103C. In a preferred embodiment, the area around frame 10314 is made of a rubber-like material so that the pressurizing cylinder 10308 and the gas receiving cylinder 10311 press against each other at the corner 10312 to create an effective seal. In a preferred embodiment, air entrainment within the connected cylinder is minimized by bringing the two pistons 10320 and 10310 adjacent to or in contact with each other in the frame. When the cylinder is sealed, the piston connecting arm 10309 contracts to allow air with odor to be absorbed into the flow and go into the cylinder.In a preferred embodiment, air first flows through a one-way valve to the receiving end of the cylinder, passes through the zeolite, and enters the pressurizing cylinder. In another embodiment, air may bypass the zeolite and enter the pressurizing cylinder first. Consequently, the piston 10320, which is retracted and located at the far end of the cylinder, pushes the frame downward while simultaneously compressing the air and pressing it through the frame and the zeolite medium therein. A regulating piston on the other side of the frame then retracts to regulate the total air pressure reached, reducing the energy required to move the pressurizing piston 10320 and reducing the heat generated by compressing the air. When the piston is extended and the cylinder is under pressure, the entire mechanism can remain in this setting for a certain period of time, at which point a temperature reduction is possible to prevent detachment and reduce the risk of detachment.

[0385] In another embodiment, reduced air pressure may be utilized to release the absorbed odor and other materials, with or without heating, in one embodiment. This is a particularly interesting embodiment where odor molecules undergo thermal decomposition or other changes at elevated temperatures.

[0386] By embedding the frame into a rubber-like reel that is longer and wider than any given frame, opening and closing the cylinder around the frame ensures a seal suitable for maintaining the desired pressure during absorption.

[0387] In a preferred embodiment, as described in FIG. 103A and 103D, if there are three such cylinder mechanisms, it is possible to record odors from the environment onto a moving reel of a frame while minimizing the required pressurization energy. In this case, the three cylinders rotate parallel to each other around a common axis 10322, and their center points form a triangle along the plane. The cylinders can be placed within a single space (not shown here) to prevent the cylinders from being thermally affected by the environment. An arm connecting each cylinder to the axis, e.g. 10321, extends or retracts to allow the rotating device to follow a straight line of the reel. The device operates as follows.

[0388] The unexposed frame is located between the larger air volume of the pressurized cylinder (cylinder 10308 depicted in Fig. 103A) and the air capacity of the pressurized cylinder.

[0389] The top and bottom of the cylinder are pushed toward each other, using the cylinder edges to form a vacuum seal around frame 10315. The frame, which has a pressure-sensitive opening mechanism 10314 that opens when pressure is applied, opens to expose the zeolite material to the air.

[0390] The piston located directly above the frame rises in the cylinder and, hydraulically actuated (pipe marked 10307), allows odors contained in the air to be absorbed into the volume of the cylinder 10320 through the intake 10303, connector 10304, joint 10305, and connecting tube 10306 until they pass through the one-way intake valve (not shown). In this way, the air is pushed through the frame, exposing the Zerolight to the air for the first time.

[0391] Subsequently, the piston pushes the air captured again through the open frame into the bottom cylinder, compressing the spring-mounted surface there, and checks the airflow through the frame while avoiding air pressure regulation within the cylinder. The generated heat is removed as it occurs using a cooling mechanism.

[0392] Under pressure, reel 10301 moves halfway through the frame, and the cylinder is sealed to the reel while rotating around axis 10322, and the zeolite has a zeolite time to absorb any odor under pressure. Cooling continues while this is happening. During this time, the same pair of upper and lower cylinders is placed on the new frame.

[0393] Under pressure, the reel and cylinder continue to move to the depressurization stage. At this point, the air inside the cylinder is compressed but cooled.

[0394] During the depressurization phase, the piston contracts and the frame closes to seal the odor-exposed zeolite in the frame. The mechanical energy used to do so can be transferred to pressurize the cylinder following it, and the resulting cooling can be used, for example, to offset the heat generated in the previous phase through a heat pipe.

[0395] The piston descends in the coupled cylinder and expels air from the volume through the exhaust valve.

[0396] Afterwards, the cylinder can be repositioned onto an unexposed frame that can be used next, and the process is repeated.

[0397] Some exemplary examples currently being explored are as follows. It is important to understand that these examples are one or more specific embodiments of the invention and do not limit additional or other examples, practices, or aspects in any way.

[0398] In one exemplary example, the odor capture device comprises: a container 710 containing an item 713 having at least one odor; an air transfer device consisting of one or more air sources 703, fans 302, an air source or gas pressurizing mechanism 702 for pressurized gas; a first passage 704, 709 through which air moves from an intake port to the container; a second passage 711 through which air moves out of the container; and a collector zeolite 712 placed between the container and an air outlet.

[0399] In one embodiment, the zeolite 708 filter is positioned between the first passage inlet and the container inlet to prevent at least some odor from entering the container. A flow regulator 706 may be located between the air source and the container.

[0400] Another exemplary example is an environmental odor capture device, which is configured as follows: an air transport device consisting of one or more fans or gas pressurizing mechanisms; a first passage through which air moves from an intake to a zeolite absorption filter; and within this passage, the air transport device moves air from the intake to the zeolite absorption filter.

[0401] This embodiment can be further purified if the zeolite absorption filter is located in a container capable of maintaining a pressure greater than ambient air pressure. The air transfer device can push air into the container at a pressure greater than ambient air pressure. In one aspect, the pressure is increased or managed through an air outlet to release the air that has passed through the zeolite. The zeolite incorporates a flow regulator (with a fixed or adjustable flow rate) in the air outlet that releases air at a sufficiently slow rate relative to the pressure of the air transfer device, thereby causing the pressure in the container to reach a point higher than ambient air pressure.

[0402] In another aspect, the zeolite may consist of at least two parts separated by a barrier. The barrier may be an odor barrier and may separate the zeolite entirely or partially. In one aspect, the first passage may move to pass through at least two of the at least two parts of the zeolite separated by the next barrier so that air can pass through the first. Another aspect of the zeolite may move to pass through at least two of the at least two parts of the zeolite separated by the next barrier so that air can pass through the first. These two approaches—movement of the zeolite and movement of the air source—may be combined with each other. In one embodiment, recording may be done on a rotating zeolite, and the method is similar to a vinyl album in the shape of a spiral recording.

[0403] In another aspect, the zeolite is integrated into a flexible material that passes in front of an air source over time. The zeolite can be separated into frames with barriers between them. The zeolite can be stored within a highly odor-free space. In fact, each frame of zeolite can be stored within a highly odor-free space.

[0404] There are several use cases utilizing additional embodiments.

[0405] In one use case, food scents are captured and presented to people to help them make decisions, such as selecting a menu. In such an embodiment, the association of an image or selection name with a scent would be desirable. By creating a “scent menu,” people with both hearing and visual impairments can order food (or other items with scents). Such a system may also assist dogs in selecting a meal. In one embodiment, the menu may be a board (arranged in a manner similar to a menu, similar to the dog board described here, a separated tile deck arrangement, or another). In one aspect, food scents are regularly captured so that the smell during cooking is closer to the smell of the current cooking method. The scents presented to customers may differ to suit current kitchen staff.

[0406] The brain regions that process smells are located near (and sometimes overlap with) memory and emotion areas. In patients with amnesia, early-stage dementia, or those who simply need to maximize their memory, it may be beneficial to capture smells associated with life events to aid in later recall. If simultaneous capture is not possible, smells associated with memories can be utilized. As a simple example, if a child spent a summer camp in the third grade in a place where the scents of certain flowers were mixed, the scent combination—which could be human or animal—that persists years or decades later can be very similar to past experiences, potentially triggering an emotional response or memory recall. Individuals who were hospitalized as children—or even as adults—may recoil at the smells associated with detergents, alcohol, and hospitals.

[0407] In one respect, the ability to recall either emotional or factual memories, or both, can be utilized in the treatment of psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. If a returning soldier has suffered psychological trauma, bringing that trauma to the surface allows mental health professionals to treat it more effectively. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy that brings trauma-related images, self-thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations to the surface, fundamentally making the trauma more accessible and treatable. The natural relationship between olfactory processing, memory, and emotion is highly helpful in trauma processing, whether or not it is related to EMDR.

[0408] In another embodiment, odors may have diagnostic value in a medical setting. For example, diagnosis may be possible through the smell of sweat. 3-methylaminouria is a condition in which the body is unable to break down 3-methylamine, an irritating complex. 3-methylamine has a distinctive, unpleasant odor. This complex accumulates in the body and can appear in sweat (or in breath or urine). Since the odor intensity varies over time, it may be difficult for a physician diagnosing the patient to detect the smell. The use of an odor capture system at the peak of the odor allows the physician to replay it for analysis. Additionally, the odor may be concentrated, enabling spectroscopic and gas chromatographic analysis. Among other similar applications, there are ketoacidosis (associated with poorly controlled diabetes), the detection of bladder infections by urine odor concentration, vaginitis, the genetic disorder 3-methylcrotonylglycinuria (“3MCC”), and the identification of certain bacterial infections. Odor concentrations reproduced by a doctor provide a new realm for remote diagnostic tasks. Individuals who are physically isolated or unable to visit a doctor due to expenses, distance, or disabilities can perform the same type of odor analysis as someone in a doctor's office. Smell capture can also be utilized to bring odors to dogs, reaching a level where medical or other problems can be diagnosed by smell.

[0409] Additional innovations made possible by connected button design

[0410] ● The button must be remotely triggerable.

[0411] In one embodiment, the button can be triggered at another location to help the user converse with the dog using sounds the dog understands.

[0412] To people proficient in language, words have distinct sounds. In reality, words are not clearly distinguishable from one another within audible intervals—within a sentence, words flow together auditorily and require understanding to identify them. Therefore, in another embodiment, the button can be connected electronically to a language recognition system, either wired or wirelessly (e.g., Google Home or Amazon Echo device). In another embodiment, the button itself may recognize language and / or recognize one or more trigger words. The language recognition system can recognize spoken words and cause the button corresponding to the recognized word to emit light, sound, smell, or other cues to help the dog recognize the words even when they are close to each other.

[0413] ● In another embodiment, the sound produced by the button may be the trainer's voice, which is likely familiar to the dog and thus better captures the dog's attention.

[0414] ● Transmission of sound from the button to the virtual button on the phone

[0415] ● Word game using buttons

[0416] The system makes animal sounds, and the dog must press the button corresponding to the animal.

[0417] i. The guardian gets excited, checks, and gives a reward.

[0418] ii. The screen displays a video of the guardian getting excited.

[0419] iii. The device can provide feed rewards.

[0420] ○ The system displays a color on the screen, and the dog presses the button to make the color.

[0421] ○ Big vs. Small

[0422] ○ Yes vs. No

[0423] i. Train a dog to nod and shake its head

[0424] ○ Learn the names of feed / smells

[0425] i. Chicken

[0426] ii. Beef

[0427] iii. Pork

[0428] iv. Fish

[0429] v. cheese

[0430] vi. Peanut butter

[0431] ○ Go to the house as part of the plan

[0432] i. Record a video of the guardian saying, “Go to X!”

[0433] ii. The video camera detects whether the dog went to X

[0434] ○ Toy Games

[0435] i. Toys are in the container

[0436] ii. Announce which toy should go to the container

[0437] iii. Reward sound when the toy goes to the container

[0438] iv. Announce which toy has just entered the container.

[0439] v. When you play with it, the toy announces its name

[0440] ○ Tiles can be distributed in various places in the house.

[0441] i. Response to the situation

[0442] ii. Food words in the kitchen, examples

[0443] memory games

[0444] iii. Describe what the dog saw or is seeing in another room

[0445] As written here, “animal state” or “animal state” is broadly defined to include any behavior, movement, position, change in position, any physiological or physical characteristic, or change in the animal’s physiological or physical characteristic.

[0446] An animal's state can reflect its physical characteristics, for example, the animal's position in a defined space (or the position or change in position of any part of the animal or its parts), the animal's orientation in that space (or the orientation or change in orientation of any part of the animal or its parts), and likewise, the animal's position or orientation with respect to a specific object (or the position or change in orientation of any part of the animal or its parts), for example, pressing a button (with the nose or forepaw), pressing a lever, touching a touchpad, licking a lick meter, spinning a wheel or ball, switching a switch.

[0447] Animal states may refer to the posture of an animal or changes in posture, which include the movement of all or part of the animal or multiple parts of it. Some examples include: sitting, standing, walking, running (various forms of gait), turning, lying down, lying on one's belly, lying on one's side, lying on one's back, standing on two legs, standing on four legs, lifting one front leg, pressing a button, touching a touchpad, moving a lever, lifting the tail, lowering the tail, and wagging the tail. Animal states also include facial expressions or changes in facial expressions, such as the position and movement of the mouth, lips, tongue, ears, eyes, eyelids, eyebrows, cheeks, tongue, or whiskers.

[0448] The condition of an animal may refer to physiological characteristics or changes in physiological characteristics, such as levels of predation or hunger, the need for urination or excretion, temperature, respiration rate, level of thirst, levels of certain components like blood, lymph, intraocular fluid (tears), or cerebrospinal fluid, or the physiological activity of the nervous system or parts or multiple parts of the nervous system. The condition of an animal may also refer extensively to the physiological characteristics of the animal regarding health or disease.

[0449] The animal's state may also include implied emotional characteristics, for example: levels of arousal or excitement, levels of interest, boredom, happiness, sadness, despair, anger, levels of motivation, humor, jealousy, shame, and sin.

[0450] The animal's condition may also be a combination of one or more of the aforementioned types of characteristics and may be described by the following generally recognized behaviors: tail wagging, turning, e.g., running, walking, or rolling or sliding, following the tail, etc. These behaviors may be vocalizations or audible behaviors, e.g., barking, singing, whining, crying, growling, purring, sniffing, breathing sounds, coughing, sneezing, etc. These behaviors may be more fine movements, e.g., chewing, biting, licking, sniffing, turning the head, tilting the head. These behaviors may be connected in some way to the animal's physiology, e.g., urinating, defecating, shedding, scratching, scraping, rubbing, grooming.

[0451] The state of an animal may refer to something directly felt by a sensor, something inferred by a combination of information from one or more sensors, or something inferred indirectly through information with or without a sensor. For example, if the specific time the animal last ate, e.g., 8:00 AM, is known, it can be inferred that the animal will be less full at 4:00 PM than at 9:00 AM.

[0452] Finally, the animal's condition may be referenced by the animal's brain state or specific brain activity pattern measurements as detected, inferred, or measured by devices inside or outside the animal's skull. This can be done using, among others, EEG, EMG, MEG, MRI, ultrasound, ECoG, intracellular implanted electrodes, extracellular implanted electrodes, electrode arrays, chip-connected implanted electrode arrays, optical detection of brain activity, automated analysis of micro-expressions, and optical detection of brain activity known to be mediated by genetically modified neurons.

Claims

Claim 1 delete Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete Claim 7 delete Claim 8 delete Claim 9 delete Claim 10 delete Claim 11 A language expression device comprising: a button operably coupled to a computer processor coupled to a memory containing commands, as a language expression device; said button mounted in a first cutout on a board - said first cutout includes a primary shape corresponding to the shape of said button -; a second cutout - said second cutout is a shape suitable for a human finger to reach and remove from said button -; said computer processor receiving data from said first button indicating that said first button is operating; said computer processor operating a speaker that plays a sound in response to said reception; said sound directed out of said board through said second cutout. Claim 12 In paragraph 11, a language expression device having a sticker indicating the sound played by the speaker attached to the button. Claim 13 In Clause 11, the above board is a hexagonal language expression device. Claim 14 In paragraph 11, the above board is a rectangular language expression device. Claim 15 delete Claim 16 delete Claim 17 delete Claim 18 delete Claim 19 delete Claim 20 delete Claim 21 delete Claim 22 delete Claim 23 delete Claim 24 delete Claim 25 delete Claim 26 delete Claim 27 delete Claim 28 delete Claim 29 delete Claim 30 delete Claim 31 delete Claim 32 delete Claim 33 delete Claim 34 delete Claim 35 delete Claim 36 delete Claim 37 delete Claim 38 delete Claim 39 delete Claim 40 delete Claim 41 delete Claim 42 delete Claim 43 delete Claim 44 delete Claim 45 delete Claim 46 delete Claim 47 delete Claim 48 delete Claim 49 delete Claim 50 delete Claim 51 delete Claim 52 delete Claim 53 delete Claim 54 delete Claim 55 delete Claim 56 delete Claim 57 delete Claim 58 delete Claim 59 delete Claim 60 delete Claim 61 delete Claim 62 delete Claim 63 delete Claim 64 delete Claim 65 delete Claim 66 delete Claim 67 delete Claim 68 delete Claim 69 delete Claim 70 delete Claim 71 delete Claim 72 delete Claim 73 delete Claim 74 delete Claim 75 delete Claim 76 delete Claim 77 delete Claim 78 delete Claim 79 delete Claim 80 delete Claim 81 delete Claim 82 delete Claim 83 delete Claim 84 delete Claim 85 delete Claim 86 delete Claim 87 delete

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