Patent Application
20170290295
The disclosure relates to training devices and more particularly pertains to a new training device for training an animal to remain in proximity to an owner.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a shock collar that may be worn around a neck of an animal. Thus, the shock collar is in electrical communication with the animal. The shock collar has a first transceiver. A control unit is provided and the control unit may be carried. The control unit is in communication with the shock collar. Thus, the control unit may determine a distance between the shock collar and the control unit. The control unit selectively actuates the shock collar when the shock collar moves beyond a pre-determined trigger distance from the control unit. Thus, the shock collar delivers an electric shock to the animal. The shock collar thusly informs the animal that the animal has moved beyond the pre-determined trigger distance from the control unit.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A pair of first light emitters 20 is provided. Each of the first light emitters 20 is coupled to the shock collar 12 such that each of the first light emitters 20 is visible. Each of the first light emitters 20 is electrically coupled to the shock collar 12. Each of the first light emitters 20 emits light when the shock collar 12 is turned on. Thus, the shock collar 12 is visible at night. Each of the first light emitters 20 may comprise an LED or the like.
A control unit 22 is provided. The control unit 22 may be carried while the animal 16 is being walked or otherwise allowed to be outdoors without a leash. The control unit 22 is in communication with the shock collar 12. Thus, the control unit 22 determines a distance between the shock collar 12 and the control unit 22.
The control unit 22 selectively actuates the shock collar 12 when the shock collar 12 moves beyond a pre-determined trigger distance from the control unit 22. Thus, the shock collar 12 delivers an electric shock to the animal 16. The shock collar 12 informs the animal 16 that the animal 16 has moved beyond the pre-determined trigger distance from the control unit 22.
The control unit 22 comprises a housing 24 that may be carried. The housing 24 has a first end 26, a second end 28 and an outer wall 30 extending between the first end 26 and the second end 28. The outer wall 30 may have a first half 32 and a second half 34. The first half 32 may be gripped. The second half 34 may curve outwardly with respect to the first half 32. Thus, the second half 34 may have a substantially ovoid shape.
The outer wall 30 corresponding to the second half 34 has indicia 36 printed thereon. The indicia 36 comprise a line 38 and the line 38 is positioned adjacent to the first end 26. The second end 28 is open and the housing 24 is substantially hollow. A cap 40 is removably coupled to the second end 28.
A knob 42 is rotatably coupled to the first end 26 and the knob 42 may be manipulated. The knob 42 has an outer surface 44 and the outer surface 44 is aligned with the outer wall 30 of the housing 24. The outer surface 44 may taper to a point from the housing 24. Thus, the knob 42 may have a substantially conical shape.
Indicia 46 are printed on the outer surface 44 of the knob 42. The indicia 46 corresponding to the knob 42 comprise numbers 48. The numbers 48 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed around the knob 42. Each of the numbers 48 represents a distance ranging between a minimum distance and a maximum distance. A selected one of the numbers 48 is selectively aligned with the line on the housing 48 to establish the pre-determined trigger distance. The pre-determined trigger distance may be a distance ranging between approximately one meter and six meters.
A processor 50 is positioned within the housing 24. The knob 42 is electrically coupled to the processor 50. The processor 50 may comprise an electronic processor or the like. A second transceiver 52 is positioned within the housing 24 and the second transceiver 52 is electrically coupled to the processor 50. The second transceiver 52 is in electrical communication with the first transceiver 18. The second transceiver 52 may comprise a radio frequency transceiver or the like.
A signal strength analyzer 54 is positioned within the housing 24. The signal strength analyzer 54 is electrically coupled to the processor 50. Thus, the signal strength analyzer 54 determines a distance between the first transceiver 18 and the second transceiver 52. The processor 50 generates a shock sequence when the signal strength analyzer 54 determines the second transceiver 52 has moved beyond the pre-determined trigger distance from the first transceiver 18. The second transceiver 52 communicates the shock sequence to the first transceiver 18. Thus, the shock collar 12 delivers an electrical shock to the animal 16. The signal strength analyzer 54 may comprise an electronic signal strength analyzer or the like.
A switch 56 is coupled to the housing 24 and the switch 56 may be manipulated. The switch 56 is electrically coupled to the processor 50 such that the switch 56 turns the processor 50 on and off. A second light emitter 58 is coupled to the housing 24 and the second light emitter 58 is electrically coupled to the processor 50. The second light emitter 58 emits light when the processor 50 is turned on. The second light emitter 58 may comprise an LED or the like.
A power supply 60 is positioned within the housing 24. The power supply 60 is electrically coupled to the processor 50 and the power supply 60 comprises at least one battery 62. The power supply 60 is positioned within the first half 32 of the housing 24. The cap 64 is removed to access the at least one battery 62. A clip 66 may be coupled to the second half 34 of the housing 24. The clip 66 may engage an article of clothing or the like to store the housing 24.
In use, the shock collar 12 is worn around the neck 14 of the animal 16 and the shock collar 12 is turned on. The control unit 22 is carried while the animal 16 is walked or otherwise exercised outdoors without a leash. The knob 42 is manipulated to establish the pre-determined trigger distance. The shock collar 12 delivers the electric shock to the animal 16 when the animal 16 moves beyond the pre-determined distance from the control unit 22. Thus, the animal 16 is trained to remain in proximity to a user while the user walks the animal 16.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, system and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
