GB2554636A

GB2554636A - Animal monitoring system, network and method

Info

Publication number: GB2554636A
Application number: GB1614880.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Blower Thomas; Aloysius Andrews James
Original assignee: Pet Technology Ltd; Pet Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Pet Technology Ltd; Pet Tech Ltd
Priority date: 2016-09-01
Filing date: 2016-09-01
Publication date: 2018-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 2036-09-01
Also published as: GB2554636B; GB201614880D0

Abstract

An animal monitoring system, comprising a proximity sensor arrangement comprising a first part 3 and a second part 2 and operable to detect instances of proximity between the first part and the second part. The first part 3 of the proximity sensor arrangement is configured to be attached to or implanted into an animal, and the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to generate proximity data upon detecting an instance of proximity between the first part and the second part. The first part 3 of the proximity sensor may be a pet worn device such as a collar, and the second part 2 of the proximity sensor may be a beacon associated with a monitored location and/or resource, such as a food bowl, water bowl, flap or exercise yard. The first part 3 may include sensors to monitor the ambient temperature or the movement of the animal. The information may be used to monitor overall activity and help to identify any health issues with a pet. The proximity and sensor information may be transmitted by the pet worn device to a remote server for processing before being transmitted to a users device.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: Animal monitoring system, network and method Abstract Title: Animal monitoring system (57) An animal monitoring system, comprising a proximity sensor arrangement comprising a first part 3 and a second part 2 and operable to detect instances of proximity between the first part and the second part. The first part 3 of the proximity sensor arrangement is configured to be attached to or implanted into an animal, and the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to generate proximity data upon detecting an instance of proximity between the first part and the second part. The first part 3 of the proximity sensor may be a pet worn device such as a collar, and the second part 2 of the proximity sensor may be a beacon associated with a monitored location and/or resource, such as a food bowl, water bowl, flap or exercise yard. The first part 3 may include sensors to monitor the ambient temperature or the movement of the animal. The information may be used to monitor overall activity and help to identify any health issues with a pet. The proximity and sensor information may be transmitted by the pet worn device to a remote server for processing before being transmitted to a user’s device.

Figure 1

At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.

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Data Analytics

Data Storage

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Has your pet been toileting more frequently?	no
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11 17

We’ve noticed over the last 2 months that:

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Figure 7C

Animal monitoring system, network and method

The present invention relates to an animal monitoring system, network and method.

Systems for monitoring vital signs of pet animals have been suggested in which a pet collar is provided with one or more sensors, for example motion or pulse sensors, to allow for an animal to be monitored. This may be used to monitor vital signs or to generate alerts where a medical condition is suspected.

However, this type of system is concerned only with gathering data based on a collar worn by a given animal. This limits the scope of information which the system is able to provide. Also, this may limit the ability to make, and the reliability levels of, a given diagnosis based upon the gathered data.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an animal monitoring system, comprising:

a proximity sensor arrangement comprising a first part and a second part and operable to detect instances of proximity between the first part and the second part;

wherein the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement is configured to be attached to or implanted into an animal, and the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to generate proximity data upon detecting an instance of proximity between the first part and the second part.

Preferably, the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement is configured to be attached directly to an animal, or is mounted or configured to be mounted to an item configured to be attached to the animal.

Preferably, the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement or the item configured to be attached to the animal comprises a collar or ear tag.

Preferably, at least one of the first part or the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement further comprises a transmitter for transmitting the proximity data to a further device.

Preferably, the animal monitoring system further comprises a communications device, the transmitter is arranged to transmit the proximity data to the communications device, and the communications device comprises a transmitter for onward transmission of the proximity data.

Preferably, the transmitter of the communications device comprises a local area network transmitter.

Preferably, the local area network transmitter comprises a Wi-Fi transmitter.

Preferably, the communications device further comprises a screen to display information to a user.

Preferably, the communications device further comprises a temperature sensor.

Preferably, the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement further comprises at least one sensor operable to generate sensor data, and the transmitter is further arranged to transmit the sensor data to the further device.

Preferably, the at least one sensor comprises a motion sensor.

Preferably, the at least one sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

Preferably, the first part is arranged to generate an alert when the temperature sensor detects a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

Preferably, the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement comprises a mobile telecommunications transmitter for transmitting at least one of the proximity data and the sensor data across a mobile telecommunications network.

Preferably, the first part further comprises a screen to display information to a user.

Preferably, the screen is operable to illuminate in response to a command transmitted from a further device.

Preferably, the first part further comprises a light operable to illuminate in response to a command transmitted from a further device.

Preferably, the first part further comprises a speaker operable to emit sound in response to a command transmitted from a further device.

Preferably, the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated with at least one of a location accessible by the animal and a resource used by the animal.

Preferably, the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated with at least one of a water bowl, a food bowl, a pet flap, a litter tray, a sleeping basket, a room or open area, a location visible via a web cam or a pet toy.

Preferably, the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a water bowl, a food bowl, a pet flap, a litter tray, a sleeping basket, a web cam or a pet toy.

Preferably, the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a water bowl, a food bowl, a litter tray or a sleeping basket, and wherein the water bowl, food bowl, litter tray or sleeping basket further comprises a load sensor for measuring weight applied to the water bowl, food bowl, litter tray or sleeping basket.

Preferably, the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a pet flap, and the pet flap further comprises a remotely operable locking device for locking and opening the pet flap.

Preferably, the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a web cam, and the web cam is operable to generate an alert notification when the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement is detected as being located in proximity to the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement.

Preferably, an instance of proximity between the first part and the second part comprises an instance in which the first part and the second part are located at less than or equal to a predetermined maximum separation distance from each other.

Preferably, the maximum separation distance between the first and second parts of the proximity sensor arrangement at which an instance of proximity is detected is adjustable.

Preferably, the proximity sensor arrangement is arranged to detect whether the first and second parts are within at least a first proximity range and a second proximity range longer than the first proximity range.

Preferably, the second part transmits a signal receivable by the first part to enable the proximity sensor arrangement to detect proximity between the first and second parts.

Preferably, the signal comprises an identifier unique to the second part.

Preferably, the proximity sensor arrangement comprises at least one further second part and the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to detect instances of proximity between the first part and the at least one further second part.

Preferably, the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to detect an instance of proximity between the first and second part when the first part and the second part are separated by less than or equal to a first maximum separation distance, and the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to detect an instance of proximity between the first part and the at least one further second part when the first part and the at least one further second part are separated by less than or equal to a second maximum separation distance, different from the first maximum separation distance.

Preferably, the second part is associated with a first location accessible by or resource used by the animal and the at least one further second part is associated with a second location accessible by or resource used by the animal.

Preferably, the second part comprises a communications device and the first part is operable to establish a communications link with the communications device, wherein an instance of proximity is detected whenever the communications link is established.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an animal monitoring network comprising the animal monitoring system as described above and a remote server, wherein the proximity data is transmitted to the remote server.

Preferably, the remote server is arranged to generate monitoring information based at least in part upon the proximity data, and to transmit the monitoring information to a user.

Preferably, the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement further comprises at least one sensor operable to generate sensor data, the sensor data is also transmitted to the remote server, and the remote server is arranged to generate the monitoring information based upon both the proximity data and the sensor data.

Preferably, the monitoring information comprises or relates to at least one of a timing at which an instance of proximity between the first and second parts of the proximity sensor arrangement is detected, a duration for which the first and second parts are detected as being proximate, and a frequency with which instances of proximity between the first and second parts are detected.

Preferably, the monitoring information indicates changes in behaviour of the animal associated with a location or resource with which the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated

Preferably, the remote server is arranged to determine potential health problems of the animal based at least in part upon the proximity data.

Preferably, the remote server is arranged to identify potential health problems based at least in part upon comparisons of the proximity data with previous proximity data for the same animal and/or proximity data for other animals.

Preferably, the remote server is arranged to make a determination as to whether or not an identified potential health problem warrants referral to an animal healthcare agent, and to communicate the determination to a user.

Preferably, the remote server is arranged to seek information from a user as part of making the determination.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of monitoring an animal using the animal monitoring network mentioned above, comprising receiving, at the server, the proximity information, generating monitoring information based at least in part upon the proximity data, and transmitting the monitoring information to a user.

Preferably, the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement further comprises at least one sensor operable to generate sensor data, and the method further comprises additionally receiving, at the remote server, the sensor data, and generating the monitoring information based upon both the proximity data and the sensor data.

Preferably, the monitoring information indicates changes in behaviour of the animal associated with a location or resource with which the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated.

Preferably, the method further comprises determining potential health problems of the animal based at least in part upon the proximity data.

Preferably, the method further comprises identifying potential health problems based at least in part upon comparisons of the proximity data with previous proximity data for the same animal and/or proximity data for other animals.

Preferably, the method further comprises making a determination as to whether or not an identified potential health problem warrants referral to an animal healthcare agent, and communicating the determination to a user.

Preferably, the method further comprises seeking information from a user as part of making the determination.

Preferably, both the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement and the communications device each include a temperature sensor, and the method further comprises comparing the temperatures sensed by the temperature sensors of the first part and the communications device, and confirming via location information that the monitored animal is in the vicinity of the communications device, to infer a safe house temperature.

Preferably, the method further comprises noting patterns in the proximity of a monitored animal relative to an owner, and generating an alert if a change in patterns relative to normal behaviour of the monitored animal is identified.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement of the animal monitoring system mentioned above.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a collar comprising the first part.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement of the animal monitoring system mentioned above.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water bowl, food bowl, cat flap, litter tray, sleeping basket, proximity beacon, web cam or pet toy incorporating the second part.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided the communications device of the animal monitoring system mentioned above.

According to a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided the remote server of the animal monitoring network.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is an overall schematic representation of a system and network according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURES 2A and 2B show a pet worn device of the system of Figure 1 in greater detail;

FIGURE 3 shows a communications hub device of the system of Figure 1 in greater detail;

FIGURES 4A to 41 show example information screens provided to a user according to the first embodiment;

FIGURES 5A and 5B show example information screens provided to a user according to a modification of the first embodiment;

FIGURE 6 is an overall schematic representation of a system and network according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURES 7A to 7C show example information screens provided to a user according to the second embodiment.

Figure 1 is an overall schematic representation of an animal monitoring network shown generally at 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, of which a user-side animal monitoring system 2 includes a pet worn device (PWD) 3, a plurality of so-called beacon devices 5A to 5F, for example employing the iBeacon (RTM) protocol developed by Apple Inc. or the Eddystone (RTM) protocol implemented by Google Inc., a web cam 7 and a central communications hub 9. As is explained in greater detail below, the system 2 and network 1 allows for a determination to be made whenever an animal wearing the PWD 3 (the monitored animal) is within range of one or more monitored locations and/or resources, such as a food bowl, water bowl, or exercise yard. This information may in turn be used, for example, to monitor overall activity and to help identify any health issues and inform disease diagnosis. For clarity, Figure 1 shows system components for monitoring just a single animal. It will however be appreciated that, in practice, the network 1 is readily expandable to simultaneously monitor many animals (e.g. many thousands of different animals). Also, although the present and succeeding embodiments are described with reference to a pet animal and a pet worn device, this is merely for illustrative purposes and it will be appreciated that the present invention is by no means limited to the monitoring of pet animals, and is widely applicable to animals in general, e.g. whether domesticated or not, companion animals, livestock, wild or otherwise. Hence, references to a pet animal, pet and similar are to be understood as relating to animals generally, whether mammalian, avian, reptile or otherwise, and not merely to pet animals, and related terms are to be construed accordingly e.g. pet worn device and PWD is to be understood as relating to an animal worn device generally.

The PWD 3 is shown in greater detail in Figures 2A and 2B. In the present embodiment, the PWD 3 is in the form of a collar to be worn by a pet animal under monitoring, and comprises a size-adjustable collar band or strap 11 bearing a pet worn device unit 13 which may incorporate a touch-sensitive screen 15 for accessing various functions of the pet worn device unit.

A housing 17 of the PWD contains (not shown) a motion sensor, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4 standard (e.g. Zigbee or LoRa protocol) and mobile telecommunication network communications modules, a temperature sensor, a speaker and a rechargeable battery with associated recharging port for powering the pet worn device unit, along with associated control electronics.

The motion sensor of the PWD unit 13 is operable to continually gather data on the movement of the PWD 3, and may for example be a three axis motion sensor or a 9-axis motion sensor, the latter including an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer. By analysing the output from the motion sensor, it is not only possible to identify activity of the monitored animal in general, and the time for which the activity lasts, but also to identify the type of activity (e.g. walking, sitting, barking etc.).

The temperature sensor of the PWD unit 13 is operable to continually gather ambient temperature data.

Returning to Figure 1, each beacon is placed by a user at a location of interest, for example in proximity to a resource used by the animal to be monitored. In the present embodiment, a first beacon 5A is placed close to a water bowl 19, a second beacon 5B is placed close to a food bowl 21, a third beacon 5C is placed close to a pet flap 23 (e.g. a cat flap or dog flap mounted in an exterior door of a user's home), a fourth beacon 5D is placed close to a litter tray 25, a fifth beacon 5E is placed close to a sleeping basket Y1 and a sixth beacon 5F is placed within an exercise area of the pet animal e.g. in an exercise yard or garden.

The system 2 is however fully flexible in this regard, and a user may utilise a greater or lesser number of beacons, as well as placing the beacons in other locations, as they see fit. For example, additional beacons may be placed e.g. in a lounge area, stairwell, bedroom and study of a user's home.

Each beacon 5A-5F is arranged to transmit a respective unique identifier using the Bluetooth low energy protocol. The PWD device 3 is paired with each of the beacons 5A-5F according to the Bluetooth low energy protocol, meaning that it will receive the unique identifier of a given beacon, by way of its on-board Bluetooth communications module, when within transmission range of that beacon.

This allows for proximity determinations to be made, corresponding to whenever the PWD 3 is proximate to one or more of the beacons 5A-5F. A proximity determination comprises detecting an instance of proximity between the PWD 3 and one or more of the beacons 5A-5F, and generating proximity data indicating or relating to the detected instance of proximity. The proximity data may for example be generated by the PWD 3. As the beacons 5A-5F have been placed in locations and/or near resources of interest, the proximity determinations may in turn allow for activities associated with the locations and resources to be inferred. For example, when the PWD 3 (and hence the monitored animal wearing the PWD 3) is determined as being proximate to the water or food bowls, an inference may be made that the animal is drinking or eating, respectively. Further, the proximity determinations may be used to generate timing information, such as the times at which the monitored animal is proximate to a given beacon, the duration which the animal spends at that location, and the frequency with which the animal visits that location.

As a result, the placement of a beacon near the water bowl 19 allows for monitoring information to be generated which reflects drinking habits e.g. frequency and duration. This in turn may be used to identify potential health concerns associated with changes in drinking frequency or volume (e.g. diabetes or kidney disease).

Similarly, the placement of a beacon near the food bowl 21 allows for monitoring information to be generated which reflects eating habits e.g. frequency and duration. This in turn may be used to identify potential health concerns associated with changes in eating patterns and may assist with confirmation of whether the correct volume of feed is being consumed by the monitored animal e.g. to support obesity treatments.

The placement of a beacon near the pet flap 23 allows for monitoring information to be generated which reflects usage of the pet flap 23. This in turn may be used to identify potential health concerns associated e.g. with a sudden change or decrease in a monitored animal going outdoors, and may also be used to establish, at a given point in time, whether the monitored animal is inside or outside of a user's home.

The placement of a beacon near the litter tray 25 allows for monitoring information to be generated which reflects toileting frequency. This in turn may be used to identify potential health concerns associated with changes in toileting patterns e.g. bladder stones, urinary infections or diabetes.

The placement of a beacon near the sleeping basket Y1 allows for monitoring information to be generated which reflects time spent in the basket 27, to support sleep measurement activity and generally to allow a user to know if a pet is sleeping at any given time. This in turn may be used to identify potential health concerns associated with increased lethargy e.g. infection or arthritis.

The placement of a beacon in other locations e.g. in an exercise yard or owner's bedroom may be used to infer the presence of the monitored animal in those locations.

The transmission range of each of the beacons 5A-5F is adjustable, to allow for proximity determinations to be made to an appropriate level of accuracy. For example, the transmission range of beacons associated with e.g. the water bowl 19 or food bowl 21 may be reduced, in order that a proximity determination is only made when the PWD 3 (and hence the monitored animal) is very close to the location or resource in question. This avoids false positive proximity determinations from being made e.g. when the animal is merely in the same room as a food bowl 21, but is not actually eating at the food bowl 21.

On the other hand, it may be suitable to increase the beacon transmission range for other locations or resources. For example, a beacon associated with a garden or particular room may have a larger range, as the location of the PWD 3 within the general area of the beacon will be sufficient to infer that the animal is located somewhere within the garden or room.

Additionally, one or more proximity-detecting beacons may also be provided e.g. to detect whether the monitored animal is within predefined short, medium or long ranges of the beacon. This may for example be used to determine whether the monitored animal is located at a favourite hiding spot, or if the animal is entering a forbidden location e.g. the owner's kitchen.

In the present embodiment, the transmission range of the beacons 5A-5F may for example be adjusted to allow for proximity determinations to be made when the PWD 3 is located from anywhere between around 2 cm of a beacon (e.g. for monitoring food bowl or litter tray usage) up to a distance equivalent to the maximum range of the applicable communications protocol (Bluetooth, in the present embodiment) from a beacon (e.g. for monitoring the general presence of the animal anywhere within a given room or garden area). The transmission range may be pre-set at the factory and not be adjustable by a user, or may alternatively be adjustable by a user.

Returning again to figure 1, the PWD 3 has a data communications link with the communications hub 9. This allows the PWD 3 to transmit gathered monitoring data to the communications hub 9. The monitoring data which the PWD 3 transmits to the hub 9 includes motion data which the PWD 3 determines itself by virtue of its on-board motion and temperature sensors, as well as the proximity data generated when the PWD 3 is detected as being located within range of the beacons 5A-5F, as described above. The hub 9 then transmits the monitoring data, via a local area network (LAN) using a wireless Wi-Fi link, to a user's router 29, to a cloud-based server 31. In other modifications, the hub 9 may for example instead have a wired LAN connection with the router 29.

This arrangement has a number of benefits. Firstly, the PWD 3 is not itself required to maintain a direct link, such as a Wi-Fi link, with the router 29, which reduces the power consumption demands on the PWD 3 and hence increases the time before which the rechargeable battery of the PWD 3 requires recharging. Additionally, as the hub 9 acts as a relay between the PWD 3 and the router 29, the transmission range of the system, from the PWD 3 to the router 29, may be increased, allowing for monitoring over a larger area. Additionally, the hub 9 of the present embodiment is arranged to allow ready set-up and registration of the monitoring system 2. However, the present invention is by no means limited to employing a communications hub. In other embodiments, the communications hub may simply be omitted where the PWD 3 communicates directly with the remainder of the animal monitoring network 1.

In the present embodiment, the data communications link between the PWD 3 and the communications hub 9 is via e.g. the Zigbee or LoRa communication protocol using the PWD's IEEE 802.15.4 standard communications module. However, the IEEE 802.15.4 standard communications module of the present embodiment is merely exemplary and the present invention is by no means limited to this system, and other communications modules, other than IEEE 802.15.4 standard, as well as other protocols may instead be used.

As shown in Figure 3, the hub 9 itself may have a display screen 33 and control buttons 35, which allows for information to be relayed to a user from the cloud based server 31.

Returning to figure 1, the web cam 7 of the present embodiment has a direct wired or wireless communications link with the router 29, to relay a live video feed on to the cloud based server 31 and so on to a user (e.g. a pet owner or vet). Optionally, the web cam 7 may include other interactive features, such as a microphone, to allow an audio feed to be transmitted to a user.

As shown in figure 1, the cloud-based server 31 has data communications links with a data analytics module 37 and a data storage module 39. The server 31 is able to store monitoring data gathered by the PWD 3 on the data storage module 39, and allows for the monitoring data to be analysed using the data analytics module 37. As explained in greater detail below, the latter analysis function may allow for e.g. health and activity of the animal wearing the PWD 3 to be monitored, and disease diagnoses or health recommendations to be made.

Network users (in the present example, the animal owner 41 and a vet 43) utilise devices (in the present example, a suitable computer 45 and/or a smartphone/tablet-type device 47 running monitoring application software (hereinafter the monitoring app)) to receive information from the server 31. As shown in figure 1, the PWD 3 also has a direct data communications link with the smartphone device 47 via a mobile telecommunications network e.g. via a 3G or 4G mobile telecommunications network.

Additionally, a network operator 49 (named Felcana in the example of figure 1) and optionally a third-party data purchaser 51 also have access to the cloud based server 31, and hence to the monitoring data gathered by the system. The third-party data purchaser 51 may, for example, only be given anonymised versions of the data, pending consent from network users.

The following describes various examples of the information which may be relayed on to a user such as an animal owner 41, according to the present embodiment, in conjunction with figures 4A to 41. These figures show exemplary screen shots optimised for use with the smartphone device 47; it will of course be appreciated that different formats may be used for different devices, as desired.

Figure 4A shows an exemplary home screen which identifies, at an upper section 53 of the screen, the animal being monitored (a cat named mittens in the present example). In the present example, a user may touch this section of the screen to select one or more other animals also being monitored by way of respective PWDs.

A lower banner 55 of the screen conveniently provides a user menu, including an option 57 for the user to select the home screen, an option 59 to allow the user to share the information currently being shown on the screen with others e.g. by way of social media, a re-start option 61, a pet location option 63 (described in greater detail below) and a settings option 65 e.g. for a user to add additional monitored animals or to update stored information associated with the user or the monitored animal. In the present embodiment, this same lower banner screen may be replicated across other screens (e.g. the screen shown in figures 4B and 4C) as the user navigates through the monitoring app.

Returning to Figure 4A, the upper middle section 67 of home screen of the present example gives an indication of the location of the pet animal (outside in this example) as well as an indication of the activity which the animal is engaged in (playing in this example). In the present embodiment, the location of the animal has been determined by a proximity determination being made of the PWD 3 relative to a beacon associated with the cat flap, such that the passage of the animal through the cat flap to the outside of the user's home has been inferred. In the present example, this information is additionally relayed to the user by noting that the PWD 3 triggered (i.e. was determined as being proximate to) the cat flap beacon, as well as indicating the time that the proximity determination was made (16:01 in the present example). The activity type being engaged in by the animal is determined from the output of the on-board motion sensor of the PWD 3.

The home screen additionally provides a convenient summary of the activity of the monitored animal.

In particular, an upper left quadrant 69 of a summary section indicates the amount of time e.g. that day for which the monitored animal has been deemed active. The parameters for what constitutes activity in this context (e.g. running and walking, but not sitting or sleeping, as determined by the output from the motion sensor of the PWD unit 13) are preferably set by the network operator 49, but may optionally be set by a user. Either way, whether or not a pet is classed as active, and for how long, is determined by the output from the motion sensor of the PWD unit 13, optionally augmented by the beacon-pairing derived proximity data (e.g. where the PWD 3 is determined as being present in an exercise yard or outside play area).

An upper right quadrant 71 indicates the total amount of time e.g. that week during which the monitored animal is determined as resting and/or sleeping. Again, this may be determined by the output from the motion sensor of the PWD 3, and/or may be determined e.g. by a proximity determination being made with the beacon sensor associated with the sleeping basket.

A lower left segment 73 indicates the total amount of time e.g. that day for which the monitored animal has cumulatively spent eating and drinking, as determined by proximity determinations with the beacons associated with the water and food bowls.

A lower right quadrant 75 indicates the total amount of time e.g. that week for which the animal has spent hiding from view. The parameters for this option may for example be selected by a user e.g. as being determined from proximity determinations with a beacon associated with a quiet room.

Figure 4B is an exemplary information screen showing general trends for the monitored animal. This screen provides a convenient summary of various monitoring categories, which in the present embodiment comprise activity, time spent in bed, time spent at the drinking bowl, time spent at the eating bowl, time spent outside and time spent hiding, as determined by the monitoring network 1 as outlined above. Rather than give a numerical value, this screen associates an arrow 77 with each category, oriented to denote the nature and magnitude of any change associated with the category in question. For example, the arrows associated with each of the activity, in bed and outside categories point directly upwards in the present example, to indicate a marked increase in time spent engaging in each of those categories; no notable change in time spent at the eating and drinking bowls is indicated by a horizontal arrow and a moderate decrease in hiding time is denoted by an arrow pointing 45 degrees downward from horizontal. As will be appreciated, this provides a lay user with a straightforward and readily comprehensible summary of the activity of their pet.

Figure 4C shows a health history summary screen, which graphically indicates changes in overall activity time, in bed time and hiding time by plotting the time spent in those categories (Yaxis) over an extended time period extending along the X-axis (in the present case, from the week commencing 23 May to the week commencing 11 July). In the present example, the median levels for each category over the monitored period is also indicated by a dotted line. It will again be appreciated that this type of screen may be used to convey information on the health and wellbeing of a pet to its owner, in a readily-comprehensible fashion, based on the monitoring data gathered by the system 1 of the present embodiment.

Figures 4D and 4E illustrate example screens implementing a find my pet function.

In the example of figure 4D, the present location and activity of a monitored pet (a cat named Doug in the present example) is indicated by an upper section of the screen. As with the home screen example of figure 4A, the location information is derived from a proximity determination of the PWD 3 with a beacon (in the present case, a beacon situated at a user's front door) and the activity determination is made using the motion sensor of the PWD 3. A lower section of this screen uses a pie chart to readily communicate to the user the cumulative time spent by the monitored pet animal at various locations determined by beacon proximity determinations (at food bowl, front door, in sleeping basket) and simply moving around (determined by the PWD's on-board motion sensor).

In the example of figure 4E, an upper section of the screen indicates the time since a proximity determination was last made at a beacon associated with a cat flap. A lower section of the screen indicates when, based on gathered monitoring data, the monitored animal (in the present example, a cat named mittens) typically returns to the user's home, as well as information on where the animal typically heads after re-entering the user's home at that time (in the present example, to the food bowl).

Figures 4F and 4G illustrate example screens implementing a my community function. Each screen compares various monitored categories e.g. activity, inactivity, hiding time etc. and shows how the monitored animal compares to other monitored animals of users participating in the my community function. In the present example, the monitored animal is compared against various averages, including neighbourhood (e.g. an average of other monitored animals within a 1 mile radius of a user's home), nationally (the UK in the present example) and globally.

As will be appreciated, the above-described information presented to a user generally relates to pet well-being information e.g. activity levels. However, the present embodiment may also be used to communicate health information to a pet owner.

For example, the gathered monitoring data may be compared against historic gathered data, e.g. for the same monitored animal in question and/or other similar animals, to identify any notable changes, or otherwise to determine if any of the gathered data indicates a potential cause for concern in the health of the pet. This information may then be related to a user. For example, in the example screenshot of figure 4H, a user is alerted to the fact that a monitored pet animal has visited its water bowl twice as often as has previously been the case. In the present case, the degree of change has been determined by the data analytics module 37 as being notable over a statistically significant period of time, resulting in the alert screen of figure 4H being shown to the user. Additionally, the data analytics module 37 makes a determination, e.g. based on clinicallyestablished thresholds, as to whether the change in question warrants merely further close observation by a user (keep an eye on it) or a direct recommendation to make an appointment with a vet 43 (make vet appointment). In the present example, the latter option is highlighted to a user. As will be appreciated, this clearly communicates health needs to a medically unskilled user, based on observations made by the monitoring system 2.

Optionally, if the data analytics module 37 identifies a potentially notable change, but for some reason has insufficient or ambiguous data (e.g. if the animal has only been monitored for a short period of time), a user may be presented with a screen such as shown in figure 41. According to this example, the user is asked a sequence of simple questions, to help confirm the significance of the noted change, before the analytics module 37 makes a recommendation either to simply keep the issue under observation or alternatively to refer the monitored animal to a vet 43.

In the event that the monitored animal is referred to a vet 43, the latter party may then access the data recorded by the monitoring network 1, to help inform a diagnosis. In the embodiment of figure 1, the vet 43 is given access to the data in much the same way as the pet owner 41 e.g. via a computer 45 networked to the cloud server 31. It is however envisaged that the data provided to a vet 43 would be at a more detailed level than the type of high-level information conveyed to a user as described above, to help inform the vet's diagnosis as much as possible.

Table 1 below illustrates how a vet 43 may for example be assisted in diagnosing various diseases by information gathered by one or more elements of the monitoring system 2.

Reduced ocdviTsi/ lethargy	• QtThcpaedlcie.g arthnns) » Spinal ·- Endocrine. (eg ..diabetes medftus) • Metafeofic (e.g. hvperfcaiaenKai ·- Castro Intestinal ; - Renat-c « intracranial ' Respiratory : /Cardiac • Renal	♦. PvVB * 8eacen/hed
ΡΒΐγ3ϊρ?!£1>	' Endocrine <{e.g. diabetes rneiiituH ' : Renal ·· Hepadc	Beacon/water : bowl
Polyuria;	• Endocrine (e.g. diab€>tes.mei\|Rd&l/. • Rena! • Hepatic	• '88_Sfen,fliiierfajy
pysuria	• .Feline irifopsdiicreystids · Crmaty tract infection/ • Bladder stone • Neoplasia	• aescGfiftEitflap
SEiiare/syt-i Hope......	^: ·^,: Cardiac » Epilepsy » Metope Vasovagal -episodes : ' Coagulopathy	.: pyyp ;


Weight-sens:	* Pancreatic: * .Endocrine (e.g. diabetes mettitiis} ·/ Kenai ·· .Hepatic._: · Neoplasia ’ Intestinal	< Basket/WH b ay
Weight g?in	• OverFeeding » Endocrine disease	» Rasket/iitter tray
Polyphagia	• Endo> une dtseosr te^g. diabetes mePtfus) • Intestinal • Pancreatic • Renal • MetdcaCon irde-edeots	«-· Beacon/food bowl
i . Anorexia	’ Environmental t arises ie.g. sit ess) Inabilityto eat te.g^ pato/diSGomfcrc: while -eating): • Loss of appetite secondary to .disease te.g. .renal disease)	^: ’ ESeebcp/fobdbow·

Mote: The common disease lists atenon-sxhaastive;. they aim to provide an indication of the most common diseases for the symptoms describ ed

Table 1

The foregoing discussion focusses on monitoring aspects of the present system and network; various other features are described in the following.

As noted above, the PWD 3 includes an on-board temperature sensor to constantly monitor ambient temperature. The monitoring network 1 may be arranged to generate and send an alert e.g. to the smartphone 47 of the user, if the environmental temperature exceeds safe thresholds (e.g. in the case of a dog locked in a car in summer). Preferably, therefore, the PWD 3 may be arranged to transmit temperature data to the cloud server 31 directly e.g. via a mobile network, in the event that communication access with the hub 9 is unavailable, such as when the monitored pet is away from the user's home.

In addition or as an alternative to relaying information to a user via a connected computer 45 or smartphone/tablet device 47, information may also be related to the user via screens incorporated in the hub 9 and in the PWD 3 itself. For example, a PWD screen 15 may be used to display a simple summary of information gathered by the on-board motion sensor module of the PWD 3, e.g. the number of steps taken by the monitored animal that day, as shown in Figure 2B.

In a further modification, the communications hub 9 may itself include a temperature sensor. When compared against the PWD temperature sensor, and location to check whether the monitored animal is in the vicinity of the communications hub 9, a safe house temperature can also be inferred.

Optionally, commands may be sent e.g. by the smartphone 47 or computer 45 to activate certain features of the PWD 3. Further, the mobile network communications link between the user's smartphone 47 and the PWD 3 may be used to activate certain features of the PWD 3 even when located far from the hub 9. For example, the monitoring app of the present embodiment enables a user to issue a command to cause the screen of the PWD 3 to illuminate, for example as a safety feature when walking the monitored animal in darkened conditions. Alternatively, in a modification the PWD unit 13 is provided with a light e.g. an LED light, either in addition to or as an alternative to the screen, which may be illuminated in response to a command sent by the user via the monitoring app.

The monitoring app also enables a user to cause, on demand, audible location tones such as beeping noises to issue from the speaker of the PWD 3, to assist with location of the monitored animal e.g. if lost during outdoor exercise. A user may achieve this either by touching a suitable option on the smartphone app screen, or for example by calling the name of their pet, the latter being recognised by the monitoring app, via suitable voice recognition technology running on the smartphone 47, as an instruction to issue location sounds from the PWD's speaker. Similarly, a user may for example remotely activate network services on the hub 9, for example to play music or other sounds to their pet via the hub 9 to keep the monitored animal entertained.

In a further modification, the PWD 3 may for example be further provided with an on-board GPS unit. This may then be used to generate augmented pet location data, particularly when coupled with a GPS-enabled device of the user such as a smartphone 47. For example, and as shown in figures 5A and 5B, this arrangement may be used to inform the user of the relative distance between themselves and the monitored animal, as well as the location of the animal relative to them (figure 5A); this information may optionally be overlaid on a geographical map or image (Figure 5B).

In a further modification, by using PWD Bluetooth and a secondary Bluetooth device (e.g. with the smartphone 47, communications hub 9 etc.), patterns in the proximity of the monitored animal to the owner 41 during walks may be noted, identifying patterns in change in the norm rather than just specific distance. For example, if a given monitored dog usually walks next to the owner 41, the geolocation feature sees this as a normal pattern, and if the dog goes out of range for a period of time which is longer than the norm an alert is sent. The alert rate may be monitored animal and pattern specific. For example, a given monitored dog may regularly go out of range and then come back after 5 minutes, any change in this pattern e.g. a 10 minute absence would be flagged as an alert to the owner 41.

As will be appreciated, the foregoing embodiment allows for users to place beacons near locations and resources of interest, to monitor the activity and health of an animal. Beneficially, this allows a user to employ the system together with existing items and objects owned by the user e.g. an existing water bowl or cat flap.

According to a second embodiment, shown generally in figure 6, the beacons are instead directly integrated into the objects themselves for user convenience; the objects are also provided with further functionality. In the following, only the differences of the second embodiment from the first embodiment are described; the second embodiment otherwise functions in the same manner as the first embodiment described above and like parts are given like reference numerals.

As shown in figure 6, the system 2 of the present embodiment employs a water bowl 79, food bowl 81, cat flap 83, litter tray 85, sleeping basket 87, proximity beacon 89 and web cam 91, each with a respective integrated beacon.

Additionally, the food bowl 81 has an integrated load cell (not shown) which continually weighs the amount of food present in the food bowl 81, and transmits this data on to the hub 9 for onward transmission to the cloud server 31. This allows for the weight of food being consumed by the animal to be monitored, based on changes in weight measured by the integrated load cell, whilst the frequency of eating may be determined by the pairing between the PWD 3 and the food bowl's integrated beacon, as in the first embodiment. This information may in turn be used to monitor changes in eating patterns to identify potential health concerns such as obesity, as well as detecting whether sufficient/insufficient/an excess of calories have been ingested by the monitored animal. The number of calories deemed sufficient for a given animal may for example be linked to the activity rate detected by the monitoring network 1, in the same way as the first embodiment. A more active monitored animal may then be recommended to ingest more calories than a less active animal. Optionally, the food bowl may incorporate a screen to display information associated with the weight information gathered by the food bowl 81 e.g. a general trend in food consumption over a given period of time.

Similar to the food bowl, the water bowl 79 has an integrated load cell (not shown) which continually weighs the amount of water present in the water bowl 79, and transmits this data on to the hub 9 for onward transmission to the cloud server 31. This allows for the weight of water being consumed by the animal to be monitored, based on changes in weight measured by the integrated load cell, whilst the frequency of drinking may be determined by the pairing between the PWD 3 and the water bowl's integrated beacon, as in the first embodiment. This information may in turn be used to monitor changes in drinking patterns and to identify potential health concerns such as diabetes. This information may also be used to alert an owner 41 if the amount of water in the water bowl 79 is running low or needs changing.

The pet flap 83 (e.g. cat or dog flap) identifies the frequency of the pet going outdoors, as in the first embodiment, by way of its integrated beacon pairing with the PWD 3. Additionally, the pet flap 83 of the present embodiment employs an electrically-operable locking system, which the user may control via the monitoring app loaded on their smartphone 47 to lock/unlock the pet flap 83, and hence control access to the indoors and/or outdoors of a home by the monitored animal.

Similar to the food and water bowls, the sleeping basket 87 has an integrated load cell (not shown) which may be used to regularly weigh the monitored animal as a consequence of it sleeping or lying in the basket 87. Hence, in addition to identifying sleeping frequency and quantity to inform on various health issues, as in the first embodiment, the basket of the present embodiment may also be used to e.g. identify changes in weight and support obesity treatments. The weight information may for example be communicated to the user e.g. in terms of a general trend, as shown in the exemplary user smartphone screenshots of figures 7A and 7B. The weight information may also be used to support a health diagnosis and recommended action, as shown in Figure 7C, in which weight loss also plays a factor. Optionally, the sleeping basket may incorporate a screen to display information associated with the weight information gathered by the basket 87 e.g. a general trend in weight of the animal over a given period of time.

The pet litter tray 85 identifies the frequency of toileting, as in the first embodiment, by way of the pairing between its integrated beacon and the PWD 3. As with the first embodiment, an increased rate of use may then be used to inform a user of potential health concerns, such as urinary infection or diabetes. Also, the pet litter tray of the present embodiment may also include an integrated load cell, to assist with monitoring the weight of the animal whenever the animal uses the litter tray 85.

The pairing between the integrated beacon of the webcam 91 of the present embodiment and the PWD 3 allows for owners 41 to be notified via the monitoring app when their pet is proximate the web cam 91, so that the owner 41 may then initiate a fruitful video session via the web cam 91.

In further modifications, beacons are incorporated into other items used by the pet e.g. pet toys, to enable usage frequency to be monitored by way of the pairing between the integrated beacon and the PWD 3.

In the foregoing embodiments, proximity determinations are made (i.e. proximity is detected and proximity data is generated) whenever instances occur of the PWD 3 being proximate to one or more of the beacons. However, in other embodiments, other proximity determinations may be made. For example, the PWD 3 may be detected as being proximate to a device whenever a data connection exists between the PWD 3 and the device. For example, instances of proximity may be detected between the PWD 3 and the communications hub 9 (or the router 29, in embodiments where the communications hub is omitted) whenever a data connection exists between the IEEE 802.15.4 standard communications module (or other communications module, where a non- IEEE 802.15.4 standard communications module is employed) of the PWD 3 and the communications hub 9 or router 29. When this occurs, proximity data is generated and transmitted on to the cloud server 31, in the same way as the proximity data generated in the first and second embodiments described above.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Thus, the foregoing embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example only. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

For example, although the foregoing embodiments are described as incorporating beacons e.g. operating via the iBeacon (RTM) or Eddystone (RTM) protocols in order to make proximity determinations, other beacon types, transmitters and receivers and/or protocols may be used.

For example, the foregoing embodiments have chiefly been described with reference to a pet animal. It will however be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to animals in general, e.g. whether domesticated or not, livestock, wild or otherwise.

For example, the foregoing embodiments employ a collar as the PWD. However, the PWD may be provided in other forms, e.g. it may be provided as a unit which clips or is otherwise configured to be attached to a collar or other item so as to attach to an animal, or may be provided in non-collar forms, particularly for non-pet animals e.g. as an ear tag for livestock. As a further example, the PWD may instead be provided as an implant.

Claims

1. An animal monitoring system, comprising:

2. The animal monitoring system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first part or the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement further comprises a transmitter for transmitting the proximity data to a further device.

3. The animal monitoring system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a communications device, wherein the transmitter is arranged to transmit the proximity data to the communications device, and the communications device comprises a transmitter for onward transmission of the proximity data.

4. The animal monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement further comprises at least one sensor operable to generate sensor data, and the transmitter is further arranged to transmit the sensor data to the further device.

5. The animal monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a motion sensor.

6. The animal monitoring system of claim 4 or 5, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

7. The animal monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the first part is arranged to generate an alert when the temperature sensor detects a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

8. The animal monitoring system of any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement comprises a mobile telecommunications transmitter for transmitting at least one of the proximity data and the sensor data across a mobile telecommunications network.

9. The animal monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first part further comprises a light operable to illuminate in response to a command transmitted from a further device.

10. The animal monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first part further comprises a speaker operable to emit sound in response to a command transmitted from a further device.

11. The animal monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated with at least one of a location accessible by the animal and a resource used by the animal.

12. The animal monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated with at least one of a water bowl, a food bowl, a pet flap, a litter tray, a sleeping basket, a room or open area, a location visible via a web cam or a pet toy.

13. The animal monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a water bowl, a food bowl, a pet flap, a litter tray, a sleeping basket, a web cam or a pet toy.

14. The animal monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a water bowl, a food bowl, a litter tray or a sleeping basket, and wherein the water bowl, food bowl, litter tray or sleeping basket further comprises a load sensor for measuring weight applied to the water bowl, food bowl, litter tray or sleeping basket.

15. The animal monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a pet flap, and the pet flap further comprises a remotely operable locking device for locking and opening the pet flap.

16. The animal monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is incorporated into a web cam, and the web cam is operable to generate an alert notification when the first part of the proximity sensor arrangement is detected as being located in proximity to the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement.

17. The animal monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein an instance of proximity between the first part and the second part comprises an instance in which the first part and the second part are located at less than or equal to a predetermined maximum separation distance from each other.

18. The animal monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the maximum separation distance between the first and second parts of the proximity sensor arrangement at which an instance of proximity is detected is adjustable.

19. The animal monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the proximity sensor arrangement is arranged to detect whether the first and second parts are within at least a first proximity range and a second proximity range longer than the first proximity range.

20. The animal monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the proximity sensor arrangement comprises at least one further second part and the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to detect instances of proximity between the first part and the at least one further second part.

21. The animal monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to detect an instance of proximity between the first and second part when the first part and the second part are separated by less than or equal to a first maximum separation distance, and the proximity sensor arrangement is operable to detect an instance of proximity between the first part and the at least one further second part when the first part and the at least one further second part are separated by less than or equal to a second maximum separation distance, different from the first maximum separation distance.

22. The animal monitoring system of claim 21 or 22, wherein the second part is associated with a first location accessible by or resource used by the animal and the at least one further second part is associated with a second location accessible by or resource used by the animal.

23. An animal monitoring network comprising the animal monitoring system according to any one of the preceding claims and a remote server, wherein the proximity data is transmitted to the remote server.

24. The animal monitoring network of claim 23, wherein the remote server is arranged to generate monitoring information based at least in part upon the proximity data, and to transmit the monitoring information to a user.

25. The animal monitoring network of claim 23 or claim 24 as dependent directly or indirectly upon claim 4, wherein the sensor data is also transmitted to the remote server, and the remote server is arranged to generate the monitoring information based upon both the proximity data and the sensor data.

26. The animal monitoring network of any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the monitoring information comprises or relates to at least one of a timing at which an instance of proximity between the first and second parts of the proximity sensor arrangement is detected, a duration for which the first and second parts are detected as being proximate, and a frequency with which instances of proximity between the first and second parts are detected.

27. The animal monitoring network of any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein the monitoring information indicates changes in behaviour of the animal associated with a location or resource with which the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated.

28. The animal monitoring network of any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein the remote server is arranged to determine potential health problems of the animal based at least in part upon the proximity data.

29. The animal monitoring network of claim 28, wherein the remote server is arranged to identify potential health problems based at least in part upon comparisons of the proximity data with previous proximity data for the same animal and/or proximity data for other animals.

30. The animal monitoring network of claim 28 or 29, wherein the remote server is arranged to make a determination as to whether or not an identified potential health problem warrants referral to an animal healthcare agent, and to communicate the determination to a user.

31. The animal monitoring network of claim 30, wherein the remote server is arranged to seek information from a user as part of making the determination.

32. A method of monitoring an animal using the animal monitoring network of any one of claims 23 to 31, comprising receiving, at the server, the proximity information, generating monitoring information based at least in part upon the proximity data, and transmitting the monitoring information to a user.

33. The method of claim 32 as dependent directly or indirectly upon claim 25, wherein the method further comprises additionally receiving, at the remote server, the sensor data, and generating the monitoring information based upon both the proximity data and the sensor data.

34. The method of claim 32 or 33, wherein the monitoring information comprises or relates to at least one of a timing at which an instance of proximity between the first and second parts of the proximity sensor arrangement is detected, a duration for which the first and second parts are detected as being proximate, and a frequency with which instances of proximity between the first and second parts are detected.

35. The method of any one of claims 32 to 34, wherein the monitoring information indicates changes in behaviour of the animal associated with a location or resource with which the second part of the proximity sensor arrangement is associated.

36. The method of any one of claims 32 to 35, wherein the method further comprises determining potential health problems of the animal based at least in part upon the proximity data.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the method further comprises identifying potential health problems based at least in part upon comparisons of the proximity data with previous proximity data for the same animal and/or proximity data for other animals.

38. The method of claim 36 or 37, wherein the method further comprises making a determination as to whether or not an identified potential health problem warrants referral to an animal healthcare agent, and communicating the determination to a user.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the method further comprises seeking information from a user as part of making the determination.

40. The first part of the proximity sensor arrangement of the animal monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

41. A collar comprising the first part of claim 40.

42. The second part of the proximity sensor arrangement of the animal monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

43. A water bowl, food bowl, cat flap, litter tray, sleeping basket, proximity beacon, web cam or pet toy incorporating the second part of claim 42.

44. The communications device of the animal monitoring system of claim 3.

45. The remote server of the animal monitoring network according to any one of claims 23 to

31.

46. The animal monitoring system described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 5B.

47. The animal monitoring system described herein with reference to Figures 6 to 7C.

48. The animal worn device described herein with reference to Figures 2A and 2B.

49. The communications hub device described herein with reference to Figure 3.

50. The animal monitoring network described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 5B.

51. The animal monitoring network described herein with reference to Figures 6 to 7C.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB1614880.1 Examiner: MrPaulMakin