Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
  • G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a system and method for managing animal data.
• the present invention relates to a system and method for storing and managing livestock health and history data, and providing animal certificates on the basis of such data, which is accessed via local area network or wide area network by various registered users.
• the cattle industry being a representative example of the livestock industry, comprises several vertically integrated segments, such as producers, feedlot operators, packing plant operators, and wholesalers/retailers.
• the cattle industry cycle starts with the commercial cattle producers maintaining herds of cows for producing calves.
• the calves are grown to a certain size and then moved to feedlots, where they are cared for in various stages of growth.
• the animals are fed a special diet to reach their optimum weight and size while trying to keep them healthy.
• the animals are sent to the packing plants for slaughter. Also in the packing plants the animal carcasses are cut into various portions or cuts of meat. These cuts of meat are packed, chilled and shipped by the packers to the wholesalers and/or retailers for distribution to the public.
• a certificate for animal data is provided in a network environment.
• animal data is stored in a database.
• the stored animal data is then displayed for verification.
• the displayed data is verified by a user independent of the animal ownership.
• a certificate that comprises the verified animal data and a signature field is issued such that, if signed, the certificate provides assurance of the verification of the animal data.
• Figure 1 is a block diagram of the system for storing and managing livestock health and history data, and providing animal certificates on the basis of such data according to one embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 2 is a graphical representation of screen display showing an unsecured web site home page
• Figure 3 is a graphical representation of screen display showing a login to the web site
• Figure 4 is a graphical representation of screen display showing a home page of the secure web site
• Figure 5 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Manage
• Figure 6 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user desires to add operations
• Figure 7 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user desires to add operations with fields populated
• Figure 8 is a graphical representation of screen display after the information on a new operation has been submitted for entry into the database
• Figure 9 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user activates
• Figure 10 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user desires to manage animals in his/her operations
• Figure 11 is a graphical representation of screen display for manually adding animals
• Figure 12 is a graphical representation of screen display for manually adding animals with fields populated
• Figure 13 is a graphical representation of screen display after the information on a new animal has been submitted for entry into the database
• Figure 14 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Certificates" action item is selected
• Figure 15 is a graphical representation of screen display at the first stage of certificate issuance
• Figure 16 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Select this operation" in the certificate issuance procedure is selected;
• Figure 17 is a graphical representation of screen display at a second stage of certificate issuance
• Figure 18 is a graphical representation of screen display at a third stage of certificate issuance
• Figure 19 is a graphical representation of screen display at a fourth stage of certificate issuance
• Figure 20 is a graphical representation of screen display of the certificate in final form
• Figure 21 is a process flowchart for storing and managing livestock health and history data, and providing animal certificates on the basis of such data.
• the present invention applies to livestock industry in general, and one representative example of the present invention described herein is directed to cattle industry.
• the present invention includes a system, method and storage medium for storing and managing livestock health and history data, and providing animal certificates on the basis of such data, which is accessed via local area network or wide area network by various registered users, hi accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a cattle producer or a veterinarian accesses a secure database via his/her personal computer to enter, review or modify information about an animal or a group of animals. This information may include the name and location of the operation (cattle farm, for example), animal's date of birth, animal's various identification numbers, animal's health history, etc.
• the veterinarian reviews the electronic iriformation of the animal or group of animals and then certifies that the information is correct via an electronic signature, for example.
• An electronic signature including the first and last names of the veterinarian, maybe implemented via various input devices, such as a stylus with a pressure-sensitive tablet or screen, as known to those skilled in the art.
• An electronic certificate is then issued for that particular animal or group of animals, such that the owner of the operation may e-mail or alternatively provide a hard copy of the certificate to a potential buyer for source, origin and/or health history verification purposes.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system for storing and managing livestock health and history data, and providing animal certificates on the basis of such data according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• Shown in the figure in block diagram form are personal computers (PC) 104, 106, 108 and 110.
• PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 or PC 110 maybe a general purpose computer containing a display screen for displaying images, text, etc., a memory storage medium for storing data, an input device for providing user access to the system by entering user input data, a programmable processor for controlling operations of the various PC components, and a network interface device, such as a modem, for connecting the personal computer to a network, thereby providing communication with other personal computers and computer servers.
• PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 or PC 110 maybe a general purpose computer containing a display screen for displaying images, text, etc., a memory storage medium for storing data, an input device for providing user access to the system by entering user input data, a programmable processor
• a dial-up modem, DSL modem, cable modem, network card and/or any other interface device, alone or in combination, may be used for accessing other personal computers and computer servers via any wired or wireless communications medium.
• PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 and PC 110 may include speakers and/or microphone (not shown) for providing auditory and speech interface between the user and the system.
• FIG. 1 it is understood that a plurality of people may be using the system. It is further understood that each illustrated computer setup may contain other hardware and/or software components or elements that are necessary for the normal operation of a computer, as known to those skilled in the art. Since the additional hardware and/or software elements or components are not critical to the understanding of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted in order not to detract from the present invention.
• PC 104 When connected via a network interface device, PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 and PC
• This network maybe a global computer implemented network, such as the Internet, or any other type of network, such as an Intranet, Virtual Private Network (VPN), local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), etc.
• VPN Virtual Private Network
• LAN local area network
• WAN wide area network
• users Connected to network 100 via their respective network interface devices is a plurality of users, which may be cattle producers, feedlot operators, veterinarians or other cattle industry participants with interest in the cattle source, origin and/or health history verification, for example. In the embodiments of the present invention, they may be representatively referred to herein as users to facilitate the understanding of the present invention.
• PC 104 any one of these network users operating PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 or PC 110 is representatively referred to herein as PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 or PC 110, respectively, as shown in Figure 1.
• server 102 for storing program code, when executed by a programmable processor, is operative to process data, access a database and/or perform all other operations as described herein.
• Database 104 connected to server 102, stores data representing livestock health and history data, as well other data representing information in connection with the embodiments of the present invention, as explained in detail below. Also stored in database 104 may be user registration data to gain access to the system. It is understood that the database may be remotely located from the server or, alternatively, may be co-located with the server. Furthermore, the database may be a distributed database, comprised of a cluster of databases.
• a cattle producer wants to create a certificate for an animal to be sold to another cattle producer.
• PC 108 for example, he establishes communication - via network 100 - with server 102 that hosts a web site in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
• the web site is typically accessed by entering its Universal Resource Locator (URL) address in a browser program.
• the server responds with HTML-based documents representing the web site.
• URL Universal Resource Locator
• any protocol, markup language, etc. may be used between clients and a server to transfer files, web pages, etc., therebetween, as known to those skilled in the art.
• the unsecured web site home page is displayed initially, as illustrated in Figure 2.
• box 250 which is a link to another web page, the cattle producer is presented with a login screen as shown in Figure 3.
• a login procedure is implemented to allow only the registered users access to the web site contents, hi this regard, the user is requested to enter his/her user ID in field 300 and password in field 302 for authorization and confirmation.
• the entered information is transferred to the server 102 and checked against the pre-stored information in the database 104.
• the server 102 verifies the entered information by cross- referencing it against the registered user information stored in the database 104. If the entered information is valid, the access to the system is allowed. If, however, the entered information does not correspond to the database-stored information, an error message is displayed on the screen of the user device (PC 108), and the user is invited to re-enter his/her access information.
• the login screen may not appear after a certain number of tries to prevent "hacking" into the system.
• FIG 4 is a graphical representation of screen display showing a home page of the secure web site according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• the name of the user representatively shown as item 400 "B. Evans" appears at the top of the page based on the initial user registration information. It is understood, of course, that any other identifier, such as the operation name, for example, may appear instead.
• the home page includes a menu containing a number of action items - links to other web pages - to provide functionality to the web site. These action items are "Manage Operations" 402, “Manage Animals” 404, and "Certificates" 406.
• Figure 5 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Manage
• FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user desires to add operations in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
• the cattle producer enters information into the following fields: "Operation Name” 600; "Premises ID” 602; "Operation Address 1" 604A; “Operation Address 2" 604B; "City” 606; “State” 608; "Postal/Zip Code” 610; "Country” 612; “Owner First Name” 614; “Owner Last Name” 616; “Email” 618; and “Phone” 620.
• These fields maybe representatively populated as shown in Figure 7.
• “Submit” action item 700 of Figure 7 is activated in order to transfer this information to the database.
• "Reset” action item 702 may be activated in order to cancel the information in the fields.
• Figure 8 is a graphical representation of screen display after the information on a new operation has been submitted for entry into the database. This figure is an illustration of the updated table 500 containing information on the B. Evan's operations. [0041] Let it be assumed now that this cattle producer desires to manage animals pertaining to those operations. He then selects "Manage Animals" action item 404 to activate a web page as shown in Figure 9. [0042] Figure 9 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user activates
• Figure 10 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user desires to manage animals in his/her operations.
• table 1000 contains a number of fields pertaining to the animals. Also contained in the table 1000 are "Add Animal” action item 1002, "Upload Animals” action item 1004, and "Upload History” action item 1006.
• Action item 1002 is a manual entry as will be described in detail below.
• Action item 1004 is an automatic entry of animal information from data files stored in such formats as Excel, Access, etc. When such file is uploaded to the server, the information is extracted and then directed to specific fields in the table 1000. When activated, action item 1006 is operative to populate fields in the similar manner.
• FIG. 11 is a graphical representation of screen display for manually adding animals.
• the cattle producer enters information into the following fields: visual ID ("VID") 1100; electronic ID (“EID”) 1102; "Birth Date” 1104; "Birth Date Type” 1106; "Sex” 1108. These fields may be representatively populated as shown in Figure 12. Thereafter, "Submit” action item 1200 of Figure 12 is activated in order to transfer this information to the database. Alternatively, "Reset” action item 1202 may be activated in order to cancel the information in the fields.
• “Birth Date” field 1104 an on-screen calendar is provided to assist the user in entering the birth date information.
• “Birth Date Type” field 1106 can have the values of "actual” or “estimate” animal birth dates, while “Sex” field 1108 can have the values "Heifer", “Bull” "Steer” or "Cow”.
• Figure 13 is a graphical representation of screen display after the information on a new animal has been submitted for entry into the database. This figure is an illustration of the updated table 1000 containing information on the Lucky Farms 1 animals. It will be noted that "Edit” and “Delete” action items are added for each animal entered into the database.
• Figure 14 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Certificates" action item 406 is selected. According to this figure, the user is presented with 2 choices:
• action item 1402 for an individual animal. Let it be assumed that action item 1402 is selected such that a web page appears on PC 108 as shown in Figure 15. As shown in this figure, progress triangles 1500A - 1500D are displayed above table 1502 containing the stored information on B. Evan's operations.
• Figure 16 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Select this operation" in the certificate issuance procedure is chosen. More specifically, the operation information with all fields, as previously populated by the user, is provided for review and confirmation. Two action items “Next Screen” 1600 and “Reset” 1602 are displayed for user activation. Assuming that the information, as previously entered into the database is correct, and
• Figure 17 is a graphical representation of screen display at a second stage of certificate issuance.
• table 1700 contains a check mark box 1702 for selecting a particular animal for which a certificate is to be issued. It will be noted that the progress triangles moved to the second stage. It is understood that many animals maybe listed in the table 1700 and when a particular animal is selected (in this representative example only one animal is listed and therefore selected for illustrative purposes), the next web page is shown in
• Figure 18 is a graphical representation of screen display at a third stage of certificate issuance.
• the cattle producer may enter various procedures, products and other health-related information for that animal. This information is stored in table 1800 as shown in Figure 18.
• Various animal procedures and products are presented in a menu-style format with drop-down menus 1802 and 1804.
• the user moves to the fourth and final stage of certificate issuance via "Next Screen" action item 1806.
• a web page is transmitted from the server to the client as shown in Figure 19.
• Figure 19 is a graphical representation of screen display at a fourth stage of certificate issuance. According to this figure, B.
• Evans may preview a certificate for the selected animal and then perform the following actions: "Save & Finish The Certificate Later" 1900; “Edit” 1902; “Finish The Certificate” 1904.
• the action item 1900 is used when further health- related procedures or products will be administered to the animal.
• the action item 1902 is to change any information if incorrect, and the action item 1904 is to issue the certificate for the selected animal. If the action item 1904 is selected, the user is presented with a warning that indicates once the certificate is issued, it cannot be modified or deleted, and all information on that animal is removed from all the tables under "Manage Operations" and "Manage Animals" items.
• the verification section of the certificate requires execution by the owner/manager of the operation and a witness/verifier, typically a veterinarian.
• a witness/verifier typically a veterinarian.
• electronic signatures are requested on the certificate; however, the certificate can also be printed out and signed/dated in a conventional manner.
• Figure 20 is a graphical representation of screen display of the certificate in final form. As shown in this figure, the certificate holder can view it in PDF format or e-mail it to the potential buyer, in accordance with action items 2000 and 2002, respectively.
• Figure 21 is a process flowchart for storing and managing livestock health and history data, and providing animal certificates on the basis of such data in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. After “Start" 200, a decision is made whether a login procedure is initiated shown in block 202. If successful, it is determined whether operations are to be managed in block 204. If the answer is affirmative, such functions as add, edit, delete are performed with respect to each selected operation in block 206. Another decision is then made whether animals are to be managed in block 208.
• an operation is selected in block 210, and then animals added manually, uploaded automatically, or animal history uploaded in block 212.
• block 214 it is determined whether a certificate is to be created. If so, a group certificate or animal certificate is selected in block 216. Then, an operation is selected in block 218, followed by a selection of animals in block 220. hi block 222, animal procedures and/or products are selected, and a certificate is previewed or finished in block 224. Alternatively, a finished or unfinished certificate can be viewed in block 226. A decision is made in block 228 whether the user requests a logout. If so, "Stop" 230 is entered; otherwise, the process returns to block 204.
• dumb terminals may replace the personal computers, or alternatively personal computers may be utilized merely as dumb terminals.
• the terminals are connected via wires (without modems) to a main computer, where all processing operations take place such that the users employ the terminals only as data input devices.
• the present invention may be implemented on a microprocessor-accessible storage medium such as computer memory, compact disk (CD), video cassette, digital video disk (DVD), Digital Audio Tape (DAT), etc. hi this case, the entire program code and database information are stored on the storage medium that can be accessed by a microprocessor, programmable controller, or any other programmable device.
• a veterinarian reviews and certifies, via a signature for example, that the information in a certificate is true and accurate to the best of his or her knowledge, other people or users who are independent of animal ownership may carry out this function.
• an electronic signature may comprise an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a certificate and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the certificate.

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• 2005
  • 2005-08-05 JP JP2008524947A patent/JP2009504078A/ja active Pending
  • 2005-08-05 WO PCT/US2005/027697 patent/WO2007018533A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2005-08-05 CA CA002609709A patent/CA2609709A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-08-05 AU AU2005335278A patent/AU2005335278A1/en not_active Abandoned

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