Proving that just about anything can be patented with enough creativity and functional limitations, the U.S. Patent Office, on October 1, 2013, issued U.S. Patent No. 8,544,418 on a device known as an intelligent doghouse. Yes, Hong Kong Tesla Technology Limited is developing a doghouse equipped with advance technology and systems that reportedly will make dog ownership easier and more fun. Better yet, it is shaped, in at least some versions, as a double-decker bus that you might see in London.This doghouse has multiple built-in automated systems to meet a dog’s every need.

This intelligent doghouse includes a built-in automatic feeding system that allows dog owners to pre-set feeding times and the amount of food, or remotely control them through mobile devices like a smartphone or tablet. The doghouse also includes systems to detect the availability of drinking water. So when drinking water is running low, it will refill automatically. The doghouse also includes food storage capacity of up to one week, giving dog owners peace of mind while they are away from home. There are also health management systems that will record the eating habits and growth data, and conduct a health analysis of the dog, providing reports and suggestions to ensure the dog’s owners are aware of the health status of their dog.

But exactly how could a dog owner leave for a week without someone to care for the dog? Wouldn’t this be a recipe for coming home to a real mess left by man’s best friend? In one of the truly innovative aspects of this invention, there is a smart toilet system included. It apparently releases a liquid scent that attracts the dog and somehow gets it to use the toilet. When the system detects excrement, it will flush and sterilize automatically.

If the inventors came to me to ask me for my assistance, I think I would have suggested that they try to get a patent on a dog toilet and associated method of getting the dog to use the toilet. What dog owner wouldn’t pay generous amounts for that invention?!? No more late night walks in the rain to get Fido to do his business? Talk about a “back up the money truck” innovation!

In any event, the inventors have thought of everything. For example, what if there is a blockage in the plumbing? In the unlikely event of a leak or blockage in the toilet system, a warning will be given off.

But wait, there is more! The intelligent doghouse also includes an access control system that allows dog owners to preset daily access times. Thus, even if nobody is home, the dog’s access in and out of the doghouse is still under control. Dog owners can also be remotely monitored thanks to a network communication module on the intelligent doghouse.

But wait, there is more. The intelligent doghouse comes with touch games, learning programs, music videos, and remote chat functions, so that dogs can have company and learn while the owner is away.

Now don’t be discouraged if you were working on your own intelligent doghouse. You may still be able to pursue your own puppy paradise because the broadest independent claim isn’t very broad at all. Claim 1 is as follows:

1. An intelligent doghouse, comprising a cage bracket module, a host computer control device, an automatic excrement treating device, a feeding module, a disinfection and heat preservation device, an automatic door control module and a video/audio module which are arranged on the cage bracket module, wherein: the host computer control device comprises a host computer control module which translates and executes various commands through a singlechip circuit; the automatic excrement treating device comprises a defecation guiding module for attracting a pet to defecate at a fixed position, a stirring module for receiving water and excrement and smashing the excrement, an excrement flushing module for flushing the excrement and injecting water into the stirring module, a water level and weight measuring module for supplying measuring information to the control of water intake and drainage actions and the stirring action of the stirring module, a sewage discharge mechanism for discharging sewage treated by the stirring module, and a central control module for receiving the information of the water level and weight measuring module and controlling the actions of a stirring motor and the sewage discharge mechanism; the feeding module is provided with a feeding program stored in the host computer module and used for automatically feeding food, snacks or drinking water under remote control; the disinfection and heat preservation device is provided with a refrigerating module capable of controlling the temperature of the doghouse in an appropriate state, a heating module capable of supplying hot air for drying the dog after bath and a disinfection module used for disinfecting and deodorizing the dog cage; the automatic door control module controls the opening and closing of a pet door in an electromagnetic way; the video/audio module comprises an infrared camera capable of shooting the pet, a broadband microphone and a loudspeaker; the automatic excrement treating device, the feeding device, the disinfection and heat preservation device and the automatic door control module are connected with the host computer control module; the host computer control module can be connected with value-added service background equipment for automatic control and can automatically control daily operation of each device locally; a user can remotely access the value-added service background equipment so as to control each terminal device through the host computer control module; wherein the automatic excrement treating device also comprises an anti-leakage module which is used for preventing sewage from overflowing from the stirring module and is arranged on the stirring module; the defecation guiding module consists of an annular defecation guiding apparatus and a defecation guiding liquid tank; the defecation guiding apparatus transfers defecation guiding liquid stored in the defecation guiding liquid tank to the defecation guiding apparatus through a defecation guiding apparatus cotton core and disperses the defecation guiding liquid into the air; and the defecation guiding apparatus is arranged between a bearing panel and an excrement flushing funnel.

So the old truism is proven again: Typically, one can obtain a patent even in a crowded field of invention by layering on specifics to narrow the invention. The more specifics you add, the more unique the invention and, therefore, the more likely patentable the invention becomes. On the other hand, the more you layer on, the more likely the claim will be so narrow that it would be very easy to design around, which certainly seems to be the case here.

Tags: dog, dog patents, doghouse, patent, patents

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