US 11,737,426 B2
Motion powered pet tracker system and method
Steven Adam Weinrauch, Seattle, WA (US); Sultan Jumayev, Eindhoven (NL); and Frans Vromans, Eindhoven (NL)
Assigned to Trupanion, Inc., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed by Trupanion, Inc., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed on Aug. 27, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/4,737.
Application 17/004,737 is a continuation of application No. 16/211,165, filed on Dec. 5, 2018, granted, now 10,785,957, issued on Sep. 29, 2020.
Application 16/211,165 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/833,708, filed on Dec. 6, 2017, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2021/0022318 A1, Jan. 28, 2021
Int. Cl. A01K 11/00 (2006.01); A01K 27/00 (2006.01)
CPC A01K 11/008 (2013.01) [A01K 27/006 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tracking device comprising:
a tracking mechanism configured to track a location of an object;
an energy generator electrically connected to the tracking mechanism;
an energy store electrically coupled to the tracking mechanism and the energy generator, wherein the energy store is configured to power the tracking mechanism and to receive the electrical energy generated by the energy generator;
a communication device configured to transmit the location of the object at a frequency and receive a request to track the object; and
a controller configured to: (i) switch from a low energy usage mode to a high energy usage mode in response to receiving the request, wherein a frequency of transmitting the location of the object tracked by the tracking mechanism within the low energy usage mode is above zero, and (ii) further increase/decrease the frequency of transmitting the location of the object tracked by the tracking mechanism within the low energy usage mode and the high energy usage mode, based on the location of the object tracked by the tracking mechanism or a usage of the electrical energy.