Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING CERTIFICATE
BASED ON ANIMAL HEALTH AND HISTORY DATA
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for managing
animal data.
More particularly, 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.
[0002] 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. In
the feedlots, the animals are fed a special diet to reach their optimum weight
and size while
trying to keep them healthy. Subsequently, 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
andlor retailers for distribution to the public.
[0003] With mad cow disease making recent headlines in the U.S. media,
wholesalers,
retailers and, in particular, consumers express many concerns about the safety
of meat products.
Relevant to the issue of safety is collection, storage and management of such
cattle information
as individual birth dates, health procedures, origin, etc.
[0004] A need, therefore, arises for a systein and method for collecting,
storing and
managing animal health and history, and for providing certification of such
information by an
independent party.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method
for storing
and managing animal health and history data, and providing animal certificates
on the basis of
such data.
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[00061 The above and other objects are achieved by such inventive systeni and
method.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a certificate for animal
data is provided
in a network environment. According to this embodiment of the present
invention, animal data is
stored in a database. The stored aniinal data is then displayed for
verification. The displayed
data is verified by a user independent of the animal ownership. Finally, 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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing and otlier features of the present invention will be more
readily
apparent from the following detailed description and drawings of one or more
illustrative
embodiments of the present invention in which:
[0008] 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;
[0009] Figure 2 is a graphical representation of screen display showing an
unsecured web
site home page;
[0010] Figure 3 is a graphical representation of screen display showing a
login to the web
site;
[0011] Figure 4 is a graphical representation of screen display showing a home
page of
the secure web site;
[0012] Figure 5 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Manage
Operations" item is selected;
[0013] Figure 6 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user
desires to add
operations;
[0014] Figure 7 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user
desires to add
operations with fields populated;
[0015] Figure 8 is a graphical representation of screen display after the
information on a
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new operation has been submitted for entiy into the database;
[0016] Figure 9 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user
activates
"Manage Animals" action item on the web page;
[0017] Figure 10 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user
desires to
manage animals in his/her operations;
f 0018] Figure 11 is a graphical representation of screen display for manually
adding
animals;
[0019] Figure 12 is a graphical representation of screen display for manually
adding
animals with fields populated;
[00201 Figure 13 is a graphical representation of screen display after the
information on a
new animal has been submitted for entry into the database;
[0021] Figure 14 is a graphical representation of screen display when
"Certificates"
action item is selected;
[0022] Figure 15 is a graphical representation of screen display at the first
stage of
certificate issuance;
[0023] Figure 16 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Select
this
operation" in the certificate issuance procedure is selected;
[0024] Figure 17 is a graphical representation of screen display at a second
stage of
certificate issuance;
[0025] Figure 18 is a graphical representation of screen display at a third
stage of
certificate issuance;
[0026] Figure 19 is a graphical representation of screen display at a fourth
stage of
certificate issuance;
[0027] Figure 20 is a graphical representation of screen display of the
certificate in final
foml;
[0028] 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.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The present invention applies to livestock industry in general, and one
representative example of the present invention described herein is directed
to cattle industry.
[0030] As a general overview, 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
networlc by various registered users. In 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. At
the producer's request, the veterinarian reviews the electronic information 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, may be
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
altematively
provide a hard copy of the certificate to a potential buyer for source, origin
and/or health history
verification purposes.
[0031] 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. Shown in the figure in block diagram
form are
personal computers (PC) 104, 106, 108 and 110. In one embodiment of the
present invention,
PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 or PC 110 may be a general purpose coinputer 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. A dial-up
modem, DSL
modem, cable modem, network card and/or any other interface device, alone or
in combination,
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may be used for accessing other personal computers and computer servers via
any wired or
wireless communications medium. Additionally, 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.
[0032] While only 4 computers - and therefore 4 users - are illustratively
shown in
Figure 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.
[0033] When connected via a network interface device, PC 104, PC 106, PC 108
and PC
110 represent 4 respective nodes on network 100. This network may be 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.
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 healtli history
verification, for
example. In the embod'unents of the present invention, they may be
representatively referred to
herein as users to facilitate the understanding of the present invention.
These users may employ a
variety of wireless/wired devices to connect to the network: desktop personal
computers,
portable/laptop computers, wireless/wired personal digital assistants,
cellular telephones, specific
Web access devices (WebTV), etc. Collectively, 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.
[0034] Also connected to network 100 is seiver 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 inforination in
connection with the embodiments of the present invention, as explained in
detail below. Also
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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 seiver. Furthermore, the database may be a distributed database,
comprised of a cluster
of databases.
[0035] In operation, users access the system via their respective personal
computers, such
as PC 104, PC 106, PC 108 and PC 110. According to one embodiment of the
present invention,
let it be assuined that a cattle producer wants to create a certificate for an
animal to be sold to
anotlzer cattle producer. Using PC 108, for example, he establishes
communication - via networlc
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. It will be appreciated that 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. Typically, the unsecured web site home page is displayed
initially, as illustrated
in Figure 2. By pointing and clicking on box 250, which is a link to another
web page, the cattle
producer is presented with a login screen as shown in Figure 3.
[0036] According to Figure 3, a login procedure is implemented to allow only
the
registered users access to the web site contents. In 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.
[0037] Assuming that the registered user is authenticated, the cattle producer
gains access
to the system. Figure 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. As
shown in this
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figure, 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.
Further, 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. Under "Certificates", the actions items
are "-- Create
New" 406A, "-- View Finished" 406B, and "-- View Not Finished" 406C.
Additionally provided
on the home and other web pages on this web site are such traditional links as
"Home" 408 and
"Back" 410, their functions being universally understood by any user of the
World Wide Web
(www).
[0038] Figure 5 is a graphical representation of screen display when "Manage
Operations" item 402 is selected. As shown in this figure, the cattle
producer, B. Evans, has one
operation already entered into the database 104 and displayed in table 500.
Let it be assumed
that B. Evans has another farm to enter into the database 104. To this end, he
clicks on "Add
Operation" action item 502 to activate another web page as shown in Figure 6.
[0039] Figure 6 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user
desires to add
operations in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As
shown in this figure,
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 may be representatively
populated as
shown in Figure 7. Thereafter, "Submit" action item 700 of Figure 7 is
activated in order to
transfer this information to the database. Alternatively, "Reset" action item
702 may be activated
in order to cancel the information in the fields.
[0040] 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.
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[0042] Figure 9 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user
activates
"Manage Animals" action item on the web page. This figure is an illustration
of Table 900
listing information about the operations with an additional field to select an
operation. Let it be
asstuned that B. Evans selects the "Lucky Farms 1" operation to manage his
animals on that
farm. Based on the selection of this action item, a web page is presented on
PC 108 as shown in
Figure 10.
[0043] Figure 10 is a graphical representation of screen display when a user
desires to
manage animals in his/IZer operations. As shown in this figure, 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 fiom 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.
[0044] Turning to action item 1002 in more detail, a web page is transferred
from the
server to the client as shown in Figure 11. Figure 11 is a graphical
representation of screen
display for manually adding animals. According to this figure, 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 inforination in the fields. It
will be noted that in
"Birth Date" field 1104, an on-screen calendar is provided to assist the user
in entering the birtll
date information. In addition, "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".
[0045] 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
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"Edit" and "Delete" action items are added for each animal entered into the
database.
[0046] Let it be assumed now that this cattle producer desires to have a
certificate issued
for an animal in preparation for its sale to another cattle producer, feedlot
operator, etc. To this
end, B. Evans selects "Certificates" action item 406 to activate a web page as
shown in Figure
14.
[0047] 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:
"Create Group Certificate" action itein 1400 for a group of animals, and
"Create Animal
Certificate" 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
infonnation on B. Evan's operations.
[0048] In the first stage of certificate issuance, an operation is selected
from table 1502.
Once the cattle producer selects a particular operation, a web page is
presented as shown in
Figure 16.
[0049] 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
"Next Screen" is activated, information on all animals entered for that
particular operation is
presented in a tabular forrn as shown in Figure 17.
[0050] Figure 17 is a graphical representation of screen display at a second
stage of
certificate issuance. According to this figure, 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 may be 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.
[0051] Figure 18 is a graphical representation of screen display at a third
stage of
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certificate issuance. At this stage, 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. After entering the health-related
information, the
user moves to the fourth and final stage of certificate issuance via "Next
Screen" action item
1806. In response, a web page is transmitted from the server to the client as
shown in Figure 19.
[0052] 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 aniinal. 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.
[0053] Furthermore, the verification section of the certificate requires
execution by the
owner/manager of the operation and a witness/verifier, typically a
veterinarian. Preferably,
electronic signatures are requested on the certificate; however, the
certificate can also be printed
out and signed/dated in a conventional manner.
[0054] 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
forinat or e-mail it to the
potential buyer, in accordance with action items 2000 and 2002, respectively.
[0055] 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
perforined with respect to each selected operation in block 206. Another
decision is then made
whether animals are to be managed in block 208. If so, an operation is
selected in block 210, and
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then aniunals added manually, uploaded automatically, or animal history
uploaded in block 212.
In 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. In 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.
[0056] The above description of the process flowchart and Figures 1-20 refers
to various
operations, such as select, determine, enter, populate, authenticate, etc. It
is understood, of
course, that those and other operations are performed by one or more
programmable
processors/controllers in the server and in the PCs executing appropriate
program code stored on
a computer-readable storage medium. As known to those skilled in the art, a
programmable
processor/controller retrieves the code, transfers the retrieved code to its
internal memory and
executes it from the internal memory. In response to the executed code, the
appropriate actions
take place to carry out the above-described and other functions of the system.
[0057] While the above arrangement is one embodiment of the present invention,
it is not
limited thereto. In the present invention, dumb terminals may replace the
personal computers, or
alternatively personal computers may be utilized merely as dumb terminals. In
this
configuration, the terminals are connected via wires (witllout modems) to a
main computer,
where all processing operations take place such that the users einploy the
termin.als only as data
input devices.
[0058] Yet in another embodiment, 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. In 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.
[0059] It will be appreciated that while in the above-described preferred
embodiment 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. They may include
any person who
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does not have an ownership interest in either the animal(s) or animal
farm/operation, and
preferably, is also not an employee of the animal owner or animal
farm/operation.
[0060] It will be further appreciated that while in the above-described
preferred
embodiment a certificate is signed via an electronic signature using the first
and last names of the
signer, an electronic signature comprises other forms of acknowledgment. That
is, in accordance
with other embodiments of the present invention 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.
[0061] While the present invention has been described and illustrated in
connection with
the above embodiments, many variations and modifications, as will be evident
to those skilled in
the art, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention. The
embodiments of the present invention are tllus not to be limited to the
precise details of
methodology or construction set forth above, as such variations and
modifications are intended to
be included within the scope of the present invention.
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