The present invention generally relates to providing veterinary
(hereinafter “vet”) healthcare. In particular, the present invention relates
5 to providing timely and reliable access to veterinary healthcare services
and products using a smart vet care system.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present invention is a divisional application of patent application
number 201911051952 dated 14th December 2019.
10 PRIOR ART AND PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED
Veterinary healthcare is an important aspect of animal farm operations.
A large number of farm animals, including dairy animals such as cows or
buffalos, die prematurely every year due to adverse health conditions
caused by various diseases or injuries. Even when not fatal, many
15 diseases adversely affect the quality and quantity of the animal’s farm
produce, for example milk production of a cow. Without timely
intervention, the harm caused by contagious diseases increases
manifold as the disease spreads to other animals in the farm, in the
region, and sometimes across regions.
20 While skin, respiratory, and circulatory diseases are commonly found,
there are many less common diseases that adversely impact farm
production and animal comfort too. Most of the issues related to an
animal’s sufferings are identified by physical symptoms on the visible
portion of the animal’s body.
25 Problem arises when an animal suffering from disease is not being taken
care of on time. The health of the affected animal degrades gradually and
3
in most of the cases, the animal dies with a painful death. Even if the
animal survives the disease or injury, further life becomes very painful for
the animal.
India has a unique pattern of production, processing and
5 marketing/consumption of milk, incomparable to any large milk producing
developed country. India is the world’s largest milk producer and
consumer of dairy products, consuming almost 100% of its own milk
production. However, the following are practical dairy farming challenges
in India.
10 HEALTH
Veterinary health care centers are located in far off places. The ratio
between cattle population and veterinary institution is large, resulting in
inadequate health services to animals. Often, regular and periodical
vaccination schedules are not followed, regular deworming program is
15 not done. This results in an increased mortality in calves. Further,
adequate immunity against various cattle diseases is not established.
BREEDING
Late maturity, in most of the Indian cattle breeds, is a common problem.
There is no effective detection of heat symptoms during oestrus cycle by
20 the cattle owners. The calving interval is on the increase resulting in a
reduction in efficiency of animal performance. Diseases causing abortion
leads to economic loss to the industry. Mineral, hormone and vitamin
deficiencies lead to fertility problems.
Instant and intense care is needed in such conditions of suffering animal
25 and there is a need for providing a solution to above-mentioned problem
in animals, primarily in dairy animals like cows or buffalos.
4
Additionally, a proper care of a cattle ensures good health that eventually
leads to an increase in the milk productivity of the cattle.
Therefore, a system is required to address such potentially lifethreatening issues in animals and to overcome the above-mentioned
5 problems.
OBJECTS OF INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention is to provide preventive check-up,
periodical visits to animal shelters or shed by trained and registered
veterinarians.
10 It is another object of the present invention to provide timely vaccination
to the animals which is facilitated via a smart system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide monitor
performance of medical history of each individual animal registered in the
system.
15 It is another object of the present invention to provide e-consultation from
veterinary specialists based in leading veterinary universities/institutions
for any animal health related issues on real time basis.
It is another object of the present invention to use advanced animal ID
techniques to simply and reliably identify the animal. Such identification
20 of animal using advanced animal ID is harmless and identifies/retrieves
the medical record on real time and send alerts to the parties involved in
care of the animal for e.g. caretaker, dedicated veterinarian etc. on timely
basis for all vaccination schedules, diagnosis, oestrus, expected calfdelivery, treatment and subsequent follow-up.
5
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Accordingly, to meet one or more of the foregoing objects, a system for
providing veterinary care is disclosed herein. The system includes one
or more user devices, wherein at least one user device comprises a
5 camera comprising an image sensor, a global positioning system (GPS)
sensor to determine a geographical position of the user device, a display
unit configured to display a user interface, a user input unit configured to
receive a user input from a user of the user device, a memory electrically
connected to the image sensor and configured to store an image
10 captured by the image sensor, a processor electrically connected to the
image sensor, the GPS sensor, the display unit, the user input unit, and
the memory, the processor being configured to control the user interface
on the display unit, receive the user input from the user input unit, receive
the geographical position of the user device from the GPS sensor, and to
15 operate at least one of the display unit, the image sensor, the GPS
sensor, and the memory based on the user input. The user device further
includes a network interface unit electrically connected to the processor
and the memory, the network interface unit being configured to provide
data network connectivity to the user device.
20 The system further includes one or more information processing servers.
At least one information processing server includes a profile module
configured to create and manage one or more user profiles and one or
more animal profiles, wherein an animal profile includes an electronic
medical record (EMR). At least one information processing server
25 includes an e-consultation module configured to receive an econsultation request from the user wherein the e-consultation request
comprises one or more e-consultation request parameters, identify an econsultation veterinarian based at least in part on the one or more econsultation request parameters, and establish a communication
30 between the user and the e-consultation veterinarian, wherein the e-
6
consultation request is associated with a particular animal, and wherein
the e-consultation module is further configured to share an EMR of the
particular animal with the e-consultation veterinarian. At least one
information processing server includes an SOS module configured to
5 receive an SOS request from the user wherein the SOS request
comprises one or more SOS request parameters, and connect the user
with an SOS veterinarian based at least in part on the SOS request
parameters. At least one information processing server includes a
vaccination module configured to maintain a record of vaccinations
10 administered to an animal, and schedule vaccinations for the animal
based at least in part on the record of vaccinations and a vaccination
schedule. At least one information processing server includes a visits
module configured to maintain a record of visits made by a veterinarian
to an animal, and to schedule further visits based at least in part on the
15 record of visits. At least one information processing server includes a
knowledge repository configured to provide a database of veterinary
reference material. At least one information processing server includes
an invoicing module configured to generate an invoice for at least one
service or product provided by a provider user to a client user, and
20 optionally facilitate payment against the invoice and maintain a record of
payments. At least one information processing server includes an
inventory module configured to maintain a record of medical supplies
inventory of the user, generate an estimate of future consumption of
medical supplies based at least in part on a trend of past consumption of
25 medical supplies, generate a list of additional requirements based at least
in part on the estimate and the record of medical supplies, and execute
a pre-determined action in connection with the list of additional
requirements. At least one information processing server includes a
public health module configured to analyze if a repository of EMRs meets
30 at least one pre-determined criterion for raising a public health alert.
7
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an example environment of an embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 shows a smart vet care system in accordance with an embodiment
5 of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows server application in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows an example electronic medical record of an animal in
accordance with an embodiment.
10 FIG. 5 shows an exemplary mobile application menu in accordance with
an embodiment.
FIG. 6 shows a portion of an example owner profile in accordance with
an embodiment.
FIG. 7 shows a portion of an example caretaker profile in accordance
15 with an embodiment.
FIG. 8 shows a portion of an example veterinarian professional profile in
accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 9 shows a portion of an example medical supplier profile in
accordance with an embodiment.
20 FIG. 10 shows a portion of an example health center profile in
accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 11 shows a portion of an example animal profile in accordance with
an embodiment.
FIG. 12 shows an exemplary display of animal registration section of the
25 system.
8
FIG. 13 shows an exemplary display of a vaccination due counting submodule of a vaccination module on a user device.
FIG. 14 is an exemplary display of E-Consultation request section of the
system.
5 FIG. 15 discloses an exemplary display of an E-consultation status submodule of an E-consultation module on a user device.
FIG. 16 discloses an exemplary display of animal visits module on a user
device where animal diagnostic information is accessed or updated in the
database 302.
10 FIG. 17 is an exemplary display of server application function when an
emergency stress signal (SOS) is raised by a registered user.
FIG. 18 shows an exemplary flow chart of monitoring function of
pregnancy module in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
15 FIG. 19 shows an access authorization table of a smart vet care system
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 20 shows an exemplary user device in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
20 The following is a detailed description of example embodiments to
illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided
to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any
embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous
alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims.
25 Further, throughout this disclosure, the singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the”
include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
9
Similarly, the word “or” is intended to include “and” unless the context
clearly indicates otherwise. The word “animal” is intended to include the
broad genus of animals as well as the subgenera of ruminant animals
and animals raised for food production, unless the context clearly
5 indicates otherwise.
Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in
order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the
invention be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these
specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known
10 in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in
detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.
Various embodiments of the present invention are advantageously used
for providing veterinary healthcare to cows in cow shelters or ‘gaushalas’.
However, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the
15 teachings of the present invention can be used in any context where
humans are interested in the health and well-being of an animal. For
example, they can be used to provide veterinary healthcare for other farm
animals such as buffalos, goat, sheep, pigs, or for pets such as dogs,
cats, and so on without limitation.
20 FIG. 1 shows an example environment 100 of an embodiment of the
present invention. The figure shows a smart vet care system (SVCS) 102
for providing improved, timely, and state-of-the-art veterinary healthcare
for an animal. The figure further shows a group of animal-associated
entities 110 and a group of veterinary solution providers 120, hereinafter
25 collectively referred to as the “users” of SVCS 102.
Animal-associated entities 110 are entities or persons that have an
ongoing interest in the health and well-being of an animal and include an
owner 112 and a caretaker 114. For example, in the case of a cow
shelter, owner 112 is the person or organization that owns and/or
10
manages the shelter. Owner 112 is responsible for managing the
operations and finances of the shelter, including for the healthcare
provided to the cows. Owner 112 employs one or more caretakers 114
for day-to-day tasks such as feeding, cleaning, and milking of the cows.
5 Typically, caretakers 114 are semi-skilled workers who do not possess
significant veterinary expertise. In situations where veterinary expertise
is needed, animal-associated entities 110 engage veterinary solution
providers 120.
Veterinary solution providers 120 are entities principally engaged in the
10 business of providing veterinary healthcare related services and/or
products. Veterinary solution providers 120 include one or more
veterinarians 122, health centers 124, and medical suppliers 126.
Veterinarians 122 include, without limitation, veterinary doctors and paraveterinarians who possess professional training and/or experience in
15 providing veterinary healthcare. Further, a veterinary doctor can be
distinguished from para-veterinarians based on their license to practice
as veterinary doctor. Only, a veterinarian professional who possess
relevant educational qualifications and a license to practice as a doctor
can be considered as a veterinary doctor for the purpose of the present
20 invention. In an embodiment, health centers 124 include, without
limitation, veterinary hospitals, clinics, and so on, which possess
infrastructure for veterinary healthcare such as X-ray scanners,
ultrasound machines, mobile units for emergency responses,
refrigerators, operation theatres, ambulances, sterilization machines,
25 waste and toxicant disposal units, pathology laboratories, and other
diagnosis equipment. In an embodiment, health centers 124 include
treatment facilities e.g. ortho and other sub-specialty surgery facilities.
Medical suppliers 126 include suppliers of veterinary healthcare supplies
such as medicines and vaccinations, including for example Triovac,
11
Bovirum bolus, Hitek, Melonex, Tribivet, Amoxirum, Anistaminm, Mifex,
Oxynex, Prednisolone, Vetade, Amoxirum Forte, etc.
In an embodiment, SVCS 102 enables communication and coordination
among its users to facilitate improved veterinary healthcare. Further, in
5 various embodiments, SVCS 102 provides for medical recordkeeping,
data sharing, service request management, calendar management, and
invoice and payment support for the users of SVCS 102.
FIG. 2 shows SVCS 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. SVCS 102 comprises a server application 202 which
10 executes application logic associated with various features of SVCS 102,
as discussed in more detail later in this description. Server application
202 is accessed by the users of SVCS 102 through various user
interfaces as shown in the figure. SVCS 102 provides an owner interface
204 for owner 112, a caretaker interface 206 for caretakers 114, a
15 veterinarian interface 208 for veterinarians 122, a health center interface
210 for health centers 124, a medical supplier interface 212 for medical
suppliers 126, and an administrator interface 214 for administrators of
SVCS 102. In an embodiment, interfaces 204-214 are configured to allow
access to data and functionality only according to their respective user
20 roles as disclosed further in this description. In various embodiments, in
order to maintain data integrity, no user can remove or edit data entries
once they have been entered by any user (including themselves).
In various embodiments, server application 202 is implemented using a
single server device, or a cluster of multiple devices connect together and
25 coordinating with each other to enable the functions of the present
invention. The hardware of server application 202 comprises
components such as one or more central processing units (CPUs), one
or more storage memory, RAM, power supply, and other important
12
electronic components to prepare a computational environment and
structure for the functions of the present invention.
In an embodiment, interfaces 204-214 comprise a mobile application
installed on mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, and the like.
5 In another embodiment, interfaces 204-214 comprise a web application
accessed by users of SVCS 102 using a web browser. In another
embodiment, interfaces 204-214 comprise a short message service
(SMS) application whereby information and/or options are provided to the
users of SVCS 102 through SMS and their inputs are received via reply
10 SMS. In yet another embodiment, interfaces 204-214 comprise a
dedicated user device and/or dedicated accessories coupled with smart
phones or computers. In still another embodiment, interfaces 204-214
comprise an interactive voice response (IVR) application and/or a voice
call to a human operator. Indeed, it will be apparent to a person skilled in
15 the art that many technologies for providing user interfaces are well
known and many others are emerging, and any such technologies, or
combinations thereof, can be used in conjunction with the present
invention without limitation.
FIG. 3 shows server application 202 in accordance with an embodiment
20 of the present invention. As shown, server application 202 comprises a
database 302, a profile module 304, a vaccination module 306, an econsultation module 308, a visits module 310, an SOS module 312, a
checklist module 314, an invoicing module 316, an inventory module 318,
a public health module 320, and a pregnancy module 322.
25 Database 302 acts as a repository of information for modules 304-322
and stores inter alia electronic medical records (EMRs) of animals
registered on SVCS 102, which is further described with reference to FIG.
4. Additional information stored in database 302 and use thereof is
13
described later in this specification with reference to the description of
modules 304-322.
Profile module 304 is configured to create and manage one or more user
profiles and one or more animal profiles, wherein an animal profile
5 includes an electronic medical record (EMR). Vaccination module 306 is
configured to maintain a record of vaccinations administered to an
animal, and schedule vaccinations for the animal based at least in part
on the record of vaccinations and a vaccination schedule. E-consultation
module 308 is configured to receive an e-consultation request from the
10 user wherein the e-consultation request comprises one or more econsultation request parameters, identify an e-consultation veterinarian
based at least in part on the one or more e-consultation request
parameters, and establish a communication between the user and the econsultation veterinarian. Visits module 310 is configured to maintain a
15 record of visits made by a veterinarian to an animal, and to schedule
further visits based at least in part on the record of visits. SOS module
312 is configured to receive an SOS request from the user wherein the
SOS request comprises one or more SOS request parameters, and
connect the user with an SOS veterinarian based at least in part on the
20 SOS request parameters. Knowledge repository 314 is configured to
provide a database of veterinary reference material. Invoicing module
316 is configured to generate an invoice for at least one service or
product provided by a provider user to a client user, and optionally
facilitate payment against the invoice and maintain a record of payments.
25 Inventory module 318 is configured to maintain a record of medical
supplies inventory of the user. Inventory module 318 is further configured
to generate an estimate of future consumption of medical supplies based
at least in part on a trend of past consumption of medical supplies,
generate a list of additional requirements based at least in part on the
30 estimate and the record of medical supplies, and execute a pre-
14
determined action in connection with the list of additional requirements.
Public health module 320 is configured to analyze if a repository of EMRs
meets at least one pre-determined criterion for raising a public health
alert. Pregnancy module 322 is configured to monitor oestrus cycle and
5 pregnancy status of registered female animals and configured to update
EMR and send alerts based on the monitoring logic. Further details of
modules 304-322 are described later in this specification.
ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD (EMR)
Database 302 stores the medical history of each registered animal in the
10 form of an electronic medical record (EMR). In various embodiments,
SVCS 102 allows various users associated with the animal such as, but
not limited to, owner 112 and caretaker(s) 114 of the animal, and
veterinarian(s) 122 and health center(s) 124 associated with the animal,
to view the animal’s EMR through their respective interfaces 204-210.
15 Further, SVCS 102 allows veterinarian(s) 122 and health centers(s) 124
associated with the animal to add entries to the animal’s EMR. In an
embodiment, with the objective of maintaining the integrity of the EMR
data, SVCS 102 does not allow any user to edit past entries in an EMR.
FIG. 4 shows an example EMR 400 of an animal in accordance with an
20 embodiment. EMR 400 includes a date field 402 recording the date on
which an entry is added to the EMR, a pregnancy field 404 recording the
pregnancy status of the animal on said date, an issue field 406 recording
the issue in connection with which the entry is made, a medicine field 408
recording details of the medicines prescribed and/or administered in
25 connection with the entry, a treatment field 410 recording notes on the
treatment administered to the animal at the time of the entry, and a followup date field 412 recording the date on which follow-up is due in
connection with the entry.
15
The figure further shows entries 414-420 in EMR 400. As per entry 414
recorded on date “01.06.2019” (field 402), the animal was not pregnant
(field 404), had suffered an “Accidental Injury” (field 406), and was
administered the medicine “Topicure Plus Spray” (field 408) and the
5 animal’s maggot wound was given dressing and bandage (field 410) with
follow-up scheduled in a week’s time on “08.06.2019” (field 412).
Similarly, entry 416 recorded at the time of follow-up on “08.06.2019”
(field 402) shows that the animal was still not pregnant (field 404) and the
animal’s wound was found to be healing well (field 410), and treatment
10 with “Topicure Plus Spray” was continued (field 408) and a fresh bandage
applied (field 410). Entry 416 further shows that no further follow-up was
deemed necessary (field 412).
On the other hand entries 418 and 420, recorded on 01.08.2019 (field
402) show that the animal was due for two vaccinations “Triovac” and
15 “De-worming” (field 408) on the day. However, the vaccines were not
administered (field 410) since the animal was found to be pregnant (fields
404 and 410). Further, according to entries 418 and 420, follow-up was
scheduled in a month’s time, i.e. on “01.09.2019” (field 412).
In an embodiment, an EMR entry additionally stores indications of the
20 veterinarian 122 who has made the EMR entry, and the geographical
location from where the EMR entry was made (not shown in figure). EMR
400 is merely an illustrative example according to an embodiment of the
present invention. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that in
various embodiments, other fields in addition to those described herein
25 can be stored in an animal’s EMR, and/or some of the described fields
omitted, without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
The functioning of modules 304-322 in accordance with various
embodiments of the present invention is described herein. Further,
16
exemplary views of interfaces 204-214 are described in accordance with
an embodiment where said interfaces are implemented on a smartphone
using a mobile application.
FIG. 5 shows an exemplary mobile application menu suitable for use in
5 conjunction with user interfaces 204-214 in accordance with an
embodiment. The figure shows a menu 500 with menu items 502-518.
Menu 500 is displayed to a user logged in to SVCS 102. In an
embodiment, menu 500 can be configured to display additional items, or
conversely hide and/or disable at least some of the disclosed items,
10 depending on the profile of the user accessing menu 500.
Item 502 allows the user to access an “ANIMAL REGISTRATION” option
to register a new animal on SVCS 102. Item 504 allows the user to
access an “ANIMAL DIAGNOSTIC” option to add an entry to the EMR of
a registered animal as described with reference to FIG. 4. Item 506
15 allows the user to access a “VACCINATIONS” option to view vaccination
related information as described with reference to FIG. 13. Item 508
allows the user to access an “E-CONSULTATION REQUEST” option to
register a new request for an e-consultation as described with reference
to FIG. 14. Item 510 allows the user to access an “E-CONSULTATION
20 STATUS” option to view the status of previously registered e-consultation
requests with reference to FIG. 15. Item 512 allows the user to access
an “EMERGENCY (SOS)” option to contact a veterinarian in case of an
emergency as described with reference to FIG. 17. Item 514 allows the
user to access “ANIMAL HISTORY” option to view the EMR of an animal
25 registered on SVCS 102. Item 516 allows the user to access an
“OESTRUS & PREGNANCY” option and to access information, alerts,
and notifications collected and monitored by pregnancy module 322 as
described with reference to FIG. 18. Item 518 allows the user to access
a “LOGOUT” option to logout of SVCS 102.
17
In an embodiment, menu 500 can be configured to display additional
items, or conversely hide and/or disable at least some of the disclosed
items, depending on the profile of the user accessing menu 500. For
example, in an embodiment, if the user is a caretaker 114 then only item
5 512 for the “EMERGENCY (SOS)” option and item 516 for the “LOGOUT”
option are available in menu 500, and all other items are hidden and/or
disabled. Similarly, in another embodiment, if the user is a medical
supplier 126, then additional items (not shown) related to invoicing and
inventory.
10 PROFILE MANAGEMENT
Profile module 304 is configured to create and manage one or more user
profiles and one or more animal profiles, wherein an animal profile
includes an electronic medical record (EMR). Profile module 304
manages profiles of registered users and registered animals including
15 creating and updating said profiles. A profile of a user or an animal is
created at the time of registration of the user/animal.
User Profiles
An exemplary, non-limiting list of fields stored in a user profile includes:
1. User ID: An identifier to uniquely identify the user.
20 2. User Details:
a. For user that are natural persons, the user details
include personal information of the user, such as name,
address, nationality, date of birth, etc.
b. For other users, such as juridical persons including for
25 example companies, trusts, non-government
organizations (NGOs), etc., the user details include
18
entity name, incorporation details, and at least one user
ID of a natural person associated with the juridical
person.
3. Contact Information: Such as the user’s email address, phone
5 number, and so on.
4. Financial Information: Financial details of the user including
one or more payment accounts of the user such as bank
account, credit card, Unified Payment Interface (UPI) ID, etc.,
and optionally tax-related identifications (such as permanent
10 account number (PAN) or goods and services tax identification
number (GSTIN), and the payment history of the user.
5. User Role: In accordance with various embodiments, the users
of SVCS 102 are assigned various roles, such as
administrator, owner 112, caretaker 114, veterinarian 122,
15 health center 124, and medical supplier 126. The user role is
used to decide the privileges granted to the user by server
application 202.
In various embodiments, an administrator, through administrator
interface 214, can create a new user profile by providing at least some of
20 the aforementioned information. In an embodiment, once a new user
profile is created by the administrator, a notification is sent to the new
user using the user’s contact information. The notification includes
instructions and/or authentication information for the user to log in to
SVCS 102. The user can then log in and update her own profile
25 information. Similarly, an administrator can update profile information for
various users.
In an embodiment, SVCS 102 stores certain fields in the profile
information of a user depending on the type of user, as illustrated with
19
reference to FIGs. 6-10. The figures describe portions of different types
of user profiles to illustrate various aspects of the present invention.
Known fields included in full profiles are not shown in the figures, or have
been simplified, in order to not obscure the invention. It will be apparent
5 to a person skilled in the art that full profiles of the users of SVCS 102, in
various embodiments, can include many additional fields as described
herein as well as those that are not explicitly described but are well
known.
FIG. 6 shows a portion of an example owner profile 600 in accordance
10 with an embodiment. Profile 600 includes an ID 602 with value “O_0001”,
which uniquely identifies the animal owner associated with profile 600.
Profile 600 includes further details about the animal owner such as a
name 604 with value “Rangnath Gaushala” which is the name of the
animal owner organization, and a location 606 with value “N1° North, E1°
15 East” which represents the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates
of the facility of the animal owner organization.
Profile 600, in an animals field 608, lists IDs of animals in the facility of
owner “O_0001” as “A_0001”, “A_0002”, and “A_0006”, and in a
caretakers field 610, lists IDs of caretakers engaged by owner “O_0001”
20 as “C_0005” and “C_0007”. The aforementioned IDs uniquely identify
particular owners, animals and caretakers respectively, and are used to
access their profile information as described later in this specification.
FIG. 7 shows a portion of an example caretaker profile 700 in accordance
with an embodiment. Profile 700 includes an ID 702 with value “C_0001”,
25 which uniquely identifies the animal caretaker associated with profile 700.
Profile 700 includes further details about the animal caretaker such as a
name 704 with value “Ramesh Singh” which is the name of the animal
caretaker and a name of an organization 706 with value “O_0001” with
which the caretaker 702 is associated.
20
Profile 700, in an animals field 708, lists IDs of animals under the care of
caretaker “C_0001” as “A_0001” and “A_0006”, and in phone field 710
and email field 712, phone number and email id of the caretaker
“C_0001” as “+91 90910 12345” and “ramesh.112@gmail.com”,
5 respectively. The aforementioned IDs uniquely identify particular
caretakers, organizations, and animals respectively, and are used to
access their profile information as described later in this specification.
FIG. 8 shows a portion of an example veterinarian professional profile
800 in accordance with an embodiment. Profile 800 includes an ID 802
10 with value “V_0056”, which uniquely identifies the veterinarian
professional associated with profile 800. Profile 800 includes further
details about the veterinarian professional such as a name 804 with value
“Dr. Ajay Rawat” which is the name of the veterinarian professional and
specialization 806 of the veterinarian professional 802 with values as
15 “Nutrition, Bovine”.
Profile 800, in an animals field 808, lists IDs of animals under the
supervision of veterinarian professional “V_0056” as “A_0001”,
“A_0002”, and “A_0006”, a location 810 with value “N2° North, E2° East”
which represents the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of the
20 facility of the veterinarian professional, and in phone field 812, a phone
number of the veterinarian professional “V_0056” as “+91 74745 73373”.
The aforementioned IDs uniquely identify particular veterinarian
professional and animals respectively, and are used to access their
profile information as described later in this specification.
25 FIG. 9 shows a portion of an example medical supplier profile 900 in
accordance with an embodiment. Profile 900 includes an ID 902 with
value “S_0011”, which uniquely identifies the medical supplier associated
with profile 900. Profile 900 includes further details about the medical
supplier such as a name 904 with value “Radhe Medicals” which is the
21
name of the medical supplier and a list of IDs of medicines 906 with value
as “M_0001”, “M_0002”, and ‘M_0015” which the medical supplier 902
supplies.
Profile 900, in a delivery field 908, shows a range of reach of the medical
5 supplier “S_0011” as “2 KM””, and in phone field 910 and email field 912,
phone number and email id of the medical supplier “S_0011” as “+91
92920 99996” and “radhe.medicals@gmail.com”, respectively. The
aforementioned IDs uniquely identify particular medical suppliers,
medicines, and animals respectively, and are used to access their profile
10 information as described later in this specification.
FIG. 10 shows a portion of an example health center profile 1000 in
accordance with an embodiment. Profile 1000 includes an ID 1002 with
value “H_0077”, which uniquely identifies the health center associated
with profile 1000. Profile 1000 includes further details about the health
15 center such as a name 1004 with value “DEEPAK VET HOSPITAL” which
is the name of the health center and a list of available facilities 1006 in
the health center 1002 with values “X-Ray, CT, OT”.
Profile 1000, in an animals field 1008, lists IDs of animals
operated/allocated at the health center “H_0077” as “A_0001”, “A_0002”,
20 and “A_0006”, a location 1010 with value “N3° North, E3° East” which
represents the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of the
health center, and in phone field 1012, a phone number of a contact
person at the health center “H_0077” as “+91 73152 73152”. The
aforementioned IDs uniquely identify particular health centers and
25 animals respectively, and are used to access their profile information as
described later in this specification.
Animal Profiles
22
Profile module 304 further provides the facility of creating and managing
an animal profile in SVCS 102. An exemplary, non-limiting list of fields
stored in an animal profile includes:
1. Animal ID: An identifier to uniquely identify the animal.
5 2. Owner: The user ID of the owner of the animal.
3. Caretaker: The user ID of the caretaker of the animal.
4. Location: The address and/or global positioning system (GPS)
coordinates of the shelter where the animal resides.
5. Parent: The animal ID of one or both parents of the animal.
10 6. Children: The animal IDs of the children of the animal, if any.
7. Sibling: The animal IDs of the siblings of the animal, if any.
8. Breed: The breed of the animal, for instance the breed of a cow
such as Sahiwal, Gyr, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar, Rathi, Kankrej,
Ongole, etc.
15 9. Gender of the animal.
10.Date of birth of the animal.
11.Pregnancy status of the animal.
12.Physical dimensions (Girth, width, length etc.) of the animal.
13.Veterinarians: The user IDs of one or more veterinarians
20 associated with the animal.
14.EMR: The electronic medical record of the animal, which
includes all relevant medical history of the animal such as:
a. Past diagnosis,
23
b. Past treatment,
c. Medicines administered,
d. Known allergies,
e. Notes and observations,
5 f. Past scan results, and
g. Past test results.
FIG. 11 shows a portion of an example animal profile 1100 in accordance
with an embodiment. Profile 1100 includes an ID 1102 with value
“A_0001”, which uniquely identifies the animal associated with profile
10 1100. Profile 1100 includes further details about the animal such as a
breed 1104 with value “Gyr” which is the breed of the animal and an ID
of an owner of the animal 1106 with value “O_0001”.
Profile 1100, in pregnancy field 1108, shows pregnancy statuses of the
animal “O_0001” over a predetermined period of time as “1.6.2019: NO;
15 7.8.2019: YES” and “A_0006”, and in vet field 1110 and children field
1112, id of the associated veterinarian professional of the animal
“A_0001” as “V_0056” and “A_0006”, respectively. The aforementioned
IDs uniquely identify particular animals and associated veterinarian
professional respectively, and are used to access their profile information
20 as described later in this specification.
Animal Registration
Each animal is required to go through a process of registration in the
system. Each animal is assigned with an identification means with a
unique identification code before registration. In a further embodiment,
25 any natural identification on the animal be considered as the identification
means. In another embodiment, a photograph of the animal be
24
considered as the identification means. The identification means one of
an image of the animal, a quick response code (QR CODE), a Barcode,
an alphanumeric string, or a voice sample of the animal based on
preference.
5 The registered user selects an option for registration of animal, the
application directs the registered user to an animal registration section.
FIG. 12 is an exemplary display 1214 of animal registration section 1200
of the system. A registered user of the system preferably one amongst
administrators, veterinarians, and owners of animals is allow to use the
10 animal registration section 1200. However, an access permission can be
granted to any other type of registered user by a system administrator
based on configuration of the system. The animal registration section
1200 provides input fields (1218, 1220, 1222, 1224, 1226, and1228) and
their corresponding title as animal ID 1202, shelter ID 1204, breed of the
15 animal 1206, gender of the animal 1208, date of birth 1210, physical
dimensions such as girth and length, and weight of the animal 1212 for
registration of an animal. Once all the required information is provided by
the user, data submission to server application 202 can be performed by
clicking a submit button 1230 on the display 1214. Further, the animal
20 registration section 1200 comprises additional data fields related to
animal such as siblings, parents, and/or children information based on
the requirements of the functions of the system.
The animal ID 1202 can be one of an image of the animal, a quick
response code (QR CODE), a Barcode, an alphanumeric string, or a
25 voice sample of the animal based on preference of the system.
Once the registered user provides all the requisite information in the
animal registration section and submits the information, server
application 202 receives and stores the submitted information in relevant
tables of the database 302.
25
It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing
list of fields of a user profile or an animal profile are only provided as an
example to illustrate various aspects of the present invention, but not to
limit the scope. Additional examples of details included in user profiles
5 and animal profiles are described later in this description. Indeed, the list
of fields in any embodiment depends on various factors such as the type
of animals under care, the persons and/or entities using SVCS 102, the
desired features of SVCS 102, and so on. In various embodiments,
additional fields be included in a user or animal profile and/or certain
10 fields listed above be omitted, without deviating from the spirit and scope
of the present invention.
VACCINATION MANAGEMENT
Vaccination module 306 is configured to maintain a record of
vaccinations administered to an animal, and schedule vaccinations for
15 the animal based at least in part on the record of vaccinations and a
vaccination schedule. Vaccination module 306 manages administration
of vaccines to registered animals based on their specific needs and
recommended vaccination schedules.
In an embodiment, when a vaccination for an animal is due in the near
20 future (e.g. within a pre-determined time window, such as the coming
week/fortnight/month), vaccination module 306 is configured alert owner
112 of the animal. In case owner 112 has not already provided consent
and/or payment for the vaccine about to become due, vaccination module
306 further seeks the owner’s consent and/or preferred payment option.
25 Thereafter, vaccination module 306 assigns a veterinarian 122 to
administer the vaccination based on the location of the animal, and the
location and availability of veterinarian 122. Once veterinarian 122
reports having administered the vaccine, vaccination module 306
updates the EMR of the animal accordingly.

CLAIMS
I/We claim:
1. A system (102) for providing veterinary care, the system (102)
comprising:
5 one or more user devices (2000), wherein at least one user device
comprises:
a camera (2002) comprising an image sensor;
a global positioning system (GPS) sensor (2004) to
determine a geographical position of the user device
10 (2000);
a display unit (2006) configured to display a user interface;
a user input unit (2008) configured to receive a user input
from a user of the user device (2000);
a memory (2010) electrically connected to the image sensor
15 and configured to store an image captured by the image
sensor;
a processor (2012) electrically connected to the image
sensor, the GPS sensor (2004), the display unit (2006), the
user input unit (2008), and the memory (2010), the
20 processor (2012) being configured to control the user
interface on the display unit (2006), receive the user input
from the user input unit (2008), receive the geographical
position of the user device from the GPS sensor (2004), and
46
to operate at least one of the display unit (2006), the image
sensor, the GPS sensor (2004), and the memory (2010)
based on the user input; and
a network interface unit (2014) electrically connected to the
5 processor (2012) and the memory (2010), the network
interface unit (2014) being configured to provide data
network connectivity to the user device (2000); and
one or more information processing servers (202), wherein at least
one information processing server (202) comprises:
10 a profile module (304) configured to create and manage
one or more user profiles and one or more animal profiles,
wherein an animal profile includes an electronic medical
record (EMR); and
an e-consultation module (308) configured to receive an e15 consultation request from the user wherein the econsultation request comprises one or more e-consultation
request parameters, identify an e-consultation veterinarian
(122) based at least in part on the one or more econsultation request parameters, and establish a
20 communication between the user and the e-consultation
veterinarian (122); and
a pregnancy module (322) configured to monitor an oestrus
cycle and pregnancy of one or more animals.
47
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the e-consultation request is
associated with a particular animal, and wherein the e-consultation
module (308) is further configured to share an EMR of the particular
5 animal with the e-consultation veterinarian.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one information processing
server comprises an SOS module (312) configured to receive an SOS
request from the user wherein the SOS request comprises one or more
10 SOS request parameters, and connect the user with an SOS
veterinarian based at least in part on the SOS request parameters.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one information processing
server comprises a vaccination module (306) configured to maintain a
15 record of vaccinations administered to an animal, and schedule
vaccinations for the animal based at least in part on the record of
vaccinations and a vaccination schedule.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one information processing
20 server comprises a visits module (310) configured to maintain a record
of visits made by a veterinarian to an animal, and to schedule further
visits based at least in part on the record of visits.
48
6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one information processing
server comprises a knowledge repository (314) configured to provide
a database of veterinary reference material.
5 7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one information processing
server comprises an invoicing module (316) configured to generate an
invoice for at least one service or product provided by a provider user
to a client user, and optionally facilitate payment against the invoice
and maintain a record of payments.
10
8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one information processing
server comprises an inventory module (318) configured to maintain a
record of medical supplies inventory of the user, generate an estimate
of future consumption of medical supplies based at least in part on a
15 trend of past consumption of medical supplies, generate a list of
additional requirements based at least in part on the estimate and the
record of medical supplies, and execute a pre-determined action in
connection with the list of additional requirements.
20 9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one information processing
server comprises a public health module (320) configured to analyze
if a repository of EMRs meets at least one pre-determined criterion for
raising a public health alert.