	US 12,490,717 B2
	System and method for detecting and reducing animal vocalizations
Paul Mundell, San Francisco, CA (US); John Honchariw, San Francisco, CA (US); and Libby Rockaway, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to Companion Labs, Inc., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed by Companion Labs, Inc., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 27, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/817,037.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/538,225, filed on Sep. 13, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0081937 A1, Mar. 13, 2025
Int. Cl. A01K 15/02 (2006.01)

CPC A01K 15/022 (2013.01)

1 Claim

1. A method for training a dog to reduce barking, comprising:

during a first time period:

accessing an audio feed captured by an audio sensor integrated within a training apparatus deployed in an environment and configured to dispense units of a treat into a working field, within the environment, proximal the training apparatus;

at a first time, detecting a first bark event based on audible signals extracted from the audio feed, the first bark event corresponding to barking of the dog; and

in response to detecting the first bark event:

interpreting a first set of environmental data based on environmental signals extracted from the audio feed, the first set of environmental data representing conditions of the environment at the first time;

selecting an intervention action, in a set of intervention actions, configured to mitigate the first bark event;

triggering the training apparatus to dispense units of the treat according to the intervention action;

predicting a first environmental trigger, for the dog based on the first bark event and the first set of environmental data; and

storing the first environmental trigger, in a set of environmental triggers, in a dog profile generated for the dog; and

during a second time period succeeding the first time period:

accessing the audio feed captured by the audio sensor integrated within the training apparatus;

at a second time, interpreting a second set of environmental data based on environmental signals extracted from the audio feed, the second set of environmental data representing conditions of the environment during the second time period;

in response to the second set of environmental data corresponding to presence of the first environmental trigger in the environment, predicting a second bark event at a third time succeeding the second time; and

in response to predicting the second bark event at the third time, triggering the training apparatus to dispense units of the treat according to the intervention action at a fourth time preceding the third time.