Pet and people care management system

Abstract

A pet or human care management system and method are provided. In one embodiment, the system includes a portable electronic device carried by a care service provider to scan a care customer bar code at the location of a care visit to indicate the start and/or end of the care visit. The portable electronic device also includes a GPS component and transmits its location at a plurality of times during the care visit, such as to indicate the path of a scheduled walk. A website is employed to administrate the care management system, including scheduling walks, licensing care providers, and creating customer and care provider accounts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An appointment management system for a pet care visit including a walk for a pet care customer's pet, comprising:
 a pet caregiver portable electronic device including a portable electronic device microprocessor, a portable electronic device memory, and a geographic location sensing mechanism, wherein the pet caregiver portable electronic device is configured to receive data input and to determine its geographic location;   a pet care customer electronic device including a pet care customer electronic device microprocessor, a pet care customer electronic device display, and a pet care customer electronic device memory; and   a server including a server processor and a server memory, the server being configured to receive data input, the server storing user accounts for the pet care customer and the pet caregiver, permitting the pet caregiver and the pet care customer to arrange a pet care appointment by transmitting appointment information to the server, and automatically storing the appointment information and making the appointment information accessible for viewing on the pet caregiver personal electronic device and an electronic device of the pet care customer, the appointment information indicating at least one of a distance, a duration, and a route of the walk;   the server memory storing information identifying the pet care customer linked to information stored in the server memory identifying the customer's pet and the location of a pet care appointment site at which the pet is located, and providing the caregiver access to the pet identifying information and the location of the pet care appointment site, as the pet caregiver logs into a user account of the pet caregiver on the server, and;   the server programmed with instructions for the server processor to
 receive a start signal transmission initiated by input to the pet caregiver device at the pet care appointment site, the signal including pet care customer information and marking a beginning of the pet care visit, 
 compare the received pet care customer information to the information identifying the pet care customer in the server memory, 
 subject to at least one precondition coded into the instructions, said at least one precondition including that the received pet care customer information equal the information identifying the pet care customer in the server memory, perform a storing and displaying subroutine including instructions to: 
 store a pet care visit start time corresponding to the start signal transmission from the pet caregiver portable electronic device, 
 store a pet care visit end time corresponding to a pet care visit end signal received from the pet caregiver portable electronic device, the end signal transmitted at the pet care visit end time from the pet care appointment site, 
 store data received from the pet caregiver portable electronic device indicating time-sequenced geographic locations of the portable electronic device at a plurality of times, separated by regular intervals, between the pet care visit start time and the pet care visit end time, and 
 in response to the end signal from the pet caregiver portable electronic device, transmit data to the electronic device of the pet care customer to permit display on a display of the pet care customer electronic device the pet care visit start time, the pet care visit end time, and a visual map of a walk path constructed from said time-sequenced geographic locations of the pet caregiver portable electronic device at each of said plurality of times, to permit the pet care customer to confirm a route of the walk, and 
   the pet caregiver portable electronic device programmed with instructions for the pet caregiver portable electronic device microprocessor to record the geographic location of the pet caregiver portable electronic device at each of said plurality of times separated by the regular intervals and to transmit data representing said geographic location at each of said plurality of times to the server.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , the pet caregiver portable electronic device further comprising a clock and being further programmed with instructions to
 detect whether a transmission signal is available to transmit the visit start or end signal during the start time or end time, respectively; and   if the transmission signal is unavailable,   read and store the time from the clock when the input is received; and   transmit the start or end signal and the corresponding stored time from the clock to the server when the transmission signal is available.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , said server memory further storing a database of at least one care provider login, the server further programmed with an instruction for the microprocessor to receive a care provider login transmitted from the portable electronic device, said at least one precondition on performing the storing and displaying subroutine further including that the received care provider login equal the stored care provider login. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , said storing and displaying subroutine further including instructions to transmit to said pet care customer electronic device, for display on said pet care customer electronic device display, a representation of a total distance traveled by said portable electronic device between the service visit start time and the service visit end time. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said making the appointment information accessible to the caregiver personal electronic device and the pet care customer electronic device includes an action selected from
 electronically transmitting a message to a device of the respective caregiver or pet care customer, and   generating and storing a representation of the appointment information accessible by the caregiver or pet care customer from the server within the respective user account.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising the server operating a website, permitting the pet care customer and pet caregiver to access their accounts through the website and arrange the pet care appointment on the website. 
     
     
         7 . A pet care appointment management system comprising:
 a pet caregiver portable electronic device including a portable electronic device microprocessor, a portable electronic device display, a portable electronic device memory, a geographic location sensing mechanism, and a clock, and the pet caregiver portable electronic device being configured to receive data input and to determine its geographic location;   a pet care customer electronic device including a pet care customer electronic device microprocessor, a pet care customer electronic device display, and a pet care customer electronic device memory; and   a server including a server processor and a server memory, the server being configured to receive data input, the server storing user accounts for the pet care customer and the pet caregiver, permitting the pet caregiver and the pet care customer to arrange a pet care appointment by transmitting appointment information to the server, and automatically storing the appointment information and making the appointment information accessible for viewing on the pet caregiver personal electronic device and an electronic device of the pet care customer, the appointment information indicating at least one of a distance, a duration, and a route of the walk for the appointment;   the server programmed with instructions for the server processor to
 receive a start signal transmission initiated by input to the pet caregiver device at the pet care appointment site, the signal marking a beginning of the pet care appointment; 
 store a pet care appointment start time corresponding to the start signal transmission from the pet caregiver portable electronic device, 
 store a pet care appointment end time corresponding to a pet care appointment end signal received from the pet caregiver portable electronic device, the end signal transmitted at the pet care appointment end time from the pet care appointment site, 
 store data received from the pet caregiver portable electronic device indicating time-sequenced geographic locations of the portable electronic device at a plurality of times, separated by regular intervals, between the pet care appointment start time and the pet care appointment end time, and 
 in response to the end signal from the pet caregiver portable electronic device, transmit data to the electronic device of the pet care customer to permit display on a display of the pet care customer electronic device the pet care appointment start time, the pet care appointment end time, and a visual map of a walk path constructed from said time-sequenced geographic locations of the pet caregiver portable electronic device at each of said plurality of times, to permit the pet care customer to confirm a route of the walk, and 
   the pet caregiver portable electronic device programmed with instructions for the pet caregiver portable electronic device microprocessor to
 record the geographic location of the pet caregiver portable electronic device at each of said plurality of times separated by the regular intervals and to transmit data representing said geographic location at each of said plurality of times to the server; 
 detect whether a transmission signal is available to transmit the pet care visit start or end signal during the pat care visit start or end time, respectively; 
   if the transmission signal is available,
 transmit the pet care visit start or end signal during the corresponding pet care visit start or end time; and 
   if the transmission signal is unavailable,
 read and store the time from the clock when the input is received; and 
 transmit the start or end signal and the corresponding stored time from the clock to the server when the transmission signal is available. 
   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , the microprocessor further programmed with instructions
 to store the sensed geographic locations in the portable electronic device memory; and   to read and store the corresponding times from the clock when the geographic location of the portable device is sensed in the portable electronic device memory.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , the instruction to cause to be stored the sensed geographic location of the portable device comprising an instruction to immediately transmit data to the server indicating the geographic location at each of the plurality of times at which the geographic location is sensed. 
     
     
         10 . A method of providing a pet care visit including a walk to a pet care customer, using a pet caregiver portable electronic device including a portable electronic device microprocessor, a portable electronic device display, a portable electronic device memory, a geographic location sensing mechanism, and a clock, and the pet caregiver portable electronic device being configured to receive data input and to determine its geographic location, a pet care customer electronic device including a pet care customer electronic device microprocessor, a pet care customer electronic device display, and a pet care customer electronic device memory, and a server including a server processor and a server memory, the server being configured to receive data input, the server storing user accounts for the pet care customer and the pet caregiver, permitting the pet caregiver and the pet care customer to arrange a pet care appointment by transmitting appointment information to the server, and automatically storing the appointment information and making the appointment information accessible for viewing on the pet caregiver personal electronic device and an electronic device of the pet care customer, the appointment information indicating at least one of a distance, a duration, and a route of the walk for the appointment, the method comprising:
 initiating at a pet care appointment site a signal from the portable electronic device marking a start of the pet care visit;   providing a pet care service to the pet care customer including walking the pet along a walk path, while transporting the portable electronic device along the walk path;   causing a sensed geographic location of the portable electronic device to be stored at a plurality of locations along the walk path, at regular time intervals; and   initiating at the pet care appointment site a signal from the portable electronic device marking an end of the pet care visit.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , where transporting the portable electronic device along the care service path comprises the pet caregiver carrying the portable electronic device along the walk path. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , where transporting the portable electronic device along the care service path comprises attaching the portable electronic device to the pet for the pet to carry along the walk path.