Patents by Inventor Anna Butters-Johnson

Anna Butters-Johnson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240081289
    Abstract: An apparatus, systems, and methods of providing enrichment to poultry during raising or maintaining of the poultry. One or more light sources project beams to generate laser spots at and around the poultry. A control regimen moves the light spots relative the poultry in generally random fashion during timed sessions for each given time period (e.g. each day). The spot movement is designed to promote benefits to poultry and producer in correlation to experimental data related to animal welfare, health, and commercial value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Kraayenbrink, Anna Butters-Johnson, Derek Kraayenbrink
  • Patent number: 11805756
    Abstract: An apparatus, systems, and methods of providing enrichment to poultry during raising or maintaining of the poultry. One or more light sources project beams to generate laser spots at and around the poultry. A control regimen moves the light spots relative the poultry in generally random fashion during timed sessions for each given time period (e.g. each day). The spot movement is designed to promote benefits to poultry and producer in correlation to experimental data related to animal welfare, health, and commercial value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Kraayenbrink, Anna Butters-Johnson, Derek Kraayenbrink
  • Publication number: 20230232788
    Abstract: An apparatus, systems, and methods of providing enrichment to poultry during raising or maintaining of the poultry. One or more light sources project beams to generate laser spots at and around the poultry. A control regimen moves the light spots relative the poultry in generally random fashion during timed sessions for each given time period (e.g. each day). The spot movement is designed to promote benefits to poultry and producer in correlation to experimental data related to animal welfare, health, and commercial value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Kraayenbrink, Anna Butters-Johnson, Derek Kraayenbrink
  • Patent number: 11576353
    Abstract: An apparatus, systems, and methods of providing enrichment to poultry during raising or maintaining of the poultry. One or more light sources project beams to generate laser spots at and around the poultry. A control regimen moves the light spots relative the poultry in generally random fashion during timed sessions for each given time period (e.g. each day). The spot movement is designed to promote benefits to poultry and producer in correlation to experimental data related to animal welfare, health, and commercial value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Kraayenbrink, Anna Butters-Johnson, Derek Kraayenbrink
  • Publication number: 20220346352
    Abstract: An apparatus, systems, and methods of providing enrichment to poultry during raising or maintaining of the poultry. One or more light sources project beams to generate laser spots at and around the poultry. A control regimen moves the light spots relative the poultry in generally random fashion during timed sessions for each given time period (e.g. each day). The spot movement is designed to promote benefits to poultry and producer in correlation to experimental data related to animal welfare, health, and commercial value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Kraayenbrink, Anna Butters-Johnson, Derek Kraayenbrink
  • Patent number: 11439126
    Abstract: Modern broilers are selected for fast growth and a large proportion of breast tissue, contributing to a top-heavy phenotype, leg disorders, and inactivity as birds reach market weight. Therefore, the objective was to motivate broilers to move through environmental enrichment. Twelve hundred Ross 308 broilers were housed in pens of 30 for 6 wk; 600 birds were exposed to a novel laser enrichment device (LASER) and 600 were control. Each device projected 2 randomly moving red laser dots onto the floor 4 times/day for 4-min “laser periods”. Seven LASER and 7 control pens, with 5 focal birds/pen (n=70), were randomly selected to be video-recorded d0-8 and once weekly for the remainder of the trial. Videos were analyzed to measure broiler time-budget and behaviors such latency to feed and distance walked during laser periods. Focal birds were gait scored weekly on-farm. A test of the Human-Approach Paradigm was carried out on wk 1 and 6 on all pens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Kraayenbrink, Anna Butters-Johnson, Derek Kraayenbrink