Computerized imaging of target animals

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/170,573, filed on Jun. 29, 2005, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/584,908, filed Jul. 1, 2004, the content of both are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Not Applicable.

Devices are known for creating three dimensional (“3D”) image representations of items having complex shapes. For example, ShapeGrabber Inc. of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada designs, manufacturers and markets 3D laser scanners and 3D laser digitizers for 3D inspection, modeling and reverse engineering. The same company provides scanner services on a project basis. Because of their high-tech and costly nature 3D imaging systems, such as ShapeGrabber, are generally limited to industrial and business applications due to their higher cost.

The technology that the typical sportsman (e.g., a hunter, a trapper, a fisherman) possesses is generally limited to much less costly devices, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) systems. Further, in the process of recording and display of sporting trophies, or portions thereof, sportsmen generally rely on relatively primitive means such as having a mount of the original animal, or portion thereof, created. Further, sportsmen often use hand measurements to implement trophy scoring systems for comparison, categorization, and/or ranking of their sporting trophy. As defined herein “sporting trophy” means any non-living biological specimen obtained by a sportsman while engaged in their sport.

Most sportsmen (e.g., hunters, fishermen) participate in their respective sports with the goal of catching or taking animals with specific characteristics. On the occasion of acquiring a trophy animal (e.g., a deer with a large set of antlers, a fish with a great weight and/or length), sportsmen typically seek to record and display their achievements. This is generally done through the use of “mounts” (i.e., taking the trophy to a taxidermist) of their sporting trophy and in some circumstances with the use of scoring systems for comparison and ranking. However, this process requires that the original, or at least a mold thereof, be utilized. Thus, in cases of intentional or accidental disposal (e.g., through destruction or theft) of the original sporting trophy, a sportsman is unable to replace the trophy with an identical copy. Additionally, if the sporting trophy is damaged or otherwise flawed, the resulting mount, or mold thereof, would also contain the defects of the original.

Another major aspect related to sporting trophies pertains to scoring and ranking systems. For many years, sportsmen have been utilizing scoring systems to establish a numerical basis for categorizing and ranking sporting trophies such as antlers (e.g., whitetail deer antlers, elk antlers, moose antlers). Examples of such systems, illustratively in the context of deer antlers, include the Boone and Crocket, and the Pope and Young Score Charts. Determining the score of a set of deer antlers using the Boone and Crockett Scoring system, as well as other scoring systems, generally comprises measuring various characteristics such as the length and spacing of each tine, and the length and circumference of the main rack beams. Further, many scoring systems for sporting trophies comprise a number of categories (e.g., typical and non-typical antlers), each of which may be scored differently. For example, antlers ranked in the “typical” categories are given a higher score for symmetry.

As a result, the process of measuring and scoring sporting trophies is very labor intensive and requires precise measurement. The determination of accurate and consistent scores is very time-consuming and difficult as a great number of characteristics must be taken into account. The implementation of conventional scoring systems by hand leads to the possibility of error and/or ambiguity resulting from human error and/or lack of precision. Thus, there exists a need to implement economical and consistent systems of scoring sporting trophies. Further, a consistent, economical, and precise means for reproduction and/or analysis of portions of animals for sportsmen is needed.

A method of generating and storing three-dimensional digital data indicative of a sporting trophy is provided. The method may be implemented in relation to a wide variety of sporting trophy applications. A sportsman can provide a sporting trophy to a scanning system to obtain three-dimensional image data relative to the sporting trophy. Sporting-relevant measurements can be computed based on the stored three-dimensional image data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for obtaining digital data indicative of a sporting trophy.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system for obtaining digital data indicative of a set of antlers.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram chart illustrating an embodiment of the present invention comprising authenticating image data obtained from a sporting trophy.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention utilizing a CAT scan.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention utilizing a camera.

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