Breath ketone measurement system with analysis unit that communicates with mobile application

• US 10,278,640 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invoy Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invoy Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Ahmad, Lubna M., Ahmad, Salman A., Smith, Zachary
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US15/362,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 702 19
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0087 Breath samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/083 Measuring rate of metabolism by using breath test, e.g. measuring rate of oxygen consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2033/4975 other than oxygen, carbon dioxide or alcohol, e.g. organic vapours
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 : of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/64 : involving ketones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 : Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 : Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 : Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 : for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A portable system is provided for measuring a ketone, such as an acetone, in the breath or other bodily fluid of a user. The system includes a portable measurement device that analyzes fluid samples and generates corresponding ketone measurements. The portable measurement device communicates with an application which runs on a smartphone or other mobile device of the user. The application tracks, and generates graphs of, the ketone measurements, and may include various features for facilitating the analysis of the measurements.

Claims

1. A system for measuring ketone levels in breath, the system comprising:

a disposable cartridge configured to receive a breath sample and to react to a ketone in the breath sample;

an analysis unit configured to analyze the disposable cartridge after the disposable cartridge receives the breath sample, and to generate a ketone measurement based on the analysis of the disposable cartridge, the analysis unit comprising a wireless transceiver capable of transmitting the ketone measurement to mobile communications device, the analysis unit additionally comprising a presence sensor capable of detecting whether the disposable cartridge is inserted into the analysis unit; and

a mobile application stored in computer storage, the mobile application comprising executable instructions that direct the mobile communications device to at least;

receive the ketone measurement via a wireless communications link between the analysis unit and the mobile communications device;

display a user interface that includes a set of tags, each tag representing a respective condition that can affect ketone measurements, each tag individually selectable via the user interface to tag the ketone measurement with information that enables masking effects of the conditions to be considered during subsequent analysis of ketone measurements;

receive, via the user interface, and in association with the ketone measurement, a user selection of a tag; and

record the selection of the tag in association with the ketone measurement;

wherein the mobile application is configured to segregate ketone measurements received from the analysis unit based on tags applied to such ketone measurements.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of tags is personalized for a particular user of the system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile application further includes a second user interface that provides functionality to define the personalized set of tags.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second user interface prompts a user to select tags from a master set of tags.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of tags includes a tag representing a sleep disruption condition.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of tags includes a tag representing intake of food within a defined time period of taking a ketone measurement.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of tags includes a tag representing intake of a medication within a defined time period of taking a ketone measurement.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further direct the mobile communications device to generate and display a tag-specific graph corresponding to a particular tag, the tag-specific graph based on a plurality of ketone measurements tagged with the particular tag.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further direct the mobile communications device to concurrently display a plurality of tag-specific graphs, each of which corresponds to a different respective tag, each tag-specific graph based on ketone measurements tagged with the respective tag.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the presence sensor comprises a bump switch.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is configured to transmit to the mobile communications device, via the wireless transceiver, a signal indicating a state of the presence sensor, and the mobile application is configured to use the signal to display analysis unit status information.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is configured to fluidly connect to a breath container containing the breath sample.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the disposable cartridge contains an interactant that reacts with the ketone.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the analysis unit is configured to sense a color change in the disposable cartridge resulting from a chemical reaction involving the interactant and the ketone.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit comprises a ketone sensor that generates the ketone measurement.

16. A method comprising:

by an analysis unit of a ketone measurement system;

detecting, with a presence sensor of the analysis unit, insertion of a disposable cartridge into the analysis unit;

generating a ketone measurement based on an analysis of the disposable cartridge after a breath sample has been provided into the disposable cartridge, the ketone measurement reflective of a concentration level of a ketone in the breath sample;

wirelessly transmitting the ketone measurement to a mobile communications device with a wireless transceiver of the analysis unit; and

by execution of a mobile application on the mobile communications device;

displaying, in association with the ketone measurement, a tagging interface that includes a set of tags, each tag representing a respective condition that can affect ketone measurements, each tag being selectable via the tagging interface to associate the tag with the ketone measurement;

receiving, via the tagging interface, a user selection of a tag to associate with the ketone measurement; and

recording the selection of the tag in association with the ketone measurement.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of tags is personalized for a particular user of the ketone measurement system.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, prior to generating the ketone measurement, receiving user input defining the personalized set of tags, wherein the user input comprises a selection of a subset of a set of tags, the subset including multiple tags and omitting at least some tags in the set.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising, by execution of the mobile application on the mobile communications device, displaying the ketone measurement in a tag-specific graph corresponding to the tag.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising, by the analysis unit, pumping the breath sample into the disposable cartridge.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the ketone measurement comprises, by the analysis unit, detecting a color change produced by a chemical reaction in the disposable cartridge, the chemical reaction involving the ketone in the breath sample and an interactant in the disposable cartridge.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the ketone measurement is generated by a ketone sensor.

23. A system for measuring ketone levels in breath, the system comprising:

a ketone measurement device configured to receive a breath sample and to generate a ketone measurement representing a concentration of a ketone in the breath sample, the ketone measurement device comprising a nanoparticle sensor that senses the ketone in the breath sample, the ketone measurement device further comprising a wireless transceiver capable of communicating ketone measurements to a mobile communications device, wherein the ketone measurement device is configured to attach to a mouthpiece device into which a user exhales the breath sample, and comprises a presence sensor that detects attachment of the mouthpiece device to the ketone measurement device; and

a mobile application stored in computer storage, the mobile application comprising executable instructions that direct the mobile communications device to at least;

receive the ketone measurement from the ketone measurement device;

display a user interface that includes a set of tags, each tag representing a respective condition that can affect ketone measurements, each tag individually selectable via the user interface to tag the ketone measurement with information that enables masking effects of the conditions to be considered during subsequent analysis of ketone measurements;

receive, via the user interface, and in association with the ketone measurement, a user selection of a tag; and

record the selection of the tag in association with the ketone measurement;

wherein the mobile application is configured to segregate ketone measurements received from the ketone measurement device based on tags applied to such ketone measurements.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the set of tags is personalized for a particular user of the system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the mobile application further includes a second user interface that provides functionality to define the personalized set of tags.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the second user interface prompts the user to select tags from a set of tags.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the set of tags includes a tag representing a sleep disruption condition.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the set of tags includes a tag representing intake of food within a defined time period of taking a ketone measurement.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the set of tags includes a tag representing intake of a medication within a defined time period of taking a ketone measurement.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions further direct the mobile communications device to generate and display a tag-specific graph corresponding to a particular tag, the tag-specific graph based on a plurality of ketone measurements tagged with the particular tag.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions further direct the mobile communications device to concurrently display a plurality of tag-specific graphs, each of which corresponds to a different respective tag, each tag-specific graph based on ketone measurements tagged with the respective tag.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein the presence sensor comprises a switch that is activated by insertion of the mouthpiece device into the ketone measurement device.

33. The system of claim 23, further comprising the mouthpiece device, wherein the mouthpiece device comprises a desiccant.