Methods, system and apparatus to improve motivation and control when taking meals and to automate the process of monitoring nutrition

• US 10,292,511 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anatoliy Tkach
• Original Assignee: Anatoliy Tkach
• Inventors: Tkach, Anatoliy
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US15/654,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20180098649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 340666
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/025 with means for amusing or giving information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/30 Other containers or devices used as table equipment used as kitchen equipment A47J47/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 23/14 combined with underlays or holders, e.g. for glasses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets

Abstract

A meal consumption monitoring and control system is disclosed. The system includes a flat profile scale serving as a coaster for a plate, a cup, or a glass enabled with Bluetooth or other type of wireless connectivity. The scale is connected to an accompanying mobile application installed on a mobile device. The mobile application is connected to the accompanying server-side cloud bases software application. The method for motivating children to consume meal in whole and without significant interruptions includes displaying a children content on the mobile device during the meal consumption, pausing the content when there is a significant delay registered in the meal consumption process, and resuming the content and/or providing certain awards to the child when the child resumes taking meal. The method for automatically controlling the consistency of the eater'"'"'s nutrition includes collecting meal descriptions and weight data at every meal taking session, and storing the collected data on the cloud for further access by the eaters and/or their parents/guardians.

Claims

1. A meal consumption monitoring and control system, comprising:

a flat profile scale configured as a coaster to be positionable under a dish, said scale being enabled with a wireless connectivity and being configured to continuously measure a weight of a meal in said dish;

a mobile device having a mobile application installed thereon, said mobile application being selectively connectable to the flat profile scale via said wireless connectivity; and

a server having a server-side cloud based software application;

said mobile application being selectively connectable to the server-side cloud based software application;

wherein said mobile application is configured to initiate a predetermined entertainment content on said mobile device when prompted by a user, wherein said mobile application is further configured to stop said predetermined entertainment content when said weight of said meal does not change for a predetermined period of time, wherein said mobile application is further configured to provide a voice prompt to an eater after said predetermined entertainment content is stopped, and wherein said mobile application is further configured to resume said predetermined entertainment content when said weight of said meal begins reducing again.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said mobile application is configured to determine a nutritional value of a consumed portion of said meal and to communicate said nutritional value to said server-side cloud based software application, and wherein said server-side cloud based software application is configured to store said nutritional value on said server.

3. The method for motivating eaters to consume a meal, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a flat profile scale and positioning said scale under a dish, said scale being enabled with a wireless connectivity;

providing a mobile device with a mobile application installed thereon, the mobile application being configured to initiate a predetermined entertainment content on said mobile device when prompted by a user;

selectively connecting said mobile application to the flat profile scale via said wireless connectivity;

using said flat profile scale to continuously measure a weight of a meal in said dish;

conveying said weight of said meal to said mobile application via said wireless connectivity;

using said mobile application to stop said predetermined entertainment content when said weight of said meal does not change for a predetermined period of time;

using said mobile application to provide a voice prompt to an eater after said predetermined entertainment content is stopped; and

using said mobile application to resume said predetermined entertainment content when said weight of said meal begins reducing again.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising steps of providing a server having a server-side cloud based software application;

and selectively connecting said mobile application to the server-side cloud based software application.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising steps of using said mobile application to determine a nutritional value of a consumed portion of said meal;

communicating said nutritional value to said server-side cloud based software application; and

using said server-side cloud based software application to store said nutritional value on said server.