Waist measuring belt

• US 10,359,327 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Brenner, Jennifer T., Luk, Bryant Genepang, He, Robert, Das, Ananya, O'Toole, Christopher Diebold, Tang, Yu, Bates, Richard Chapman, Ziaja, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Ly D
• Application Number:
  US14/556,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20160153853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 702155
• CPC Class Codes: A41F 9/002 Free belts
• CPC Class Codes: A41H 1/02 Devices for taking measurements on the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/005 Buckles combined with other articles, e.g. with receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/107 Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1072 measuring distances on the body, e.g. measuring length, height or thickness A61B5/1076 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/02 for measuring length, width, or thickness G01B21/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/047 Accessories, e.g. for positioning, for tool-setting, for measuring probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/11 Chains for measuring length
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/047 Specific indicating or recording arrangements, e.g. for remote indication, for indicating overload or underload

Abstract

In various example embodiments, devices, systems, and methods for a waist measuring belt are provided. An example waist measuring belt is made up of a belt buckle frame with attachments for a belt strap. The belt further includes a position measuring module coupled to the belt buckle frame that measures an attachment position of a second end of the belt strap to the belt buckle frame. The belt also includes a tension measuring module coupled to the belt buckle frame that measures a tension through the belt buckle frame and the belt strap. A memory and a wireless communication module attached to the belt may be used to store measurements and communicate with a mobile device or server. In various embodiments, estimated user waist sizes over time using measured values and belt-specific data may be used to estimate a user'"'"'s waist size and generate a waist size history.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

measuring, using a strain gauge a first tension in a belt strap, wherein the belt strap, a belt buckle frame, and the strain gauge are all coupled as part of a belt, and wherein the first tension is measured during a first time period;

measuring, using a contact sensor coupled to the belt, a first position where the belt strap connects to the belt buckle frame, wherein the first position is measured during the first time period;

estimating, using the first tension and the first position, a first waist size of a user wearing the belt during the first time period;

measuring, using the strain gauge, a second tension in the belt strap during a second time period that is different from the first time period;

measuring, using the contact sensor, a second position where the belt strap connects to the belt buckle frame during the second time period;

estimating, using the second tension and the second position, a second waist size of the user wearing the belt during the second time period; and

communicating, using a wireless communication module coupled to the belt buckle frame, the first tension, the second tension, the first position, and the second position to a first device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, using a clock module coupled to the belt buckle frame, a first time associated with the first time period;

determining, using the clock module, a second time associated with the second time period.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing, at a memory device coupled to the belt buckle frame, the first time, the first tension, and the first position as a first waist measurement; and

storing, at the memory device, the second time, the second tension, and the second position as a second waist measurement;

wherein communicating the first tension, the second tension, the first position, and the second position to the first device comprises a first communication of the first waist measurement and a second communication of the second waist measurement.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first device comprises a user smartphone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein estimating the first waist size and the second waist size comprises:

receiving, at the user smartphone, the first waist measurement and the second waist measurement; and

relaying, from the user smartphone, the first waist measurement and the second waist measurement to a server computer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein estimating the first waist size and the second waist size comprises:

calculating, at the server computer, a first estimated waist size using the first tension and the first position;

calculating, at the server computer, a second estimated waist size using the second tension and the second position; and

calculating, at the server computer, a change in estimated waist size using the first estimated waist size and the second estimated waist size.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein calculating the first estimated waist size comprises:

determining a belt strap length associated with the first position;

determining an adjustment value associated with the first tension in the belt strap; and

determining the first estimated waist sized by adjusting the belt strap length by the adjustment value to determine the first estimated waist size.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first waist measurement further comprises first belt information;

and

wherein determining a belt strap length associated with the first position comprises analyzing the first belt information to determine the belt strap length associated with the first position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first position comprises a distance along the belt strap from a first end of the belt strap that is attached to a first attachment of the belt buckle frame to an adjustable attachment area where a second end of the belt strap is attached to a second attachment of the belt buckle frame.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, at the wireless communication module, prior to communicating the first waist measurement, first belt information, the first belt information associating each of a plurality of attachment positions of the second end of the belt strap to the belt buckle frame to a corresponding perimeter length of the belt for a corresponding attachment position of the plurality of attachment positions.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining that the second estimated waist size is larger than a user threshold waist size value; and

communicating a first alert message to the user smartphone in response to the determination that the second estimated waist size is larger than the user threshold waist size value.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing, in a smartphone memory of the user smartphone, a plurality of estimated waist sizes and associated measurement times;

receiving, at an input module of the user smartphone, an input associated with the plurality of estimated waist sizes;

displaying, at an output display of the user smartphone, a chart of estimated waist sizes over time, the chart of estimated waist sizes over time displaying the first estimated waist size at the first time and the second estimated waist size at the second time;

wherein calculating the first estimated waist size comprises accessing an associated table that provides the first estimated waist size from the first position and the first tension.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first waist size estimated using the first tension and the first position is different than a belt length associated with the first position.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the belt strap comprises patterns within a plurality of attachment areas, and wherein the contact sensor detects the first position based on a texture of the belt strap in a surface of a portion of an attachment area of the plurality of attachment areas.

15. A system comprising a belt buckle frame, the belt buckle frame comprising:

a tension measuring device configured to;

measure a first tension in a belt strap, wherein the belt strap, the belt buckle frame is further configured for connection with the belt strap as part of a belt, and wherein the first tension is measured during a first time period; and

measure a second tension in the belt strap during a second time period that is different from the first time period; and

a position measuring device configured to;

measure a first position where the belt strap connects to the belt buckle frame, wherein the first position is measured during the first time period; and

measure a second position where the belt strap connects to the belt buckle frame during the second time period;

processing circuitry configured to;

estimate, using the first tension and the first position, a first waist size of a user wearing the belt during the first time period; and

estimate, using the second tension and the second position, a second waist size of the user wearing the belt during the second time period; and

wireless circuitry configured to communicate the first tension, the second tension, the first position, and the second position to a first device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the belt strap comprises a plurality of magnets with an arranged pattern that differentiates the magnetic field along the length of the belt strap;

and

wherein the position measuring device measures the first position by detecting the magnetic field.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by circuitry of a belt buckle frame, cause the belt buckle frame to perform operations comprising:

measuring, using a tension measuring device, a first tension in a belt strap, wherein the belt strap, the belt buckle frame, and the tension measuring device are all coupled as part of a belt, and wherein the first tension is measured during a first time period;

measuring, using a position measuring device coupled to the belt, a first position where the belt strap connects to the belt buckle frame, wherein the first position is measured during the first time period;

estimating, using the first tension and the first position, a first waist size of a user wearing the belt during the first time period;

measuring, using the tension measuring device, a second tension in the belt strap during a second time period that is different from the first time period;

measuring, using the position measuring device, a second position where the belt strap connects to the belt buckle frame during the second time period;

estimating, using the second tension and the second position, a second waist size of the user wearing the belt during the second time period; and

communicating, using wireless communication circuitry coupled to the belt buckle frame, the first tension, the second tension, the first position, and the second position to a first device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions further cause the belt buckle frame to perform operations comprising:

determining, using a clock module coupled to the belt buckle frame, a first time associated with the first time period;

determining, using the clock module, a second time associated with the second time period.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the instructions further cause the belt buckle frame to perform operations comprising:

storing, at a memory device coupled to the belt buckle frame, the first time, the first tension, and the first position as a first waist measurement; and

storing, at the memory device, the second time, the second tension, and the second position as a second waist measurement;

wherein communicating the first tension, the second tension, the first position, and the second position to the first device comprises a first communication of the first waist measurement and a second communication of the second waist measurement.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the tension measuring device comprises a spring and circuitry configured to measure a tensile force exerted on the spring;

and

wherein the position measuring device comprises a contact sensor that senses patterns within a plurality of attachment areas of the belt strap.