Method and apparatus for managing infant care

• US 20030063135A1
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yadong Liu
• Original Assignee: Yadong Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Yadong
• Granted Patent: US 6,886,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

A generic solution is disclosed to facilitate and improve the management of infant care, the complex nutritional and health requirements of infants. According to one embodiment, a portable device collects information regarding the subject infant and can manually or automatically configure various reminders for a caregiver to attend to the infant under care. According to another embodiment, based on the collected information, the apparatus configures reminders in accordance with associated product information (i.e., product nutrition, serial numbers and use information). As a result, a caregiver can be always reminded of what, when and how much of infant products an infant shall be fed with.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing infant care, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface including a display screen and an input mechanism;

a memory device for storing infant data entered through the input mechanism;

a module determining reminders with respect to the entered infant data, each of the reminders to be activated by the module when an appropriate time comes; and

wherein each of the reminders causes a message to be displayed on the display screen and the message instructs what to do with an infant under care.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the infant data includes personal information particular to the infant under care of a user associated with the apparatus and the infant data is provided by the user.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the personal information includes birth date, birth weight, gender of the infant.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the personal information further includes health condition of the infant.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising an alerting means operatively connected to the processor and the client module, the alerting means alarming the user when one of the reminders is activated.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the alerting means is one or more of (i) a beeper, (ii) a vibrator, (iii) an unusual display, and (iv) a ringer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the entered infant data in the memory device can be updated with newly entered infant data, as a result, the reminders are re-configured with respect to the newly entered infant data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is portable and carried around by a user.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus possesses a toy-like appearance suitable for an infant room.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a memory space storing a set of reference data and wherein the module collects the message in each of the reminders that have been activated.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the module performs a comparison between the reference data and a set of actual data derived from the collected message from each of the reminders that have been activated, and wherein the comparison can be displayed on the display screen so that the user knows how the infant is physically developing comparing to other normal children.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the comparison is presented in a format that is one of (i) a graph, (ii) a table, and (iii) a text.

13. An apparatus for managing infant care, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface including a display screen and an input mechanism;

a memory device for storing infant data entered through the input mechanism;

a module receiving respective reminders entered by a user through the input mechanism, each of the reminders configured, when activated, to display a message reminding the user what to do; and

wherein the apparatus is portable and possesses a toy-like appearance suitable for an infant room.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the infant data includes personal information particular to the infant under care of the user and the infant data is provided by the user.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the personal information includes birth date, birth weight, gender of the infant.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising an alerting means operatively connected to the processor and the client module, the alerting means alarming the user when one of the reminders is activated.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the alerting means is one or more of (i) a beeper, (ii) a vibrator, (iii) an unusual display, and (iv) a ringer.

18. An apparatus for managing infant care, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface including a display screen and an input mechanism;

a memory device for storing infant data entered through the input mechanism;

a client module determining reminders with respect to the entered infant data, each of the reminders to be activated by the module when an appropriate time comes; and

wherein each of the reminders causes a message to be displayed on the display screen and the message instructs what to do with an infant under care.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a network interface that facilitate data communication with a server device over a data network, wherein the server device hosts a knowledge data base including product information of the infant product.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is caused to download product information into the memory device when desired.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the product information includes nutritional information as well as usage instructions of the infant product.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the product information is provided by a manufacturer of the infant product or a business entity associated with the infant product.

23. An apparatus for managing infant care, the apparatus comprising:

a telephonic means for voice communication with other phones;

a memory device for storing infant data entered through a keypad;

a client module, when activated by a processor, determining reminders according to at least an infant product with respect to the entered infant data, each of the reminders to be activated by the client module when an appropriate time comes;

wherein each of the reminders causes a message to be displayed on a display screen; and

wherein the apparatus normally functions as a mobile telephone and becomes a reminding system when one of the reminders activates.

24. The apparatus of claim 23;

wherein the entered infant data in the memory device can be updated with newly entered infant data, as a result, the reminders are re-determined with respect to the newly entered infant data.

25. A method for managing infant care, the method comprising:

entering infant data into a portable device;

selecting one or more desired products for an infant to be cared with the portable device;

receiving one of reminders that are configured in accordance with the infant data and product information of the one or more desired products; and

following instructions included in the one of reminders when the one of reminders is displayed on a display screen of the portable device.

26. The method of claim 25 further including:

updating the product information with a server providing latest information of the one or more desired products so that the reminders are always accurate.

27. A method for managing infant care, the method comprising:

receiving infant data from a caregiver caring an infant;

receiving a selection of one or more products for the infant;

configuring reminders in accordance with the infant data and product information of the selected one or more products;

activating the reminders sequentially over time to remind the caregiver of what, when and how much of the selected one or more products the infant shall be fed.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

communicating over a network with a server;

receiving newly released product information of the selected one or more products, if there is any, to update the product information of the selected one or more products;

receiving regulated information of the selected one or more products, if there is any, to warn the caregiver that the selected one or more products are in question.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein each of the one or more products can be independently provided to the infant and have different levels of nutrition and favors.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the activating of the reminders sequentially over time comprises displaying one of the reminders at a time and alerting the caregiver of the one of the reminders being displayed.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the server is operated by a business producing the one or more products or administrating the product information of the one or more products.