HEALTH DATA GENERATING METHOD, HEALTH DATA GENERATION APPARATUS THEREFOR, USER TERMINAL THEREFOR, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM THEREFOR

• US 20080154645A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tanita Corporation (Tanita)
• Original Assignee: Tanita Corporation (Tanita)
• Inventors: TAKEHARA, Katsumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 Body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/50 having additional measuring devices, e.g. for height
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A health data generation system has a measuring apparatus and a user terminal. The measuring apparatus transmits to the user terminal function type information indicating function of the measuring apparatus. The user terminal selects a desired function based on the received function type information and transmits the selected function as function designation information to measuring apparatus. The measuring apparatus transmits to the user terminal parameter specifying information designating the types of parameters necessary for performing the function specified by the function designation information. The user terminal prompts a user to input individual data to the parameters and registers the individual data together with the function designation information as registration information R.

Claims

1. A health data generating method for use in a health data generation system having a health data generation apparatus and a user terminal for communicating with the health data generating device, the user terminal having a storage device for storing predetermined data, and the health generation device having a human subject index measuring device for measuring conditions of a human subject and outputting human subject index information and having plural functions of generating plural types of health data serving as indices of health conditions, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the user terminal to the health data generation apparatus, a function inquiry for inquiring about functions of the health data generation apparatus;

transmitting, from the health data generation apparatus to the user terminal, upon receiving the function inquiry, a function response containing function type information indicating the types of the plural functions;

displaying, at the user terminal, the functions of the health data generation apparatus based on the function type information contained in the received function response, thereby prompting a user to designate one of the functions, and transmitting the designated function as the function designation information to the health data generation apparatus;

transmitting, from the health data generation apparatus to the user terminal, parameter specifying information specifying types of parameters necessary for generating the health data that will be generated by the function designated by the received function designation information;

generating registration information including the function designation information and individual data of the user associated with each other by prompting, at the user terminal, the user to input the individual data for the types of parameters specified by the received parameter specifying information, the registration information then being stored in the storage device;

transmitting, from the user terminal to the health data generation apparatus, an execution request containing the registration information after reading the registration information from the storage device in a case in which an operation input for measuring a health condition is performed by the user; and

generating, upon receiving the execution request containing the registration information from the user terminal, health data corresponding to the function designated by the function designation information included in the registration information based on the human subject index information of the user and the individual data included in the registration information.

2. A health data generating method according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the plural sets of health data is generated based only on the human subject index information,

wherein the step of transmitting parameter specifying information includes:

in a case in which there is parameter specifying information corresponding to the received function designation information, transmitting the corresponding parameter specifying information, and

in a case in which the function designated by the function designation information generates health data based only on the human subject index information and there is no parameter specifying information corresponding to the received function designation information, notifying the user terminal; and

wherein the step of registering the registration information includes the function designation information as the registration information in a case in which the user terminal receives a notification that there is no parameter specifying information corresponding to the function designation information.

3. A health data generating method according to claim 1,

wherein the user terminal is used by plural users;

wherein the storage device stores plural sets of the registration information generated for each of the plural users;

wherein the step of generating registration information includes;

prompting the user to input call name information for uniquely specifying the user; and

generating a nickname including the function designation information and the call name information and storing the nickname in association with the function designation information and with the individual data as the registration information; and

wherein the step of transmitting the execution request includes;

displaying plural nicknames;

prompting the user to select one of the plural nicknames;

reading, from the storage device, as the registration information, the function designation information and the individual data corresponding to the nickname selected by the user; and

transmitting the execution request containing the registration information.

4. A health data generating method according to claim 3,

wherein at least one of the plural sets of health data is generated based only on the human subject index information,

wherein the step of transmitting parameter specifying information includes:

in a case in which there is parameter specifying information corresponding to the received function designation information, transmitting the corresponding parameter specifying information, and

in a case in which the function designated by the function designation information generates health data based only on the human subject index information and there is no parameter specifying information corresponding to the received function designation information, notifying the user terminal; and

wherein the step of registering the registration information includes the function designation information as the registration information in a case in which the user terminal receives a notification that there is no parameter specifying information corresponding to the function designation information.

5. A health data generation apparatus provided with plural functions of generating plural types of health data serving as indices of health conditions and for communicating with a user terminal operated by a user, the health data generation apparatus comprising:

a human subject index measurer that measures conditions of a human subject and outputs human subject index information;

a function storage device that stores function type information indicating types of the plural functions and parameter specifying information specifying types of parameters relating to characteristics of the human subject, the parameters being used for the generation of a particular type of the health data corresponding to the function type;

a function responder that, upon receiving a function inquiry for inquiring a function of the health data generation apparatus, refers to the function storage device and transmits a function response to the user terminal, the function response containing the function type information for the plural types of functions;

a parameter responder that, upon receiving function designation information for designating a type of function of the health data generation apparatus, reads, from the function storage device, the parameter specifying information corresponding to the function designated in the function designation information and transmits a parameter response containing the parameter specifying information to the user terminal;

a health data generator that, upon receiving from the user terminal an execution request containing registration information that includes the function designation information and individual data, with the execution request instructing generation of health data corresponding to the function designated by the function designation information and with the individual data corresponding to the parameter specifying information, generates the health data by executing a predetermined computation based on the human subject index information measured by the human subject index measurer and the individual data included in the registration information.

6. A user terminal operated by a user and for communicating with a health data generation apparatus having plural functions for generating plural types of health data serving as indices of health conditions, the user terminal comprising:

a storage device that stores predetermined information;

a function requester that transmits, to the health data generation apparatus, a function inquiry for inquiring about functions of the health data generation apparatus;

a function designation requester that, upon receiving from the health data generation apparatus a function response containing function type information indicating types of the plural functions, displays the functions of the health data generation apparatus based on the types of functions indicated by the function type information, the display prompting the user to designate one of the functions, and transmits a function designation request containing function designation information indicating the designated function;

a registration information generator that, upon receiving a parameter response containing parameter specifying information specifying types of parameters necessary for generating health data corresponding to the function designated by the function designation information, prompts the user to input individual data of the user for the types of parameters specified by the received parameter specifying information and generates registration information including the function designation information and the individual data, for storage in the storage device; and

an execution requester that, upon receiving an instruction from the user for measuring a health condition, reads the registration information from the storage device and transmits an execution request containing the registration information to the health data generation apparatus.

7. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a user terminal operated by a user, the user terminal for communicating with a health data generation apparatus having plural functions for generating plural types of health data serving as indices of health conditions, the user terminal having a storage device for storing predetermined information and having a computer, the computer program at least including computer readable instructions for causing the computer to execute:

a function request process for transmitting, to the health data generation apparatus, a function request inquiring function of the health data device;

a function designation request process for, upon receiving from the health data generation apparatus a function response containing function type information indicating types of the plural functions, displaying the functions of the health data generation apparatus based on the types of functions indicated by the function type information, the display prompting the user to designate one of the functions, and for transmitting a function designation request containing function designation information indicating the designated function;

a registration information generating process for, upon receiving a parameter response containing parameter specifying information specifying types of parameters necessary for generating health data corresponding to the function designated by the function designation information, prompting the user to input individual data of the user for the types of parameters specified by the received parameter specifying information and for generating registration information including the function designation information and the individual data, for storage in the storage device; and

an execution requesting process for, upon receiving an instruction from the user for measuring a health condition, reading the registration information from the storage device and for transmitting an execution request containing the registration information to the health data generation apparatus.