Weight Control Device

• US 20100194573A1
• Filed: 01/13/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clemson University
• Original Assignee: Clemson University
• Inventors: Muth, Eric, Dong, Yujie, Hoover, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 8,310,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6825 Hand
• CPC Class Codes: G04D 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device that can be used in individual weight control protocols that is capable of detecting in real time information with regard to number of bites taken, time between bites, and so forth. The weight control device can detect bites through motion detection via a sensor worn on the wrist or hand of a user. The device can include notification capabilities that can alert a user as to excessive eating speed, excessive amounts of food intake, and the like so as to provide immediate feedback for purposes of weight control.

Claims

1. A device for determining that a bite of food has been taken by a subject, the device comprising:

a sensor that monitors motion of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of a subject; and

an electronic processor for receiving raw data concerning the motion of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of the subject from the sensor, the electronic processor carrying out data manipulation to form processed data, the processed data including determination that a bite of food has been taken by the subject.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising an electronic memory for storing the processed data.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the electronic memory further stores the number of bites taken by a user during a meal or over a period of time.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface for providing to the subject information concerning the determination of a bite of food taken by the subject.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising an attachment device for attaching the sensor to the clothing or body of the subject.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the attachment device comprises a wrist band or an adhesive.

7. The device claim 1, wherein the sensor is a multi-axis accelerometer, a gyroscope, a MARG sensor, or a magnetometer.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional sensors.

9. The device of claim 8, the one or more additional sensors including a sensor for monitoring at least one of the pitch and yaw motion of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of the subject;

for monitoring a physiological property of the subject;

or for monitoring the time taken between individual bites.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a housing that encloses the sensor.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is in wireless communication with the electronic processor.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a communications link for transferring data from the device to an external device.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a power source.

14. A device for determining that a bite of food has been taken by a subject, the device comprising:

a sensor that monitors at least the positive and negative roll motion of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of a subject; and

an electronic processor for receiving raw data concerning at least the positive and negative roll motion of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of the subject from the sensor, the electronic processor carrying out data manipulation on the raw data to form processed data, the processed data including determination that a bite of food has been taken by the subject.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising an electronic memory for storing the processed data.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the electronic memory further stores the number of bites taken by a user during a meal or over a period of time.

17. The device of claim 14, further comprising a user interface for providing to the subject information concerning the determination of a bite of food taken by the subject.

18. The device of claim 14, further comprising an attachment device for attaching the sensor to the clothing or body of the subject.

19. The device claim 14, wherein the sensor is a multi-axis accelerometer, a gyroscope, a MARG sensor, or a magnetometer.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the sensor is in wireless communication with the electronic processor.

21. The device of claim 14, further comprising a communications link for transferring data from the device to an external device.

22. A method for determining that a bite of food has been taken by a subject, the method comprising:

sensing raw data concerning positive and negative roll motion of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of a subject;

electronically processing the raw data with a processor to develop processed data, the processed data comprising a pattern of motion, the pattern of motion including

(a) a positive roll of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of a subject,

(b) a negative roll of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of a subject; and

(c) a pause of between about 0.5 seconds and about 10 seconds between (a) and (b), wherein upon recognition by the processor of the pattern of motion, the processor registers that a bite of food has been taken by the subject.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising electronically storing the processed data in a memory.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising providing information concerning the processed data to the subject via a user interface.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the information concerning the processed data is provided to the subject via an auditory, tactile, or visual signal, or a combination thereof.

26. The method according to claim 22, further comprising sensing additional data.

27. The method according to claim 26, the additional data being raw data concerning at least one of the yaw motion and the pitch motion of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of the subject, or a physiological property of the subject.

28. The method according to claim 22, wherein the positive roll of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of the subject is determined when a positive roll velocity exceeds a threshold positive roll velocity and the negative roll of the hand, arm, wrist, or any combination thereof of the subject is determined when a negative roll velocity exceeds a threshold negative roll velocity.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the threshold positive roll velocity is between about +5 degrees per second and about +15 degrees per second and the threshold negative roll velocity is between about −

5 degrees per second and about −

15 degrees per second.

30. The method according to claim 22, further comprising communicating information from the memory to an external device via a wired or wireless electronic communication methodology.

31. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of electronically processing the raw data comprises solving any bound problems in the raw data.

32. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of electronically processing the raw data comprises smoothing the raw data to form smoothed data.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the step of electronically processing the raw data comprises determining the derivative of the smoothed data.

34. The method according to claim 22, further comprising storing information in an electronic memory with regard to at least one of the total number of bites taken by the subject over the course of a single meal, over the course of multiple meals, or over a period of time.