Method And System For Defining And Interactively Managing A Watched Diet

• US 20100256993A1
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Giacomo Vespasiani
• Original Assignee: Giacomo Vespasiani
• Inventors: Vespasiani, Giacomo
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method for interactive defining and managing of a controlled diet, prescribed to a patient by a doctor/dietician or another operator authorized to such function, includes the asynchronous execution of at least two different operational cycles. A first operational cycle is effected through an interactive terminal, for example a mobile phone, with which the above mentioned patient is equipped substantially for each meal consumed by the patient. The interactive terminal runs a program, which is started on patient'"'"'s command, and which operates on the basis of dietary order made by the doctor/dietician for the patient. The first operational cycle includes a step, in which the foods to be consumed in a given meal are chosen from a fist food data base, a step of quantification of the chosen food and a step of assessment of the congruity of the choices made by the patient with what is prescribed by the order. The first operational cycle includes also a step, during which data related to the quantities and to the composition of the food chosen by the patient are put at the disposal on the data transmission line. A second operational cycle executed by the doctor/dietician on a central processing unit, includes the steps of acquisition, for each patient, of the data related to the quantities and to the composition of the foods chosen by this patient for each meal, of comparison of these data with the dietary order for this patient, and if possible acquiring of an updating of the orders for the same patient, and of transmission of the orders to the patient'"'"'s interactive terminal on the data transmission line.

Claims

1. A method for defining and interactively managing a watched diet, said diet being prescribed to a patient by a doctor/dietician or another operator authorized to such function, characterized in that it includes asynchronous execution of at least two different operational cycles, which are interacting:

a first operational cycle, which can be performed through an interactive terminal given to said patient, substantially for each meal consumed by the latter, with said terminal having a program run therein, which can be started on said patient'"'"'s command, and having stored therein at least one dietary order made by said doctor/dietician for said patient, said first operational cycle including a step, in which foods to be consumed for a given meal are chosen from a first food database, stored in said interactive terminal, a step, in which the chosen food is quantified and a step, in which the congruity of the choice made by said patient with what is included in said prescription is assessed, said first operational cycle including also a step, in which the data related to the quantities and the composition of said food chosen by the patient are accessible on a communication line, and said data are possibly transmitted to a central processing unit;

a second operational cycle, run by the doctor/dietician on said central processing unit, including the steps of acquisition, for each said patient, from said interactive terminal, of the data related to the quantity and to the composition of the foods chosen by a patient for each meal, of comparison of these data with said dietary orders for said patient, and of possible acquisition of an update of said order for said patient, and of transmission of said order to the patient'"'"'s interactive terminal on said data transmission line.

2. A method, according to claim 1, characterized in that said first cycle includes a further step, performed optionally, for transmitting said data related to the quantities and composition of said foods chosen by the patient, to said central processing unit, via said data transmission line.

3. A method, according to claim 1, characterized in that, in said step in which food is chosen, bromatological composition of said food is displayed in graphic form for each chosen food.

4. A method, according to claim 3, characterized in that said display includes the display, for each composition parameter, of the target of the prescription for the meal being composed.

5. A method, according to claim 1, characterized in that said food quantification step includes a visual presentation of different quantities of chosen food.

6. A method, according to claim 5, characterized in that said different quantities are presented in form of a plurality of photos of said food, each photo representing different portions of the latter.

7. A method, according to claim 5, characterized in that said different quantities are presented in numeric form, with said numbers indicating the weight of the chosen portion.

8. A method, according to claim 5, characterized in that said different quantities are presented in form of conventional portions of common use.

9. A method, according to claim 1, characterized in that updating of the prescription is made by the doctor/dietician by means of a message on a GPRS line.

10. A system for defining and managing a controlled diet, said diet being prescribed to a patient by a doctor/dietician or another operator authorized to such function, characterized in that it includes:

for each patient, an interactive computerized terminal, equipped with not volatile memory areas and aimed at running operating programs;

an operative program, run on said interactive terminal and started by said patient;

a data area, aimed at receiving information, supplied by said doctor/dietician, related to dietary orders for said patient;

a first database, located in said interactive terminal memory and containing information, including the bromatological composition of a variety of food;

a second database, located in said interactive terminal memory and containing explicit graphic information of different quantities of each said food;

data acquisition procedure, aimed at acquiring, in real time, information related to the food eaten by the patient;

a quantification procedure, aimed at giving said patient graphic information related to quantities of each food, that he has eaten or is going to eat;

an assessment procedure, aimed at processing said information related to the food eaten or to be eaten by said patient and at giving the patient instructions, in graphic or numeric form, related to the congruity of said food with said doctor'"'"'s/dietician'"'"'s prescription;

a remote communication procedure, aimed at receiving information related to the aforesaid prescription and at transmitting information related to the composition and quantities of the food eaten by said patient;

said system including also, for said doctor/dietician, a central processing unit, aimed at running a monitoring program, said monitoring program including a procedure of communication with said patients'"'"' interactive terminals, of memorization and display of information related to the composition and quantity of the food eaten by each said patient and to their congruity with the relative orders, and of memorization and transmission of updates related to said order, to said interactive terminals;

said system including also at least one two-way data communication line between said interactive terminal and central processing unit.

11. A system, according to claim 10, characterized in that said interactive computerized terminal is a mobile phone.

12. A system, according to claim 11, characterized in that said mobile phone is equipped with GPRS functionality.

13. A system, according to claim 10 wherein said communication line is a standard line of a cellular telephone network, and said central processing unit is provided with an interface for communicating with said cellular telephone network.