Food Scale that measures specific volume and weight from preprogrammed densities while compiling nutritional data of used ingredients from stored data.

• US 20110005842A1
• Filed: 07/12/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Frank Chan
• Original Assignee: Frank Chan
• Inventors: Chan, Frank
• Application Number:
  US12/501,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20110005842A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 177/25.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4146 for controlling caloric intake, e.g. diet control

Abstract

Scale that can measure volume of many foods and ingredients based on density calculations and input of mass from scale. User able to input desired quantity, unit of measurement, and food item by both keypad on unit and or voice recognition. User is then guided to the addition of specified ingredient to targeted amount by visual and auditory indication. The food scale compiles the nutritional information of all used ingredients from programmed nutritional data for the user'"'"'s knowledge. The food scale is capable of listing ingredient substitutions and storing recipes as well as prompting for additional ingredients in a preprogrammed recipe.

Claims

1. Scale with preprogrammed densities and nutritional data of many food items and other ingredients by on-board computer, capable of taking user input to calculate desired mass from known densities and can take input of custom ingredients and recipes to the on-board computer while having a means to alert the approach of the desired amount of ingredient.

2. On-board computer of claim 1 is capable of unit conversions between most known densities, mass, and volume.

3. User input of claim 1 allows user input of desired quantity, unit of measurement, and ingredient by keypad consisting of a set of numerical keys to input quantity, keys of many common volumes and masses, and condensed or full alphabetic keys to input name of ingredient.

4. User input of claim 1 is user input of desired quantity, unit of measurement, and ingredient by voice recognition.

5. On-board computer'"'"'s ability to calculate desired mass from known density of claim 1 is accomplished by using programmed unit conversion factors, programmed ingredient densities and from user input of desired quantity of ingredient.

6. Scale'"'"'s means of alert in claim 1 is visual in the form of a decreasing status bar of lights to alert to the approach of target mass.

7. Scale'"'"'s means of alert in claim 1 is auditory in the form of increasing frequency of beeps to the point of a constant beep to alert to the approach of target mass.

8. User input of custom ingredients of claim 1 is accomplished by inputing title and then measuring the mass of a specified volume to form a baseline density.

9. Scale maintains total nutritional data of all used ingredients as compiled from the nutritional data of claim 1 to inform user of total nutritional information.

11. Scale capable of storing user recipes and ingredients as well as preprogrammed recipes of claim 1 by direct input or external computer media.

12. Scale prompts ingredient addition if following a programmed recipe of claim 11.

14. Scale prompts ingredient substitutions for recipes of stored recipes of claim 11.

10. Scale capable of repeated “

tare”

or “

zero out”

to allow continuous additions to the scale.