Biometric Monitoring Device having a Body Weight Sensor, and Methods of Operating Same

• US 20130289889A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao, Friedman, Eric Nathan, Park, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,696,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0257 using atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/107 Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 : Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 : Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 : Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4343 : Pregnancy and labour monitoring, e.g. for labour onset detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 : Body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 : Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 : Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 : using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 : User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/749 : Voice-controlled interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3702 : Physiological parameters A61N1/365 takes precedence; evoked response A61N1/371
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 : Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 : Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 : calorie expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 : for weighing persons
• 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: G06F 21/31 : User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 : using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 : Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 : Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/125 : the stations being mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 : relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 : for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A system comprising a biometric monitoring device including a housing including a platform to receive at least one foot of the user, a body weight sensor to generate body weight data, processing circuitry to calculate user weight data which corresponds to the user'"'"'s weight, using the body weight data, and communication circuitry to: (a) receive user identification data which identifies the user or a portable activity monitoring device, and (b) transmit the user weight data to data storage associated with the user identification data. The system further includes the portable activity monitoring device including a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the user'"'"'s body, a sensor to generate sensor data, and communication circuitry to receive physiologic data which is based on the user weight data, and processing circuitry to calculate activity data using the sensor data and physiologic data.

Claims

1. A biometric monitoring system comprising:

a biometric monitoring device to measure a weight of a user, the biometric monitoring device including;

a housing including a platform configured to receive at least one foot of the user and capable of supporting the body weight of the user;

a body weight sensor, mechanically coupled to the platform, to generate sensor data which is representative of the weight of the user;

processing circuitry, disposed in the housing and coupled to the body weight sensor, to calculate the user weight data which corresponds to the weight of the user, using the sensor data;

a visual display, coupled to the processing circuitry, to display the user weight data; and

communication circuitry to;

wirelessly receive user identification data directly from the portable activity monitoring device, wherein the user identification data identifies the user or a portable activity monitoring device, and

transmit the user weight data to data storage which is associated with the user identification data; and

the portable activity monitoring device including;

a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user;

a motion sensor, disposed in the housing, to generate motion data which is representative of motion of the user, and communication circuitry to receive data which is representative of the user weight data; and

processing circuitry, coupled to the sensor and the communication circuitry, to calculate activity data using the motion data and the data which is representative of the user weight data.

2. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry of the portable activity monitoring device wirelessly receives the data which is representative of the user weight data from the biometric monitoring device.

3. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the activity data is calorie burn or calorie expenditure.

4. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device includes Internet communication circuitry to transmit the user weight data to the data storage which is:

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

5. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein, after receipt of the user identification data, the processing circuitry of the biometric monitoring device retrieves physiologic data which is associated with the user identification data and outputs the physiologic data to the visual display.

6. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the visual display of the biometric monitoring device is disposed in, on or juxtaposed to the platform of the biometric monitoring device.

7. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device wirelessly receives activity data directly from the portable activity monitoring device.

8. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein, after receipt of the user identification data, the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device automatically receives activity data directly from the portable activity monitoring device.

9. The biometric monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device transmits the activity data to the data storage which is:

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

10. The biometric monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device is disposed in the housing of the biometric monitoring device.

11. A biometric monitoring system comprising:

a biometric monitoring device to measure a weight of a user, the biometric monitoring device including;

a housing including a platform configured to receive at least one foot of the user and capable of supporting the body weight of the user;

a body weight sensor, mechanically coupled to the platform, to generate body weight data which is representative of the weight of the user;

processing circuitry, disposed in the housing and coupled to the body weight sensor, to calculate user weight data which corresponds to the weight of the user, using the body weight data; and

communication circuitry, physically coupled to the housing, to;

receive user identification data, wherein the user identification data identifies the user or a portable activity monitoring device, and

transmit the user weight data to data storage which is associated with the user identification data; and

the portable activity monitoring device including;

a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user;

a sensor, disposed in the housing, to generate sensor data which is representative of activity of the user, and communication circuitry to receive physiologic data, wherein the physiologic data is based on the user weight data; and

processing circuitry, coupled to the sensor and the communication circuitry, to calculate activity data using the sensor data and the physiologic data.

12. The biometric monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the communication circuitry of the portable activity monitoring device wirelessly receives the physiologic data from the biometric monitoring device.

13. The biometric monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the activity data is calorie burn or calorie expenditure.

14. The biometric monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device includes Internet communication circuitry to transmit the user weight data to the data storage which is:

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

15. The biometric monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the biometric monitoring device further includes a visual display which is disposed in, on or juxtaposed to the platform of the biometric monitoring device.

16. The biometric monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device wirelessly receives activity data directly from the portable activity monitoring device.

17. The biometric monitoring system of claim 16 wherein the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device includes Internet communication circuitry to transmit the activity data to data storage which is:

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

18. The biometric monitoring system of claim 11 wherein, after receipt of the user identification data, the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device automatically receives activity data directly from the portable activity monitoring device.

19. A biometric monitoring system comprising:

a biometric monitoring device to measure a weight of a user, the biometric monitoring device including;

a housing including a platform configured to receive at least one foot of the user and capable of supporting the body weight of the user;

a body weight sensor, mechanically coupled to the platform, to generate body weight data which is representative of the weight of the user;

processing circuitry, disposed in the housing and coupled to the body weight sensor, to calculate user weight data which corresponds to the weight of the user, using the body weight data; and

communication circuitry, physically coupled to the housing, to

output the user weight data to a portable activity monitoring device; and

the portable activity monitoring device including;

a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user;

a sensor, disposed in the housing, to generate sensor data which is representative of activity of the user, and

communication circuitry to;

receive the user weight data, and

transmit the user weight data to data storage which is associated with user identification data, wherein the user identification data identifies the user or the portable activity monitoring device; and

processing circuitry, coupled to the sensor and the communication circuitry, to calculate activity data using the sensor data and user weight data.

20. The biometric monitoring system of claim 19 wherein the communication circuitry of the portable activity monitoring device wirelessly receives the user weight data from the biometric monitoring device.

21. The biometric monitoring system of claim 19 wherein the activity data is calorie burn or calorie expenditure.

22. The biometric monitoring system of claim 19 wherein the communication circuitry of the portable activity monitoring device wirelessly transmits activity data directly to data storage which is:

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

23. The biometric monitoring system of claim 19 wherein the communication circuitry of the portable activity monitoring device wirelessly transmits the user weight data directly to data storage which is:

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

24. The biometric monitoring system of claim 19 wherein the biometric monitoring device further includes a visual display which is disposed in, on or juxtaposed to the platform of the biometric monitoring device.

25. The biometric monitoring system of claim 19 wherein the communication circuitry of the portable activity monitoring device wirelessly transmits user weight data directly to data storage which is:

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

26. The biometric monitoring system of claim 19 wherein:

the communication circuitry of the portable activity monitoring device transmits the user weight data to the data storage using a first communication protocol, and

the communication circuitry of the biometric monitoring device transmits the user weight data to the portable activity monitoring device using a second communication protocol.