FITNESS MONITORING DEVICE WITH USER ENGAGEMENT METRIC FUNCTIONALITY

• US 20150018991A1
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hong, Jung Ook, Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao, Arnold, Jacob Antony
• Granted Patent: US 9,202,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/91
• 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: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• 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 21/32 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: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0092 Nutrition
• 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: 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 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and systems are provided for determining a level of user engagement with a fitness monitoring device and, when a level of engagement metric for the fitness monitoring device for a person meets certain criteria, encouraging user engagement with the fitness monitoring device.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a user to promote engagement with a fitness monitoring device configured to measure a fitness parameter of the user, the method comprising:

detecting user engagement with the fitness monitoring device on multiple occasions, wherein each user engagement produces at least one measurement of the fitness parameter;

receiving a level of engagement metric for the user based, at least in part, on multiple detected user engagements with the fitness monitoring device; and

generating, based on the level of engagement metric, a notification containing information designed to encourage the user to perform one or more actions selected from the group consisting of;

engage with the fitness monitoring device more frequently than at present and maintain a present level of engagement with the fitness monitoring device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fitness monitoring device is a scale and the fitness parameter is the user'"'"'s weight.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the level of engagement metric comprises determining the user'"'"'s frequency of user engagement with the fitness monitoring device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a holistic health score determined from one or more of the following parameters associated with the user;

a sleep characteristic, a demographic characteristic, a location characteristic, a caloric intake rate, body fat level, step count per unit time, a level of interaction with a second fitness monitoring device, and weight; and

using the holistic health score, together with the level of engagement metric, to determine the information designed to encourage the user to more frequently engage with the fitness monitoring device and/or maintain a level of engagement with the fitness monitoring device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of:

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the level of engagement metric;

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a castigatory message for failing to reach a defined value of the level of engagement metric and/or a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a message to a friend or relative of the person;

a message to the user presented via a social networking site and visible to people associated with an account of the user on the social networking site;

a congratulatory message for meeting a pre-established user engagement goal;

a grant to the user of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content;

a withdrawal from the user of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content, an audible communication, and a tactile communication.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining through the user'"'"'s level of engagement metric and/or measured fitness parameter that the user has changed a behavior impacting fitness, wherein the notification comprises presenting a congratulatory message for changing the behavior impacting fitness.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the level of engagement metric is below a threshold level of engagement;

determining the location of the user; and

causing the fitness monitoring device to move in a direction selected from the group consisting of;

towards the location of the user and away from the location of the user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising

determining that an alarm clock alarm is to be activated based on data indicating time;

and

providing the notification via the notification mechanism responsive to the determination that the alarm clock alarm is to be activated.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

ceasing providing the notification responsive to the user engaging with the fitness monitoring device to produce a measurement of the fitness parameter.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating multiple notifications of different types, each containing information designed to encourage the user to more frequently engage with the fitness monitoring device and/or maintain a level of user engagement with the fitness monitoring device;

determining whether one or more of the types of notifications corresponds to the user'"'"'s more frequent engagement with the fitness monitoring device; and

adjusting the generating of the multiple notifications of different types to promote the more frequent engagement with the fitness monitoring device.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory;

a first biometric sensor; and

a notification mechanism, wherein;

the first biometric sensor is configured to measure one or more fitness parameters of a first person,

the first biometric sensor, the notification mechanism, the one or more processors, and the memory are communicatively connected, and

the memory stores instructions for controlling the one or more processors to;

detect user engagement by the first person with the first biometric sensor on multiple occasions, wherein each user engagement produces at least one measurement of a fitness parameter using the first biometric sensor;

determine a level of engagement metric for the first person based, at least in part, on multiple detected user engagements with the fitness monitoring device and the first person'"'"'s frequency of user engagement with the first biometric sensor; and

from the level of engagement metric, generate, using the notification mechanism, a notification containing information designed to encourage the first person to more frequently engage with the first biometric sensor and/or maintain a level of engagement with the first biometric sensor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first biometric sensor is housed in a scale and is configured to at least measure the weight of the first person.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

determine a change in the first person'"'"'s frequency of user engagement with the first biometric sensor after generating the notification.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

determine a holistic health score from one or more of the following parameters associated with the first person;

a sleep characteristic, a demographic characteristic, a location characteristic, a caloric intake rate, a level of interaction with a second biometric sensor, and weight; and

use the holistic health score, together with the level of engagement metric, to determine the information designed to encourage the first person to more frequently engage with the first biometric sensor and/or maintain a level of engagement with the first biometric sensor.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the notification includes one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of:

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the level of engagement metric;

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a congratulatory message for meeting a pre-established fitness goal;

a castigatory message for failing to reach a defined value of the level of engagement metric;

a castigatory message for failing to reach a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a castigatory message for failing to meet a pre-established fitness goal;

a message to a second person associated with the first person;

a message to the first person presented via a social networking site and visible to other people associated with an account of the first person on the social networking site;

a congratulatory message for meeting a pre-established user engagement goal;

a grant to the first person of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content;

a withdrawal from the first person of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content, an audible communication, and a tactile communication.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

determine through the first person'"'"'s level of engagement metric and/or measured fitness parameter that the first person has changed a behavior impacting fitness, wherein the notification comprises presenting a congratulatory message for changing the behavior impacting fitness.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

determine that the level of engagement metric is below a threshold level of engagement;

determine the location of the first person; and

cause the first biometric sensor to move in a direction selected from the group consisting of;

towards the first person and away from the first person.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory further stores instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

determine whether a time-based alarm is to be activated; and

provide the indication via the notification mechanism responsive to the determination that the time-based alarm is to be activated.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a housing;

at least one biometric sensor configured to measure at least one fitness parameter of a person associated with the apparatus;

a notification mechanism, wherein the notification mechanism is selected from the group consisting of;

a visual indicator, a tactile indicator, an audio indicator, an electronic communications interface, and combinations thereof; and

a controller including one or more processors and a memory, wherein;

the one or more processors and the memory are communicatively connected, and

the memory stores instructions for controlling the one or more processors to;

receive an instruction to activate the notification mechanism to indicate that the person associated with the apparatus should use the apparatus to obtain a measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor, and

cause the notification mechanism to provide an indication that the person associated with the apparatus should use the apparatus to obtain a measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is a scale and the at least one biometric sensor includes a weight-sensing sensor.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the indication is provided by an action selected from the group consisting of:

activating a visual indicator on the apparatus, emitting an audible sound, emitting an audible melody, emitting a spoken message, vibrating all or part of the apparatus, causing the apparatus to move, sending a wireless signal to a remote device, and combinations thereof.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instruction to activate the notification mechanism is generated, at least in part, in response to a level of engagement metric for the apparatus, wherein the level of engagement metric is determined, at least in part, based on in how many time intervals within a defined time period the person associated with the apparatus has obtained a measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the apparatus.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a sensor configured to detect when the person is near the apparatus, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

cause the notification mechanism to provide the indication that the person should use the apparatus to obtain the measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor when the sensor indicates that the person is near the apparatus.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a microphone, an accelerometer, a camera, a motion sensor, a CO₂ sensor, and a particle counter.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the sensor is a wireless receiver and is configured to determine that the person is near the apparatus by, at least in part, receiving a wireless signal from a device worn or carried by the person.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the apparatus is a scale and the at least one biometric sensor includes a weight-sensing sensor, the apparatus further comprising;

a locomotive drive mechanism configured to move the apparatus across a floor;

wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to control the locomotive drive mechanism to move the apparatus in a direction selected from the group consisting of;

towards the person and away from the person.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

control the notification mechanism to emit an audible sound or a pre-recorded or synthesized voice message encouraging the person to weigh themselves using the apparatus.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

determine a current time of day;

determine that the current time of day correlates with a pre-set alarm time; and

provide the indication via the notification mechanism responsive to the determination that the current time of day correlates with the pre-set alarm time.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to cancel the indication in response to the person associated with the apparatus using the apparatus to obtain the measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the indication is a wireless signal sent by the apparatus to a remote device and the instructions for controlling the one or more processors to cancel the indication cause the apparatus to send a second wireless signal to the remote device indicating that the indication is to be canceled.