INTERACTIVE BODY WEIGHT SCALE SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160116326A1
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Anshuman
• Application Number:
  US14/982,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20160116326A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/045 Correction of measurements G01B9/02055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/414 using electronic computing means only
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4146 for controlling caloric intake, e.g. diet control
• 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 23/36 Indicating the weight by electrical means, e.g. using photoelectric cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 9/00 Methods of, or apparatus for, the determination of weight, not provided for in groups G01G1/00 - G01G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/921 Diet management

Abstract

A method for using an interactive body weight scale is presented. The body weight scale may have computing and data communication ability to track a user'"'"'s weight by connecting to a number of different electronic devices. The body weight scale is capable of recording an audio message, converting the audio message to message text, and transmitting the message to a remote social network. The scale may also receive message responses from the remote network and play the messages back based on whether a particular message is a positive message. A scale use indicator provides a reminder for a user to use the body weight scale.

Claims

1. A method for operating a body weight scale, the method comprising:

a) measuring, by the scale, a body measurement value;

b) storing the body measurement value in a physical, non-transitory scale memory;

c) recording a message at the scale;

d) initiating the message to be sent via a data network to be published as a social media post;

e) receiving a post response at the scale;

f) detecting a triggering event at the scale; and

g) playing back the post response at the scale in response to the triggering event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

h) associating the message in the scale with the body measurement value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises message text and step c) further comprises:

i) capturing an audio message by a microphone in the scale, and

ii) converting the audio message to the message text via speech-to-text programming residing in the scale memory.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the post response comprises post response text, and step g) further comprises:

i) converting the post response text to an audio post response via text-to-speech programming residing in the scale memory, and

ii) playing back the audio post response.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising playing the audio message and the audio post response sequentially.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

h) initiating the body measurement value to be sent via the data network to be published with the social media post.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises one of sensing a weight load by a weight load sensor at the scale, receiving a push notification from a remote data server, and receiving a request at a scale user input.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

h) recording a goal body measurement value at the scale;

i) measuring, by the scale, a second body measurement value;

j) comparing the first body measurement value and the second body measurement value; and

k) if the second body measurement value is nearer the goal value than the first body measurement value, initiating a goal message to be sent via the data network to be published with the social media post.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the body measurement is one of body weight, body fat percent, and body mass index.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

h) analyzing the post response using natural language processing programming residing on the scale memory to determine whether the post response is a positive response; and

i) determining that the post response is a positive response;

wherein step f) occurs after step i).

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the body weight scale is in communication with at least one mobile electronic device, the at least one mobile electronic device being associated with at least one user of the scale.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step b) comprises storing the body measurement in at least one weight log, the at least one weight log comprising a plurality of instances of the body measurement value measured over a period of time;

the at least one weight log being stored on the body weight scale.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one weight log is also stored on the at least one mobile electronic device, the at least one weight log stored on the body scale and the at least one mobile electronic device being periodically synchronized.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one mobile electronic device and body weight scale are in communication with a food scale.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

h) capturing images and/ or notes of foods that the user has eaten;

i) associating the images and/ or notes of foods with at least one food log; and

j) storing the at least one food log on the at least one mobile electronic device, food scale and body weight scale.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the message comprises content of the at least one weight log and/ or the at least one food log.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory scale memory comprises at least one unique user identifier, the at least one unique user identifier identifying the at least one user and the at least one weight log.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the body measurement value is selected from at least one member of the group consisting of:

body weight, blood pressure, ECG readings, heart rate and any combination thereof.