SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING THE WEIGHT AND FOOD CONSUMPTION OF A USER

• US 20160365003A1
• Filed: 06/15/2016
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark Lamoncha
• Original Assignee: Mark Lamoncha
• Inventors: Lamoncha, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,446,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0092 Nutrition
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method to monitor a user'"'"'s weight and eating habits and provide feedback as a result of the monitored weight and eating habits. The system and method analyzes the monitored weight and food consumption information and when detecting a weight that exceeds an ideal user weight, provides guidance to the user in order to assist that user in the management of their eating habits and weight.

Claims

1. A system and method for tracking weight and food consumption comprising:

a first sensor apparatus located at the shoes of a user and configured with a communications interface, said first sensor configured to detect the weight of the user;

a second sensor apparatus located at the hand of a user and configured with a communications interface, said second sensor configured to detect the user placing food in their mouth;

a computerized interface device in communication with the communications interface of the first sensor apparatus and the communications device of the second sensor apparatus, said computerized interface device comprising a display device, a user input system, and software, the software comprising instructions that when executed by the computerized interface device, cause the device to;

determine a target user weight;

retrieve a measured user weight from the first sensor apparatus;

determine if the retrieved user weight is greater than the target user weight by more than the target weight plus a predetermined range,

store eating characteristic setpoints based on the determination of the users weight with regard to the target weight plus a predetermined range;

receive a signal from the second sensor device that represents the sensor detecting the user moving a foodstuff to the user'"'"'s mouth;

determine a frequency of eating;

determine an elapsed time of eating;

determine if the frequency of eating exceeds an eating characteristic setpoint and display a first message on the display device;

determine if the elapsed time of eating exceeds an eating characteristic setpoint and display a second message on the display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of a target user weight comprises software instructions to perform the steps of:

displaying on the display device, a prompt to enter a user'"'"'s height and gender;

receiving an input corresponding to the user'"'"'s height;

receiving an input corresponding to the user'"'"'s gender; and

determining a suggested weight for the user based upon the gender and height of the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the determination of a suggested weight for the user is determined by calculating a weight according to an ideal estimated body mass index for the user'"'"'s height and gender.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of a target user weight comprises software instructions to perform the steps of:

displaying on the display device, a prompt to enter a user'"'"'s desired weight; and

receiving an input corresponding to the user'"'"'s desired weight.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is a percentage of the determined target weight.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the software instruction for storing eating characteristic setpoints comprises the steps of:

storing a target time period corresponding to a duration of a meal where the target time is varied according to the time of day at which movements corresponding to a user eating are detected and where the target time is reduced when the user'"'"'s measured weight exceeds the determined target weight plus the predetermined range.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of storing eating characteristic setpoints comprises the substeps of:

storing a target frequency of eating which corresponds to the amount of time between the receipt of signals from the second sensor apparatus.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor device is locating in a pair of insoles located within a user'"'"'s shoes.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor device is located in a device worn on the user'"'"'s wrist.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor device is located in an eating utensil.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the software instructions further comprise instructions that when executed by the electronic interface device cause the electronic interface device to display on the display device, a body mass index of the user calculated using information from a body mass index calculator comprised by the first sensor apparatus and physical information provided by the user.

12. A method of alerting a user if their eating behavior is negatively impacting their weight comprising the steps of:

determining a target user weight;

receiving an actual user weight from a weight sensor located at a user'"'"'s shoes;

determining if the actual weight exceeds the target user weight;

adjusting a plurality of eating characteristic setpoints and storing those setpoints in a computerized interface device;

receiving by the computerized interface device, user eating characteristic data from a food movement sensor;

comparing the received eating characteristic data to the eating characteristic setpoints; and

alerting the user if the received eating characteristics data exceeds the eating characteristic setpoints.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of receiving user eating characteristic data comprises the substeps of:

receiving a signal from a food movement sensor device that represents the sensor detecting the user moving a foodstuff to the user'"'"'s mouth;

and wherein the step of comparing the received eating characteristic data comprises the substeps of;

determining a frequency of eating;

determining an elapsed time of eating;

determining if the frequency of eating exceeds a frequency of eating setpoint; and

determining if the elapsed time of eating exceeds a duration of eating setpoint.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of determination of a target user weight comprises the substeps of:

displaying on a display device of a computerized interface device, a prompt to enter a user'"'"'s height and gender;

receiving at the computerized interface device, an input corresponding to the user'"'"'s height;

receiving at the computerized interface device, an input corresponding to the user'"'"'s gender; and

determining a suggested weight for the user based upon the gender and height of the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination of a suggested weight for the user comprises the substep of calculating a weight according to an ideal estimated body mass index for the received user'"'"'s height and gender.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of determination of a target user weight comprises the substeps of:

displaying on a display device of a computerized interface device, a prompt to enter a user'"'"'s desired weight; and

receiving at the computerized interface device, an input corresponding to the user'"'"'s desired weight.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of adjusting a plurality of eating characteristic setpoints and storing those setpoints comprises the substeps of:

storing a target time period corresponding to a duration of a meal where the target time is varied according to the time of day at which user eating characteristic data from a food movement sensor are detected and where the target time is reduced when the user'"'"'s measured weight exceeds the determined target weight plus the predetermined range.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of adjusting a plurality of eating characteristic setpoints and storing those setpoints comprises the substeps of:

storing a target frequency of eating which corresponds to the amount of time between the receipt of signals from a food movement sensor.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of alerting the user if the received eating characteristics data exceeds the eating characteristic setpoints comprises the substep of displaying at a user interface of a computerized interface device, a message indicating that the user should modify their eating behavior, such a message selected from a list consisting of a notification that the user has been eating for too long of a time period and a notification that a user is consuming food too rapidly.

20. A system and method for tracking weight and food consumption comprising:

a first sensor apparatus located within the shoes of a user and configured with a communications interface, said first sensor configured to detect the weight of the user;

a second sensor apparatus located at the hand of a user, such a second sensor apparatus selected from a list comprising;

a smart watch, a ring, and an eating utensil, the second sensor apparatus configured with a wireless communications interface, said second sensor configured to detect the user placing food in their mouth;

a computerized interface device in communication with the communications interface of the first sensor apparatus and the communications device of the second sensor apparatus, said computerized interface device comprising a display device, a user input system, a wireless data receiver, and software, the software comprising instructions that when executed by the computerized interface device, cause the device to;

determine a target user weight where such determination is performed by calculating an ideal weight using a received user height and gender;

retrieve a user weight from the first sensor apparatus;

determine if the retrieved user weight is within a range of the user'"'"'s weight where the range is determined using a predetermined percentage of the target weight and, if the retrieved user weight is greater than the target user weight by more than the target weight plus the range, the software causes the computerized interface device to adjust eating characteristics setpoints where such setpoints comprise a frequency of food movement to the user'"'"'s mouth and a duration of eating;

retrieve a measurement from the second sensor device that represents the sensor detecting the user moving a foodstuff to the user'"'"'s mouth;

initialize a timer and record a time corresponding to the time at which the second sensor detected the user moving a foodstuff to the user'"'"'s mouth;

receive a second measurement representing the user moving the second sensor to the user'"'"'s mouth with a foodstuff;

determine a frequency of eating from a measurement of the time period elapsed between the detection of the user moving a foodstuff to their mouth and the second measurement;

determine an elapsed time of eating by measuring the time from a first detection of the user moving a foodstuff to their mouth and a determination that such movements have stopped;

determine if the frequency of eating exceeds an eating characteristic setpoint and display a first message on the display device where the first message instructs the user to slow their rate of food consumption;

determine if time of eating exceeds an eating characteristic setpoint and display a second message on the display device where the second message instructs the user to stop eating.