Weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman

• US 6,369,338 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tanita Corporation (Tanita)
• Original Assignee: Tanita Corporation (Tanita)
• Inventors: Kimura, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W.
• Application Number:
  US09/630,017
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 177/25.19, 177/25.16, 177/245, 600/551, 600/587, 700/305, 700/90, 702/173, 702/175, 702/129, 702/101
• US Class Current: 177/25.16
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4146 for controlling caloric intake, e.g. diet control
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 for weighing persons

Abstract

Disclosed is an improved weighing scale for determining a most appropriate antenatal weight of a pregnant woman for each number of the weeks since conception on the basis of the “antenatal weight-to-week” relationship identified in terms of the BMI of the pregnant woman, which index is determined from the height and progestational weight of the pregnant woman, and for making a comparison between the so determined most appropriate antenatal weight and the weight of the pregnant woman measured each week.

Claims

1. A weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman comprising:

a height inputting unit for inputting the height of the pregnant woman;

a weight inputting unit for inputting her weight prior to conception;

a week-number inputting unit for inputting how many weeks have passed since conception;

a memory unit which stores antenatal weight data in terms of a body mass index;

an arithmetic unit which determines a most appropriate weight from the data inputted by said height, weight and week-number inputting units and the data retrieved from said memory unit; and

a display unit which displays the results of a calculation of the most appropriate antenatal weight.

2. A weighing scale according to claim 1 wherein said week-number inputting unit is for inputting the expectant birth date in place of the number of weeks since conception.

3. A weighing scale according to claim 1 wherein said week-number inputting unit is for inputting the number of weeks since conception.

4. A weigh in g scale according to claim 1 wherein said memory unit stores most appropriate weights plotted for different body mass indexes, which weights vary with each number of weeks since conception.

13. A weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman according to any of the preceding claims wherein it further comprises a weighing-mode switching device which switches from the pregnant women'"'"'s weight observation use to an ordinary weighing use and vice versa.

5. A weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman comprising:

a height inputting unit for inputting the height of the pregnant woman;

a weight inputting unit for inputting her weight prior to conception;

a week-number inputting unit for inputting how many weeks have passed since conception;

a memory unit which stores weight data in terms of a body mass index;

a weighing device which determines her weight, an arithmetic unit which determines a most appropriate antenatal weight from the data inputted by said height, weight and week-number inputting units and the data retrieved from said memory unit, and which compares the so determined most appropriate antenatal weight with present weight of the pregnant woman; and

a display unit which displays the result of calculation.

6. A weighing scale according to claim 5 wherein said week-number inputting unit is for inputting the expectant birth date in place of the number of weeks since conception.

7. A weighing scale according to claim 5 wherein said week-number inputting unit is for inputting the number of weeks since conception.

8. A weighing scale according to claim 5 wherein said arithmetic unit causes said display unit to display a warning in response to the antenatal weight increasing a predetermined amount over the most appropriate antenatal weight.

9. A weighing scale according to claim 5 said memory unit stores most appropriate antenatal weights for different body mass indexes, which weights vary with the number of weeks since conception.

10. A weighing scale according to claim 5 wherein said arithmetic unit causes said display unit to display a warning, provided that the antenatal weight has increased a predetermined amount in a predetermined length of time.

11. A weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman comprising:

a height inputting unit for inputting the height of the pregnant woman;

a weight inputting unit for inputting her weight prior to conception;

a week-number inputing unit for inputting how many weeks have passed since conception;

a memory unit which stores antenatal weight data in terms of BMIs;

an arithmetic unit which determines a most appropriate weight from the data inputted by said height, weight and week-numbered inputting units and the data retrieved from said memory unit, and which determines a most appropriate weight curve representing how the most appropriate antenatal weight varies with the number of weeks since conception and an instantaneous weight curve representing how the instantaneous weight varies with the number of weeks since conception; and

a display unit which displays the most appropriate weight curve and the instantaneous weight curve for comparison.

12. A weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman comprising:

a unit which provides reference curves plotted for different BMIs each representing how the appropriate weight of non-pregnant women for a selected BMI varies with time, a weight scaling unit which weighs the instantaneous weight of the pregnant woman, and a display which shows how the instantaneous weight varies relative to the selected reference curve.