Software and hardware system for enabling weight control

• US 7,523,040 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WW.com LLC (WW International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Weight Watchers International Incorporated (Artal Group SA), Weightwatchers.com Incorporated (WW International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller-Kovach, Karen, Sheppard, Amy, Kirchhoff, David, Kelly, Sheila, Crook, Anna, Connelly, Lisa, Semmelbauer, Thilo, Perl, Amie, Posillico, Palma
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brooks; Matthew L.
• Application Number:
  US10/355,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/2
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4146 for controlling caloric intake, e.g. diet control
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3742 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 70/60 relating to pathologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/921 Diet management

Abstract

A system for tracking and facilitating control of body weight of a person including a computing device to execute software elements including a weight tracker to receive undated body weights from the user and to display a graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time, a journal to display food items consumed by the person, and a display to present the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time to the person, the graphical representation including at least one user selectable indicia consisting of at least one point on the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time indicative of a past time period, which, when selected displays the food items consumed during the past time period, the graphical representation including a plurality of milestones plotted on the graphical representation indicative of weight targets reached by the individual over time.

Claims

1. A system for tracking and facilitating control of body weight of a person, said system comprising:

a computing device programmed to execute a software program having a plurality of software elements that facilitate control of body weight of the person, at least one of the plurality of software elements comprising a weight tracker that periodically or from time to time receives updated body weights from the user and displays a graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time, and at least one of the plurality of software elements comprising a journal that receives and displays food items consumed by the person; and

a display that presents the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time to the person, the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time including at least one user selectable indicia consisting of at least one point on the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time indicative of a past time period, which, when selected by the person displays the food items consumed by the person during the past time period;

said graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time including a plurality of milestones plotted on the graphical representation indicative of weight targets reached by the individual over time.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time includes a user selectable indicia for each updated body weight received from the user.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display periodically or from time to time presents to the person a reminder to enter the updated body weight.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a network coupled to the system, and wherein the computing device communicates data associated with the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time and the journal across the network.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the network is the Internet.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the user selectable indicia comprises a hyperlink.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the point on the graphical representation is identified based on its linked content.