Biometric monitoring device having a body weight sensor, and methods of operating same

• US 8,475,367 B1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao, Park, James, Friedman, Eric Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Archer, Marie
• Application Number:
  US13/346,275
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 600300-301, 705 2- 3, 128920-925
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0257 using atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/107 Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 : Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 : Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 : Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4343 : Pregnancy and labour monitoring, e.g. for labour onset detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 : Body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 : Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 : Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 : using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 : User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/749 : Voice-controlled interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3702 : Physiological parameters A61N1/365 takes precedence; evoked response A61N1/371
• 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: 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 21/31 : User authentication
• 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: 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: G09B 5/125 : the stations being mobile
• 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 40/60 : for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A biometric monitoring device comprising a platform to support the body weight of the user; a body weight sensor to generate data which is representative of the user'"'"'s weight, processing circuitry to calculate the user'"'"'s weight, a user interface (e.g., a visual display, coupled to the processing circuitry, to display the weight of the user); and communication circuitry (implementing, e.g., wired, wireless and/or optical techniques) to: (1) receive user identification data (is any data that identifies a particular user, a particular device and/or from which a particular user or device may be determined) from an external portable activity monitoring device, (2) receive activity data from the external portable activity monitoring device, and (3) transmit the activity data to a data storage which is (i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data.

Claims

1. A biometric monitoring device to measure a weight of a user, the biometric monitoring device comprising:

a housing including a platform configured to receive at least one foot of the user and capable of supporting the body weight of the user;

a body weight sensor, mechanically coupled to the platform, to generate sensor data which is representative of the weight of the user;

processing circuitry, disposed in the housing and coupled to the body weight sensor, to calculate user weight data, which corresponds to the weight of the user, using the sensor data;

a visual display, coupled to the processing circuitry, to display the user weight data, wherein the visual display is disposed in, on or juxtaposed to the platform; and

communication circuitry, physically coupled to the housing, to;

wirelessly receive user identification data directly from an external portable activity monitoring device, wherein;

(i) the user identification data identifies the user or a particular external portable activity monitoring device, and

(ii) the external portable activity monitoring device includes a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user,

wirelessly receive activity data directly from the external portable activity monitoring device, and

transmit the activity data to data storage which is;

(i) external to the biometric monitoring device and (ii) associated with the user identification data; and

wherein the communication circuitry is configurable to wirelessly receive a code directly from the external portable activity monitoring device wherein, in response, the biometric monitoring device pairs with the external portable activity monitoring device.

2. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry further transmits the user weight data to the external data storage which is associated with the user identification data.

3. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein, in response to receipt of the user identification data, the processing circuitry retrieves physiologic data which is associated with the user identification data and outputs the physiologic data to the visual display.

4. The biometric monitoring device of claim 3 wherein, in response to receipt of the user identification data, the processing circuitry retrieves the physiologic data from data storage.

5. The biometric monitoring device of claim 4 wherein the data storage is data storage disposed in the housing of the biometric monitoring device.

6. The biometric monitoring device of claim 4 wherein the data storage is the data storage which is external to the biometric monitoring device.

7. The biometric monitoring device of claim 6 wherein the processing circuitry retrieves the physiologic data from the data storage which is external to the biometric monitoring device via the communication circuitry.

8. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry includes Internet communication circuitry to transmit data to and receive data from the data storage which is external to the biometric monitoring device via the Internet.

9. The biometric monitoring device of claim 8 wherein the communication circuitry outputs instructions to the data storage and, in response thereto, receives data which corresponds to the user from the data storage.

10. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry further receives data which corresponds to a profile of the user.

11. The biometric monitoring device of claim 10 wherein the communication circuitry receives the data which corresponds to the profile of the user via the Internet and the visual display displays data or a type of data which is determined by the profile of the user.

12. The biometric monitoring device of claim 11 wherein the data or the type of data which is determined by the profile of the user includes a plurality of:

(i) web content, (ii) news, (iii) weather data, (iv) traffic data, (v) social content, (vi) advertisement, (vii) email, (viii) calendar schedule, (ix) exercise data, (x) diet data, and (xi) physiologic goal information.

13. The biometric monitoring device of claim 10 wherein the communication circuitry receives the data which corresponds to the profile of the user and the visual display displays data or a type of data which is determined by the profile of the user.

14. The biometric monitoring device of claim 13 wherein the data or type of data which is determined by the profile of the user includes one or more of:

(i) web content, (ii) news, (iii) weather data, (iv) traffic data, (v) social content, (vi) advertisement, (vii) email, (viii) calendar schedule, (ix) exercise data, (x) diet data, and (xi) physiologic goal information.

15. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the activity data is representative of one or more activities of the user.

16. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry is disposed in the housing.

17. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 further including a touch screen user interface disposed in, on or juxtaposed to the platform.

18. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry automatically and wirelessly receives activity data from the external portable activity monitoring device after wirelessly receiving the user identification data from the external portable activity monitoring device.

19. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry wirelessly transmits data directly to the external portable activity monitoring device.

20. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1 further including a touch screen user interface wherein the touch screen user interface is integrated with the visual display.