System and method for rewarding users for changes in health behaviors

• US 8,655,717 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humana Innovation Enterprises, Inc. (Humana Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Humana Innovation Enterprises, Inc. (Humana Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schwarzberg, Robert, Zabinski, Marion, Melton, Renee, Dion, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vig, Naresh
• Application Number:
  US11/856,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,345 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/14.1, 705/14.58, 705/14.67
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system and method for generating and sending reward messages to users accomplishing goals related to a personalized health behavior plan. Rewards may be issued for reasons such as achieving an ultimate goal, reaching an intermediate goal, or completing a suggested activity such as eating a suggested meal or performing a suggested physical activity. A reward may be a coupon for use at an establishment such as a restaurant, a clothing store, or a fitness center. Rewards may also be checks sent through postal mail or coupons for printing on a personal printer. Reward messages are generated by an expert system based on a user'"'"'s personalized diet, exercise, or other health plan, goals associated with the plan, and specified preferences. Reward messages are sent to user'"'"'s portable devices. Current location information may be used to send a user a reward for use at a nearby establishment.

Claims

1. A computerized method for automatically generating a reward message for a user who accomplishes an intermediate milestone based on an ultimate goal, the computerized method comprising:

(a) receiving at a computer from said user;

(1) an ultimate goal;

(2) activity preferences related to said goal; and

(3) contact data for a mobile device of said user;

(b) storing at said computer said ultimate goal and said activity preferences for said user;

(c) executing at said computer an expert system that automatically

(1) generates at said computer at least one personalized intermediate milestone for said user, said personalized intermediate milestone;

different than said ultimate goal; and

consistent with said user'"'"'s personal data;

(2) generates at said computer at least one progress message comprising a request for a progress measurement from said user;

(3) using said contact data from said user, transmits from said computer to said mobile device of said user said progress message;

(4) in response to said progress message transmitted to said mobile device, receives at said computer from said mobile device said progress measurement;

(5) stores at said computer said progress measurement;

(6) compares said progress measurement to said personalized intermediate milestone to determine if said personalized intermediate milestone has been met;

(7) generates a reward message to said user if said personalized intermediate milestone has been met, said reward message comprising a redeemable reward consistent with said user'"'"'s ultimate goal and activity preferences;

(8) determines a transmission time for said reward message consistent with said user'"'"'s activity preferences;

(9) transmits said reward message to said user mobile device at said transmission time.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said personalized intermediate milestone comprises any one of the following:

a loss of a certain amount of body weight, attaining a certain body fat percentage, or achieving a certain waist size.

3. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the expert system further stores at said computer said reward message and permits said user to view said reward message after it is sent.

4. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said reward message comprises a coupon to be printed by said user from a personal computer.

5. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said reward message comprises a check issued to said user.

6. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said reward message comprises a discount at a meal provider, a fitness center, a clothing store, or a fitness equipment store.

7. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the expert system further presents stored progress data to said user in a graphical manner.

8. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

(d) accepting in a computer accessible database location data for a plurality of entertainment establishments; and

wherein the expert system further

(1) receives at said computer location data from said user comprising said user'"'"'s current location;

(2) compares at said computer said user'"'"'s current location to location data for at least one of said plurality of entertainment establishments in said computer accessible database; and

(3) sends from said computer to said user a reward message comprising a redeemable reward for use in an entertainment establishment in proximity to said user'"'"'s current location.

9. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the expert system further permits said user to do any one of the following:

combine rewards, exchange rewards, or combine and exchange rewards.

10. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the expert system further sends from said computer a message of encouragement to said mobile device if said user has not responded to said progress message.

11. A computerized system for rewarding a user for accomplishing a personalized intermediate milestone based on an ultimate goal, the system comprising:

a nutrition provider computer accessible database for storing nutrition data for a plurality of meals offered by a plurality of providers;

a computer accessible user data database for storing data related to diet and exercise preferences for a plurality of users and goals related to said diet and exercise preferences;

a server for receiving and storing at said computer accessible user data database user data comprising;

contact data for a mobile device of said user;

diet preferences of said user, said diet preferences related to a preferred meal plan, preferred foods, and meal preparation options;

a goal of said user, comprising one of the following;

reaching a specific weight;

reaching a specific body fat percentage;

maintaining a certain exercise schedule;

or

reaching a specific waist size; and

a computerized expert system executing at said server for;

generating at least one personalized intermediate milestone for said user based on said goal of said user, said personalized intermediate milestone;

different than said goal; and

consistent with said user'"'"'s personal data;

generating meal messages for said user comprising meal suggestions according to said user'"'"'s preferred meal plan, preferred foods, and meal preparation options;

generating progress messages for said user comprising requests for a progress measurement from said user;

generating a time for transmitting each one of said meal messages and progress messages, said time consistent with said user'"'"'s diet and exercise preferences; and

a communications network connected to said server for using said contact data from said user and said times to transmit said meal messages to said mobile device of said user, to transmit said progress messages to said mobile device of said user, and to receive a progress measurement from said mobile device of said user comprising any one of the following;

said user'"'"'s weight;

said user'"'"'s waist size;

said user'"'"'s body fat percentage;

or

said user'"'"'s exercise habits;

wherein said progress measurement is received from said communications network at said server, said computerized expert system compares said progress measurement with said personalized intermediate milestone, and said computerized expert system generates and sends to said mobile device of said user a reward message comprising a redeemable reward consistent with said user'"'"'s diet and exercise preferences if said personalized intermediate milestone has been met.

12. The computerized system of claim 11 further comprising:

a computer accessible provider database comprising location and reward data for a plurality of providers;

location data from said communications network regarding said user'"'"'s current location;

wherein said expert computerized system compares said user'"'"'s current location to location data for said plurality of providers in said computer accessible database and sends a reward message to mobile device of said user comprising a reward for use at one of said providers in proximity to said user'"'"'s current location.

13. The computerized system of claim 12 wherein said provider is selected from the group consisting of:

restaurants, fitness centers, clothing stores, and fitness equipment stores.

14. The computerized system of claim 12 wherein said progress measurement is stored in said computer accessible user data database and said progress measurement is presented to said user in a graphical manner.

15. The computerized system of claim 12 wherein computerized said expert system sends a message of encouragement to said mobile device said user if said user has not responded to said progress messages.

16. A computerized method for personalizing a reward message from a computerized expert system to modify health behavior comprising:

(a) prompting from a server a user to provide personal data comprising contact information for a portable device;

(b) prompting from said server said user to provide preference data comprising preferences for;

(1) completing at least one activity related to at least one health behavior; and

(2) a preferred time for completing said at least one activity;

(c) prompting from said server said user to;

(1) select from a plurality of behavioral challenges a behavioral challenge identifying a difficulty in changing said at least one health behavior; and

(2) select from a plurality of challenge strategies a challenge strategy for overcoming said difficulty;

(d) saving said user personal data, preference data, and challenge data in a first computer accessible database;

(e) entering in a second computer accessible database message data related to said at least one health behavior and related to changing said at least one health behavior;

(f) generating automatically at said server a tailored reward message for said user using said preference data and said challenge data and said message data from said second computer accessible database, said tailored reward message comprising content directed to a reward for overcoming said challenge to changing said at least one behavior;

(g) determining a transmission time for said tailored reward message consistent with said user'"'"'s preferred time;

(h) using said contact information, sending said tailored reward message to said portable device at said transmission time.

17. The computerized method of claim 16 wherein said reward message comprises a coupon to be printed by said user from a personal computer.

18. The computerized method of claim 16 wherein said reward message comprises a check issued to said user.

19. The computerized method of claim 16 wherein said reward message comprises a discount at a meal provider, a fitness center, a clothing store, or a fitness equipment store.

20. The computerized method of claim 16 further comprising:

(i)) entering in a computer accessible database location data for a plurality of entertainment establishments;

(j) receiving at said computer location data from said user comprising said user'"'"'s current location;

(k) comparing at said computer said user'"'"'s current location to location data for at least one of said plurality of entertainment establishments in said computer accessible database; and

(l) sending from said computer a reward message to said user comprising a reward for use in an entertainment establishment in proximity to said user'"'"'s current location.