Electronic scale for measuring weight using two measurements and a processor therefor

• US 8,680,408 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NL Giken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NL Giken, Inc.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W
• Application Number:
  US12/576,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20100089665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 177 2513- 2517, 177/25.19, 177/177, 128/921, 600/300
• US Class Current: 177/25.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 for weighing persons
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network

Abstract

An electronic scale functions in a normal and a high sensitivity measurement regions. The weights of mother alone and mother plus infant are measured in the high sensitivity region. The difference between the two measurements is the weight of infant alone, which is displayed with a finer scale interval than the normal one. The high sensitivity region is automatically shifted for covering the two measurements. The degree of shift is stored to correct the absolute mother weight. The infant weight is transmitted to a mobile phone, which displays growth curve of infant in comparison with a statistics growth curves provided by a server through the internet. The infant weight is uploaded to the server for incorporation into the statistics. The statistics is based on data gathered form a plurality of mobile phones, which are each authenticated to increase reliability of the statistics against false weight data upload.

Claims

1. An electronic scale for measuring a weight comprising:

a weight sensor arranged to measure a weight of a load on the weight sensor for producing a measurement output,

wherein the weight sensor is arranged to function in three continuous measurement ranges including a first range for covering a lighter weight region with a normal sensitivity, a second range for covering a middle weight region with high sensitivity in which the output of the weight sensor more sensitively changes against the change in the load thereon than in the first range of the normal sensitivity, and a third range for covering a heavier weight region with a normal sensitivity equal to that of the first range;

a memory arranged to store a first measurement output produced by the weight sensor;

a controller arranged to calculate a difference weight between the first measurement output and a second measurement output produced by the weight sensor; and

a display arranged to display a measurement output with a first scale interval and to display the difference weight with a second scale interval finer than the first scale interval,

wherein the first and second measurement outputs are produced in the second range of the high sensitivity for the display of the difference weight with the second scale interval and

wherein the weight sensor is so arranged that the second range of the high sensitivity is capable of being shifted to cover both the first and second measurement outputs.

2. The electronic scale according to claim 1, wherein the weight sensor is so arranged that the high sensitivity measurement region is automatically shifted in response to the measurement output.

3. The electronic scale according to claim 1, wherein the memory is arranged to store the degree of shift of the second range of the high sensitivity to correct the first measurement output into an absolute weight which is free from the shift of the high sensitivity measurement region.

4. The electronic scale according to claim 1, wherein one of the first and second measurement outputs is for the weight of a mother alone, the other of the first and second measurement outputs is for the weight of the mother with an infant in her arms, and the difference weight is for the infant alone, whereby the weight in a finer unit for the infant alone is displayed in the second scale interval finer than the first scale interval for an adult.

5. The electronic scale according to claim 1 further comprising a processor for the care of weight change.

6. The electronic scale according to claim 5, wherein the processor is for the care of growth of an infant.

7. The electronic scale according to claim 1 further comprising a communicator arranged to transmit the measured weight information to an outside processor for the care of weight change.

8. The electronic scale according to claim 7, wherein the outside processor is a mobile phone.

9. The electronic scale according to claim 7, wherein the outside processor is a database arranged to provide statistics information for the care of weight change.

18. The electronic scale according to claim 1, wherein the weight sensor is so arranged that the high sensitivity measurement region is shifted to cover the first and second measurement outputs with the two sub-regions of the normal sensitivity measurement region kept on both sides of the high sensitivity measurement region, respectively.

10. A processor of a mobile phone for the care of weight change in cooperation with an electronic scale for measuring a weight comprising:

a first communicator arranged to receive weight information from the electronic scale;

a second communicator arranged to receive statistics of weight information based on a number of other mobile phones unknown to a user of the mobile phone for the care of weight change from an outside database receiving the weight information of the number of mobile phones under anonymity each other;

a memory arranged to store the weight information received by the first communicator and the statistics of weight information received by the second communicator;

a display arranged to retrieve the weight information and the statistics of weight information from the memory for displaying them in a comparative manner; and

a third communicator arranged to transmit the weight information to the outside database to participate in the statistics,

wherein the transmitted weight information is incorporated into the statistics information received from the outside database so that the statistics of weight information is based on the mobile phone and the number of other mobile phones unknown to the user of the mobile phone.

11. The processor according to claim 10, wherein the processor is a mobile phone.

12. The processor according to claim 10, wherein the weight information is for an infant and the outside database is for the care of growth of infants, and wherein the display is arranged to display the weight information and the statistics of weight information in the form of comparative growth curves in the growth chart.

13. The processor according to claim 10, wherein the processor is a mobile phone, and wherein the second and third communicators are the phone line.

17. The processor according to claim 10 further comprising an authenticator arranged to authenticate the processor as a condition for the transmitted weight information to be incorporated into the statistics information.

14. A processor for the care of weight change with a database in cooperation with a number of mobile phones comprising:

a first communicator arranged to receive weight information from the number of the mobile phones under anonymity each other;

a memory arranged to store the weight information received from the number of mobile phones by the first communicator;

a processing unit arranged to process the weight information in the memory so as to incorporate the weight information received from the number of mobile phones into a statistics information under anonymity; and

a second communicator arranged to provide each of the mobile phones with the same statistics information, respectively, under anonymity each other.

15. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the weight information is for an infant and the processor is for the care of growth of infants, and wherein the statistics information relates to the statistics growth chart of infants.

16. The processor according to claim 14 further comprising an authenticator of each of the mobile phones as a condition for incorporating the received weight information into the statistics information and for providing each of the mobile phones with the statistics information.