Method and apparatus for monitoring calorie, nutrient, and expense of food consumption and effect on long term health and short term state

• US 8,924,239 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maureen Kay Kurple
• Original Assignee: Maureen Kay Kurple
• Inventors: Kurple, Karl Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Phongsvirajati, Sind
• Application Number:
  US14/051,770
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets

Abstract

A system for improving health and monitoring diet has been developed which enables a consumer before making important decisions which effect health to consider health, nutrition, dietary, budget, and time information resources more easily before decisions are made. The system has a variety of user inputs that enable the user to access information easily and enter information easily, so that the personal profile and health history and diet information is up-to-date. This system is adjustable to contain additional modules of information such as dietary restrictions which can be used to regularly recommend or restrict purchase decisions at the point of sale, storage, preparation, or consumption.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a user'"'"'s diet with a dietary goal and providing a user with the cost information for purchasing a meal per a budget, the method implemented on a computer system with instructions stored thereon having an input device, the method comprising:

the computer system accepting a user input from the user with the input device, the user input related to a food intake by the user;

the computer system identifying a nutrient value associated with the food intake;

the computer system summing the nutrient value of the food intake consumed during a determined period of time to calculate a consumed nutrient value;

the computer system determining a dietary goal nutrient value;

the computer system comparing the dietary goal nutrient value to the consumed nutrient value to identify a nutrient and a target nutrient value of a nutrient to be consumed to meet the dietary goal nutrient value of an identified nutrient;

the computer system accepting input to select at least one identified nutrient to be consumed to meet the dietary goal;

the computer system recommending a next meal wherein the next meal has at least one selected nutrient identified in the target nutrient value;

the computer system calculating a cost per nutrient of the selected nutrient associated with the next meal;

the computer system calculating the cost of purchasing the next meal;

the computer system conveying the cost of purchasing the next meal to the user; and

the computer system displaying the next meal that provides the target nutrient amount identified by the user and the cost per selected nutrient of the next meal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the computer system recommending a next meal wherein the nutrient value of the selected nutrient of the next meal is approximately equal to the target nutrient value of the selected nutrient.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of recommending a next meal further comprises:

the computer system storing at least one menu item within a storage device, the menu item associated with a nutrient value;

the computer system identifying a next meal recommendation by comparing the target nutrient value to the nutrient value of the menu item, the next meal recommendation identified as the at least one menu item that meets the criteria for the target nutrient value; and

the computer system displaying the next meal recommendation.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

the computer system associating each menu item with a location identifier that identifies the location of the menu item.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the location identifier notifies the user of the menu items that were previously stored by the user.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

a cost identifier that reflects the price at which the user may obtain the menu item; and

the location identifier indicates a location where the user may obtain the menu item.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

the computer system determining the location of the user and the location of the menu item;

the computer system calculating the travel expenses and the time to obtain the menu item;

the computer system calculating the cost identifier by adding the price of the menu item, the travel expenses, and the elapsed time to obtain the menu item to calculate the total costs of obtaining the menu item; and

the computer system identifying the next meal recommendation and the cost identifier of the next meal recommendation.

8. The method of claim 3, the step of recommending a next meal further comprises:

the computer system accepting user input to identify a health status of the user;

the computer system considering the health status of the user to recommend the next meal wherein the health status is considered when identifying the next meal recommendation.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the health status is the blood sugar level of the user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the health status is selected from the group consisting of metabolic rate, blood pressure, cholesterol level;

weight, and triglyceride level.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said nutritional value comprises a calorie content and at least one of the following:

a macronutrient content, a micronutrient content, a USRDA content, an amino acid content, a fatty acid content, a mineral content, a vitamin content, a cholesterol content, an antioxidant content, an element content, a compound content, a preservative content, a gluten content, a wheat content, a whole grain content, an artificial flavoring content, an allergen content, a probiotic content, an age, an approval status with doctor'"'"'s orders, an approval status with existing medications, a recommendation status for a particular diet, an organic food status, a use by date, an origin of a food, a trans fat content, a sugar content, a fiber content, a personal preference content, or a personal historical entry.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

the computer system associating a menu item with a preparation time; and

the computer system displaying the next meal recommendation and the associated preparation time for the next meal recommendation.

13. A device for monitoring a user'"'"'s diet and providing a user with the cost information for purchasing a food item per a budget, the device implemented on a computing system including a processing device and an input device, the device comprising:

the computing system configured to accept a user input from the user with the input device, the user input related to a food intake by the user;

the computing system configured to identify a nutrient value associated with the food intake;

the computing system configured to sum the nutrient value of the food intake consumed during a determined period of time to calculate a consumed nutrient value;

the computing system configured to determine a dietary goal nutrient value;

the computing system configured to calculated a consumed nutrient value identifying the amount of nutrients consumed by the user;

the computing system configured to compare the consumed nutrient value to a dietary goal nutrient value to identify at least one nutrient to be consumed to meet the dietary goal nutrient value;

the input device configured to accept a user input to select at least one identified nutrient to be consumed;

the computing system configured to identify at least one food item that has at least one selected nutrient;

the computing system configured to calculate the cost of acquiring a selected food item from a store;

the computing system configured to calculate a cost per nutrient associated with the selected food item and the selected nutrient; and

the computer system configured to display the cost per nutrient of the selected food item and the selected nutrient.

14. The device of claim 13 further comprising:

a price associated with the selected food item;

a brandname associated with the selected food item;

a size associated with the selected food item;

a store associated with the selected food item wherein the store is associated with a physical address;

a location of the selected food item in said store,

nutritional information associated with the selected food item;

a product history associated with the selected food item; and

a personal purchase history associated with the selected food item.

15. The device of claim 14 further comprising:

the computing system configured to compare the cost of the selected food item at a first store with the cost of the selected food item at a second store.

16. The device of claim 15 further comprising:

the computing system configured to compare the cost per nutrient of the selected food item at said first store with the cost per nutrient of the selected food item at said second store.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the cost per nutrient of the selected food item at said store is calculated by dividing the nutrient value of the selected food item by the cost of the item at the store.

18. The device of claim 17 further comprising:

the computing system configured to determine the location of the user and the location of the selected food item;

the computing system configured to calculate the travel expenses and the time to acquire the selected food item; and

the computing system configured to calculate the cost of the selected food item by summing the price of the selected food item at the store, the travel expenses to the store, and the time to obtain the selected food item at the store to calculate the cost of the selected food item.

19. A device for monitoring a user'"'"'s diet and providing a user with the cost information for purchasing a food item per a budget, the device implemented on a computing system including a processing device and an input device, the device comprising:

the computing system configured to accept a user input from the user with the input device, the user input related to a food intake by the user;

the computing system configured to identify a nutrient value associated with the food intake;

the computing system configured to sum the nutrient value of the food intake consumed during a determined period of time to calculate a consumed nutrient value;

the computing system configured to determine a dietary goal nutrient value;

the computing system configured to compare a consumed nutrient value identifying the nutrients consumed by a user during a predetermined time period to a dietary goal nutrient value for the predetermined time period that identities at least one nutrient to be consumed and the quantity of the nutrient to be consumed during the predetermined time period;

the input device configured to accept a user input identifying at least one selected nutrient;

the computing system configured to identify at least one food item comprising the selected nutrient wherein the selected nutrient is found in the dietary goal nutrient value;

the input device configured to accept user input identifying a selected food item;

the computing system configured to calculate the cost of acquiring the selected food item from a store;

the computing system configured to identify the total number of selected nutrients in the food item;

the computing system configured to calculate a cost per selected nutrient associated with the food item; and

the computer system configured to display the food item and the cost per desired nutrient of the food item.

20. The device of claim 19 further comprising:

the computing system configured to compare the cost per nutrient of the selected food item at a first store with the cost per nutrient of the selected food item at a second store,

the computing system configured to determine the location of the user and the location of the selected food item;

the computing system configured to calculate the travel expenses and the time to acquire the selected food item; and

the computing system configured to calculate the cost of the selected food item by summing the price of the selected food item at the store, the travel expenses to the store, and the time to obtain the selected food item at the store to calculate the cost of the selected food item at the store.