Ketone measurement system capable of detecting correlations between measurements and user behaviors

• US 9,341,632 B1
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invoy Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invoy Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Ahmad, Lubna M., Ahmad, Salman A., Smith, Zachary
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US14/807,818
• Time in Patent Office: 299 Days
• Field of Search: 702/19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0087 Breath samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• 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 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/083 Measuring rate of metabolism by using breath test, e.g. measuring rate of oxygen consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2033/4975 other than oxygen, carbon dioxide or alcohol, e.g. organic vapours
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 : of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/64 : involving ketones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 : Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 : Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 : Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 : for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Systems and related methods are provided for measuring a ketone in the fluid of a patient or other user. The systems include a portable measurement device for analyzing a plurality of fluid samples and for generating a corresponding plurality of ketone measurement results. The systems also include an electronic or communications device, for example, such as a cell phone or smartphone, configured to communicate with the measurement device. The system further includes a software application. The systems and related methods according to one aspect provide reminders, preferably interactive reminders that facilitate user compliance with a weight management or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) monitoring or prevention program. The systems and related methods according to another aspect incorporate ketone tags and/or trigger points to improve accuracy of results and to advance user compliance.

Claims

1. A system for measuring and monitoring ketone levels in a human, comprising:

a portable ketone measurement device configured to measure ketone levels in breath samples, the portable ketone measurement device comprising a breath input port that fluidly couples a breath input device to a ketone sensor, and a wireless transceiver that enables the portable ketone measurement device to communicate with a mobile communications device of a user of the portable ketone measurement device; and

non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon program instructions that direct a computing system comprising one or more computing devices to perform a process that comprises;

storing data representing a trigger point associated with the user, the trigger point representing a user behavior associated with non-compliance with a behavioral program;

receiving and storing a plurality of ketone measurements generated from respective breath samples, each ketone measurement generated at a different point in time over a time period by the portable ketone measurement device;

receiving, via a user interface, indications from the user of a plurality of trigger point occurrences in which the user engaged in the behavior over the time period;

analyzing the plurality of ketone measurements in conjunction with the indications of the trigger point occurrences to determine whether the trigger point is associated with a ketone level pattern;

recording a correlation detected based on the analysis, the correlation identifying a particular ketone level pattern associated with the trigger point;

subsequent to the time period, receiving and storing a sequence of two or more ketone measurements generated by the portable ketone measurement device based on additional respective breath samples;

determining whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point at least partly by comparing the sequence to the particular ketone level pattern; and

in response to determining that the sequence corresponds to the trigger point, causing the mobile communications device to display a user interface that identifies a possible occurrence of the trigger point, the user interface including a user option to indicate whether the trigger point has occurred.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the behavioral program is a weight loss program.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to:

prompt the user to select, from a master set of trigger points, a subset of trigger points that are applicable to the user, the subset having less than all of the trigger points in the master set; and

generate, on the mobile communications device, a user interface that displays the subset of trigger points and enables the user to use the subset to record occurrences of trigger points.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the process further comprises:

recording, in association with at least some of the trigger point occurrences, trigger point state information specifying at least a condition or location of the user when the trigger point occurred, said condition or location sensed by a sensor;

recording ketone measurement state information specifying at least a condition or location of the user when at least one ketone measurement of the sequence is generated; and

determining whether the measurement state information matches the trigger point state information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the trigger point state information comprises location data sensed by a GPS sensor of the mobile communications device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the trigger point state information and the ketone measurement state information each comprise location data sensed by a GPS sensor of the mobile communications device of the user.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the trigger point state information and the ketone measurement state information each comprise heart rate data sensed by a heart rate monitor.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the trigger point state information and the ketone measurement state information each comprise blood pressure data sensed by a blood pressure monitor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular ketone level pattern is specified at least partly in terms of a percentage by which a ketone level drops in response to the trigger point.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein determining whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point additionally comprises determining whether a last ketone measurement in the sequence was taken while the user was in a state associated with the trigger point.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the state comprises a location.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system consists of the mobile communications device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises a remote system that communicates over a network with the mobile communications device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the breath input device is a breath container.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the portable ketone measurement device comprises a presence sensor that senses whether the breath container is inserted into the breath input port.

16. A method of measuring and monitoring ketone levels in a human, the method comprising:

generating, by a portable ketone measurement device, a sequence of two or more ketone measurements, each ketone measurement generated by the portable ketone measurement device from a different respective breath sample of a user by analyzing the breath sample using a ketone sensor, the breath samples taken at sample times that are spaced apart in time according to a schedule;

communicating each of the ketone measurements, with a transceiver of the portable ketone measurement device, from the portable ketone measurement device to a mobile application running on a mobile communications device associated with the user;

determining, by execution of program code by at least one processor, whether the sequence of ketone measurements corresponds to a trigger point of the user at least partly by comparing a ketone measurement pattern of the sequence to a ketone measurement pattern associated with the trigger point; and

in response to determining that the sequence corresponds to the trigger point, displaying, via the mobile application, a user interface that prompts the user to indicate whether the trigger point has occurred.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the trigger point is a program non-compliance behavior of the user.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point comprises determining whether a percentage change between measurements in the sequence corresponds to a percentage change associated with the trigger point.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the ketone measurement pattern associated with the trigger point is based on an analysis of at least one prior ketone measurement sequence generated from breath samples of the user, the prior ketone measurement sequence associated with a user-reported occurrence of the trigger point.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point comprises comparing the ketone measurement pattern of the sequence to each of a plurality of trigger point patterns, each of which corresponds to a different respective trigger point of the user.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point comprises determining a location at which a last measurement in the sequence occurred, and determining whether the location matches a location associated with the trigger point.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point comprises determining a time of day at which a last measurement in the sequence was taken, and determining whether the time of day corresponds to a time of day associated with the trigger point.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point comprises determining a day of week at which a last measurement in the sequence was taken, and determining whether the day of week corresponds to a day of week associated with the trigger point.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising, prior to generating the sequence of two or more measurements, applying a machine learning algorithm to ketone measurement sequences known to be associated with the trigger point of the user, to thereby identify the ketone measurement pattern associated with the trigger point.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor comprises a processor of the mobile communications device.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor comprises a processor of a computer system that is separate from both the portable ketone measurement device and the mobile communications device.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor comprises a processor of the portable ketone measurement device.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein communicating each of the ketone measurements from the portable ketone measurement device to the mobile application comprises transmitting the ketone measurements over a wireless link between the portable ketone measurement device and the mobile communications device.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the ketone measurements comprises activating a pump that moves a breath sample from a breath container to the ketone sensor.

30. A system for measuring ketone levels in a human, the system comprising:

a portable ketone measurement device configured to measure ketone levels in bodily fluid samples, the portable ketone measurement device comprising a bodily fluid input port that fluidly couples a bodily fluid sample container to a ketone sensor, and a wireless transceiver that enables the portable ketone measurement device to communicate with a mobile communications device of a user of the portable ketone measurement device; and

a mobile application which, when executed on the mobile communications device of the user, provides functionality for the mobile communications device to communicate with the portable ketone measurement device and to obtain and display ketone measurements generated by the portable ketone measurement device;

wherein the mobile application is configured to store on the mobile communications device information regarding a plurality of trigger points of the user, and to determine whether a sequence of ketone measurements generated by the portable ketone measurement device corresponds to one of the trigger points, the mobile application responsive to determining that the sequence corresponds to a trigger point by alerting the user and providing an option for the user to indicate whether the trigger point has occurred.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein each trigger point corresponds to a different respective user behavior associated with non-compliance with a program.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the mobile application is configured to determine whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point at least partly by determining whether the sequence has a pattern corresponding to a previously determined ketone level pattern associated with the trigger point.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the mobile application is configured to determine whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point at least partly by communicating over a network with a remote system that analyzes the sequence of ketone measurements.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the mobile application includes a user interface that includes functionality for the user to log occurrences of the trigger points, and uses the logged occurrences to learn ketone level patters associated with each of the trigger points.

35. The system of claim 30, further comprising a remote computer system that communicates over a network with the mobile communications device and receives ketone measurements from the mobile communications device.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the remote computer system uses the ketone measurements, in combination with trigger point occurrence events reported by the user, to automatically learn ketone level patterns associated with the trigger points.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the mobile application or the remote computer system determines whether the sequence corresponds to the trigger point partly by determining whether state information corresponding to a last ketone measurement in the sequence corresponds to state information associated with the trigger point.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the state information corresponding to the last ketone measurement specifies at least one of the following:

(1) a location at which the last ketone measurement was taken, (2) a time of day at which the last ketone measurement was taken, (3) a day of week at which the last ketone measurement was taken, (4) a non-ketone physiologic parameter of the user at a time when the last ketone measurement was taken.

39. The system of claim 30, wherein the mobile application includes a configuration user interface that includes user functionality to select the plurality of trigger points from a master list of trigger points.

40. The system of claim 30, wherein the portable ketone measurement device comprises a presence sensor that senses whether a breath container is properly inserted.

41. The system of claim 30, wherein the portable ketone measurement device comprises a pump that moves a bodily fluid sample from a bodily fluid sample container to the ketone sensor.