Breath acetone measurement system with portable base unit that communicates with mobile application

• US 9,504,422 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2016
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• 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:
  US15/131,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20160231309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 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 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4975 : other than oxygen, carbon dioxide or alcohol, e.g. organic vapours
• 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

A portable system is provided for measuring a ketone, such as an acetone, in the breath or other bodily fluid of a user. The system includes a portable measurement device that analyzes fluid samples and generates corresponding ketone measurements. The portable measurement device communicates with an application which runs on a smartphone or other mobile device of the user. The application tracks, and generates graphs of, the ketone measurements, and may include various features for facilitating the analysis of the measurements.

Claims

1. A portable breath analysis system, comprising:

a portable base unit comprising a breath acetone sensing system, a breath container insertion port fluidly coupled to the breath acetone sensing system, a pump, a processor, a presence sensor, and a wireless transceiver, the breath container insertion port configured to mate with, and receive a breath sample from, a detachable breath container, the presence sensor configured to sense whether the detachable breath container is inserted into the breath container insertion port, the pump arranged to pump the breath sample along a flow path to the breath acetone sensing system, wherein the portable base unit, under control of program instructions executed by the processor, is configured to generate measurements corresponding to breath acetone levels by analyzing breath samples with the breath acetone sensing system, and to wirelessly transmit the measurements, with the wireless transceiver, to a mobile device associated with a user; and

a mobile application that runs on the mobile device and communicates with the portable base unit over a wireless link, the mobile application configured to track, and generate graphs of, the measurements generated by the portable base unit.

2. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the portable base unit communicates with the mobile device using a Bluetooth protocol.

3. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to initiate a breath sample test only when the presence sensor senses the presence of the detachable breath container.

4. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the mobile application includes a user interface that provides functionality for the user to tag individual measurements using a personalized set of tags.

5. The portable breath analysis system of claim 4, wherein the mobile application is configured to generate and display a tag-specific graph corresponding to a particular tag of the personalized set of tags, the tag-specific graph based on a plurality of measurements tagged with the particular tag.

6. The portable breath analysis system of claim 4, wherein the mobile application is configured to generate and concurrently display a plurality of tag-specific graphs, each of which corresponds to a different respective tag of the personalized set of tags, each tag-specific graph based on measurements tagged with the respective tag.

7. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the mobile application is configured to determine whether the measurements comply with a set of rules that specify, at least, timing constraints for generating the measurements.

8. The portable breath analysis system of claim 7, wherein the mobile application is configured to display, in a graph of the measurements, a visual indication that a measurement was determined to not comply with the set of rules.

9. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the mobile application is configured to detect that a sequence of the measurements follows a pattern corresponding to a predefined trigger point associated with the user, and in response, to prompt the user to indicate whether the trigger point has occurred.

10. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the detachable breath container is an inflatable breath bag.

11. The portable breath analysis system of claim 10, wherein inflatable breath bag is disposable.

12. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the base unit is configured to wirelessly notify the mobile device of a state of the presence sensor, and the mobile application is configured to display an indication of said state.

13. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, wherein the breath acetone sensing system includes a removable cartridge, and the base unit includes a second presence sensor that senses whether the removable cartridge is present.

14. The portable breath analysis system of claim 1, in combination with the breath container, wherein the breath container includes a one-way valve that prevents the breath sample from escaping through a mouthpiece of the breath container before the breath container is attached to the breath container insertion port.

15. A portable breath analysis system, comprising:

a portable base unit comprising a breath acetone sensing system, a breath container insertion port, a flow path that fluidly couples the breath container insertion port to the breath acetone sensing system, a processor, a presence sensor, and a wireless transceiver, the breath container insertion port configured to mate with, and receive a breath sample from, a detachable breath container, the presence sensor configured to sense whether the detachable breath container is inserted into the breath container insertion port, wherein the portable base unit, under control of program instructions executed by the processor, is configured to generate breath acetone measurements by analyzing breath samples with the breath acetone sensing system, and to wirelessly transmit the breath acetone measurements to a mobile device; and

a mobile application that runs on the mobile device and communicates with the portable base unit over a wireless link, the mobile application configured to track, and generate graphs of, the breath acetone measurements generated by the portable base unit.

16. The portable breath analysis system of claim 15, wherein the portable base unit communicates with the mobile device using a Bluetooth protocol.

17. The portable breath analysis system of claim 15, wherein the system is configured to initiate a breath sample test only when the presence sensor senses the presence of the detachable breath container.

18. The portable breath analysis system of claim 15, wherein the mobile application includes a user interface that provides functionality for the user to tag individual breath acetone measurements using a personalized set of tags.

19. The portable breath analysis system of claim 18, wherein the mobile application is configured to generate and display a tag-specific graph corresponding to a particular tag of the personalized set of tags, the tag-specific graph based on a plurality of breath acetone measurements tagged with the particular tag.

20. The portable breath analysis system of claim of claim 15, wherein the mobile application is configured to determine whether the breath acetone measurements comply with a set of rules that specify, at least, timing constraints for generating breath acetone measurements.

21. The portable breath analysis system of claim 20, wherein the mobile application is configured to display, in a graph of breath acetone measurements, a visual indication that a breath acetone measurement does not comply with the set of rules.

22. The portable breath analysis system of claim of claim 15, wherein the mobile application is configured to detect that a sequence of the breath acetone measurements follows a pattern corresponding to a predefined trigger point associated with the user, and in response, to prompt a user to indicate whether the trigger point has occurred.

23. The portable breath analysis system of claim 15, wherein the detachable breath container is an inflatable breath bag.

24. The portable breath analysis system of claim 15, wherein the base unit is configured to wirelessly notify the mobile device of a state of the presence sensor, and the mobile application is configured to display an indication of said state.

25. The portable breath analysis system of claim 15, wherein the breath acetone sensing system includes a removable cartridge, and the base unit includes a second presence sensor that senses whether the removable cartridge is present.

26. A portable breath analysis system, comprising:

a portable base unit comprising a breath acetone sensing system, a breath container insertion port, a pump, a processor, and a wireless transceiver, the breath container insertion port configured to mate with, and receive a breath sample from, a detachable breath container, the pump configured to pump the breath sample along a flow path to the breath acetone sensing system, wherein the portable base unit, under control of program instructions executed by the processor, is configured to generate breath acetone measurements by analyzing breath samples with the breath acetone sensing system, and to wirelessly transmit the breath acetone measurements to a mobile device; and

a mobile application stored in computer storage, the mobile application configured to run on the mobile device and to communicate with the portable base unit over a wireless link, the mobile application further configured to track, and generate graphs of, the breath acetone measurements generated by the portable base unit, wherein the mobile application includes a user interface that provides functionality for the user to tag individual measurements using a personalized set of tags.

27. The portable breath analysis system of claim 26, wherein the portable base unit communicates with the mobile device using a Bluetooth protocol.

28. A portable breath analysis system, comprising:

a portable base unit comprising a breath acetone sensing system, a breath container insertion port, a flow path that fluidly couples the breath container insertion port to the breath acetone sensing system, a processor, a presence sensor, and a transceiver, the breath container insertion port configured to mate with, and receive a breath sample from, a detachable breath container, the presence sensor configured to sense whether the detachable breath container is inserted into the breath container insertion port, wherein the portable base unit, under control of program instructions executed by the processor, is configured to generate breath acetone measurements by analyzing breath samples with the breath acetone sensing system, and to wirelessly transmit the breath acetone measurements to a mobile device; and

a mobile application that runs on the mobile device and communicates with the portable base unit over a wireless link, the mobile application configured to track, and generate graphs of, the breath acetone measurements generated by the portable base unit;

wherein the portable breath analysis system is configured to initiate a test of a breath sample in response to user performance of an action following insertion of the breath container into the insertion port, and is configured to inhibit the test from being performed if the user does not perform the action within a predetermined period of time following said insertion of the breath container.