Electronic apparatus and method for monitoring net calorie intake

• US 20020019585A1
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Shunyuan Kaihua Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: Physical Enterprises Inc.
• Inventors: Dickinson, Elisabeth N.
• Granted Patent: US 6,675,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02455 provided with high/low alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/921 Diet management

Abstract

Apparatus for tracking net consumption of calories by a user has an input to allow a user to enter the number of calories in food consumed by the user. The apparatus also includes a heart rate monitor and a timer. The heart rate monitor and timer. A processor in the apparatus can calculate the number of calories expended by the user in an exercise session from the duration of the exercise session, as measured by the timer, and the intensity of the exercise session as measured by the timer. The apparatus may be provided as a light weight wrist wearable instrument. The apparatus simplifies tracking the expenditure of calories in exercise and makes it possible to vary dietary constraints on calorie consumption in accordance with the amount of exercise in which the user has participated.

Claims

1. A wrist wearable apparatus for comparing the net calorie intake of a user over a period of time, with a user defined target net calorie consumption, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) a strap attached to the housing for attaching the housing to a user'"'"'s wrist;

(c) a user input on the housing;

(d) a processor in the housing and connected to receive information from the user inputs;

(e) a memory in the housing and accessible to the processor, the memory comprising;

(i) a memory location for storing a calculated net calorie intake value; and

,

(ii) a memory location for storing a target net calorie consumption value representing a preferred net calorie consumption value for the user;

(f) a heart rate monitor connected to the processor;

(g) a timer in the housing connected to the processor; and

,

(h) a display on the housing, the display comprising an indicator and connected to the processor,

wherein the processor is adapted to compute and display on the display a calculated net calorie intake value based upon;

data entered by a user through the user input regarding the number of calories consumed by the user during a period of time; and

,

a number of calories determined by the processor from data obtained by the processor from the timer and the heart rate monitor to have been expended by the user in exercise during the period of time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the heart rate monitor comprises at least one contact exposed on a front face of the housing and a contact exposed on a rear face of the housing and the heart rate monitor measures a user'"'"'s heart rate by monitoring electrical signals between the exposed contacts.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the heart rate monitor comprises two contacts exposed on the front face of the housing and the heart rate monitor is operative to measure a user'"'"'s heart rate when a user places two fingers on the two contacts exposed on the front face of the housing while the contact on the rear face of the housing is in contact with the user'"'"'s wrist.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein, when the apparatus is in an exercise mode, the processor executes instructions which cause it to cause the timer to start measuring an elapsed time in response to an input at the user input and, while the time is measuring the elapsed time, to compute from heart rate measurements made by the heart rate monitor, and display on the display, a number of calories expended by the user since the beginning of the elapsed time.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the apparatus comprises a location in the memory which stores a resting heart rate measured by the heart rate monitor and the processor is adapted to compute a number of calories expended by a user during an exercise session based on the resting heart rate and a measured heart rate as measured by the rate monitor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the apparatus comprises a location in the memory which stores data indicating a user'"'"'s gender in the memory and the processor is adapted to compute a number of calories expended by the user during an exercise session based upon the resting heart rate, the measured heart rate and the gender.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the apparatus comprises a location in the memory which stores data indicating a user'"'"'s age in the memory and the processor is adapted to compute a number of calories expended by the user during an exercise session based upon the resting heart rate, the measured heart rate, the gender, and the age.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the processor calculates the number of calories expended by a user during an exercise session using the formula:

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processor is adapted to compare regularly the net calorie intake value with the target net calorie consumption value and indicate, via the indicator, a relative magnitude of the net calorie intake and the target net calorie consumption.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the indicator comprises a multi-segmented bar graph.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the bar graph comprises first, second and third segments and the processor executes instructions which cause it to:

turn on the first segment when the net calorie intake exceeds one third of the target but is less than two thirds of the target;

turn on both the first and second segments when the net calorie intake exceeds two thirds of the target but is less than the target; and

,

turn on all of the first, second and third segments when the net calorie intake equals or exceeds the target.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 comprising an audible alarm activated by the processor whenever adding calories in food consumed by the user to the calculated net calorie intake value would cause the calculated net calorie intake value to exceed the target net calorie consumption value.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user input comprises first, second and third buttons on the housing and, when the apparatus is in a calorie set mode, the processor displays a number representing a number of calories consumed by a user, the number comprising a plurality of digits, in response to activation of the first button, the processor selects one of the digits, in response to activation of the second button the processor increments the selected digit, and, in response to activation of the third button the processor decrements the selected digit.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising displaying the contents of the memory location on a display.

14. Wrist wearable apparatus for monitoring a net calorie intake of a user, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) a strap on the housing for attaching the housing to a user'"'"'s wrist;

(c) a data store in the housing for holding net calorie intake information for a user;

(d) an input on the housing for receiving calorie intake information entered by a user;

(e) a heart rate monitor in the housing; and

,

(f) a processor in the housing, the processor running software instructions which cause the processor to;

increase a value in the store by an amount indicated by the calorie intake information upon receiving the calorie intake information at the input;

receive heart rate information for a user from the heart rate monitor, compute calorie expenditure information therefrom and automatically reduce the value in the store by an amount indicated by the calorie expenditure information.

15. A method for comparing the net calorie intake of a person during a period of time with a user defined target net calorie consumption, the method comprising:

(a) providing apparatus having a user input, a heart rate monitor, a timer, a processor, a memory and a display;

(b) periodically entering via the user input first data representing a first number of calories in food consumed by the person and allowing the processor to automatically add the first number to a value in a memory location in the memory;

(c) for each of one or more exercise sessions;

timing the exercise session with the timer;

measuring a heart rate of the person with the heart rate monitor;

in the processor, in response to measuring the heart rate, computing a second number representing calories expended by the person in the exercise session and subtracting the second number from the value in the memory location; and

,

(d) comparing the contents of the memory location to the target value stored in the memory and indicating on the display relative magnitudes of the net calorie intake and target net calorie consumption.

17. A method for weight control, the method comprising:

a) providing a portable wrist wearable apparatus capable of;

i) storing a target net calorie consumption value for a time period and a user'"'"'s weight;

ii) recording a number of calories in food consumed by a user;

iii) timing a user'"'"'s exercise sessions;

iv) monitoring a user'"'"'s heart rate during the exercise sessions;

v) automatically computing calories expended by the user in the exercise sessions using durations of the exercise sessions and the user'"'"'s heart rate and weight;

vi) calculating a net calorie intake number by the user; and

vii) comparing the net calorie intake number to the stored target net calorie consumption value,

b) storing a user'"'"'s weight and target net calorie consumption value in the apparatus;

c) during a first time period monitoring the user'"'"'s net calorie consumption value by;

i) recording in the apparatus a number of calories in food consumed by the user;

ii) while the user exercises, using the apparatus to time an exercise session, measure the user'"'"'s heart rate during the exercise session and compute calories expended by the user in the exercise session;

iii) in the apparatus comparing the user'"'"'s net calorie intake number to the target net calorie consumption value; and

iv) displaying on the apparatus an indicator which shows the user when the user'"'"'s net calorie intake number has reached the target net calorie consumption value,

d) after the end of the time period resetting the net calorie intake number to zero; and

e) repeating steps (c) and (d) for subsequent time periods.