System and method for optimized dietary menu planning

• US 20030225731A1
• Filed: 06/03/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edward Vidgen
• Original Assignee: Edward Vidgen
• Inventors: Vidgen, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,090,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/921 Diet management

Abstract

A dietary menu planning system. The dietary menu planning system receives personal characteristics and food preferences for an individual. The personal characteristics includes a desired physiological rate of change for the individual. Based on the physiological rate of change and other personal characteristics, a set of dietary constraints is developed for the individual. A dietary menu plan is created for the individual including food items selected by the individual and with quantities determined to maximize the food preferences of the individual while satisfying the dietary constraints. The creation of the dietary menu plan includes applying an optimization function to maximize the food preferences. The dietary menu planning system is implemented as a stand-alone application for a computer or as a networked-system, for example, as a fee-for-service basis through the Internet.

Claims

1. A method of creating an optimized dietary menu for an individual, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving personal characteristics of the individual;

(b) receiving a desired physiological change rate for the individual;

(c) calculating dietary constraints, said dietary constraints being based upon said personal characteristics and said desired physiological change rate;

(d) receiving food preferences for the individual;

(e) creating the optimized dietary menu comprising a plurality of food items, and said food items being selected on the basis of said dietary constraints and said food preferences for the individual; and

(f) outputting said optimized dietary menu.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said desired physiological change rate comprises a desired body weight change rate for the individual.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further including the step of receiving electronic payment from the individual prior to outputting said optimized dietary menu.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of creating the optimized dietary menu comprises applying an optimization function, said optimization function maximizing the food preferences of said individual.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein each said food item has a score, said score reflecting said food preferences for the individual, and wherein said optimization function comprises a sum of terms, each term comprising said score for one of said food items.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said each term comprises the product of said score for one of said food items and the weight of said one of said food items.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said dietary constraints comprise a system of inequalities.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said dietary constraints include dietary constraints based on one or more parameters stored in a nutritional profile database.

9. A system for creating optimized dietary menu planning for an individual, said dietary menu planning system comprising:

(a) a user interface for receiving personal characteristics and food preferences for individual;

(b) memory for storing said personal characteristics and said food preferences;

(c) a food items database, said food items database including a plurality of food items;

(d) a component operable to generate dietary constraints from said personal characteristics;

(e) a component to create a dietary menu, said component being operable to select a plurality of food items and quantities of said food items for said dietary menu from said food items database wherein said selected food items maximize the food preferences of the individual and satisfy said dietary constraints; and

(f) a component operable to output said dietary menu to the individual.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said component to create a dietary menu includes an optimization function, said optimization function maximizing the food preferences of said individual based on said dietary constraints.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein each said food item has a score, said score reflecting said food preferences for the individual, and wherein said optimization function comprises a sum of terms, each term comprising said score for one of said food items.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said each term comprises the product of said score for one of said food item and said quantity of said one of said food items.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said dietary constraints comprise a system of inequalities.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10, further including a nutritional profile database, said nutritional profile database providing further dietary constraints for the dietary menu.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11, further including a component operable to accept an electronic payment from an individual for generating a dietary menu for the individual.

16. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said system comprises a networked-based system operating on the Internet.

17. A method for providing a dietary menu optimized for a client, said method comprising:

storing personal information for the client, including information on personal characteristics for the client and information for a desired physiological rate of change for the client;

storing food preferences for the client;

calculating dietary constraints for the client, said dietary constraints being based upon said personal characteristics information and said dietary constraints information;

providing a dietary menu to the client, said dietary menu being based on the calculated dietary constraints and the food preferences.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of providing a dietary menu to the client comprises applying an optimization function, said optimization function maximizing the food preferences of said individual based on said dietary constraints.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising receiving payment from the individual for the dietary menu.

20. A method for selling dietary menus, said method comprising the steps of:

storing information for a plurality of clients, said information including, identification information, personal characteristics and a desired physiological change rate;

storing information on a plurality of food items;

receiving a request to purchase a dietary menu plan, the request including identification information for the client;

receiving payment from the client;

storing preferences of the client for said food items;

calculating dietary constraints for the client based on said personal characteristics and said desired physiological change rate;

generating a dietary menu comprising a plurality of said food items, said food items being selected on the basis of said dietary constraints and said preferences of the client.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said step of generating a dietary menu comprises applying an optimization function, said optimization function maximizing the food preferences of said individual based on said dietary constraints.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein said step of receiving payment comprises receiving a credit card account from the client and verifying the credit card account and charging an associated fee to the credit card account.

23. A computer-readable signal embodied in a carrier wave, said carrier wave comprising:

(a) a dietary menu plan code segment; and

(b) said dietary menu plan code segment comprising a plurality of food items, said food items satisfying dietary constraints for an individual, and said food items maximizing food preferences of the individual.

24. The computer-readable signal as claimed in claim 23, wherein said dietary constraints are derived from personal characteristics of the individual and a desired physiological rate of change for the individual.

25. The computer-readable signal as claimed in claim 24, wherein said food items for said dietary menu plan are determined according to an optimization function, said optimization function maximizing the food preferences of the individual based on said dietary constraints.

26. The computer-readable signal as claimed in claim 25, wherein said dietary constraints include dietary constraints based on parameters contained in a nutritional profile database.