Hidden overweight preventing system and method

• US 6,816,807 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yefim G. Kriger
• Original Assignee: Yefim G. Kriger
• Inventors: Kriger, Yefim G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Xiuqin
• Application Number:
  US10/349,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20040148127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 702/173, 600/300, 600/301, 174/113.R, 177/25.13, 705/3
• US Class Current: 702/173
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets

Abstract

A method and apparatus for preventing an overweight condition by monitoring the weight of individuals before they will become overweight, the apparatus and related systems analyze the data and provides a warning of if the existence of an overweight trend is found.

Claims

1. A method for preventing obesity in an individual comprising:

monitoring an individual'"'"'s weight by periodically supplying in non-dialog mode the weight and height reading to a preventing system, said preventing system receiving the weight and height reading through a device that is adapted to collect and send data corresponding to the weight and height reading through an internet connection;

analyzing weight and height reading and determining if the individual'"'"'s weight profile has changed; and

providing feedback to the individual'"'"'s primary doctor, the feedback will indicate whether the individual is trending towards an overweight condition, wherein a weight progress analyzer estimates a trend of a weight graph of the individual for the next three months and compares it to a trend of a weight recommended for the individual and if there is an overweight probability during the next two months, the weight progress analyzer sends a warning to the individual'"'"'s doctor about a patient'"'"'s overweight probability during the next two months.

2. The method for preventing obesity in an individual as in claim 1, wherein said device starts to send the height and weight reading in a hidden mode automatically upon receipt of an input to said device.

3. The method for preventing obesity in an individual as in claim 2, wherein said hidden mode is activated by an individual stepping on said device.

4. The method for preventing obesity in an individual as in claim 1, wherein the step of providing feedback to the individual further comprises allowing the individual to choose a diet plan and exercises from a plurality of diet plans and exercises in the memory of a personal computer that can be connected to the preventing system.

5. The method for preventing obesity in an individual as in claim 1, wherein the individual is a child and the weight and height readings are used with an age reading to determine whether the child is trending within predetermined growth charts or there has been a significant change in the trend of the child'"'"'s growth chart or curve.

6. A remote weight and height reading apparatus configured for providing one way data communication with an overweight preventing system for interpreting received data, comprising:

a scale being configured to power up a data input and data output device upon receipt of a load of an individual, said data input and said data output devices being adapted to be coupled to said scale, said data input device comprising means to store data in a transferable format, said data output device being adapted to transfer data only via electronic means to a system device adapted to receive and store the transferred data and said system device being adapted to analyze the transferred data and provide a signal indicative of an overweight trend;

wherein said scale powers up said data input and data output device only after an individual has stepped on a platform of said apparatus; and

means for determining whether a prescribed period of time has elapsed since said individual has stepped off of said scale.

7. The apparatus and system as in claim 6, wherein said system device is adapted to provide said signal to an individual'"'"'s primary doctor who has been inputted into said data input device by said individual.

8. The apparatus and system as in claim 6, further comprising means for obtaining the height of said individual and sending corresponding data into said data output device.

9. The apparatus and system as in claim 8, further comprising means for determining whether a prescribed period of time has elapsed since the height of said individual has been measured.

10. The apparatus and system as in claim 6, further comprising means for determining whether a different individual has stepped onto said scale.

11. The apparatus and system as in claim 6, further comprising means for determining whether data corresponding to said individual should be sent to said system device.

12. The apparatus and system as in claim 6, wherein said system device comprises a means for predicting an overweight trend in said individual.

13. The apparatus and system as in claim 12, wherein said system device is adapted to receive data only from a plurality of remote weight and height reading apparatus.

14. The apparatus and system as in claim 13, wherein said electronic means is a modem and internet connection system adapted to automatically transfer data from only the remote weight and height reading apparatus to the system device.

15. The apparatus and system as in claim 12, wherein said means for predicting an overweight trend in said individual utilizes data received from said data output device.

16. The apparatus and system as in claim 6, further comprising a touch screen for data entry by said individual.

17. A remote weight and height reading apparatus configured for providing one way data communication with an overweight preventing system for interpreting received data, comprising:

a scale being configured to power up a data input and data output device upon receipt of a load of an individual, said data input and said data output devices being adapted to be coupled to said scale, said data input device comprising means to store data in a transferable format, said data output device being adapted to transfer data only via electronic means to a system device adapted to receive and store the transferred data and said system device being adapted to analyze the transferred data and provide a signal indicative of an overweight trend;

wherein said scale powers up said data input and data output device only after an individual has stepped on a platform of said apparatus; and

a touch screen for data entry by said individual, wherein said device allows the individual to set up an option to show or not the result of current weighing of the individual on the screen.

18. The apparatus and system as in claim 17, further comprising a liquid crystal display for providing interactive messages to said individual from the remote weight and height reading apparatus only.

19. A method for preventing obesity in a group of individuals comprising:

monitoring each individual'"'"'s weight by periodically supplying in non-dialog mode the weight and height reading to a preventing system, said preventing system receiving the weight and height reading through a device that is adapted to collect and send data corresponding to the weight and height reading through an internet connection; and

analyzing weight and height reading of each individual and determining if any of the individual'"'"'s weight profile has changed; and

providing feedback to the primary doctor of the individual whose weight profile has changed, the feedback will indicate whether the individual is trending towards an overweight condition, wherein a weight progress analyzer estimates a trend of a weight graph of each individual for the next three months and compares it to a trend of a weight recommended for the individual and if there is an overweight probability during the next two months, the weight progress analyzer sends a warning to the individual'"'"'s doctor about a patient'"'"'s overweight probability during the next two months.