Nutrition intake tracker

• US 7,432,454 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sze, Calvin Lui, Spinac, Clifford Jay, Naick, Indran, Chalemin, Glen Edmond
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson; Randy W
• Application Number:
  US12/045,203
• Time in Patent Office: 211 Days
• Field of Search: 128/921, 177/25.16, 177/25.19
• US Class Current: 177/25.16
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4146 for controlling caloric intake, e.g. diet control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/921 Diet management

Abstract

In one embodiment, this invention utilizes radio frequency identification (RFID) tag with nutrition information for each kind of food in a restaurant, institutional cafeteria, in food delivery to hospital patients, in hospice, in old age home residents or elsewhere. The food plate is placed on a coaster with an RFID reader and miniature built-in scale. The scale is used to measure the weight of a particular food placed on the plate. In addition, the RFID reader reads the nutritional information from an RFID tag in the serving bin of the cafeteria or the food distribution point. With the nutritional information of each food and the amount of the food that is added to the plate, the nutritional intake of a customer or patient can be calculated. With this the nutrition information now available, the nutritional information, including the amount of vitamins, calories, sugars, carbohydrates, and grams (g) of fat, can be obtained and tracked.

Claims

1. A method of nutrition intake tracking, said method comprising:

placing a single plate over a plate coaster;

zeroing a scale via an electronic interface;

wherein said scale and said electronic interface are incorporated within said plate coaster;

wherein said plate coaster has an RFID tag reader;

placing said plate coaster within a first food dispensing area;

transferring a first food portion of a first type of food from a first tray onto said plate, within said first food dispensing area;

wherein said scale measures a first weight of said first food portion by measuring a first weight increase of said plate and a content of said plate;

said plate coaster receiving a first nutritious information within said first food dispensing area via said RFID tag reader by reading a first RFID signal from a first RFID tag;

wherein said first RFID tag is associated with said first type of food served from said first tray;

wherein said first RFID tag is associated with said first food dispensing area;

wherein said first nutritious information is associated with said first type of food;

wherein said first nutritious information comprises a first per weight calorie and a first per weight fat;

calculating a first portion nutritious information based on said first weight and said first nutritious information;

wherein said first portion nutritious information comprises a first portion calorie amount and a first portion fat amount;

displaying said first portion nutritious information and said first nutritious information via said electronic interface;

said plate coaster tracking one or more food portion nutritious information and corresponding one or more food nutritious information;

wherein said first portion nutritious information is one of said one or more food portion nutritious information, and said first nutritious information is one of said one or more food nutritious information;

calculating a total portions nutritious information based on said one or more food portion nutritious information and said one or more food nutritious information;

wherein said total portions nutritious information comprises a total calorie information and a total fat amount;

displaying said total portions nutritious information via said electronic interface; and

if electing to indicate a first left-over food portion of said first food portion, then removing said first left-over food portion from said plate, said scale measuring a first left-over weight of said first left-over food portion by measuring a first weight reduction of said plate and said content of said plate, calculating a first left-over portion nutritious information based on said first left-over weight and said first nutritious information, calculating an adjusted total portions nutritious information based on said total portions nutritious information and said first left-over portion nutritious information, and displaying said adjusted total portions nutritious information via said electronic interface.