Method and system for defining and interactively managing a watched diet

• US 8,370,176 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Giacomo Vespasiani
• Original Assignee: Giacomo Vespasiani
• Inventors: Vespasiani, Giacomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Phongsvirajati, Sind
• Application Number:
  US12/742,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20100256993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method for interactive defining and managing of a controlled diet, prescribed to a patient by a doctor/dietician, includes the asynchronous execution of at least two different operational cycles. A first operational cycle is effected through an interactive terminal and includes a step, in which the foods to be consumed in a given meal are chosen from a first food data base, quantifying the chosen food and assessing the congruity of the choices with what is prescribed and transmitting the data to a central processing unit. A second operational cycle executed by the doctor/dietician on a central processing unit, includes acquiring the data related to the quantities and to the composition of the foods chosen by this patient and comparing this data with the dietary order, and if possible acquiring updated orders and transmitting the updated orders to the patient'"'"'s interactive terminal.

Claims

1. A method for interactively managing and refining a diet prescribed to a patient by a diet manager, to promote conformance to the prescribed diet, the method comprising:

providing a portable interactive terminal to said patient;

a central processing unit accessible by said diet manager, said interactive terminal and central processing unit communicating via a communication link;

storing on the interactive terminal;

i) at least one dietary order received from the diet manager,

ii) a food database including a range of food products which conform to the prescribed diet, and,

iii) a food detail database including graphic and numerical food detail information on each food product in the food database,

activating a program on the interactive terminal by said patient'"'"'s command to perform a first operational cycle which is repeated for each meal to be consumed by the patient, said first operational cycle including the steps of;

said patient activating said terminal and choosing from said food database at least one food product to be consumed;

said terminal retrieving and displaying the graphic and numerical food detail information on the chosen food product stored in the food detail database;

said patient selecting a quantity of the chosen food to be consumed from the displayed food detail information;

said program then;

storing the identity of the chosen food and the quantity of the chosen food in the food detail database, hereafter the food detail data, and,

comparing the food detail data to the at least one prescribed dietary order to determine conformance with said prescribed dietary order;

storing the determination of conformance in the food detail database, as part of the food detail data;

displaying the determination to the patient, the determination permitting the patient to plan further meals; and

,

transmitting, on request, the food detail data to the central processing unit;

wherein said diet manager performs a second operational cycle, asynchronously executed in relation to the first operational cycle, the second operational cycle repeated according to a schedule determined by said diet manager, wherein said second operational cycle includes the steps of;

acquiring from said interactive terminal the food detail data and storing the food detail data on the central processing unit;

said diet manager accessing the food detail data, reviewing the accessed food detail data for conformance with the at least one patient dietary order, and determining whether an updated dietary order should be prepared, and if so, preparing an updated dietary order, storing the updated dietary order on said central processing unit; and

,

transmitting said updated dietary order from the central processing unit to the interactive terminal via said communication link.

2. The method, according to claim 1 wherein said food detail database contains a bromatological composition element for each of said foods in the food database for display in graphic form on the terminal.

3. The method, according to claim 2, wherein said program further performs the step of displaying, for each composition parameter, a target parameter for the meal being composed which conforms to the dietary order.

4. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said step of said terminal retrieving and displaying the graphic and numerical food detail information on the chosen food product stored in the food detail database includes a visual presentation of different quantities of said chosen food.

5. The method, according to claim 4, wherein said visual presentation is in a form of a plurality of photos of said chosen food, each photo presenting a different portion of the chosen food.

6. The method, according to claim 4, wherein said visual presentation is in a numeric form for each different quantity of the chosen food, said numbers indicating a weight for each different quantity of the chosen food portion.

7. The method, according to claim 4, characterized in that said different quantities are a selection of different conventionally used portions of the chosen food product.

8. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the updating of the at least one dietary order is a message sent over a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) line.

9. A system for interactively managing and refining a diet prescribed to a patient by a diet manager, to promote conformance to the prescribed diet, the system comprising:

a portable interactive terminal for use by the patient and having non-volatile memory areas;

a central processing unit accessible by the diet manager;

a communication link configured to provide communication between the portable interactive terminal and the central processing unit;

the portable interactive terminal having stored therein;

at least one dietary order for said patient received from said diet manager;

a food database including a range of food products which conform to the prescribed diet; and

a food detail database including graphic and numerical information detail information on different quantities of each food product contained in said food database;

a program resident in the portable interactive terminal configured to execute on said patient'"'"'s command to perform a first operational cycle which is repeated for each meal to be consumed by the patient, wherein when the patient chooses a food product or products to be consumed for a given meal from the food database, said program displays the graphic and numerical detail information on the chosen food taken from the food detail database, the patient then quantifying the amount of chosen food product or products based on the data in the food detail database, the quantifying data then stored in the food detail database;

the program then assessing the conformity of the chosen food product or products in relation to the stored at least one dietary order, storing the assessment in the food detail database, and displaying the assessment to the patient;

a program resident on the central processing unit configured to execute on said diet manager'"'"'s command to perform a second operational cycle which is repeated according to a schedule determined by said diet manager wherein when the diet manager executed the program, said central processing unit communicates with the interactive terminal via the communication link, accesses the food detail database, retrieves the stored data on the food products chosen by the patient, displays the data on the conformity of the chosen food products to the at least one dietary order, the diet manager determining if an update of the at least one diet order is required, and if so, preparing the undated at least one dietary order and transmitting the updated dietary order to the interactive terminal.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said interactive terminal is a mobile phone.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said mobile phone is equipped with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) functionality.

12. The system as in claim 9, wherein said communication link is a standard cellular telephone network and said central processing unit is provided with an interface for communication with said cellular telephone network.