Food content detector

• US 8,392,123 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Leuthardt, Eric C., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): BHAT, ADITYA S
• Application Number:
  US12/313,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 702/19
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 23/12 Consumption counters combined with table-ware or table-service
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4146 for controlling caloric intake, e.g. diet control
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food

Abstract

A system may include utensil means for portioning a foodstuff into a first portion and a second portion, a means for detecting a first portion size for the first portion with the utensil means, a means for detecting a second portion size for the second portion with the utensil means, and a means for determining a cumulative amount of portioned foodstuff based upon the first portion size and the second portion size.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

utensil means for portioning a foodstuff into a first portion and a second portion;

means for detecting, with the utensil means, a first portion size for the first portion;

means for detecting, with the utensil means, a second portion size for the second portion;

means for determining a cumulative amount of portioned foodstuff based upon the first portion size and the second portion size; and

means for directly contacting the portioned foodstuff and for sensing at least one ingredient of the portioned foodstuff, the means for directly contacting the portioned foodstuff and for sensing at least one ingredient of the portioned foodstuff coupled to the utensil means.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the utensil means for portioning a foodstuff into a first portion and a second portion comprises:

at least one of a chopstick, a cup, a fork, a glass, a knife, a ladle, a scoop, or a spoon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting a first portion size for the first portion with the utensil means comprises:

means for detecting the first portion size for the first portion, wherein the first portion is sized by at least one of mass, volume, or weight.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for determining a cumulative amount of portioned foodstuff based upon the first portion size and the second portion size comprises:

means for adding the first portion size and the second portion size for a positive accumulation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for determining a cumulative amount of portioned foodstuff based upon the first portion size and the second portion size comprises:

means for subtracting the first portion size and the second portion size for a negative accumulation.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for storing the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for storing the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff comprises:

at least one of flash memory, Random Access Memory (RAM), or Read Only Memory (ROM).

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for reporting the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for reporting the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff comprises:

at least one of an audio signal, a tactile signal, or a visual signal.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for reporting that the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff has reached a target amount.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for reporting that the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff has reached a target amount comprises:

means for alerting a user when the target amount is reached.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for transmitting the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for transmitting the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for transmitting the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff to a remote display.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for transmitting the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for transmitting the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff to a remote storage device.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for comparing the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff to a target amount.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for comparing the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff to a target amount comprises:

means for comparing the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff to a goal amount.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for reporting a representation of the comparison.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for transmitting a representation of the comparison.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for alerting a user to the comparison.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining a nutritional parameter for the portioned foodstuff.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for determining a nutritional parameter for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for determining an energy density for the portioned foodstuff.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for determining an energy density for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for determining a calorie density for the portioned foodstuff.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for determining a nutritional parameter for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for determining a component concentration of the at least one ingredient of the portioned foodstuff.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for determining a component concentration of the at least one ingredient of the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for determining a concentration of at least one of a carbohydrate, a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, an oligosaccharide, a polysaccharide, a cellulose component, a fiber component, a sugar component, a dairy component, a fat, a saturated fat, an unsaturated fat, a polyunsaturated fat, a trans fat, a cholesterol component, a lipoprotein, a mineral, a peanut component, a protein, a salt, a triglyceride, or a vitamin.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for determining the non-weight nutritional parameter for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for determining the nutritional parameter on at least one of a per-mass basis, a per-volume basis, or a per-weight basis.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for directly contacting the portioned foodstuff and for sensing at least one ingredient of the portioned foodstuff comprises:

at least one of a calorimeter, a conductivity sensor, an electrical lead, an enzymatic sensor, a biosensor, a chemical sensor, a microchip sensor, an Enzyme-Linked Assay sensor, an infrared (IR) spectroscopy sensor, a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) sensor, an optical sensor, a permittivity sensor, a gas sensor, a Radio Frequency (RF) sensor, an electronic nose sensor, an electronic tongue sensor, a multi-frequency RF sensor, a cantilever sensor, an acoustic wave sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, a responsive polymer-based sensor, a quartz microbalance sensor, a metal oxide sensor, an X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) sensor, a nucleic acid-based sensor, or a regenerable sensor.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for determining a cumulative amount of portioned foodstuff based upon the first portion size and the second portion size comprises:

means for calculating a nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff utilizing the non-weight nutritional parameter for the portioned foodstuff and the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the means for calculating a nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff utilizing the non-weight nutritional parameter for the portioned foodstuff and the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for calculating a nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff utilizing an energy density for the portioned foodstuff and the cumulative amount of the portioned foodstuff.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for storing the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the means for storing the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

at least one of flash memory, Random Access Memory (RAM), or Read Only Memory (ROM).

31. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for reporting the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the means for reporting the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

at least one of an audio signal, a tactile signal, or a visual signal.

33. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for reporting that the nutritional content of the portioned foodstuff has reached a target amount.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the means for reporting that the nutritional content of the portioned foodstuff has reached a target amount comprises:

means for alerting a user when the target amount is reached.

35. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for transmitting the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for transmitting the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for transmitting the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff to a remote display.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for transmitting the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff comprises:

means for transmitting the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff to a remote storage device.

38. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for comparing the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff to a target amount.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for comparing the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff to a target amount comprises:

means for comparing the nutritional content for the portioned foodstuff to a goal amount.

40. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

means for reporting a representation of the comparison.

41. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

means for transmitting a representation of the comparison.

42. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

means for alerting a user to the comparison.