Fitness monitoring device with user engagement metric functionality

• US 9,202,111 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Arnold, Jacob Antony, Hong, Jung Ook, Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Archer, Marie
• Application Number:
  US14/497,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20150018991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 calorie expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 for weighing persons
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/50 having additional measuring devices, e.g. for height
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0092 Nutrition
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and systems are provided for determining a level of user engagement with a fitness monitoring device and, when a level of engagement metric for the fitness monitoring device for a person meets certain criteria, encouraging user engagement with the fitness monitoring device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory;

a first biometric sensor; and

a notification mechanism configured to provide one or more notifications, wherein;

the first biometric sensor is configured to measure one or more fitness parameters of a first person,

the first biometric sensor, the notification mechanism, the one or more processors, and the memory are communicatively connected, and

the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to;

determine that user engagements by the first person with the first biometric sensor have occurred on multiple occasions, wherein each user engagement produces at least one measurement of a fitness parameter using the first biometric sensor;

determine a level of engagement metric for the first person based, at least in part, on the multiple user engagements with the first biometric sensor and the first person'"'"'s frequency of user engagement with the first biometric sensor; and

from the level of engagement metric, generate, using the notification mechanism, a notification containing information designed to encourage the first person to more frequently engage with the first biometric sensor and/or maintain a level of engagement with the first biometric sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first biometric sensor is a biometric sensor that is housed in a scale and that is configured to at least measure the weight of the first person.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

determine a change in the first person'"'"'s frequency of user engagement with the first biometric sensor after generating the notification.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

determine a holistic health score from one or more of the following parameters associated with the first person;

a sleep characteristic, a demographic characteristic, a location characteristic, a caloric intake rate, a level of interaction with a second biometric sensor, and weight; and

use the holistic health score, together with the level of engagement metric, to determine the information designed to encourage the first person to more frequently engage with the first biometric sensor and/or maintain a level of engagement with the first biometric sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification includes one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of:

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the level of engagement metric;

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a congratulatory message for meeting a pre-established fitness goal;

a castigatory message for failing to reach a defined value of the level of engagement metric;

a castigatory message for failing to reach a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a castigatory message for failing to meet a pre-established fitness goal;

a message to a second person associated with the first person;

a message to the first person presented via a social networking site and visible to other people associated with an account of the first person on the social networking site;

a congratulatory message for meeting a pre-established user engagement goal;

a grant to the first person of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content;

a withdrawal from the first person of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content, an audible communication, and a tactile communication.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

determine through the first person'"'"'s level of engagement metric and/or measured fitness parameter that the first person has changed a behavior impacting fitness, wherein the notification comprises presenting a congratulatory message for changing the behavior impacting fitness.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

determine that the level of engagement metric is below a threshold level of engagement;

determine the location of the first person; and

cause the first biometric sensor to move in a direction selected from the group consisting of;

towards the first person and away from the first person.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

determine whether a time-based alarm is to be activated; and

provide the indication via the notification mechanism responsive to the determination that the time-based alarm is to be activated.

9. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

determine that user engagements by a first person with a first biometric sensor have occurred on multiple occasions, wherein each user engagement produces at least one measurement of a fitness parameter using the first biometric sensor;

determine a level of engagement metric for the first person based, at least in part, on the multiple user engagements with the first biometric sensor and the first person'"'"'s frequency of user engagement with the first biometric sensor; and

from the level of engagement metric, generate, using a notification mechanism, a notification containing information designed to encourage the first person to more frequently engage with the first biometric sensor and/or maintain a level of engagement with the first biometric sensor.

10. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first biometric sensor is a biometric sensor that is housed in a scale and that is configured to at least measure the weight of the first person.

11. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to determine a change in the first person'"'"'s frequency of user engagement with the first biometric sensor after generating the notification.

12. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

determine a holistic health score from one or more of the following parameters associated with the first person;

a sleep characteristic, a demographic characteristic, a location characteristic, a caloric intake rate, a level of interaction with a second biometric sensor, and weight; and

use the holistic health score, together with the level of engagement metric, to determine the information designed to encourage the first person to more frequently engage with the first biometric sensor and/or maintain a level of engagement with the first biometric sensor.

13. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the notification includes one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of:

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the level of engagement metric;

a congratulatory message for reaching a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a congratulatory message for meeting a pre-established fitness goal;

a castigatory message for failing to reach a defined value of the level of engagement metric;

a castigatory message for failing to reach a defined value of the fitness parameter;

a castigatory message for failing to meet a pre-established fitness goal;

a message to a second person associated with the first person;

a message to the first person presented via a social networking site and visible to other people associated with an account of the first person on the social networking site;

a congratulatory message for meeting a pre-established user engagement goal;

a grant to the first person of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content;

a withdrawal from the first person of a gaming asset for a computer-based game, wherein the gaming asset is selected from the group consisting of;

an avatar accessory, an in-game currency, an in-game unlockable, and downloadable content, an audible communication, and a tactile communication.

14. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to determine through the first person'"'"'s level of engagement metric and/or measured fitness parameter that the first person has changed a behavior impacting fitness, wherein the notification comprises presenting a congratulatory message for changing the behavior impacting fitness.

15. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the level of engagement metric is below a threshold level of engagement;

determine the location of the first person; and

cause the first biometric sensor to move in a direction selected from the group consisting of;

towards the first person and away from the first person.

16. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

determine whether a time-based alarm is to be activated; and

provide the indication via the notification mechanism responsive to the determination that the time-based alarm is to be activated.