Fitness monitoring device with user engagement metric functionality

• US 9,830,426 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• 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): HONG, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/887,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20160042142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 434236
• 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 interacting with a user to promote engagement with a fitness monitoring device configured to measure a fitness parameter of the user, which may include determining, by one or more processors in at least one of the fitness monitoring device or a device in communication with the fitness monitoring device, that user engagements with the fitness monitoring device have occurred on multiple occasions, in which each user engagement produces at least one measurement of the fitness parameter; receiving, by the one or more processors, information indicating a level of engagement metric for the user based, at least in part, on multiple detected the multiple user engagements with the fitness monitoring device; and generating, by the one or more processors and based on the level of engagement metric, a notification containing information relating to at least a level of user engagement with the fitness monitoring device or the fitness parameter.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing;

at least one biometric sensor configured to measure at least one fitness parameter of a person associated with the apparatus;

a notification mechanism, wherein the notification mechanism is selected from the group consisting of;

a visual indicator, a tactile indicator, an audio indicator, an electronic communications interface, and combinations thereof; and

a controller including one or more processors and a memory, wherein;

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, cause the one or more processors to;

receive an instruction to activate the notification mechanism to indicate that the person associated with the apparatus should use the apparatus to obtain a measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor, wherein the instruction to activate the notification mechanism is generated, at least in part, in response to a level of engagement metric for the apparatus, wherein the level of engagement metric is determined, at least in part, based on in how many time intervals of a plurality of time intervals within a defined time period the person associated with the apparatus engaged with the apparatus to obtain a measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the apparatus, and

cause the notification mechanism to provide an indication that the person associated with the apparatus should use the apparatus to obtain the measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a scale and the at least one biometric sensor includes a weight-sensing sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication is provided by an action selected from the group consisting of:

activating the visual indicator on the apparatus, emitting an audible sound, emitting an audible melody, emitting a spoken message, vibrating all or part of the apparatus, causing the apparatus to move, sending a wireless signal to a remote device, and combinations thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to detect when the person is near the apparatus, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

cause the notification mechanism to provide the indication that the person should use the apparatus to obtain the measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor when the sensor indicates that the person is near the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a microphone, an accelerometer, a camera, a motion sensor, a CO₂ sensor, and a particle counter.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the sensor is a wireless receiver and is configured to determine that the person is near the apparatus by, at least in part, receiving a wireless signal from a device worn or carried by the person.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

the apparatus is a scale and the at least one biometric sensor includes a weight-sensing sensor, the apparatus further comprising;

a locomotive drive mechanism configured to move the apparatus across a floor;

wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to control the locomotive drive mechanism to move the apparatus in a direction selected from the group consisting of;

towards the person and away from the person.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

control the notification mechanism to emit an audible sound or a pre-recorded or synthesized voice message encouraging the person to weigh themselves using the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to navigate about a room.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to:

determine a current time of day;

determine that the current time of day correlates with a pre-set alarm time; and

provide the indication via the notification mechanism responsive to the determination that the current time of day correlates with the pre-set alarm time.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the memory stores further instructions for further controlling the one or more processors to cancel the indication in response to the person associated with the apparatus using the apparatus to obtain the measurement of the at least one fitness parameter using the at least one biometric sensor.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the indication is a wireless signal sent by the apparatus to a remote device and the instructions for controlling the one or more processors to cancel the indication cause the apparatus to send a second wireless signal to the remote device indicating that the indication is to be canceled.