Body weight scale with visual notification system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9891096-B2
Application number	US-201514876056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2012
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

An interactive body weight scale is presented. The body weight scale may have computing and data communication ability to track a user's weight by connecting to a number of different electronic devices. The body weight scale is capable of recording an audio message, converting the audio message to message text, and transmitting the message to a remote social network. The scale may also receive message responses from the remote network and play the messages back based on whether a particular message is a positive message. A scale use indicator provides a reminder for a user to use the body weight scale.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A notification system comprising:
a) a body weight scale having
i) a light-emitting indicator on the scale,
ii) a computer processor, and
iii) a tangible, non-transitory scale memory;

b) programming residing on the scale memory, the programming configured to
i) record a scale use event including a weight measurement at a first time,
ii) after a first predetermined time interval from the first time, cause the indicator to produce a visible use-scale light signal,
iii) after a second predetermined time interval from the first time, cause the indicator to alter the use-scale light signal, and
iv) when the scale is re-used, reset the first time to reflect the time of the scale re-use.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the use-scale light signal is one of a light flash duty cycle, a color, and a light intensity.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the indicator is located on the scale at one of a scale weighing surface, a scale display, a scale base, and a peripheral scale border.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the indicator comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the use-scale light signal is altered after the second predetermined time interval by increasing the number of light emitting diodes that are lit.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programming further detects a first signal indicating a presence of a first user.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the indicator produces the visible use-scale light signal only when the programming detects the first signal indicating the presence of the first user.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first signal is a first user-identifying signal that identifies the first user.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the programming further detects a second user-identifying signal that identifies a second user, further wherein the programming separately tracks scale use for the first and second users, and further wherein the programming causes the indicator to create separate use-scale light signals based on each users use of the scale.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the user-identifying signals are received from devices in proximity to the scale, with each device being associated with a separate user.

10. A notification system comprising:
a) a body weight scale having
i) a light-emitting indicator on the scale,
ii) a computer processor, and
iii) a tangible, non-transitory scale memory;

b) programming residing on the scale memory, the programming configured to
i) record a scale use event including a weight measurement at a first time,
ii) detect a user-identifying signal from a device in proximity in the scale,
iii) only after a predetermined time interval from the first time and only when the user-identifying signal is detected, cause the light-emitting indicator to produce a visible use-scale light signal, wherein the light-emitting indicator does not produce the visible use-scale light signal before the predetermined time interval, and further wherein the light-emitting indicator does not produce the visible use-scale light signal when the user-identifying signal is not detected.

Assignees

• Sharma Anshuman
• Bby Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Sharma Anshuman

Classifications

• Y10S128/921

  Diet management · CPC title

• G01G19/414

  using electronic computing means only · CPC title

• G01B21/045

  Correction of measurements (G01B9/02055 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01G9/00

  Methods of, or apparatus for, the determination of weight, not provided for in groups G01G1/00 - G01G7/00 · CPC title

• G01G23/36

  Indicating the weight by electrical means, e.g. using photoelectric cells · CPC title