Diet Management Patents (Class 128/921)
  • Patent number: 6083006
    Abstract: When a person desires a weight change, a daily calorie intake during a diet interval is established from answers that the person provides to questions on a questionnaire. A plan is developed to indicate preferable nutrients that provide the daily calorie intake. The preferable nutrients are included in a food menu that is provided via a computer. The computer additionally provides an indication of whether foods on the menu provide either a deficiency level or a toxicity level of vitamins and minerals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Inventor: Regina Coffman
  • Patent number: 6039688
    Abstract: A therapeutic behavior modification program, compliance monitoring and feedback system includes a server-based relational database and one or more microprocessors electronically coupled to the server. The system enables development of a therapeutic behavior modification program having a series of milestones for an individual to achieve lifestyle changes necessary to maintain his or her health or recover from ailments or medical procedures. The program may be modified by a physician or trained case advisor prior to implementation. The system monitors the individual's compliance with the program by prompting the individual to enter health-related data, correlating the individual's entered data with the milestones in the behavior modification program and generating compliance data indicative of the individual's progress toward achievement of the program milestones. The system also includes an integrated system of graphical system interfaces for motivating the individual to comply with the program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Salus Media Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Douglas, Evan Dudik, John Evans, Alan Kritzer
  • Patent number: 6040531
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a process for controlling body weight in which selection of food servings is based on a calculated point value and a range of allotted daily POINTS which is adjusted for weight change. The calculated POINT value is a function of measured calories, total fat and dietary fiber for serving sizes specified in readily estimatable units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Weight Watchers (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Karen Miller-Kovach, Sarah May Watson, Marian Jane Way, Wanema Frye, Mary Grace Melnyk, Adrienne Forman
  • Patent number: 6032676
    Abstract: A computer-assisted system and method for adjudging the effect of consumable intakes on physiological parameters is disclosed wherein a consumer records in a database a plurality of consumable identifiers identifiying consumables consumed, the amounts of each consumable consumed, times of consumption of each consumable, a plurality of physiological measurements and time of physiological measurements, and such information is computationally related to consumption information, such as nutritional information, linked to the consumable identifier in another database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Inventor: Steven Jerome Moore
  • Patent number: 6024699
    Abstract: Medical conditions of a plurality of remotely located patients are monitored, diagnosed, prioritized and treated using a central data processing system configured to communicate with and receive data from a plurality of respective patient monitoring systems. Patient monitoring systems are capable of receiving and storing patient data and may include a medicine dosage algorithm for using the stored patient data to generate medicine dosage recommendations to a patient. A central data processing system is configured to obtain patient data from each patient monitoring system and analyze the obtained patient data to identify medical conditions of each respective patient. A central data processing system may include medicine dosage algorithms. Identified patient medical conditions for each respective patient are displayed in selectable, prioritized order according to medical severity via one or more remotely located clients in communication with a central data processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2000
    Assignee: Healthware Corporation
    Inventors: Richard S. Surwit, Lyle M. Allen, III, Sandra E. Cummings
  • Patent number: 5989188
    Abstract: In a method and apparatus for determining the energy balance of a living subject on the basis of the energy use and on the basis of nutrition intake, the energy balance is calculated on the basis of a determined energy use of the subject and on the basis of an input of the nutrition intake of the subject via an input unit. This calculation takes place in a calculating unit supplied with a signal corresponding to the energy use, using a value of the calorific value of the food that can be obtained from a memory. A signal corresponding to this energy balance can be generated on a display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thomas Birkhoelzer, Volker Schmidt
  • Patent number: 5954640
    Abstract: A method for proposing and providing nutritional supplementation for a person comprising the steps of receiving personal information, e.g., relating to health and diet, about the person, determining a health model for the person, determining an effect on the health model for at least two nutritional supplements, optimizing a proposed nutritional supplementation for the person based on the personal information about the person and effect for the at least two nutritional supplements, through employment of the health model, and outputting a proposed nutritional supplementation including amounts of at least two nutritional supplements. The method may also receive economic considerations, e.g., a budget, for the nutritional supplementation, and further optimize the nutritional supplementation based on the economic considerations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Inventor: Andrew J. Szabo
  • Patent number: 5908301
    Abstract: An interactive pre-set and adjustable behavior modification device suitable for encouraging modification of various behaviors, such as reduced or increased food intake, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption for example, having a plurality of parameters from which a user may selectably choose and adjust a program or accept the default program. The device monitors, and if selected by a user, adjusts, any behavior sequence which includes behavior actions and behavior intervals. If a preset program is selected and the default used, no record of any behavior action or interval is maintained. All other programs selected are recorded and automatically adjusted for the next behavior sequence. A display on the device shows the user what has been selected and the operation of the program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Inventor: Raymond Lutz
  • Patent number: 5890128
    Abstract: A novel hand held individually customized interactive integrated circuit device for nutrition and exercise management. Featuring built in Random Access Memory (RAM) Storage of extensive food lists with associated caloric and fat contents. The device also incorporates RAM storage of exercises with associated activity caloric values or rates. The basic unit utilizes the individual's personal characteristics such as sex, age, weight, height, frame size, life style and goals with programmed calculations to derive optimum suggested weight, metabolic rate, daily caloric/fat intake targets, exercise targets and exercise/daily calorie burning rates. The personalized hand held calorie computer tracks daily and historical individual caloric input/output, fat input, and weight which can be viewed in the form of charts and graphs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Inventors: H. Benjamin Diaz, M. Inez Genera
  • Patent number: 5839901
    Abstract: An integrated system of collecting data and reporting results, enabling an understanding of weight control and weight loss. The first embodiment of the invention is for a method of estimating an individual's baseline normal activities calories. The second embodiment of the invention is a method for the individual to plan and forecast weight loss goals. The third embodiment of the invention enables the individual to record estimates of weight and food calories and exercise calories constructing his own weight loss database. The individual's calories density is measured and is used to increase plan and forecast accuracy. A graphical representation of the data enables the individual to detect body water shifts, weight plateauing and resting metabolic rate changes so as to enable the individual to know the reasons why the individual is losing or not losing weight. The system organizes the data to minimize the impact of errors in the data while maximizing the data's information value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Inventor: Kip M. Karkanen
  • Patent number: 5836312
    Abstract: A computer-assisted system and method for adjudging the effect of consumable intakes on physiological parameters wherein a consumer records in a database a plurality of consumable identifiers identifiying consumables consumed, the amounts of each consumable consumed, times of consumption of each consumable, a plurality of physiological measurements and time of physiological measurements, and such information is computationally related to consumption information, such as nutritional information, linked to the consumable identifier in another database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Inventor: Steven Jerome Moore
  • Patent number: 5819735
    Abstract: A portable, autonomous electronic device consisting of a barcode scanner, an updatable nutrition facts database, user memory to store product records of products eaten, and an integral readout display is disclosed that will allow a user to scan barcodes on food items consumed and keep a cumulative total of calories and other nutrients. Prepared packaged foods may have their barcodes read directly, while foods that are used in cooking or preparing other foods may be referenced by scanning from a printed generic foods barcode list provided with the device. Serving sizes can be adjusted to accurately reflect the intake of given food items. Daily cumulative totals of calories and several other nutrients can be displayed as bar graphs, and the incremental increase that would result from consuming a scanned item can be displayed with reference to what has already been consumed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Inventors: Elizabeth A. Mansfield, Jean-Pierre A. Kocher
  • Patent number: 5704350
    Abstract: This invention relates to a microcomputer and method for selecting foodstuffs from a foodstuff database, nutrients from a nutrient database, minerals from a mineral database, vitamins from a vitamin database and physical activities from a physical activity database, maintaining a record of the foodstuffs, nutrients, minerals and vitamins eaten and the physical activities exercised, and by computational means to analyze the selected and recorded foodstuff, nutrient, mineral and vitamin nutritional data along with the selected and recorded physical activities exercised to compare the user's daily dietary and physical activities to the user's RDA (recommended dietary allowance).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Nutritec Corporation
    Inventor: William B. Williams, III
  • Patent number: 5673691
    Abstract: In the preferred embodiment, a hand-held computer prepares and monitors a goal-oriented weight, nutrition and exercise control program. Visual and audio prompts tell users when to eat and exercise, and provide suggestions for what to eat. The computer assists the user in setting safe goals for desired weight loss and the time required to achieve the loss. The user follows menu and exercise programs suggested by the computer. The computer records and analyzes the user's food consumption, exercise and weight loss programs. Finally, the computer displays feedback information regarding the user's progress towards achieving the desired weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: PICS, Inc.
    Inventors: Philip S. Abrams, Al Behar, Orna Behar, Scott A. Brenneman, Lee W. Frederiksen, Nicholas C. Ide, Albert Jerome, Donald A. Link, Dennis J. Linnell, Marilyn J. Pritchard, Hyam Singer, Gerald J. Swisher, Catherine T. Timmerman