U.S. patent application number 17/480104 was filed with the patent office on 2022-01-06 for method and apparatus for receiving nutritional information via a network.
The applicant listed for this patent is AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P., AT&T Mobility II LLC. Invention is credited to Steven Belz, Greg W. Edwards, Michael Lattanzi, Constance Missimer, James H. Pratt.
Application Number | 20220006864 17/480104 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-01-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220006864 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Belz; Steven ; et
al. |
January 6, 2022 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION VIA A
NETWORK
Abstract
A method and apparatus for receiving nutritional information are
disclosed. For example, the method receives a profile of a user,
receives over the communications network, grocery information on
one or more grocery items at one or more locations of the user,
receives over the communications network, ingestion information on
ingestion by the user of at least one grocery item from the one or
more grocery items, generates nutritional information, wherein the
nutritional information is determined by performing an analysis
based on the profile of the user, the grocery information, and the
ingestion information, and provides over the communications
network, the nutritional information, to an endpoint device of the
user.
Inventors: |
Belz; Steven; (Sunnyvale,
TX) ; Edwards; Greg W.; (Austin, TX) ;
Lattanzi; Michael; (Bothell, WA) ; Missimer;
Constance; (Seattle, WA) ; Pratt; James H.;
(Round Rock, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
AT&T Mobility II LLC |
Atlanta
Atlanta |
GA
GA |
US
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/480104 |
Filed: |
September 20, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14970495 |
Dec 15, 2015 |
11128709 |
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17480104 |
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International
Class: |
H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; G16H 20/60 20060101 G16H020/60 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving, via a processor of a network
service provider, a profile of a user; receiving, via the processor
and over a packet network associated with the network service
provider, from at least a first internet of things device, grocery
information on an availability of one or more grocery items for
ingesting by the user, wherein the grocery information includes an
image of a machine-readable code affixed to the one or more grocery
items, and wherein the at least the first internet of things device
comprises at least one of: a refrigerator, a freezer, or a cabinet;
identifying, via the processor, a type of the one or more grocery
items based on the machine-readable code; receiving, via the
processor and over the packet network associated with the network
service provider, from at least a second internet of things device,
ingestion information on ingestion by the user of at least one
grocery item of the one or more grocery items, wherein the at least
the second internet of things device is distinct from the at least
the first internet of things device, and wherein the at least the
second internet of things device comprises at least one of: a
vessel for containing the at least one grocery item, a food serving
dish for containing the at least one grocery item, a plate for
containing the at least one grocery item, a bowl for containing the
at least one grocery item, a drinking container for containing the
at least one grocery item, a cup for containing the at least one
grocery item, a glass for containing the at least one grocery item,
a mug for containing the at least one grocery item, or a tumbler
for containing the at least one grocery item; generating, via the
processor, nutritional information, wherein the nutritional
information is determined by performing an analysis based on the
profile of the user, the type of the one or more grocery items, and
the ingestion information, and wherein the nutritional information
further indicates a recommended adjustment to the ingestion by the
user of the at least one grocery item; and providing, via the
processor and over the packet network associated with the network
service provider, the nutritional information including the
recommended adjustment, to an endpoint device of the user.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile of the user is
received via one or more of the at least the first internet of
things device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile of the user is
received via the endpoint device of the user.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least the first internet
of things device comprises at least one internet of things device
in which at least one grocery item from the one or more grocery
items is stored.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the grocery information is
further received from an internet of things device comprising a
disposer.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least the second internet
of things device comprises an internet of things device with a
sensor for determining one or more of: when the at least one
grocery item is consumed, a type of the at least one grocery item
that is consumed, and a quantity of the at least one grocery item
that is consumed.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least the second internet
of things device further comprises a sensor for determining an
identity of the user consuming the at least one grocery item.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor for determining the
identity of the user consuming the at least one grocery item
comprises a biometric scanner.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the biometric scanner comprises
at least one of: a fingerprint scanner, a retina scanner, or a
voiceprint scanner.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one grocery item
comprises a food item.
11. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one grocery item
comprises a drink item.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the nutritional information is
further based on a nutritional model selected by the user.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one grocery item
comprises a food item and a drink item, wherein the ingestion
information comprises one or more of: a time when the food item is
consumed, a type of the food item that is consumed, a quantity of
the food item that is consumed, an identity of the user consuming
the food item, a time when the drink item is consumed, a type of
the drink item that is consumed, a quantity of the drink item that
is consumed, or an identity of the user consuming the drink
item.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing, via the
processor, the nutritional information to an application server of
a third party establishment.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third party establishment
comprises a grocery store, a restaurant, or an educational
institution.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least the first internet
of things device is connected to the packet network via a first
wireless communication protocol, and wherein the at least the
second internet of things device is connected to the packet network
via a second wireless protocol different from the first wireless
communication protocol.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing a
plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor of a
packet network operated by a network service provider, cause the
processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving a profile of a user; receiving, over the packet network
associated with the network service provider, from at least a first
internet of things device, grocery information on an availability
of one or more grocery items for ingesting by the user, wherein the
grocery information includes an image of a machine-readable code
affixed to the one or more grocery items, and wherein the at least
the first internet of things device comprises at least one of: a
refrigerator, a freezer, or a cabinet; identifying a type of the
one or more grocery items based on the machine-readable code;
receiving, over the packet network associated with the network
service provider, from at least a second internet of things device,
ingestion information on ingestion by the user of at least one
grocery item of the one or more grocery items, wherein the at least
the second internet of things device is distinct from the at least
the first internet of things device, and wherein the at least the
second internet of things device comprises at least one of: a
vessel for containing the at least one grocery item, a food serving
dish for containing the at least one grocery item, a plate for
containing the at least one grocery item, a bowl for containing the
at least one grocery item, a drinking container for containing the
at least one grocery item, a cup for containing the at least one
grocery item, a glass for containing the at least one grocery item,
a mug for containing the at least one grocery item, or a tumbler
for containing the at least one grocery item; generating
nutritional information, wherein the nutritional information is
determined by performing an analysis based on the profile of the
user, the type of the one or more grocery items, and the ingestion
information, and wherein the nutritional information further
indicates a recommended adjustment to the ingestion by the user of
the at least one grocery item; and providing, over the packet
network associated with the network service provider, the
nutritional information including the recommended adjustment, to an
endpoint device of the user.
18. An apparatus comprising: a processor of a packet network
operated by a network service provider; and a computer-readable
storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when
executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform
operations, the operations comprising: receiving a profile of a
user; receiving, over the packet network associated with the
network service provider, from at least a first internet of things
device, grocery information on an availability of one or more
grocery items for ingesting by the user, wherein the grocery
information includes an image of a machine-readable code affixed to
the one or more grocery items, and wherein the at least the first
internet of things device comprises at least one of: a
refrigerator, a freezer, or a cabinet; identifying a type of the
one or more grocery items based on the machine-readable code;
receiving, over the packet network associated with the network
service provider, from at least a second internet of things device,
ingestion information on ingestion by the user of at least one
grocery item of the one or more grocery items, wherein the at least
the second internet of things device is distinct from the at least
the first internet of things device, and wherein the at least the
second internet of things device comprises at least one of: a
vessel for containing the at least one grocery item, a food serving
dish for containing the at least one grocery item, a plate for
containing the at least one grocery item, a bowl for containing the
at least one grocery item, a drinking container for containing the
at least one grocery item, a cup for containing the at least one
grocery item, a glass for containing the at least one grocery item,
a mug for containing the at least one grocery item, or a tumbler
for containing the at least one grocery item; generating
nutritional information, wherein the nutritional information is
determined by performing an analysis based on the profile of the
user, the type of the one or more grocery items, and the ingestion
information, and wherein the nutritional information further
indicates a recommended adjustment to the ingestion by the user of
the at least one grocery item; and providing, over the packet
network associated with the network service provider, the
nutritional information including the recommended adjustment, to an
endpoint device of the user.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least the second
internet of things device comprises an internet of things device
with a sensor for determining one or more of: when the at least one
grocery item is consumed, a type of the at least one grocery item
that is consumed, or a quantity of the at least one grocery item
that is consumed.
20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least the second
internet of things device further comprises a sensor for
determining an identity of the user consuming the at least one
grocery item.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/970,495, filed Dec. 15, 2015, now U.S. Pat.
No. 11,128,709, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for
receiving nutritional information via a communications network,
e.g., a communications network of a network service provider.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The teaching of the present disclosure can be readily
understood by considering the following detailed description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates an example network related to the present
disclosure;
[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for
receiving nutritional information;
[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for
providing nutritional information; and
[0007] FIG. 4 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer
suitable for use in performing the functions described herein.
[0008] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals
have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements
that are common to the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for
receiving nutritional information via a communications network,
e.g., a communications network of a communications network service
provider (broadly a network service provider). The teachings of the
present disclosure can be applied via any type of wired or wireless
communications network.
[0010] A user may wish to improve the nutritional value of food and
drink items that are consumed. For example, the user may be health
conscious and may wish to maintain or improve his/her health. One
approach may involve keeping track of food and drink consumption,
tabulating the date, and then making an assessment as to whether or
not the consumption was consistent with good nutrition. However,
this manual approach requires that the user actively records such
information every time an instance of food item or drink is
consumed. The approach is labor intensive and it is likely that the
user may abandon this effort once it becomes too burdensome. In
addition, when a desired goal is not reached, the cause for the
failure may not be known. For example, the user may not have the
necessary knowledge of what he/she should eat to maximize his/her
health. The user may then benefit from receiving nutritional
information that is based on a profile of the user, and an
automated recording of ingestions of food and/or drink items by the
user.
[0011] In one embodiment, the present disclosure describes a method
for receiving nutritional information that is based on the profile
of the user, and an automated recording of ingestions of food and
drink items by the user. For example, a user may receive
nutritional information from a server of a network service provider
via a user endpoint device, e.g., a smart phone.
[0012] In order to clearly illustrate the teachings of the current
disclosure, the following terminologies will first be described:
[0013] Internet of Things; and [0014] Sensor.
[0015] Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of objects,
e.g., devices having the necessary electronics, software, and
network connectivity to collect and exchange data. For example, the
Internet of Things devices may have Internet Protocol addresses for
Internet connectivity. An object that is part of the IoT network
may be referred to as an IoT object or IoT device. An IoT device
has the ability to send and/or receive data without requiring a
human-to-human or a human-to-computer interaction.
[0016] A sensor refers to a device that detects an event or a
change and provides an output that indicates the event or the
change that is detected. Said another way, the sensor may also
refer to a device that is tasked with measuring a physical
quantity. The sensor may be an IoT device.
[0017] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the present
method provides a network-based nutritional tracking service
provided by a network service provider. For an illustrative
example, a user A may wish to receive nutritional information
(e.g., comparative nutritional information of User A as compared to
the general population, comparative nutritional intake of User A as
compared to a "model" individual of comparable age and gender, and
so on) from a network service provider that is based on the profile
of user A, and a record of food and/or drink items ingested by the
user A. For example, the network service provider may obtain the
profile of the user A which may include the age, gender, weight,
and various biometric information (e.g., blood pressure, glucose
level, body temperature, etc.) of user A. Such profile can be
provided directly by the user A or is provided by a source
authorized by user A, e.g., a social networking site hosting such a
profile for user A.
[0018] However, since user A may ingest food and drink items
throughout the day from various locations, the network service
provider may need to determine a list of grocery items (e.g.,
broadly grocery information comprising a list of available food
and/or drink items) in one or more locations at which user A may
have consumed these grocery items. In one example, the service
provider may need to obtain a list of food and drink items in a
household of user A. In another example, the service provider may
need to obtain a list of food and drink items in other locations,
e.g., a restaurant, a work environment, an educational institution
and so on, at which the user A may have ingested these food and
drink items. Having the list of available food and/or drink items
will assist in accurately determining what items from the list of
available food and/or drink items that user A may have actually
ingested throughout the day. Said another way, in one example the
accurate recordation of the actual food and/or drink items consumed
by user A will need to be determined. Knowing what food and/or
drink items are available at any particular location as a starting
point may serve as a confirmation as to the actual food and/or
drink items that the system may have detected having been ingested
user A. For example, if the list of grocery items includes milk,
orange juice, and apple juice, and the user A is detected as having
ingested milk in the morning, then the confidence level for such
detection will be deemed to be high. Alternatively, if the user A
is detected as having ingested coffee in the morning or an
alcoholic beverage at night, then the confidence level for such
detection will be deemed to be low if such detected items were not
initially detected as part of the grocery items. It should be noted
that having a low confidence level does not, in and of itself,
indicates that the detected ingestion of the particular item by
user A is incorrect (e.g., the coffee is a formulated item that is
assembled from a plurality of different ingredients, the coffee or
alcoholic beverage could have been brought by a guest visiting user
A, and so on).
[0019] In one embodiment, the food and/or drink items actually
ingested by user A is determined and recorded. The manner in which
food and/or drink items being detected as ingested by user A will
be further described below. The information on the ingestion of
these food and drink items may be recorded over a period of time by
the network service provider. The recorded information may be
stored in a server or uploaded to a cloud storage. The network
service provider may then perform an analysis that is based on the
ingestion information and the profile of user A. The service
provider may then provide the nutritional information to user A
based on the result of the analysis. For example, the service
provider may gather the various types of information described
above for user A, compare user A's information to a population
based nutritional information, and provide nutritional information
for user A based on the profile of user A as compared to the
general population. For instance, when compared with people who are
of a same age, gender and weight of the user A, the analysis may
indicate that User A needs to consume more or less of certain food
and/or drink items, e.g., an additional glass of milk during
breakfast time.
[0020] Alternatively, the comparison can be made against a "model
individual" (or broadly a nutritional model) of a same age, gender
and weight of the user A, that is selected by user A. In other
words, nutritional science is an evolving field where there are
many different opinions as to what may constitute a proper or
healthy diet. Said another way, there may be several different
food-based dietary guidelines that are promoted by different
organizations. Thus, the network service provider will accord user
A an option to select one of those food-based dietary guidelines
that user A prefers to follow. Thus, user A may dynamically select
one nutritional model from a plurality of different nutritional
models that is made available by the network service provider.
[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an example network 100 related to the
present disclosure. In one illustrative embodiment, the network 100
comprises a household 111, an access network 101, a core network
103, and various third party establishments 141-142.
[0022] For example, the household 111 may comprise a user 110 and
other individuals 109. The user 110 may access various network
services, e.g., telephony services, data services, Internet access
services, multi-media delivery services and the like, via a user
endpoint (UE) device 117, e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone or a
computing tablet. The household 111 may also comprise a plurality
of IoT devices 122-126. The third party establishments 141-142 may
also comprise a plurality of IoT devices 151-152 and servers
161-162, respectively. The IoT devices 122-126 and 151-152 may
access services, e.g., Internet services, from the core network 103
via the access network 101.
[0023] In one embodiment, the access network 101 may comprise a
Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) network, a cellular network (e.g., 2G,
3G, and the like), a long term evolution (LTE) network, and the
like. The core network 103 may comprise any type of communications
network, such as for example, a traditional circuit switched
network (e.g., a public switched telephone network (PSTN)) or a
packet network such as an Internet Protocol (IP) network (e.g., an
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network), an asynchronous transfer
mode (ATM) network, or a wireless network. It should be noted that
an IP network is broadly defined as a network that uses Internet
Protocol to exchange data packets.
[0024] In one embodiment, the UE 117 may be deployed as a hardware
device embodied as a dedicated device (e.g., the dedicated computer
400 as illustrated in FIG. 4). In one embodiment, the UE 117 is
configured to perform the methods and functions described herein
(e.g., the method 200 discussed below). For example, the UE 117 of
the present disclosure is for obtaining a profile of the user to be
forwarded to a network service provider, determining a list of
grocery items (e.g., a listing of available food and/or drink
items) in one or more locations at which the user may consume such
grocery items, obtaining ingestion information on the actual
ingestion of particular food and/or drink items by the user (e.g.,
particular food and/or drink items from the list of grocery items),
storing the gathered information (e.g., a listing of grocery items,
particular food and/or drink items from the list of grocery items
that are detected to have been ingested, the locations where these
particular food and/or drink items are ingested and the like),
providing the information that is gathered to a network service
provider for analysis, and receiving nutritional information from
the network service provider. The nutritional information that is
received is based on an analysis of the ingestion information and
the profile provided to the network service provider. In one
embodiment, the nutritional information that is received is further
based on a comparison of the ingestion information and the profile
of the user to those of a population in a geographical area, or to
a nutritional model.
[0025] In one embodiment, the core network 103 may include an
application server (AS) 104, and a database (DB) 105. For example,
the AS 104 may be deployed as a hardware device embodied as a
dedicated database server (e.g., the dedicated computer 400 as
illustrated in FIG. 4). In one embodiment, the AS 104 is configured
to perform the methods and functions described herein (e.g., the
method 300 discussed below). For example, the network service
provider provides a subscribed service to a user where the user is
able to receive nutritional information. For example, the user may
receive nutritional information based on an analysis of the user's
profile and ingestion information e.g., a record of ingestion of
food and/or drink items. In turn, the user may then utilize the
nutritional information received from the network service provider
to make better decisions as to what food and/or drink items to
ingest. In other words, a user may want to improve his/her health
and subscribe to a service to receive nutritional information for
improving the nutritional value of food/drink items that the user
may procure.
[0026] In one embodiment, the database 105 is used for storing
various data, e.g., profiles of users, locations of sensors,
capabilities of sensors, data gathered via sensors, etc. For
example, the profile of a user may include one or more of: an
identity of the user, information for identifying the user (a
voiceprint of the user, a fingerprint scan of the user, a retina
scan of the user, etc.), one or more biometric measurements of the
user (e.g., blood pressure, glucose level, temperature readings,
etc.), an age of the user, a gender of the user, a weight of the
user, a height of the user, a race of the user, and the like.
[0027] In one embodiment, the AS 104 is used for providing
nutritional information to a user. For example, the AS 104 of the
present disclosure is for obtaining or receiving the profile of the
user, determining a list of grocery items in one or more locations
at which the user may consume certain items from the list of
grocery items, obtaining ingestion information on particular food
and drink items from the list of grocery items ingested by the
user, analyzing the ingestion information and the profile by
comparing to a "population based nutritional information," or a
"model based nutritional information," and providing the
nutritional information to the user. The user may then utilize the
nutritional information that is received from the network service
provider as a guide for making food and/or drink consumption
decisions or procurement decisions.
[0028] It should be noted that the network 100 may include
additional networks and/or elements that are not shown to simplify
FIG. 1. For example, the access network and the core network of
FIG. 1 may include additional network elements (not shown), such as
for example, base stations, border elements, gateways, firewalls,
routers, switches, call control elements, various application
servers, and the like.
[0029] Although a single database is shown in FIG. 1, the various
types of data may be stored in any number of databases. For
instance, various databases, e.g., a separate database for profiles
of users, a separate database for data gathered from various
sensors, etc., may be used. In addition, the various types of data
may be stored in a cloud storage. In other words, the network
service provider may implement the service for providing
nutritional information of the present disclosure by utilizing
distributed IoT devices (e.g., distributed sensors), and user
profiles that are established and stored in a cloud storage and/or
a centralized server.
[0030] In one embodiment, the user 110 may consume food and drink
items via IoT devices 125-126. For example, the IoT device 125 may
comprise a food serving dish (e.g., a plate or a bowl) with one or
more sensors, e.g., a smart dish, and the IoT device 126 may
comprise a drinking container (e.g., a cup, a glass, a mug or a
tumbler) e.g., a smart container. For simplicity, the IoT devices
125 and 126 may be referred to as a smart dish and a smart
container, respectively.
[0031] In one embodiment, the smart dish 125 comprises one or more
sensors for determining one or more of: a type of food item placed
on the smart dish (e.g., an optical sensor or a camera for
capturing an image of the food item on the dish), a quantity of a
food item placed on the smart dish (e.g., a weight sensor or a
pressure sensor), an identity of a person ingesting a food item via
the smart dish (e.g., a fingerprint scanner or a code scanner or
receiver receiving a signal, e.g., from a wrist band wore by a user
handling or is proximate to the smart dish consistently for a
prolong period of time, e.g., 15-30 minutes for eating a meal), a
quantity of a food item remaining on the smart dish when the person
stops ingesting the food item, etc. In one embodiment, the smart
container comprises a sensor for determining one or more of: a type
of drink item placed into the smart container (e.g., an optical
sensor or a camera for capturing an image of the drink item poured
into the container, a scanner detecting a signal from the container
from which the drink is poured from, e.g., a RF tag embedded into a
milk or juice container), a quantity of a drink item placed on the
smart container (e.g., a weight sensor, a volume sensor, or a
pressure sensor), an identity of a person ingesting a drink item
via the smart container (e.g., a fingerprint scanner or a code
scanner or receiver receiving a signal, e.g., from a wrist band
wore by a user handling or is proximate to the smart container
consistently for a prolong period of time, e.g., 2-15 minutes for
drinking a beverage), a quantity of a drink item remaining in the
smart container when the person stops ingesting the drink item,
etc.
[0032] In one embodiment, the smart dish or smart container may
contain any number of different food and/or drink items. Thus, the
smart dish or smart container may identify each type of food or
drink item that is being ingested, the quantity of each type of
food or drink item that is being ingested, the identity of the
person ingesting the food or drink item, and the leftover
quantities for each type of food or drink item.
[0033] In one embodiment, the IoT devices 122-124 may comprise
appliances, storage units or spaces for storing grocery items. For
example, the IoT device 122 may be a smart refrigerator (or
freezer, or combination thereof), the IoT device 123 may comprise a
smart pantry, the IoT device 124 may comprise a smart disposer 124,
e.g., a trash container, etc. The IoT devices 122-124 may comprise
one or more sensors 132-134, respectively, for determining when a
grocery item is deposited in or removed from a respective IoT
device 122, 123 or 124, e.g., time stamps can be generated and
stored as items are deposited or removed. In addition, the sensor
132, 133 or 134 may determine the identity of the person depositing
or removing the grocery item (e.g., the person may be wearing a
wrist band having an identifier, e.g., an RF ID tag or a
transmitter emitting an ID signal representing the wearer of the
wrist band).
[0034] For example, the smart refrigerator 122 may comprise the
sensor 132 for determining information for a grocery item that is
contained within the smart refrigerator. The information for the
grocery item may comprise one or more of: the type of the grocery
item, the time that the grocery item is deposited into the
refrigerator, the time that the grocery item is removed from the
refrigerator, an identity of the person depositing or removing the
grocery item, a quantity of the grocery item being deposited or
removed, a quantity of the grocery item remaining in the
refrigerator, a duration of time that the grocery item is stored
inside the smart refrigerator, a duration of time that the grocery
item is removed from the smart refrigerator before it is returned
(or it is never returned if the grocery item is completely consumed
or has been discarded) and so on.
[0035] In another example, the smart pantry 123 may comprise the
sensor 133 for determining information for a grocery item that is
contained within the smart pantry. Similarly, the information for
each grocery item as captured by sensor 133 may comprise one or
more of: the type of the grocery item, the time that the grocery
item is deposited into the smart pantry, the time that the grocery
item is removed from the smart pantry, an identity of the person
depositing or removing the grocery item, a quantity of the grocery
item being deposited or removed, a quantity of the grocery item
remaining in the smart pantry, a duration of time that the grocery
item is stored inside the smart pantry, a duration of time that the
grocery item is removed from the smart pantry before it is returned
(or it is never returned if the grocery item is completely consumed
or has been discarded) and so on.
[0036] In another example, the smart disposer 124 may comprise the
sensor 134 for determining information for a grocery item that is
disposed into the smart disposer. Similarly, the information for
each grocery item as captured by sensor 134 may comprise one or
more of: the type of the grocery item, the time that the grocery
item is deposited into the smart disposer, an identity of the
person depositing the grocery item, a quantity of the grocery item
being deposited, and so on.
[0037] It should be noted that each of the sensors 132-134 may in
fact comprise a plurality of sensors. The illustration of a single
sensor for the refrigerator, pantry and disposer in FIG. 1 is for
clarity reason only. In one embodiment, the sensors 132-134 may
comprise a scanner or a radio receiver, e.g., a fingerprint
scanner, a retina scanner, a voiceprint scanner, an RF receiver,
etc., for identifying the person depositing or removing the
food/drink item. For example, a fingerprint, a retina print, a
voiceprint and/or an RF code can be captured or assigned for each
user, e.g., capturing a fingerprint of each individual within a
household, or assigning a code to a wrist band to be wore by each
individual within the house hold. In one embodiment, the sensors
132-134 may further comprise various types of code scanners, e.g.,
bar code scanners, QR code scanners, and/or RF tag scanners, to
obtain information pertaining to various grocery items, e.g.,
detecting a bar code on a milk container, a juice container, a bag
of coffee, a bag of apples, a can of soup, and the like. In one
embodiment, the sensors 132-134 may further comprise various types
of optical sensors, e.g., a photodiode, an array of photodiodes, a
camera and the like) for detecting various waves of various
wavelengths. For example, an image can be captured of the packaging
of a grocery item, of an individual, of a location, and so on. The
captured image can be used to identify the type of a grocery item
or an individual, e.g., comparing the captured image to a stored
image. In one embodiment, the sensors 132-134 may further comprise
various types of contact or motion sensors for detecting various
motions or opening/closing of access doors or panels. For example,
a contact sensor located on a door may trigger a scanner or a
camera to capture an RF tag code or to take a picture when the door
is opened or closed, e.g., a refrigerator door, a pantry door, a
disposer door, and so on. In one embodiment, the sensors 132-134
may further comprise various types of communications interface and
components, e.g., receivers, transmitters, transceivers, to
communicate with a cellular tower, a local router, a local gateway,
and so on. For example, a contact sensor located on a door may
trigger a scanner or a camera to capture an RF tag code or to take
a picture when the door is opened or closed. In turn, the gathered
data, e.g., the scanned code and/or the captured image can then be
transmitted via the transceiver to an application server operated
by a network service provider.
[0038] Thus, any combinations of different types of sensors can be
deployed to identify a grocery item and/or an individual. It should
be noted that the term "smart" is only used herein as a relative
term, e.g., an electronic device, generally connected to other
devices or networks via various types of wireless communication
protocols, e.g., cellular communication, wireless fidelity
communication, personal network communication, e.g., Bluetooth, and
the like. As such, a smart refrigerator is "smart" in the sense
that data can be captured and communicated to other devices for a
particular environment. As such, it should not be interpreted
solely that the refrigerator must be originally manufactured with
the necessary electronic components to make the refrigerator a
smart refrigerator. For example, one alternate embodiment is to
simply deploy the various sensors 132, 133, and 134 as a package of
sensors that can be deployed within a confined environment, e.g.,
deploying the sensor 132, into a cabinet or a storage area of a
home. Said another way, although the "smart" pantry or "smart"
refrigerator can be manufactured as a consolidated unit, e.g., a
cabinet preinstalled with the various sensors or a refrigerator
preinstalled with the various sensors, the pantry or refrigerator
may simply be a closet or a traditional refrigerator located in a
kitchen area of a home, with various sensors that are subsequently
added into the closet or refrigerator.
[0039] The IoT devices 151-152 of the third party establishments
141-142 may be used for assisting in the gathering of ingestion
information for users who visit the respective establishments,
e.g., a restaurant, a cafeteria and the like. In one example, the
servers 161-162 of the third party establishments 141-142 are used
for storing and/or exchanging nutritional information to and from
the application server 104 by the establishments 141-142,
respectively.
[0040] In one example, the third party establishment 141 may
comprise a restaurant or a school (broadly an educational
institution), e.g., a chain of fast food restaurants, or a
university. The IoT device 151 or 152 may comprise a sensor for
determining a food or drink item that is consumed by a user
visiting the restaurant or school. In another example, the third
party establishment 142 may comprise a store that sells items (food
and/or drink) to be ingested. For instance, the third party
establishment 142 may be a grocery store. In one embodiment, the
IoT devices 151-152 may also determine the identity of the user
consuming the food or drink item, e.g., via a scanner or an RF
reader by detecting a fingerprint, an RF tag code, a cell phone
number and the like. The identity of the user can then be provided
to server 161 or 162. Using the detected identity, ingestion
information pertaining to the ingestion of various detected food
and drink items can be transmitted by server 161 or 162 to AS 104
on behalf of the user. In other words, in one example food and
drink items consumed outside of a user's home can also be related
to AS 104 on behalf of the user. For example, a smart dish of a
restaurant is utilized for serving a particular type of food to a
patron, e.g., an egg omelet having certain additional ingredients
such as spinach, mushroom and onion. Since the restaurant is the
preparer of this particular food item, the restaurant is in the
best position to convey what the food item is actually formulated
from. In turn, the ingredients (broadly ingestion information) used
to make an entree can be accurately communicated directly to AS 104
or to a mobile endpoint device of the user.
[0041] In another embodiment, the identity of the user does not
need to be identified by the server 161 or 162. For example, if
user 110 is visiting the establishment 141 and is served via the
IoT device 151 (e.g., a smart dish or container), the UE 117 of
user 110 may receive an input from the IoT device 151 indicative of
the user 110 being served via the IoT device 151. Similarly, if
user 110 is visiting the establishment 142 and is served via the
IoT device 152 (e.g., a smart dish or container), the UE 117 of
user 110 may receive an input from the IoT device 152 indicative of
the user 110 being served via the IoT device 152. Thus, the
ingestion information associated with the food and drink items
consumed in these third party establishments can be directly
communicated to the UE 117. In one embodiment, the IoT device may
communicate with UE 117 via a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth interface,
etc. to provide to the UE 117 information regarding food and/or
drink items that are ingested by the user 110.
[0042] In one example, the establishments 141-142 may subscribe to
a service to receive nutritional information that has been
aggregated over a geographical area from a network service
provider. For example, such "aggregated" nutritional information
has been anonymized such that personal information has been
removed. Said another way, the nutritional information of a group
of individuals are aggregated to provide information as to what
food/drink items are being consumed by a local population, but the
personal information relating to the group of individuals are
removed and not disclosed to any third party establishments to
maintain the privacy of the group of individuals. For example, a
restaurant or grocery store may wish to know the nutritional needs
of a local population served by the restaurant or grocery store.
For instance, for a local population during the winter season,
fruit juice consumption may be detected to be increasing due to a
large segment of the local population wishing to increase vitamin C
intake during the winter months. In turn, the grocery store and
restaurant may benefit by stocking such appropriate products. Thus,
the establishments 141-142 may receive aggregated nutritional
information that is aggregated for a population for a local
geographical area, e.g., within a one mile radius, within a two
mile radius, within a town, and so on. The application server 104
may then send the nutritional information that is aggregated to
servers 161-162 of the third party establishments. In one
embodiment, the nutritional information may be stored in a cloud
storage and the establishments may be enabled to access the
information. For example, the third party establishments may access
an aggregated nutritional information from a database 105 of the
service provider.
[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 200 for
receiving nutritional information in accordance with the present
disclosure. In one embodiment, the method 200 may be implemented in
an endpoint device of a user, e.g., an UE 117, or the processor 402
as described in FIG. 4. The method 200 starts in step 205 and
proceeds to step 210.
[0044] In step 210, the processor obtains a profile of a user. In
one embodiment, various information pertaining to the profile of
the user can be automatically obtained via one or more IoT devices,
e.g., in-home IoT devices of the user. In another embodiment,
various information pertaining to the profile of the user can be
obtained via a user interface for receiving the profile from the
user. For example, the user may provide to the UE, via the user
interface, the user's age, the user's gender, the user's race, etc.
In another example, the user's weight may be received from an IoT
device that comprises a scale, the user's blood pressure may be
determined via an IoT device that comprises a sphygmomanometer, the
user's glucose level may be determines via an IoT device that
comprises a glucometer, the user's heart rate may be determined via
an IoT device that comprises a heart rate monitor, and so on.
[0045] In one embodiment, each IoT device transmits the relevant
profile information of the user to the endpoint device of the user,
and then the endpoint device of the user may aggregate the profile
information collected from a plurality of the IoT devices into a
consolidated profile to be transmitted to the service provider. In
another embodiment, each IoT device may transmit the relevant
profile information of the user directly to a server of the service
provider. In another embodiment, the IoT device may transmit the
relevant profile information of the user to a cloud storage device.
Similarly, the endpoint device may upload the consolidated profile
to the server of the network service provider or store the
consolidated profile at a cloud storage accessible by the server of
the network service provider. It should be noted that the
collection and transmission of the profile information are
performed with the authority and full consent of the user, e.g.,
the user has consented and has subscribed to a nutritional
information service provided by the network service provider.
[0046] In step 215, the processor gathers information on one or
more available grocery items at one or more locations of the user.
In one embodiment, the gathering of the information on a grocery
item of the one or more grocery items may be performed via an IoT
device in which the grocery item is stored.
[0047] For example, the IoT device in which the grocery item is
stored transmits the information on the grocery item to the user
endpoint device. For instance, if the IoT device is at a residence
of the user, the IoT device may be a smart refrigerator and/or
freezer, a smart pantry, a smart cabinet, a smart disposer, and the
like. The IoT device in the residence may then transmit to the user
endpoint device, information on grocery items that are stored in
the IoT device. The user endpoint device may then provide the
information to the network service provider.
[0048] In one embodiment, the IoT device may also transmit the
information on the available grocery item directly to a server of
the service provider. For example, the IoT device may be at a
location (e.g., a university cafeteria) shared with other
individuals. The IoT device may then identify the user via a
biometric scanner or via a communication with the UE of the user,
e.g., via a Bluetooth connection between the IoT device and the
cell phone of the user. The IoT device may then transmit to the
service provider information gathered on available grocery items
for the user. For example, if the user is a student of a university
and frequents a particular cafeteria on campus, the available
grocery items offered by this particular cafeteria can be provided
to the network service provider. Again, the fact that the grocery
items are available does not mean that the user has actually
ingested any of the available grocery items.
[0049] In one embodiment, the IoT device and the user endpoint
device may transmit the information on the grocery item to a cloud
storage device. In other words, the sensors 132-134 and the user
endpoint device 117 may upload the information on the grocery item
to a server of the network service provider or store the
information on the grocery item at a cloud storage accessible by
the server of the network service provider.
[0050] In step 220, the processor gathers ingestion information on
ingestion of food and/or drink items (e.g., at least one grocery
item from the grocery information of step 215) by the user, wherein
the gathering the ingestion information on ingestion comprises at
least one of: gathering information on ingestion of a food item and
gathering information on ingestion of a drink item. In one
embodiment, the gathering the ingestion information on the
ingestion of the food item is performed via a vessel or dish for
containing the food item. In one embodiment, the gathering the
ingestion information on the ingestion of the drink item is
performed via a vessel or container for containing the drink item.
In one embodiment, the ingestion information that is gathered on
ingestion by the user comprises one or more of: when the food item
is consumed, a type of the food item (e.g., fruit, vegetable, meat,
bread, dessert, etc.) that is consumed, a quantity of the food item
that is consumed, and an identity of the user consuming the food
item. In one embodiment, the information that is gathered on
ingestion by the user comprises one or more of: when the drink item
is consumed, a type of the drink item (e.g., juice, milk, alcoholic
beverage, water, etc.) that is consumed, a quantity of the drink
item that is consumed, and an identity of the user consuming the
drink item.
[0051] In one embodiment, the vessel for containing the food or the
drink item may comprise an IoT device. For example, the vessel may
be a smart dish 125 or a smart container 126. The vessel for
containing the food item (e.g., smart dish 125) may comprise a
sensor for determining one or more of: when the food item is
consumed, a type of the food item (e.g., fruit, vegetable, meat,
bread, dessert, etc.) that is consumed, a quantity of the food item
that is consumed, and so on. Similarly, the vessel for containing
the drink item (e.g., smart container 126) may comprise a sensor
for determining one or more of: when the drink item is consumed, a
type of the drink item (e.g., water, juice, etc.) that is consumed,
and a quantity of the drink item that is consumed.
[0052] In one embodiment, the vessel for containing the food item
or drink item may further comprise a sensor for determining an
identity of the user consuming the food item or drink item. For
example, the sensor for determining the identity of the user
consuming the food item or the drink item may comprise a biometric
scanner. For example, the smart dish or smart container may include
a biometric scanner that comprises a fingerprint scanner, a retina
scanner, a voiceprint scanner, and the like.
[0053] In one embodiment, the vessel for containing the food item
may send a record of the food item being consumed to the user
endpoint device, an application server, and/or a cloud storage. In
one embodiment, the vessel for containing the drink item may also
send a record of the drink item being consumed to the user endpoint
device, the application server, and/or the cloud storage.
[0054] In step 225, the processor provides to a network service
provider one or more of: the profile of the user, the information
that is gathered on the one or more grocery items at the one or
more locations of the user, and the ingestion information that is
gathered on the ingestion of at least one item from the one or more
grocery items by the user. For example, if user 110 removes a can
of soup from a smart pantry 123, places the soup on a smart dish
125, eats half of the soup and then discards the remaining residual
in a disposer 124, the UE 117 receives from the smart pantry 123
(which includes sensor 133) information on the fact that user 110
has removed one can of soup, e.g., including the type of soup and
the size of the can. The UE 117 receives from the smart dish 125
that the entire content of the can of soup has been placed onto the
dish and the residual amount that is left over and not consumed
(e.g., an amount of content that remains on the dish for an
extended period of time and then followed by a rapid emptying of
the dish, e.g., the content being dumped into a disposer 124). In
addition, if the smart dish 125 has a scanner, the smart dish 125
also identifies that user 110 is the person using the smart dish
125 to consume the soup. The UE 117 also receives from the disposer
124 that a dumped content consistent with soup has been disposed by
user 110. For example, the dumped content can be identified by a
captured image or from information received from a smart dish being
proximate to the disposer when the dumped content was received
(e.g., presumably the dumped content came from the smart dish). The
UE 117 is then able to gather such ingestion information to
determine the amount of soup that is consumed and the amount of
soup that is discarded, the time of consumption (e.g., via time
stamps collected by each IoT or sensor), the time of disposal
(e.g., via time stamps collected by each IoT or sensor), which
member of the household consumed the soup, and so on. The UE 117
then provides to the AS 104 of the network service provider the
profile of the user, the information gathered to determine the
amount of soup that is consumed, the amount of soup discarded, the
time of consumption, the time of disposal, which member of the
household consumed the soup, and so on.
[0055] In one embodiment, the information gathered on the grocery
items and ingestion information may be provided to the network
service provider frequently, while the profile is updated and/or
provided to the network service provider with less frequency. The
profile of the user may not change frequently. For instance, the
information gathered on grocery items and ingestion information may
be provided to the network service provider, e.g., on a weekly
basis, on a daily basis, on an hourly basis, at every occurrence of
ingestion, at every occurrence of storage, removal or disposing of
a grocery item. The profile of the user may be provided in
accordance with a longer interval, e.g., weekly, monthly,
quarterly, etc.
[0056] In step 235, the processor receives nutritional information
from the network service provider, wherein the nutritional
information is determined by performing an analysis based on: the
profile of the user, the information that is gathered on the one or
more grocery items at the one or more locations of the user, and
the ingestion information that is gathered on ingestion by the
user. In one embodiment, the analysis is further based on
nutritional information of a population at the one or more
locations of the user. For example, the network service provider
may identify a segment of the population at the one or more
locations of the user with profiles that match the user. For
instance, the segment of the population may be population with a
same gender, similar height, similar weight, similar race, and so
on. The network service provider may then analyze the ingestion
information for a particular segment of the population. For
example, the data gathered for the particular segment of the
population may provide a distribution for various nutritional
indicators. For instance, the nutritional indicators may be for
ingestions of one or more of: each type of vitamin, each type of
mineral, water, protein, fiber, fat, various types of fat (e.g.,
unsaturated, saturated, animal based, plant based), vitamin/mineral
supplements, sugar, types of sugar, and the like. The data may then
be analyzed to establish a baseline for the particular segment of
the population for each nutritional indicator. For example, the
baseline may provide a mean, median, standard deviation, etc., of
the various nutritional indicators for the particular segment of
the population. The user's ingestion of food and drink items over a
predetermined duration of time may then be compared to the baseline
for the particular segment of the population. For example, compared
to people matching the profile of the user, the user may be
drinking an insufficient amount of water, e.g., 32 ounces below the
mean water intake for a segment of the population matching his/her
profile. In turn, the UE of the user may receive nutritional
information from the network service provider that indicates that
the user needs to drink 32 ounces more of water per day to reach
the mean consumption of water, e.g., 50 ounces to be in the top
quartile, etc.
[0057] In optional step 240, the processor provides to the user one
or more of: the information that is gathered on the one or more
grocery items at the one or more locations of the user, and the
ingestion information that is gathered on ingestion by the user.
For example, the UE 117 may provide the gathered information to the
user. In one embodiment, the gathered information is presented to
the user via a display of the UE. The method then either returns to
step 210, or to step 299 to end the process.
[0058] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 300 for
providing nutritional information in accordance with the present
disclosure. In one embodiment, the method 300 may be implemented in
an application server of a network service provider, e.g., AS 104,
or the processor 402 as described in FIG. 4. The method 300 starts
in step 305 and proceeds to step 310.
[0059] In step 310, the processor obtains or receives a profile of
a user. In one embodiment, the profile of the user is obtained or
received from a user endpoint device of the user. In one
embodiment, information pertaining to the profile of the user can
also be obtained or received via one or more IoT devices. In one
embodiment, the profile of the user may be obtained such that some
portion of the profile is received from the user endpoint device
and the remaining portion of the profile is received via one or
more IoT devices. For example, the UE may provide the age, gender,
race, etc., of the user. In another example, IoT devices may
provide the user's weight, blood pressure, glucose level, heart
rate, body temperature, etc.
[0060] In step 315, the processor obtains or receives information
on one or more grocery items at one or more locations of the user.
In one embodiment, the obtaining or receiving of the information on
a grocery item of the one or more grocery items is performed via a
user endpoint device associated with the user. For example, the
information may be obtained or received via the cell phone of the
user. In one embodiment, the obtaining of the information on a
grocery item of the one or more grocery items is performed via a
gateway server of the user. In one embodiment, the obtaining or
receiving of the information on a grocery item of the one or more
grocery items is performed via an IoT device in which a grocery
item is stored.
[0061] In step 320, the processor obtains or receives ingestion
information on ingestion of food and/or drink items (e.g., at least
one grocery item from the received grocery information of step 315)
by the user, wherein the obtaining or receiving the ingestion
information on ingestion comprises at least one of: obtaining
information on ingestion of a food item and obtaining information
on ingestion of a drink item. In one embodiment, the obtaining of
the ingestion information on ingestion is performed via a user
endpoint device associated with the user. In one embodiment, the
obtaining of the ingestion information on ingestion is performed
via a gateway server of the user. In one embodiment, the obtaining
or receiving of the ingestion information on ingestion of food
and/or drink items by the user is performed via an IoT device.
[0062] In one embodiment, the IoT device used for obtaining of the
information on ingestion comprises a vessel for containing the food
item. In one embodiment, the vessel for containing the food item
comprises a sensor for determining one or more of: when the food
item is consumed, a type of the food item (e.g., fruit, vegetable,
meat, bread, dessert, etc.) that is consumed, and a quantity of the
food item that is consumed. In one embodiment, the vessel for
containing the food item further comprises a sensor for determining
an identity of the user consuming the food item. In one embodiment,
the sensor for determining the identity of the user consuming the
food item may comprise a biometric scanner. In one embodiment, the
biometric scanner may comprise one or more of: a fingerprint
scanner, a retina scanner, and a voiceprint scanner.
[0063] In one embodiment, the IoT device used for obtaining of the
information on ingestion comprises a vessel for containing the
drink item. In one embodiment, the vessel for containing the drink
item comprises a sensor for determining one or more of: when the
drink item is consumed, a type of the drink item (e.g., water,
juice, etc.) that is consumed, and a quantity of the drink item
that is consumed. In one embodiment, the vessel for containing the
drink item further comprises a sensor for determining an identity
of the user consuming the drink item. In one embodiment, the sensor
for determining the identity of the user consuming the drink item
may comprise a biometric scanner. In one embodiment, the biometric
scanner may comprise one or more of: a fingerprint scanner, a
retina scanner, and a voiceprint scanner.
[0064] In one example, if the IoT device is at a residence of the
user, the IoT device may be a smart refrigerator and/or freezer, a
smart pantry, a smart dish, a smart container, and the like. The
IoT devices in the residence may transmit to the UE device. The UE
device may then transmit to the server provider information
gathered via any number of IoT devices. In another example, the
user may implement a centralized gateway (e.g., a dedicated
computer) for gathering information from various IoT devices and
for providing combined information to an application server of the
network service provider. For instance, a home gateway computer may
gather information on: profile of the user (e.g., via scales, heart
rate monitor, etc.), grocery items (e.g., refrigerator, pantry,
etc.) and ingestion of food and drink items (e.g., via smart dishes
and containers). In yet another example, the IoT devices may
directly transmit to the application server of the service
provider.
[0065] In step 325, the processor provides nutritional information
to the user via a user endpoint device of the user, wherein the
nutritional information is based on an analysis of one or more of:
the profile of the user, the information that is obtained on the
one or more grocery items at the one or more locations of the user,
the ingestion information that is obtained on ingestion of food
and/or drink items by the user. In one embodiment, the analysis is
further based on a comparison of the ingestion by the user with a
baseline for ingestions computed for a population or against a
model selected by the user. For example, the network service
provider may analyze the ingestion information for a particular
segment of the population with a profile comparable to that of the
user. The analysis may be used to establish a baseline for the
particular segment of the population. For example, the baseline may
provide a mean, median, standard deviation, etc., of the various
nutritional indicators for the particular segment of the population
whose profile is comparable to that of the user. The user's
ingestion of food and drink items over a predetermined duration of
time may then be compared to the baseline that is established for
the particular segment of the population. In turn, the network
service provider may then provide to the user the nutritional
information based on the comparison.
[0066] In optional step 340, the processor aggregates nutritional
information associated with a plurality of users for a geographical
area. For example, the nutritional information of the plurality of
users, e.g., for a city, a town, a zip code, a defined area such as
a one mile radius, may be aggregated. For instance, the aggregated
nutritional information may indicate for each food or drink item of
the one or more food or drink items: a quantity of the food or
drink item being consumed by users in the geographical area, a
population profile of the users consuming the food or drink item,
etc. For an illustrative example, women within the geographical
area are drinking four cups of water and one cup of milk, men are
drinking six cups of water, children are drinking two cups of water
and two cups of milk, etc. However, no personal information will be
provided in the aggregated nutritional information. Namely, the
privacy of the users will be maintained unless specifically
authorized by the users to be disclosed.
[0067] In optional step 350, the processor provides an analysis of
the aggregated nutritional information to a third party. For
example, the method may analyze the aggregated nutritional
information associated with the plurality of users for the
geographical area. The result of the analysis may then be provided
to a third party.
[0068] In one embodiment, the third party may comprise an
establishment that provides the grocery items to users in the
geographical area. For example, the establishment may be a grocery
store, a store that delivers grocery items via a mail service, and
the like.
[0069] In one embodiment, the third party may comprise an
establishment that provides a food item or a drink item that is
prepared. For example, the establishment may be a diner,
restaurant, bar, juice bar, coffee shop, a school that provides
meals to students, and the like. The method then either returns to
step 310, or to step 399 to end the process.
[0070] In addition, although not specifically specified, one or
more steps, functions or operations of method 200 or method 300 may
include a storing, displaying and/or outputting step as required
for a particular application. In other words, any data, records,
fields, and/or intermediate results discussed in the method can be
stored, displayed and/or outputted either on the device executing
the method or to another device, as required for a particular
application.
[0071] Furthermore, steps, blocks, functions or operations in FIG.
2 or FIG. 3 that recite a determining operation or involve a
decision do not necessarily require that both branches of the
determining operation be practiced. In other words, one of the
branches of the determining operation can be deemed as an optional
step. Moreover, steps, blocks, functions or operations of the above
described method 200 or 300 can be combined, separated, and/or
performed in a different order from that described above, without
departing from the example embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0072] It should be noted that the above described method can be
deployed with various different implementations. For example, the
receiving the nutritional information may be via a dedicated
computer. In one embodiment, the IoT devices may directly provide
the information gathered on grocery items and ingestion by the user
to the service provider. Hence, the UE device of the user may be
for receiving the nutritional information after the IoT devices
provided the data directly to the service provider. In one
embodiment, the dedicated computer is for gathering information on
grocery items, gathering information on ingestion, interacting with
the user to receive the profile of the user, receiving further
profiles via IoT devices, providing the information to the network
service provider for analysis and comparison with data from a large
population or model selected by the user, and for receiving the
nutritional information from the network service provider.
[0073] In one example, the present method for receiving nutritional
information of the present disclosure is implemented via a
dedicated database server. For example, in one embodiment, the
method of the present disclosure is implemented via a dedicated
application server, e.g., AS 104, for providing the nutritional
information to user endpoint device, e.g., to UE 117. The dedicated
application server is operated and managed by a network service
provider. For example, the network service provider may operate one
or more communications networks to provide one or more services
such as telephony services, cellular services, data services (e.g.,
data access and transfer services, Internet access services, and
the like), multimedia delivery services (e.g., multimedia
programming delivery services such as movies, videos, music and the
like), and the like. In another embodiment, the present method for
receiving nutritional information can be provided in the user
endpoint device, e.g., UE 117.
[0074] As such, the present disclosure provides at least one
advancement in the technical field of receiving nutritional
information based on a baseline of nutritional need of an
individual (established based on a profile of the individual) and a
record of ingestion by the individual. This advancement improves
the ability of the user to utilize his/her nutritional information
for health improvement. For example, the user is then able to take
an appropriate action that is reflective of the baseline of the
nutritional behavior of the general population or a model. The
present disclosure also provides at least one advancement in the
technical field of providing nutritional information of individuals
to a network service provider. The network service provider is then
able to aggregate the data, perform analytics on nutritional intake
of populations in a geographical area, provide feedback to
individuals on nutritional intake based on the analytics, and/or
provide to a third party (e.g., a grocery store, restaurant, a
school, etc.) nutritional intake information based on the
analytics.
[0075] FIG. 4 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer
suitable for use in performing the functions described herein. As
depicted in FIG. 4, the system 400 comprises one or more hardware
processor elements 402 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a
microprocessor, or a multi-core processor), a memory 404, e.g.,
random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM), a module
405 for receiving nutritional information, and various input/output
devices 406 (e.g., storage devices, including but not limited to, a
tape drive, a floppy drive, a hard disk drive or a compact disk
drive, a receiver, a transmitter, a speaker, a display, a speech
synthesizer, an output port, an input port and a user input device
(such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a microphone and the
like)). Although only one processor element is shown, it should be
noted that the computer may employ a plurality of processor
elements. Furthermore, although only one computer is shown in the
figure, if the method 200 or method 300 as discussed above is
implemented in a distributed or parallel manner for a particular
illustrative example, i.e., the steps of the above method 200 or
method 300, or each of the entire method 200 or method 300 is
implemented across multiple or parallel computers, then the
computer of this figure is intended to represent each of those
multiple computers.
[0076] Furthermore, one or more hardware processors can be utilized
in supporting a virtualized or shared computing environment. The
virtualized computing environment may support one or more virtual
machines representing computers, servers, or other computing
devices. In such virtualized virtual machines, hardware components
such as hardware processors and computer-readable storage devices
may be virtualized or logically represented.
[0077] It should be noted that the present disclosure can be
implemented in software and/or in a combination of software and
hardware, e.g., using application specific integrated circuits
(ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA) including a Field PGA, or a
state machine deployed on a hardware device, a computer or any
other hardware equivalents, e.g., computer readable instructions
pertaining to the method(s) discussed above can be used to
configure a hardware processor to perform the steps, functions
and/or operations of the above disclosed method.
[0078] In one embodiment, instructions and data for the present
module or process 405 for receiving nutritional information (e.g.,
a software program comprising computer-executable instructions) can
be loaded into memory 404 and executed by hardware processor
element 402 to implement the steps, functions or operations as
discussed above in connection with the illustrative method 200 or
method 300. Furthermore, when a hardware processor executes
instructions to perform "operations," this could include the
hardware processor performing the operations directly and/or
facilitating, directing, or cooperating with another hardware
device or component (e.g., a co-processor and the like) to perform
the operations.
[0079] The processor executing the computer readable or software
instructions relating to the above described method can be
perceived as a programmed processor or a specialized processor. As
such, the present module 405 for receiving nutritional information
(including associated data structures) of the present disclosure
can be stored on a tangible or physical (broadly non-transitory)
computer-readable storage device or medium, e.g., volatile memory,
non-volatile memory, ROM memory, RAM memory, magnetic or optical
drive, device or diskette and the like. Furthermore, a "tangible"
computer-readable storage device or medium comprises a physical
device, a hardware device, or a device that is discernible by the
touch. More specifically, the computer-readable storage device may
comprise any physical devices that provide the ability to store
information such as data and/or instructions to be accessed by a
processor or a computing device such as a computer or an
application server.
[0080] While various embodiments have been described above, it
should be understood that they have been presented by way of
example only, and not a limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of
a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the
above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only
in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
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