AUTOMATIC BATTERY OPERATED WEIGHT COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a battery operated personal weighing device and to a method wherein a persons weight is being measured by means of a battery operated personal weighing device.

The known weighing device and method suffer from the fact that they require additional user input or action. The involvement of user input or user action forms a hurdle which a user must overcome, and which withholds the user from participating in any kind of plan, no matter how professional, to gain control over his weight during a substantial amount of time. Such input and action may be the switching on of a weighing device, a modem, a personal computer or the regularly required keying in of passwords, user words or even user names, the latter forming another hurtle because of the lack of anonymity associated with such kind of input.

It is an obj ect of the present invention to provide a device and method not requiring any other intervention of a person participating m weight control or reducing plans other than the mounting on a weighing device, and securing anonymity to a degree as high as possible.

Thereto the weighing device and method according to the invention are characterised by the features of respectively the claims 1 and 11.

Advantageously the weighing process and the communication of the relevant personal data starts and is being effected automatically, preferably without human intervention of the person involved. The device therefore does not need to have input keys or the like, and does not even require a visual

display for the device and method to work. The battery pack secures that if the device is stored in for example a temporarily wet space such as a bathroom no dangerous conditions can arise in relation to an absent mains supply voltage. This is also due to the low voltage electric power supply of the weighing device. In addition the absence of input keys and preferably a visual output display results in a substantial lower power consumption, which makes it possible to use batteries and which preserves a long life of the battery pack. Use of a battery pack would otherwise be impossible due to the high power demands imposed by such input and output means, and its required associated power consuming driver software and processor means . Furthermore wireless transmission means do not require wires connected to the weighing device, which if positioned in the bathroom is safer and makes the weighing device more easy to handle .

At present the weighing device and method according to the invention will be elucidated further together with its additional advantages while reference is being made to the appended drawing, which shows a schematic view of the weighing device according to the invention.

The figure shows a schematic view of a weighing device 1 , which comprises a battery pack 2, a measuring table 3 for a person to stand on in order to determine its weight, generally processor controlled and programmable processing means 4 coupled to the battery pack 2 and to the measuring table 3 , enabling means 5 also coupled to the measuring table 3 and to the battery pack 2 for powering up the weighing device 1 and starting the weighing, identification means 6 coupled to the processing means 4 for providing personal identification data, and wireless means 7 coupled

to the processing means 4 for automatically transmitting the personal data including the weight data to a receiver 8 after the completion of the weighing. The wireless means 7 may comprise wireless radio communication means, such as infrared means, or Radio Frequency (RF) means to effect communication to the receiver. If the wireless means 7 and the receiver 8 are both embodied by transmitter receiver means participants to a weight reduction and health plan are allowed to regularly receive personal advice from professionals in the field, possibly through the same communication channel they used for sending their personal data .

Preferably the weighing method starts after powering up the device 1. Thereto the enabling means 5 are arranged for powering up the weighing device 1 and thus starting it .

Preferably no other user input then the triggering of the table 3 is required for the weighing to start, as any additional user action would form a hurtle or could lead to a hesitation of the person concerned to stick to the concept or plan to keep on participating in a program directed to effect a loss of weight. Only after some form a registration procedure and possibly a consult by a physician will a person be allowed to join the program and to benefit from medical, physical, and/or dietary advice given by professionals at the receiver end to the person whose weight is being monitored . Communication may in return be given back to the persons concerned for example by email, SMS, MSN or the like. Professionals will give their advice on a moment of time which suits them best, without any telephone conversation or meeting being required . This saves valuable time and costs . It will be clear that what is called the receiver 8 may comprise modems coupled possibly through some kind of server, LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network) to the Internet and generally to one or more mutually coupled

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Internet addresses or WEB-sites of the professionals.

Preferably the powering up and weighing starts once the person steps on the measuring table 3 or -which requires a bit more- once a personal insert memory 9, such as a disk or USB memory is being inserted in a memory or card reader 10 of the weighing device 1. In general the enabling means 5 are arranged to supply the battery power to the various parts of the device 1 if triggered by the measuring table 3. The insert memory 9 will at least hold the personal identification data and the weight data, if already available. The weighing device 1 may comprise a clock 11 for time stamping the weight data of the personal data. Thereafter the personal data at least including the determined weight , the time whereon the weight is measured and the identification data are stored, either in a local memory 12, and/or on the memory 9. Preferably the memory 12 of the weighing device 1 comprises a transfer program for automatically starting transmission of the personal data to the receiver 8, if communication to the receiver is possible. Such a transfer program is normally stored in the memory 12 of the weighing device 1. Timer means 13 may be coupled to the enabling means 5 and/or the processing means 4 in order to regularly automatically powering up the weighing device 1 when updated personal data is available for transfer to the receiver 8. So if no communication to the receiver 8 is possible the timer means 13 will at least regularly try to effect communication of the relevant personal data to the receiver 8. The transfer program which may also be stored in the insert memory 9 could try to start transmission of the personal data to the receiver 8 following insertion of the insert memory 9 in the receiver 8,