Method and apparatus for diet control
OwnerJames R. Maultinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable computing device for assisting a person to locate a food retailer in view of a food preference of the person comprises a display; a wireless transceiver for communication with a communications network; a position location device; and a software application program adapted to transmit the food preference and the location of the person to a remote computer system over a communications network, to receive data from the remote computer, and to display food retail locations and menu lists complying with the food preference to the person on the display of the computing device.
Claims20
A portable computing device for assisting a person to locate a food retailer according to a food preference of the person, comprising:
- a display;
- a processor;
- a data entry mechanism;
- a memory;
- a wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with a communications network;
- a position location device adapted to provide a position of the person;
- and
- a software application program running on the portable computing device adapted to receive the food preference from the person;
- to transmit the food preference and the location of the person to a remote computer system over the communications network;
- to receive food retail data from the remote computer over the communications network, wherein the food retail data comprises food retailer location data and food item data associated with each food retailer location;
- and to display food retailer location data and food item data to the person on the display of the computing device.
A method for assisting a person to locate a food retail location according to a food preference of the person, the method comprising:
- providing a computer system, the computer system having access to a database associating food retail location data with food item data, wherein food item data comprises nutritional information;
- receiving the food preference and a position for the person;
- determining one or more food retail locations close to the position of the person;
- comparing food item data associated with each food retail location with the food preference;
- presenting food retail location data to the person, wherein each food retail location presented to the person is associated with food items consistent with the food preference.
A system for allowing a person to obtain nutritional information related to food available at a food retailer, the system comprising:
- a portable computing device having a display;
- a data entry mechanism;
- a first wireless transceiver;
- a processor;
- a memory;
- and a software application program adapted to receive a food preference from the person, to store the food preference in the memory, and to cooperate with the transceiver so as to transmit the food preference to devices in transmission range of the transceiver;
- a restaurant computer, having a second wireless transceiver, a processor, and a memory, the restaurant computer being adapted to communicate with the portable computing device when the portable computing device within transmission range of the second wireless transceiver, the restaurant computer being adapted to transmit food item descriptions and associated nutritional data to the portable computing device and to receive the food preference from the portable computing device;
- whereby the person can view food item descriptions and nutrition information on the display of the portable computing device, and can view a display emphasizing food item descriptions having nutritional data consistent with the food preference.
A method for viewing nutritional data associated with food items available from a food retailer, the method comprising:
- transmitting a position from a portable electronic device to a remote computer system over a communications network, wherein the portable electronic device has a position locator, a display, and a transceiver, and wherein the remote computer system has access to a database associating the position with a food retailer identity and with a food selection list, wherein the food selection list comprises food identifiers and associated nutrition data;
- receiving the food retailer identity and food selection list from the remote computer over the communications network so as to view the food retailer identity and food selection list on the display of the portable electronic device.
The method of claim 18, further comprising the receiving of location data associated with items on the food selection list from the remote computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.