Electronic scale apparatus and method of controlling weight

An electronic scale apparatus for providing weight control information and interacting with an individual using same on a periodic basis by providing weight control encouragement, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) frame means,
• (b) means associated with the frame means for providing information on a base weight of an individual using said apparatus or for providing information of one or more previous weight measurements of such individual using said apparatus,
• (c) means associated with said frame means for providing current weight information of an individual using said apparatus,
• (d) memory means associated with said frame means for storing said base weight of an individual or a weight of said individual based on one or more previous weight measurements of said individual and which weight information is introduced into said memory means and against which a comparison may be made,
• (e) electronic processing means associated with said frame means and operatively connected to said memory means, said processing means having an input receiving current weight information of said same individual and making a comparison of said current weight information and said base weight or said current weight information and a previous weight measurement and thereby calculating a weight change based on said comparison,
• (f) display means operatively connected to said electronic processing means for numerically displaying the calculated weight change at each measured weight,
• (g) light means including a plurality of individual light elements operatively connected to said electronic processing means and being energized in a selected arrangement based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight or base weight, certain of said light elements generating light having a color different from other of the light elements so that different colored light patterns can be generated, the arrangement of and color patterns created by energization of the various light elements being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, said arrangement of energization of said various light elements also being controlled in a selected pattern and color arrangement to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, and
• (h) sound generation means operatively connected to said electronic processing means and being operable to provide a plurality of selected sounds based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight, the particular sounds generated and the intensities of such sounds being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, the particular sounds and intensities thereof being generated also being selected to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, the generation of sounds and energization of lights being coordinated to create a "pin-ball" type effect representing a certain level of achievement by the user of the apparatus creating an effect of increasing the stimuli to control weight so that the user of the apparatus becomes interactive with the apparatus.

A method for providing weight control information over a period of time and encouraging a user of the method to control his or her weight by providing a stimuli to the user, said method comprising:

• (a) measuring a base weight of an individual at a selected point in time,
• (b) generating an electrical signal in response to the measured base weight at said selected point in time,
• (c) converting said electrical signal to a form capable of being stored in a digital processing memory means and storing the converted electrical signal to represent a base weight against which a comparison is to be made,
• (d) measuring a new weight of said same individual,
• (e) generating an electrical signal in response to the new weight,
• (f) converting the newly generated electrical signal into a form capable of being processed by a digital processing means,
• (g) comparing the new weight to the base weight and determining a weight differential therefrom,
• (h) displaying the weight differential for the time elapse period from the previous weight measurement to the new weight measurement,
• (i) energizing a plurality of individual light elements in a selected arrangement based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight including said base weight, certain of said light elements generating light having a color different from other of the light elements so that different colored light patterns can be generated, the arrangement of and color patterns created by the energization of the various light elements being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, said method also controlling the arrangement of energization of said various light elements in a selected pattern and color arrangement to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, and
• (j) generating a plurality of selected sounds and in a plurality of selected intensities based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight, including the base weight, the particular sounds generated and the intensities of such sounds being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, said method further generating the particular sounds and in the intensities thereof to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, the generation of sounds and energization of lights being coordinated to create a "pin-ball" type effect representing a certain level of achievement by the user of the method creating an effect of increasing the stimuli to control weight.

A method for providing a weight control information over a period of time and encouraging a user of the method to control his or her weight by providing stimuli to the user, said method comprising:

• (a) measuring a base weight of an individual at a selected point in time,
• (b) generating an electrical signal in response to the measured base weight at said selected point in time,
• (c) converting said electrical signal to a form capable of being stored in a digital processing memory means and storing the converted electrical signal to represent a base weight against which comparison is to be made,
• (d) measuring a new weight of said same individual,
• (e) generating an electrical signal in response to the new weight,
• (f) converting the newly generated electrical signal into a form capable of being processed by a digital processing means,
• (g) comparing the new weight to the base weight and determining a weight differential therefrom,
• (h) displaying (1) the weight differential for the time elapse period from the previous weight measurement to the new weight measurement, (2) the number of time elapse periods from a start of a weight control program, (3) a goal weight per time elapse measurement period, (4) the estimated progress as a function of a particular time elapse period goal, (5) the total weight gain or loss over a period of time, and (6) an actual weight of an individual,
• (i) energizing a plurality of individual light elements in a selected arrangement based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight including said base weight, the arrangement of the energization of the various light elements being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, said method also controlling the arrangement of energization of said various light elements to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, and
• (j) generating selected sounds based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight, including the base weight, the sounds generated being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, said method further generating the particular sounds to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, the generation of sounds and energization of lights creating an effect of increasing the stimuli to control weight.

An electronic scale apparatus for providing weight control information, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) means for measuring weight at a selected point in time,
• (b) signal generating means operatively connected to the means for measuring, for generating an electrical signal in response to the measured weight,
• (c) memory means for storing weight information including a base weight introduced into said memory means and against which a comparison is to be made,
• (d) electronic circuit means operatively connected to the signal generating means for receiving the generated electrical signal, said circuit means also being operatively connected to said memory means and capable of calculating a weight change based on a comparison of the base weight previously introduced into said memory means with the weight represented by said electrical signal, and
• (e) display means operatively connected to said electrical circuit means for displaying:
• (1) the number of time elapse periods from a start of a weight control program,
• (2) a goal weight per time elapse period,
• (3) the estimated progress as a function of a particular time elapse period goal,
• (4) the total weight gain or loss over a period of time,
• (5) the weight loss or gain for a particular time elapse period, and
• (6) an actual weight of an individual.

An electronic scale apparatus for providing weight control information and interacting with an individual using same on a periodic basis by providing weight control encouragement, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) means for measuring weight at sequential selected intervals in time,
• (b) a housing separate from said means for measuring weight,
• (c) signal generating means operatively connected to the means for measuring, for generating an electrical signal in response to the measured weight at each selected interval,
• (d) memory means in said housing for introducing and storing weight information including a base weight and the measured weights at the selected intervals into said memory means and against which a comparison is to be made,
• (e) electronic circuit means in said housing and being operatively connected to the signal generating means for receiving the generated electrical signal based on a currently measured weight, said circuit means also being operatively connected to said memory means and capable of calculating a weight change based on a comparison of the base weight previously introduced into said memory means or on a comparison of the measured weight at one or more of the previous selected intervals with the currently measured weight represented by said electrical signal,
• (f) display means operatively connected to said electrical circuit means for numerically displaying:
• (1) the calculated weight change at each measured weight for a certain time interval,
• (2) the number of time elapse periods from a start of a weight control program,
• (3) a goal weight per time elapse period,
• (4) the estimated progress as a function of a particular time elapse period goal,
• (5) the total weight gain or loss over a period of time, and
• (6) an actual weight of an individual,
• (g) light means including a plurality of individual light elements operatively mounted on said housing an connected to said electrical circuit means and being energized in a selected arrangement based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight or base weight, the arrangement of energization of the various light elements being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, said arrangement of energization of said various light elements also being controlled to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, and
• (h) sound generation means operatively connected to said electrical circuit means and being operable to provide a selected sound based on a weight differential between a currently measured weight and a previously measured weight, the sounds generated being a function of the amount of weight differential thus measured and being different for certain different weight differentials, the particular sound being generated also being selected to provide a desired amount of encouragement to the user of the apparatus as a function of the weight differential, the generation of sounds being related to the arrangement for energization of lights, and the generation of sounds and energization of lights creating an effect of increasing the stimuli to control weight.