Providing consumers with incentives for healthy eating habits
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMichael Wayne Brown, Rabindranath Dutta, Michael A. Paolini, Newton James Smith, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, system, and program for providing consumer healthy habits incentives are provided. A consumable item, consumed by an individual, is detected. A health factor is detected for the consumable item. An electronic incentive is selected for the individual according to the health factor, such that the individual is encouraged to consume a healthy selection of consumable items. An electronic incentive may be further specified according to the individual health history, exercise history and consumption history of an individual.
Claims27
A method for encouraging healthy habits by an individual, said method comprising the steps of:
- tracking, using at least one computer system communicatively connected to a network, an actual purchase of a particular consumable item from a vendor by an individual for potential consumption;
- determining, at said at least one computer system, a plurality of separate health index values each associated with a separate one of a plurality of health index components for consumption of said particular consumable item;
- selecting, at said at least one computer system, a monetary electronic incentive for said individual based on said plurality of separate health index values matching at least one health index value requirement specified in a database of electronic incentives specified for said individual according to at least one factor from among food intake by said individual based on at least one of an ordered meal and a recipe for a meal previously reported to said at least one computer system and exercise performed by said individual previously detected by said at least one computer system;
- and
- automatically transferring said monetary electronic incentive via said network from said at least one computer system to an account provider system which stores said monetary electronic incentive in an electronic account for said individual.
A system for encouraging healthy habits by an individual, said system comprising:
- a plurality of server systems communicatively connected via a network;
- at least one first server system from among said plurality of server systems operative to track an actual purchase of a particular consumable item by an individual from a vendor for potential consumption;
- said at least one first server system operative to determine, from at least one second server system from among said plurality of server systems, a plurality of separate health index values each associated with a separate one of a plurality of health index components for consumption of said particular consumable item;
- said at least one first server system operative to select an electronic incentive for said individual based on said plurality of separate health index values matching at least one health index value requirement specified in a database of electronic incentives accessed from at least one third server system from among said plurality of server systems and specified for said individual according to at least one factor from among food intake by said individual based on at least one of an ordered meal and a recipe for a meal previously reported to said server system and exercise performed by said individual previously detected by said server system;
- and
- said at least one first server system operative to automatically transfer said monetary electronic incentive via said network to at least one account provider system from among said at plurality of server systems which stores said electronic incentive in an electronic account for said individual.
A program for encouraging healthy habits by an individual, residing on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which when executed on a computer system cause said computer system to:
- enable tracking of an actual purchase of a particular consumable item from a vendor by an individual;
- determine a plurality of separate health index values each associated with a separate one of a plurality of health index components for consumption of said particular consumable item;
- select a monetary electronic incentive for said individual based on said plurality of separate health index values matching at least one health index value requirement specified in a database of electronic incentives specified for said individual according to at least one factor from among food intake reported by said individual based on at least one of an ordered meal and a recipe for a meal and previously detected exercise performed by said individual;
- and
- automatically transfer said monetary electronic incentive via said network to an account provider system which stores said monetary electronic incentive in an account for said individual.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.