Universal device for monitoring and reporting fluid consumption and method using same

A liquid intake tracking device that detects changes in a volume of liquid within a beverage container and that wirelessly communicates detected information to an external electronic device, comprising:

• a housing sized and shaped to be received within the beverage container and defining an interior region separated from any liquid within the beverage container;
• a membrane disposed within the interior region of the housing and providing a flexible edge of a sealed volume defined within at least a portion of the interior region of the housing, the membrane being in communication with and flexing in response to pressure imparted by any liquid in the beverage container;
• a pressure sensor disposed within the sealed volume;
• a liquid level detection circuit connected to the pressure sensor and operative to measure the pressure of the sealed volume and output at least a first measurement value concerning a first calibration, a second measurement value concerning a second calibration, and a current volume measurement value, wherein the first calibration measurement value is indicative of the beverage container being empty, the second calibration measurement value is indicative of the beverage container being filled, and the current volume measurement value is indicative of a current liquid volume in the beverage container;
• and
• a wireless communication module configured to communicate at least the first calibration, second calibration and current volume values to external electronic device.

A method for tracking liquid intake using a device being sized to be received within a beverage container to detect changes in a volume of liquid in the beverage container, comprising the steps of:

• disposing the device within the beverage container, the device including:
• a housing having a flexible membrane overlying a sealed interior volume, the flexible membrane having a first side exposed to any liquid within the beverage container and a second side arranged to flex into the sealed interior volume;
• a pressure sensor within the sealed interior volume;
• a wireless communication module configured to communicate one or more measurement values to an external electronic device;
• calibrating the device relative to the beverage container by processing pressure readings while the beverage container is indicated by a user operating the external electronic device as being empty of any liquid and while the beverage container is indicated by the user operating the external electronic device as being full;
• receiving atmospheric pressure data from at least one barometric sensor in communication with the external electronic device;
• calculating the difference between the pressure reading obtained while the beverage container is empty and the received atmospheric pressure data,
• adjusting the pressure reading obtained while the beverage container is full in response to the calculation;
• detecting changes in pressure within the sealed interior volume using the pressure sensor, the pressure being a function of a proportion of amount of liquid within the beverage container at the time of detection;
• and
• wirelessly transmitting the measured pressure information to the external electronic device using the wireless communication module.