Abstract:
An apparatus that provides for the measurement of a person&#39;s weight via a portable remote readout located at eye-level. The weight measuring device comprises a low profile mat with weight sensors that are activated whenever someone steps on the mat. The sensors communicate a sensor weight signal to a transmitter, which in turn communicates the weight signal to a receiver preferably located at eye-level and provided with a variety of mounting means. A preferred embodiment provides for a magnet which enables mounting of the receiver on a refrigerator door. Such a location is envisioned to provide an incentive for those trying to lose weight, by providing one&#39;s current weight on the refrigerator door to avoid any unnecessary snacks.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention was first described in and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/299,359 filed Jan. 29, 2010, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to personal weight scales, and in particular, to a personal weight scale for constant use along a floor surface and with a remote digital readout. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A growing number of persons worldwide are overweight, or may be afflicted with a number of other conditions for which weight monitoring is a concern. There are many different ways of combating additional weight including dieting, exercise, medications, surgery and the like. 
     One (1) item that is common to all methods of weight loss is that of measurement and tracking. If no one ever weighs themselves, they will never know if their diet or other routine is working or not. Often, a household scale is used to track this information. However, even when such scales are accurate, they can be difficult to read. This is particularly true if the user is vision impaired and do not have their eyeglasses handy. 
     Furthermore, such scales are often considered to be unsightly and as a result are kept hidden away. This adds up to a significant amount of time spent setting up the scale when performed on a daily basis. Keeping the scale stored also requires additional nearby space to be available. Additional, storing the scale removes the scale from constant viewing by the user, whereas if the scale is always present it can provide a constant reminder to weigh in and remain vigilant about weight loss. 
     Various attempts have been made to provide portable or otherwise inconspicuous weight measurement devices. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,690, issued in the name of Northcutt, describes an electronic digital readout diet scale including a means for detecting and displaying changes in a user&#39;s weight within a small fraction of pounds. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,065, issued in the name of Schmidt, describes a portable weight measuring device including a fluid circuit and a pressure converting unit for digital readout of the weight of an object placed on the device. The Schmidt device is foldable for storage and transport. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,067, issued in the name of Montagnino et al., describes a floor tile scale and will display apparatus including a scale which is installed beneath a floor surface and a digital display providing display and transmission of weight and other medical information. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,398, issued in the name of Lee, describes a removable personal floor scale which mounts into a pit prepared in masonry or an opening in a framed floor such that it is substantially flush with the surrounding floor surface. 
     While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many such devices are not portable. Also, many such devices, portable and otherwise, are not suitable for constant use in a wide range of household locations due to aesthetic considerations and their hindering of usable floor space. Furthermore, many such devices include an output which is difficult to view. In addition, many such devices are not widely configurable or adaptable to various user needs and locations. Accordingly, there exists a need for a weight scale without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing references, the inventor recognized the aforementioned inherent problems and observed that there is a need for a weight scale which can be inconspicuously and safely placed in a number of household locations for repeated and simple use. Thus, the object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned disadvantages and provide for this need. 
     To achieve the above objectives, it is an object of the present invention to measure and display a user&#39;s weight. The apparatus includes a low-profile weight-measuring scale assembly and a wireless display assembly. 
     Another object of the present invention is to position the scale assembly along a floor surface and mount the display assembly on a nearby vertical surface to facilitate viewing of the weight readout from the apparatus. The display assembly is particularly adapted to mount to a refrigerator door with a plurality of magnets disposed along corners of a rear surface of the display assembly. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to comprise the display assembly of a rechargeable battery and a household power adapter for powering of the display assembly and recharging of the battery, respectively. The power adapter is removed between charges to enable the display to operate in a fully wireless manner. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to similarly comprise the scale assembly of a rechargeable battery and a power adapter. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to comprise the scale assembly of a low-profile scale body to facilitate use along a highly trafficked floor area. The scale body includes a pair of opposing ramps comprising tapered profiles along the side portions of the scale body in order to prevent tripping on the scale. The scale body is further provided with a cover which provides a comfortable and decorative surface for the user to stand upon. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to determine a user&#39;s weight by converting a force into an electrical signal with a plurality of load cells integral to the scale assembly. Each load cell includes a spring and a strain gauge whose conductivity is affected when the spring is deflected. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to convert the electrical signals from the load cells into a digital signal with a transmitter module integral to the scale assembly. The transmitter module includes a transmitter in wireless communication with a receiver module integral to the display assembly. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to include a liquid-crystal display within the display assembly which provides a visual indication of the weight signal received by the receiver module. The liquid-crystal display can be placed at a desired location along a vertical surface or other household location according to the user&#39;s preference for viewing the information while standing on the scale assembly. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of utilizing the device that provides a unique means of acquiring the apparatus; charging the batteries as necessary by using the power adapters; placing the scale assembly on a floor surface directly in front of a desired viewing location; affixing the display assembly to the desired surface viewing location; stepping onto the scale assembly, automatically activating the load cells to calculate the load and transmit the data to display the user&#39;s weight on the digital display; and, utilizing the apparatus each time a person approaches the desired surface to provide an incentive to lose weight, by displaying that person&#39;s current weight. 
     Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental view of a weight scale with a remote readout  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a display assembly  60 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the display assembly  60 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a scale assembly  20 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the scale assembly  20 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6   a  is an exploded rear perspective view of the scale assembly  20 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6   b  is a section view of a load cell  24   a  taken along line A-A (see  FIG. 6   a ), according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 7  is an electrical block diagram of the weight scale with a remote readout  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  weight scale with a remote readout 
               20  scale assembly 
               21  scale body 
               22  top plate 
               23  ramp 
               24   a  load cell 
               24   b  load cell case 
               24   c  upper portion 
               24   d  spring 
               24   e  strain gauge 
               24   f  mounting ear 
               25  scale power jack 
               26  transmitter module 
               27  scale power adapter 
               28  scale battery 
               29  internal portion 
               30  cover 
               50  signal 
               60  display assembly 
               61  display case 
               62  digital display 
               64  attachment means 
               65  display power jack 
               66  display power adapter 
               68  display battery 
               70  receiver module 
               75  electrical wire 
               100  floor surface 
               110  refrigerator door 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 7 . However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     The present invention describes a weight scale with a remote readout (herein described as the “apparatus”)  10 , to provide a means to measure the weight of a person and wirelessly transmit and display said weight to provide an incentive for trying to lose weight. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a front environmental view of the apparatus  10 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. The apparatus  10  comprises a low-profile weight-measuring scale assembly  20  and a wireless display assembly  60 . The scale assembly  20  comprises an integral weight scale and the display assembly  60  comprises a means to display a measured weight via a wireless signal  50 . The scale assembly  20  is preferably positioned upon a floor surface  100  in front of a refrigerator, yet other locations may be utilized without limiting the scope of the apparatus  10 . The display assembly  60  is preferably mounted to a refrigerator door  110 , yet other locations may be utilized which enable the person to easily read the displayed weight without limiting the scope of the apparatus  10 . The apparatus  10  is especially useful when applied to a refrigerator door  110 ; however, due to the portability of said apparatus  10 , it is understood that mounting to other surfaces in a home would provide equal benefit and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of said apparatus  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a front perspective view of the display assembly  60  and  FIG. 3 , a rear perspective view of the display assembly  60 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, are disclosed. The display assembly  60  comprises a rectangular display case  61  having a digital display  62 , an attachment means  64 , and houses internal components. The display case  61  is preferably fabricated from a durable plastic, yet other materials may be utilized without limiting the scope of the apparatus  10 . A front surface of the display case  61  reveals the digital display  62  which exhibits a person&#39;s weight in numeric characters. The digital display  62  is preferably a liquid crystal display (LCD) which displays common seven-segment decimal numerals which correspond to the persons weighed weight. 
     The display case  61  is suspended from a desired location such as a refrigerator door  110  via a plurality of attachment means  64  which are located on a rear surface of said display case  61 . The attachment means  64  are depicted herein as being oriented upon each rear corner of the display case  61  for illustration purposes only, it is known that other locations may be utilized without limiting the scope of the apparatus  10 . The attachment means  64  are preferably magnetic objects which enable a removably attachable affixing to the refrigerator door  110  or desired location. The attachment means  64  are affixed to the display case  61  with adhesives, yet other attachment means such as integral molding may be utilized without limiting the scope of the apparatus  10 . 
     The display assembly  60  is powered via a common rechargeable display battery  68  (also see  FIG. 7 ) which is housed within the display case  61 . The display battery  68  is recharged by inserting a display power adapter  66  into a display power jack  65  and inserting said display power adapter  66  into a common household AC circuit. The display power adapter  66  includes a transformer to convert the AC current into DC levels. The display battery  68  provides power to the digital display  62  and a receiver module  70  (also see  FIG. 7 ). The receiver module  70  comprises electronic equipment and embedded software capable of receiving and processing said wireless signal  50 . The receiver module  70  in turn displays said received numeric weight data upon the digital display  62 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a front perspective view of the scale assembly  20  and  FIG. 5 , a rear perspective view of the scale assembly  20 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, are disclosed. The scale assembly  20  comprises an integral low-profile generally rectangular scale body  21  being approximately three-quarters (¾) of an inch thick, further comprising a pair of opposing ramps  23  and a decorative protective cover  30 . The scale body  21  is positioned on a level floor surface  100  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) in a desired location which is in close proximity of the display assembly  60 . The scale body  21  provides a stable surface for a person to stand upon. Opposing end portions of the scale body  21  comprises a ramp  23  which prevents a tripping hazard along edge portions of the scale assembly  20 . Each ramp  23  provides a gradually tapering edge portion to the floor surface  100  via an integrally molded cushioning underlayment having a generally triangular cross-sectional shape and is fabricated using a dense foam rubber or equivalent material. Furthermore, the scale body  21  is covered with the cover  30  which provides a comfortable and decorative surface for a person to stand upon and is fabricated using carpeting, a soft rubber mat, or the like. 
     The internal components of the scale assembly  20  are powered via a common rechargeable scale battery  28  (also see  FIG. 7 ) which is housed within an internal portion  29  of the scale body  21  below a top plate  22 . The top plate  22  horizontally extends across an intermediate portion of the scale body  21  and beneath the cover  30 . The top plate  22  is fabricated of a sturdy metal or glass substrate to support a person&#39;s weight while being weighed. The scale battery  28  is recharged by inserting a scale power adapter  27  into a scale power jack  25  and inserting said scale power adapter  27  into a common household AC circuit. The scale power adapter  27  includes a transformer to convert the AC current into DC levels. The scale battery  28  provides power to a plurality of load cells  24   a  and a transmitter module  26  (also see  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b ). The transmitter module  26  provides various electronics and embedded software necessary to execute analog-to-digital conversion of the electrical signals from the load cells  24   a  and to subsequently provide wireless transmission of said weight data to the remotely located digital display assembly  60 , via a wireless signal  50  (see  FIG. 7 ). The transmitter module  26  is capable of converting data received from the load cells  24   a  and transmitting said data to the display assembly  60  via the wireless signal  50 . The signal  50  utilizes a common wireless signal means such as infrared (IR), radio frequency (RF), or equivalent technology. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6   a , an exploded rear perspective view of the scale assembly  20  and  FIG. 6   b , a section view of the load cell  24   a  taken along line A-A (see  FIG. 6   a ), according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, are disclosed.  FIG. 6   a  depicts the cover  30  and the top plate  22  partially removed from the scale body  21  to illustrate the internal portion  29 . This is for illustration purposes only and it is known that the scale assembly  20  is a solitary unit which is preferably unable to be disassembled. Beneath the top plate  22  are four (4) load cells  24   a  oriented at each corner of said top plate  22  to dispense the weight of the person equally. The load cells  24   a  provide support to said top plate  22  and provide a means for determining the weight of the person by converting a force into an electrical signal. Each load cell  24   a  comprises a disc-shaped load cell case  24   b  mounted to the internal portion  29  via a pair of mounting ears  24   f  which are mechanically fastened to said internal portion  29 . The load cell case  24   b  houses an upper portion  24   c , a spring  24   d , and a strain gauge  24   e . The upper portion  24   c  descends when a force is sensed (when a person stands upon the scale assembly  20 ) which correspondingly deflects the spring  24   d  against the strain gauge  24   e . The strain gauge  24   e  is a thin metallic sheet whose conductivity changes when the spring  24   d  is deflected. The change in the conductivity of the strain gauge  24   e  is converted into digital data which is displayed upon the digital display  62 . The digital data is transmitted to the receiver module  70  via the signal  50  from the transmitter module  26 . Preferably, two (2) of the load cells  24   a  would comprise an electronic switching device to automatically activate the apparatus  10 . The transmitter module  26  and scale battery  28  are preferably affixed to the internal portion via mechanical fasteners or the like. The load cells  24   a  and transmitter module  26  are powered from the scale battery  28  as above-mentioned. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , an electrical block diagram of the apparatus  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. Electrical direct current (DC) power is provided to the scale assembly  20  and display assembly  60  by batteries  28 ,  68  contained in respective assemblies  20 ,  60 . Appropriately electrical wiring  75  interconnects the electrical components within each assembly  20 ,  60 . Activation of the scale assembly  20  via the load cells  24   a  will also activate the display assembly  60  by triggering the receiver module  70 . With the display assembly  60  activated the digital display  62  is able to display a person&#39;s weight which is transmitted from the signal  50  sent from the transmitter module  26 . Each assembly  20 ,  60  preferably comprise an automatic resetting function and automatic deactivate function after a predetermined amount of elapsed time which would be handled by circuitry within the respective modules  26 ,  70 . 
     It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the apparatus  10 , it would be installed as indicated in  FIG. 1 . 
     The method of installing and utilizing the apparatus  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring the apparatus  10 ; charging the batteries  28 ,  68  as necessary via inserting the power adapters  27 ,  66  into respective power jacks  25 ,  65  and plugging in said power adapters  27 ,  66  into a household circuit; placing the scale assembly  20  upon a floor surface  100  directly in front of a desired surface; affixing the display assembly  60  upon the desired surface using the attachment means  64  at an eye-level position; stepping onto the scale assembly  20 , thereby automatically activating the load cells  24   a  to calculate the load and transmitting the data to display a person&#39;s weight upon the digital display  62  of the display assembly  60 ; and, utilizing the apparatus  10  each time a person approaches the desired surface to provide an incentive to lose weight, by displaying said person&#39;s current weight. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.