Patent Publication Number: US-2017351813-A1

Title: Cross-platform health information management system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This application relates to a health information management system, and in particular, to a cross-platform health information management system designed to collect health information from different systems and then to integrate and store the collected health information. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     With the development of medical treatment, people care about their health more than ever. Besides, the emergence of various portable and user-friendly apparatus that can measure one&#39;s health status, such as wearable devices and exercise equipment, allows us to examine our personal physical condition while exercising indoors or outdoors. As a consequence, going to regular physical checkups at hospitals or local clinics is no longer quite as necessary as before. The health information recorded with the apparatus is usually transmitted to smart devices such as smartphones, tablets, and others. 
     However, current smart devices use different operating systems or application programming interfaces (APIs), which are incompatible when it comes to sharing health information. For instance, if the user uses a new phone, the health information stored in the original phone cannot be accessed with the new phone. Also, when the user has more than one smart device, it is hard to manage the health information stored in two or more different devices effectively. In order to address such issues, the present disclosure provides a cross-platform health information management system adapted to collect health information from different operating systems and then to integrate and store the collected health information so as to improve usability. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the aforementioned technical problems, the objective of the present disclosure is to provide a cross-platform health information management system designed to collect health information from different operating systems and then to integrate and store the collected health information. 
     In accordance with the objective mentioned above, a cross-platform health information management system is provided, including a cross-platform module and a cloud server. The cross-platform module is adapted to a first operating system and to a second operating system which are different operating systems. The cross-platform module is installed in a first device including the first operating system, and connects to a first health management platform, which is disposed in the first device, so as to transmit first health information. Alternatively, the cross-platform module is installed in a second device including the second operating system, and connects to a second health management platform, which is disposed in the second device, so as to transmit second health information. The cross-platform module connects to the cloud server to transmit the first health information in the cross-platform module of the first device or to transmit the second health information in the cross-platform module of the second device. The cloud server stores the first health information or the second health information. 
     Preferably, the cross-platform module connects to a health information collecting device. The health information collecting device transmits original information to the cross-platform module. The cross-platform module transforms the original information into the first health information. 
     Preferably, the first device comprises an application program which connects to the health information collecting device. The health information collecting device transmits the original information to the application program. The first health management platform connects to the application program to receive the original information and then transforms the original information into the first health information. 
     Preferably, the cloud server integrates the first health information and the second health information producing integrated information and then stores the integrated information. The cross-platform module disposed in the first device reads the integrated information stored in the cloud server and then transmits the integrated information to the first health management platform. 
     Preferably, the cloud server comprises a defined application programming interface (API) configured to connect to the cross-platform module and to transmit the first health information or the second health information. 
     In accordance with the objective mentioned above, an alternative cross-platform health information management system is provided, including a first health information collecting device, a cross-platform module and a cloud server. The first health information collecting device is connected to a first device including a first operating system, or is connected to a second device including a second operating system, wherein the first operating system and the second operating system are different operating systems. The cross-platform module is adapted to the first operating system and the second operating system. The cross-platform module is provided by the first health information collecting device, and is installed in the first device, and connects to a first health management platform disposed in the first device so as to transmit the first health information. Alternatively, the cross-platform module is provided by the first health information collecting device, and is installed in the second device, and connects to a second health management platform disposed in second device so as to transmit second health information. The cross-platform module connects to the cloud server to transmit the first health information in the cross-platform module of the first device or to transmit the second health information in the cross-platform module of the second device. The cloud server stores the first health information or the second health information. 
     Preferably, the health information collecting device produces first original information and connects to the cross-platform module to transmit the first original information to the cross-platform module. The cross-platform module transforms the first original information into the first health information. 
     Preferably, the first device comprises an application program which connects to the health information collecting device. The health information collecting device transmits the original information to the application program. The first health management platform connects to the application program to receive the original information and then transforms the original information into the first health information. 
     In accordance with the objective mentioned above, a further alternative cross-platform health information management system is provided, including a first device, a second device, a cross-platform module and a cloud server. The first device includes a first operating system and a first health management platform. The first health management platform has first health information. The second device includes a second operating system which is different from the first operating system and a second health management platform. The second health management platform has second health information. The cross-platform is installed in both the first device and the second device and adapted thereto. The cross-platform module connects to the first health management platform to transmit the first health information and also connects to the second health management platform to transmit the second health information. The cross-platform module connects to the cloud server. The cloud server transmits and stores the first health information and the second health information. 
     Preferably, the cloud server integrates the first health information and the second health information producing integrated information and then stores the integrated information. The cross-platform module disposed in the first device reads the integrated information stored in the cloud server and then transmits the integrated information to the first health management platform. 
     In conclusion, the cross-platform health information management system provided by the present disclosure uses a cross-platform module, which is adapted to different operating systems, to retrieve health information from different devices and then transmits the obtained health information to the cloud server for storage. In this way, the cross-platform module can effectively manage the health information across different operating systems. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of the first embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the second embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the third embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the fourth embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of the fifth embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of the sixth embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can realize the present disclosure. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which is a block diagram of the first embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the cross-platform health information management system  1 , a selected embodiment provided in the present disclosure, includes a cross-platform module  113  and a cloud server. 
     The cross-platform module  113  is adapted to a first operating system  111  and a second operating system  121 , which are different operating systems. For example, the first  111  or the second  121  operating systems may be operating systems generally used in mobile devices such as Android, iOS, Window 10 Mobile (Windows Phone), or operating systems generally used on personal laptop or desktop computers, for example Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and others; although it shall not be limited thereto. 
     That is, the cross-platform module  113  is compatible with the various operating systems and workable therein. Furthermore, although only the first  111  and the second  121  operating systems are specified in the present disclosure, it does not mean that the cross-platform module  113  is adapted to only two operating systems. Only two different operating systems are specified simply to demonstrate the operation of the cross-platform module  113  in different operating systems. 
     The cross-platform module  113  is installed in the first device  11  or the second device  12 , which includes different operating systems. For example, the first device  11  or the second device  12  may be a smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, personal computer, or others, although it shall not be limited thereto. The cross-platform module  113  has to be written in different programing code, so that the cross-platform module  113  can be successfully installed and used in the different operating systems. Similarly, although only the first device  11  and the second device  12  are specified in the present disclosure, it does not mean that the cross-platform module  113  is only adapted to two devices. Only two devices are specified simply to demonstrate the operation of the cross-platform module  113  in different devices. Here, the first device  11  includes the first operating system  111  and the second device  12  includes the second operating system  121 . 
     The first device  11  includes a first health management platform  112 . This first health management platform  112  is the original health management platform disposed in the first device  11  which is adapted to the first operating system  111 . The first health management platform  112  holds first health information  112   a.  Similarly, the second device  12  includes a second health management platform  122 . This second health management platform  122  is the original health management platform disposed in the second device  12  which is adapted to the second operating system  121 . The second health management platform  122  holds second health information  122   a.  Here, the first health management platform  112  and the second health management platform  122  correspond to systems such as Google Fit of Android, Apple Health of iOS, and others, although they shall be not limited thereto. 
     When the cross-platform module  113  is installed in the first device  11  and disposed in the first operating system  111 , the cross-platform module  113  connects to the first health management platform  112 , which is disposed in the first device  11 , so as to transmit the first health information  112   a  from the first health management platform  112 . That is to say, the user transmits the first health information  112   a  stored in the first health management platform  112  to the cross-platform module  113 . 
     Similarly, when the cross-platform module  113  is installed in the second device  12  and disposed in the second operating system  121 , the cross-platform module  113  connects to the second health management platform  122 , which is disposed in the second device  12 , so as to transmit the second health information  122   a  from the second health management platform  122 . That is to say, the user transmits the second health information  122   a  stored in the second health management platform  122  to the cross-platform module  113 . 
     Next, the cross-platform module  113  connects to the cloud server  13  to transmit the first health information  112   a  originally received from the first health management platform  112 . The cloud server  13  then stores the first health information  112   a.  Here, the cross-platform module  113  and the cloud server  13  are interconnected through the internet, although the method of interconnection shall be not limited thereto. Wireless communication transmission or wireless internet is also other possible modes of interconnection. When the cross-platform module  113  is installed in the second device  12 , the cross-platform module  113  connects to the cloud server  13  to transmit the second health information  122   a  received from the second health management platform  122 . The cloud server  13  stores the received second health information  122   a  as well. 
     Thus, the cross-platform module  113  is adapted to both the first operating system  111  and the second operating system  121 . It stores the first health information  112   a  of the first device  11  with the first operating system  111  and the second health information  122   a  of the second device  12  with the second operating system  121  in the cloud server  13 . The health information of the different devices is stored in the same cloud server  13  through the cross-platform module  113 . In addition, if the health information, adapted to different devices, can be stored in the cloud servers of these devices, the cross-platform health information management system  1  provided in the present disclosure can store this health information in the cloud server  13  of the cross-platform health information management system  1  to improve usability and management of the health information. 
     In addition, the cross-platform module  113  installed in the first device  11  can read the second health information stored in the cloud server  13 , transform and adapt the second health information for use on the first health management platform  112 , and then transmit it to the first health management platform  112 . 
     For example, if the user first uses the second device  12  and uses the cross-platform module  113  disposed in the second device  12  to transmit the second health information to the cloud server  13 , then when the user switches from using the second device  12  to using the first device  11  including the first operating system  111 , the cross-platform module  113  disposed in the first device  11  can read the second health information stored in the cloud server  13 . As the cross-platform module  113  can transform and adapt the second health information for use on the first health management platform  112  and then transmit it to the first health management platform  112 , the user can still use the original health information on devices with different operating systems. 
     Despite not being mentioned so far, the cross-platform module  113  in the first device  11  can not only store the first health information in the cloud server  13 , but can also read the first health information from the cloud server  13 . If the first health information stored in the first device  11  is deleted accidently, the user can retrieve it from the cloud server  13  through the cross-platform module  113 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which is a block diagram of the second embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the first device  21  is used as the exemplary embodiment of the cross-platform health information management system  2 , and the second device has the same functions as mentioned above. Moreover, the operation and elements of the second device are the same as that described in the former embodiment, and so these details will not be repeated hereafter. 
     The first device  21  may include an application program. The exemplary embodiment of this application is a first application program  214  and a second application program  215 . Here, a first health information collecting device  24  connects to the first application program  214  and a second health information collecting device  25  connects to the second application program  215 . The connection may be realized through WiFi, infrared rays, Bluetooth, or other comparable ways, but the mode of connection shall not be limited thereto. Here, the first application program  214  and the second application program  215  are both adapted to the first operating system  211 . 
     The first health information collecting device  24  and the second health information collecting device  25  may be of the current wearable health equipment or devices, such as a smartwatch, a smart bracelet; or exercise apparatus such as treadmills and exercise bikes which can record health information. The first health information collecting device  24  and the second health information collecting device  25  are different health information collecting devices. For example, different brands of wearable health equipment, smartwatches or exercise bikes which are capable of recording health information. 
     The first health information collecting device  24  can collect information about the walking or running step count, calories burnt, heart beat rate, blood pressure, and other health data. The first health information collection device  24  transmits this health information to the first application program  214  in the form of the first original information  24   a.  The second health information collecting device  25  functions in the same way as the first health information collecting device  24  to transmit the second original information  25   a.  Moreover, the first health management platform  212  is connected to the first application program  214  and the second application program  215 , to receive and transform the first original information  24   a  and the second original information  25   a  into the first health information  212   a . Besides, the first health management platform  212  connects to only one application program. For example, when only the application program  214  is connected, the received first original information  24   a  is transformed into the first health information  212   a;  or alternatively, the first health management platform  212  only connects to the second application program  215 , and transforms the received second original information  25   a  into the first health information  212   a . That is, the first health information  212   a  derived from the first health management platform  212  originates as information collected by the user with the first health information collecting device  24  or the second health information collecting device  25 . 
     Although the first application program  214  and the second application program  215  are used as the exemplary embodiment, this does not mean the first device  21  includes only two application programs. What is meant is that multiple application programs can be connected to their corresponding health information collecting devices. The first device  21  is used as the exemplary embodiment, but the second device can include multiple application programs that connect to their corresponding health information collecting devices. 
     Next, the cross-platform module  213  disposed in the first device  21  connects to the first application program  214  and the second application program  215  to receive and transform the first original information  24   a  and the second original information  25   a  into the first health information  212   a,  and transmits the first health information  212   a  to the cloud server  23  to be stored. Similarly, the cross-platform module  213  connects to an application program as the first health management platform  212  does. For example, when only the first application program  214  is connected, the received first original information  24   a  is transformed into the first health information  212   a,  and same happens with the second application program. That is, apart from collecting the first health information  212   a  from the first health management platform  212 , it can directly receive the first original information  24   a  and the second original information  25   a,  respectively derived from the first health information collecting device  24  and the second health information collecting device  25 , through the first application program  214  and the second application program  215 . After that, the received information is integrated into the first health information  212   a.  The user can choose the desired mode used by the cross-platform module  213 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which is a block diagram of the third embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the first device  31  is used as the exemplary embodiment of the cross-platform health information management system  3 . Similarly, the second device has the same function as mentioned above, and so these details will not be repeated hereafter. 
     In the selected embodiment, the first device  31  also includes the first operating system  311 , and the cross-platform module  313  connects to the first health management platform  312  so as to transmit the first health information. The first health information collecting device  34  produces the first original information  34   a  and directly connects to the cross-platform module  313  to transmit the first original information  34   a  to the cross-platform module  313 . The cross-platform module  313  transforms the first original information  34   a  into the first health information. 
     Furthermore, the cross-platform module  313  is also connected to the second health information collecting device  35  and the second health information collecting device  35  transmits the second original information  35   a  to the cross-platform module  313 . The cross-platform module  313  integrates the first original information  34   a  and the second original information  35   a  into the first health information. In other words, the cross-platform module  313  transforms the received original information (one, two or more pieces of information) into the first health information, and transmits it to be stored in the cloud server  33 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4 , which is a block diagram of the fourth embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the cross-platform health information management system  4  has the same functions as mentioned above. Moreover, the operation and elements thereof are the same as that described in the former embodiment, so these details will not be repeated hereafter. 
     The cloud server  43  integrates the first health information and the second health information into integrated information  43   a,  and then stores it in the cloud server  43 . Next, the cross-platform module  431  installed in the first device  41  reads the integrated information  43   a  stored in the cloud server  43  and transmits the integrated information  43   a  to the first health management platform  412 . Similarly, the cross-platform module  431  installed in the second device  42  also reads the integrated information  43   a  stored in the cloud server  43  and transmits the integrated information  43   a  to the second health management platform  422 . 
     That is to say, when the first health information and the second health information are stored in the cloud server  43 , the cloud server  43  integrates the two pieces of health information into the integrated information  43   a.  Consequently, when the health information is accidently deleted or the device is replaced, the user can retrieve the integrated information  43   a  stored in the cloud server  43  through the cross-platform module  431 . 
     Furthermore, the cloud server  43  includes a defined application programming interface (API)  431 . The API is the protocol designed for devices or application programs, so that different devices or application programs can be interconnected through the API. The cross-platform module  413  connects to the cloud server  43  according to the defined API  413  installed in the cloud server  43 , so as to hereby transmit the first health information, the second health information or the integrated information  43   a.    
     Please refer to  FIG. 5 , which is a block diagram of the fifth embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the cross-platform health information management system  5  has the same functions as mentioned above. Moreover, the operation and elements thereof are the same as that described in the former embodiment, and so these details will not be repeated hereafter. 
     In the selected embodiment, the cross-platform health information management system  5  includes the first health information collecting device  54  which is connected to the first device  51  including the first operating system  511 , and connects to the second device  52  including the second operating system  521 . Here, the first operating system  511  and the second operating system  521  are different operating systems. The cross-platform module  513 , adapted to function in the first operating system  511  and the second operating system  521  is provided by the first health information collecting device  54  and installed in either the first device  51  or the second device  52 . Furthermore, the cross-platform module  513  connects to the first health management platform  512  or the second health management platform  522  and respectively transmits the first health information  512   a  or the second health information  522   a . That is, when the first health information collecting device  54  connects to either the first device or the second device  52 , the cross-platform module  513  is installed in either the first device  51  or the second device  52 . In other words, in the selected embodiment, the cross-platform module  513  to be installed in either the first device  51  or the second device  52  is provided by the first health information collecting device  54  and thereby installed. 
     For example, when the user connects the first health information collecting device  54  to the chosen device such as the first device  51  or the second device  52 , the user can decide whether or not to install the cross-platform module  513  in the device. The first health information collecting device  54  can determine whether the connected device includes the first operating system  511  or the second operating system  521 , so that the cross-platform module  513  can be installed in the appropriate operating system. Thereby, the cross-platform module  513  can transmit information and store it in the cloud server using the device as mentioned previously. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 6 , which is a block diagram of the sixth embodiment of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the first device  61  is used as the exemplary embodiment of the cross-platform health information management system  6 , and the second device  62  has the same functions as mentioned above. Furthermore, the operation and elements of the second device  62  are the same as that described in the former embodiment, and so these details will not be repeated hereafter. 
     In the selected embodiment, the first health information collecting device  64  is the same as mentioned above, and provides the cross-platform module  613  to be installed in the first device  61  and disposed in the first operating system  611 . Furthermore, the cross-platform module  613  also connects to the first health management platform  612  and the cloud server  63 , so as to transmit the health information between them. The first health information collecting device  64  produces the first original information  64   a  and connects to the cross-platform module  613  to transmit the first original information  64   a  to the cross-platform module  613 . After that, the cross-platform module  613  transforms the first original information  64   a  into the first health information. 
     The first device  61  further includes the second application program  615 . The second health information collecting device  65  connects to the second application program  615  and then transmits the second original information  65   a  to the second application program  615  as mentioned previously. Similarly, the second application program  615  connects to the first health management platform  612 , and the first health management platform  612  receives the second original information  65   a  and transmits it into the first health information. 
     In other words, in practice, the cross-platform module  613  is provided by the first health information collecting device  64 . That is that the cross-platform module  613  and the first health information collecting device  64  are made by the same manufacturer. The second health information collecting device  65  may differ from them. That is, the first original information  64   a,  derived from the first health information collecting device  64 , is directly transmitted to the cross-platform module  613 , and the second original information  65   a , derived from the second health information collecting device  65 , is transmitted to the second application program  615 . After that, the second original information  65   a  is transmitted to the first health management platform  612 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 7 , which is a schematic of a cross-platform health information management system in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, in practice, the selected embodiments are applied to the present embodiment. For example, the first device is the Android smartphone (hereinafter referred to as Android phone  71 ). And, despite not being shown in  FIG. 7 , the second device is the iOS smartphone (hereinafter referred to as iOS phone). Then, the first health management platform is Google Fit, and the second health management platform is Apple Health, where both Google Fit and Apple Health hold and provide health information. The cross-platform module  713  is adapted to the corresponding mobile application programs of Android or iOS., The cross-platform module  713  can then be installed on the Android phone  71  and connect to Google Fit; or alternatively, the cross-platform module  713  can be installed on the iOS phone and connect to Apple Health. After that, the cross-platform module  713  can collect the health information from the corresponding operating system. 
     Moreover, the first health information collecting device may be the bike  74  designed with a recording function which can collect the riding distance and the number of calorie burnt. The second health information collecting device may be the smartwatch  75  which can collect the user&#39;s heart rate. The Android phone  71  is used as the exemplary embodiment. The original information collected by the bike  74  designed with a recording function (the first health information collecting device) and the smartwatch  75  (the second health information collecting device) is transmitted to the first application program or the second application program installed on the Android phone  71 . Next, the original information is transmitted to Google Fit through the first application program or the second application program. The original information is then integrated as the health information. The cross-platform module  713  then collects and stores the obtained health information in the cloud server  73 . 
     The cross-platform module  713  connects directly to the first application program and the second application program so as to receive the original information therefrom. Alternatively, the cross-platform module directly connects to the smartwatch  75  and the bike  74  designed with a recording function so as to receive the original information therefrom. The cross-platform module  713  transforms the obtained original information into the health information. 
     Furthermore, the cross-platform module  713  may be provided by the bike  74  designed with a recording function. That is, the bike  74 , designed with recording function, connects to the Android phone  71  or the iOS phone to determine which kind of operating system is used, and then the cross-platform module  713  adapted to the corresponding operating system is installed in the phone. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  again. As mentioned previously, the cross-platform module  113  can be installed in either the first device  11  or the second device  12 . But the user shall also have the first device  11  and the second device  12  which have different operating systems. And the first health information  112   a  and the second health information  122   a  can both be transmitted to and stored in the cloud server  13 . In addition, the cross-platform module  113  is adapted to different operating systems by using its conversion function. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the cloud server  43  also integrates the first health information and the second health information into the integrated information  43   a.  The integrated information  43   a  is then stored in the cloud server  43 , so that the user can read the integrated information  43   a  by using the cross-platform module  413 . Despite not being mentioned so far, all the functions, operations and technical features mentioned above are included. 
     In conclusion, through the use of the cross-platform module that is compatible with different operating systems, the cross-platform health information management system provided by the present disclosure can transmit to and store in the cloud server the health information derived from different devices with different operating systems. Besides, the health information adapted to a single operating system can be integrated as integrated information so as to be read by different devices with different operating systems. 
     The specific embodiments in the present disclosure have been described by reference to the drawings. However, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure set forth in the claims. The modifications and variations should be in a range limited by the specification of the present disclosure.