Patent Description:
There is a need for a scale that is foldable when persons who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, obesity, and gastrointestinal diseases, and other related subject matters, without to be stigmatized when eating in a public place such as restaurants, whereby the
scale measures the amount of food released from for instance a plate placed on the scale.

<CIT> describes a measuring device comprising a flexible resistive elastomer or a piezo-resistive senor. The scale may be rolled for storage or transportation.

<CIT> teaches a thin pressure-sensing article which is flexible and comprises a plurality of pressure sensors less than <NUM> thick.

An apparatus named "Mandometer®" has been developed at the Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology and Mandometer® Clinic, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. It consists of a scale that is connected to a computer. A plate is placed on the scale; the patient puts a measured portion of food determined by a therapist on the plate and the computer records and stores the weight loss from the plate while the patienteats.

This yields a curve of eating rate which is visible to the patient on the computer screen during a meal and can be compared to a pre-set eating curve on screen. At regular intervals, a rating scale appears on the monitor of the computer and the patient rates her/his level of fullness/satiety. The scale has numerical values from <NUM> (no satiety) to <NUM> (maximum satiety). As the patients rate their satiety a dot appears on the screen and yields a curve of the development of satiety (fullness). The patients can thus compare their development of fullness to a "normal" fullness curve again pre-set on screen. During"Mandometer®-training" level of fullness/satiety. The scale has numerical values from <NUM> (no satiety) to <NUM> (maximum satiety). As the patients rate their satiety a dot appears on the screen and yields a curve of the development of satiety (fullness). The patients can thus compare their development of fullness to a "normal" fullness curve again pre-set on screen. During "Mandometer®-training" the patients gradually adopts a more normal pattern of eating and satiety by following the training curves, which are displayed on the monitor during the meal. These methods were originally developed for treating eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa: they have been evaluated in a randomized controlled trial with an estimated rate of remission of <NUM>%. It was suggested many years ago that obese people eat at an increased rate and in a pilot study on obese adolescents using Mandometer® this observation was confirmed. The apparatus Mandometer® is patented in several countries for instance in the U. under the <CIT>.

A foldable miniaturized scale for the purpose of the latter would be appreciated in this technical field.

The present invention has as one aim among many to provide a scale that is foldable when persons who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, obesity, and gastrointestinal diseases, and other related medical issues can use without being stigmatized when eating in a public place such as restaurants, whereby the scale measures the amount of food released from for instance a plate placed on the scale in accordance with the findings of the Applied Neuroendocrinology and Mandometer® Clinic, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. The scale can also be utilized as a regular scale.

Hence, the present invention sets forth a pocket size foldable scale to guide persons to eat food in a regulated sound manner according to independent claim <NUM> and a respective utilization of such a scale according to independent claim <NUM>.

One embodiment of the present invention provides that the scale is embedded in a thin plastic cover being washable for further use, or to be disposed after utilization.

Another embodiment provides that the scale is embedded in a disposable material, and to be disposed after utilization.

Henceforth, reference is had to the accompanying drawings throughout the present description for a better understanding of the present inventions embodiments, and given examples, wherein:.

The present invention provides a miniature pocket sized scale, which is foldable, and a utilization of it by persons who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, obesity, and gastrointestinal diseases, and other related medical issues without being stigmatized when eating in a public place such as restaurants, whereby the scale measures the amount of food released from for instance a plate placed on the scale in accordance with the findings of the Applied Neuroendocrinology and Mandometer® Clinic, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Hereby, the present inventions utilization is related to a scale with communication abilities with a smart device with cellular phone capabilities such as cellular phones, PDA's and like devices that are handheld as for instance an IPhone®, iPad® or android phone, or pad, and the likes, with a suitable applet adapted to the present invention or other suitable software. The scale can in one embodiment be utilized to measure every portion of food eaten by a person from a plate or bowl or the like placed on the scale during a meal. This scale is thus utilized in teaching persons suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, obesity, other gastrointestinal problems and persons that would like to have control of their intake of food to keep them fit.

Such a portable pocket sized scale with embedded WI-FI, Bluetooth and/or NFC, near field communication, radio communication capabilities to a smart phone, PC or like devices with a display, can be helpful in several situations. It can for instance be utilized by a person to keep arbitrary contact with an expert/ therapist for receiving e.g. advices, comfort, and to immediately transmit eating patterns or at least at one of a predetermined time, at the will of a person utilizing the scale, at the finishing of at least one session and at an arbitrary time. The expert/therapist can also provide those using the scale with suggestions of which reference standard to utilize when eating depending on the measurements results sent to a main computer/server. Hence, a person eating can be advised how to adapt the eating behavior compared with a previous registered measurement to improve/adapt the eating behavior.

A scale according to the present invention and its technical field is unique as it creates total freedom for persons utilizing it, i.e. they do not need to sit at a medical institution or at home. Now they can eat with the apparatus at almost any given place and still be able to receive response to their eating behavior from an expert at a remote site. It is also of outermost importance that the person eating has a small pocket size apparatus, which can be utilized discretely, thus avoiding feeling ashamed or being stigmatized, and having other persons glance at them, which will be the case with previous bigger apparatuses in the present technical field. Such bigger devices are more suitable in an institution or at home.

That people feel uncomfortable or ashamed when eating with a special apparatus which is visible to others has been observed during clinical trials and does not promote a positive feeling to persons who are already stigmatized.

A study regarding obesity among children and youth was conducted at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in England utilizing the "Mandometer®", which was developed at the Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology and Mandometer® Clinic, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. It consists of a scale that is connected to a computer. A plate is placed on the scale; the patient puts a measured portion of food determined by a therapist on the plate and the computer records and stores the weight loss from the plate while the patient eats.

This yields a curve of eating rate which is visible to the patient on the computer screen during a meal and can be compared to a pre-set eating curve or reference standard on screen.

At regular intervals, a rating scale appears on the monitor of the computer and the patient rates her/his level of fullness. The scale has for instance numerical values from <NUM> (no satiety) to <NUM> (maximum satiety). As the patient rates their satiety a dot appears on the screen and yields a curve of the development of satiety (fullness). The patient can thus compare their development of fullness to a "normal" fullness curve for instance a Sigmoid shaped curve again pre-set on screen. During "Mandometer®-training" the patient gradually adopts a more normal pattern of eating and satiety by following the training curves, which are displayed on the monitor during the meal. These methods are also used for treating eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

This study came to a further improved possible outcome, namely that Mandometer® curves for practicing eating should probably have a decelerated shape, as this pattern may protect individuals from overeating. Analysis of the average speed of eating, as used here, neglects minute-to-minute changes during the meal, which may explain the absence of a statistically significant effect on this simplified measure of speed of eating. The findings of decelerated eating have been undergoing further scientific tests and analysis emanating in the following scientific papers "<NPL>:.

The application program (app) or computer program in accordance with the present invention is adapted to provide reference curves for eating speed, and satiety as well as graphical curves for the actual eating speed, and a rating curve for satiety, where a person eating can rate its satiety. The reference curve for satiety is preferably in the shape of a sigmoid curve, which has been found to accurately follow the feeling of satiety for a person with a healthy eating behavior during a meal. The sigmoid curve following satiety during a meal has been invented by the persons mentioned above.

Hence, one objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable miniaturized scale with embedded electronics to communicate with for instance a smart phone, having an application program (app) calculating measurements made by the scale. The scale may be foldable in the sense of being rolled, and to be placed for instance in a pocket size cover. It can also be folded in other manners for instance as handkerchiefs are folded. Moreover, it can be washed/wiped when utilized, or disposed.

<FIG> schematically describes a scale <NUM> in accordance with the present invention with a thin first upper half substrate with a printed silver conductive electrode layer <NUM>, a second thin upper half substrate with a printed silver conductive electrode layer, a pressure sensitive ink layer <NUM>, the silver layer connection terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, the ink layer being placed between the silver conductors <NUM>, <NUM>, and two pieces of the substrate <NUM> on both sides of the scale of for instance a type of plastic, paper, thin-film, or other suitable foil making up a tactile sensor. The tactile sensor itself is <NUM>,<NUM> thick.

Moreover, it depicts the scales miniaturized or surface mounted electronic circuit <NUM> with terminals <NUM> for battery charging purposes embedded in the substrate <NUM>. It is appreciated that the two conductive layers <NUM>, <NUM> and the pressure sensitive ink can be of other shapes such as for instance a spiral, ring, matrix/array of dots squares or other shapes, not shown.

The <FIG> item with reference numerals <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> is named a tactile sensor. Tactile flexible sensors are for instance manufactured by the US company Tekscan Inc, and Pressure Profile Systems, Inc. , <NUM> Century Bouleward Suite <NUM> Los Angeles, CA <NUM> USA. Such tactile sensors can be custom build in accordance with the customers preferred design/shape. A tactile sensor is typically built on flexible circuit material so they can be thin, light, and flexible. A product manufactured by Tekscan Inc. has the brand name FlexiForce ®, and consists of a special piezoresistive material sandwiched between two pieces of polyester with printed silver conductors on both inner half's resulting in a paper thin tactile scale sensor <NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. Tactile sensors are basically resistors that vary linear in terms of conductance versus force under an applied load/pressure/force, whereby the change of conductance on an applied load/weight can be easily converted into the actual weight of an item placed on the scale sensor such as china/tableware. As the thin flexible tactile sensor is common knowledge it will not be described further in the description. But the shape of the conductive material <NUM>, <NUM>, and the pressure sensitive ink is not common knowledge as it is adapted to fit a pocket sized foldable scale <NUM>.

In order to be able to weigh an item or a plate with our without food, the scale conductors <NUM>, <NUM> and ink <NUM> should at least cover the heat dissipating rim/flange found under most tableware plates, which provides the pressure to the tactile scale sensor. The rim can have different diameters around <NUM>, and larger or smaller.

In <FIG> an electronic miniaturized circuit <NUM> is schematically depicted as a block diagram. It is manufactured out of miniature components; an OP amplifier circuit <NUM> amplifying the analog output voltage VTOUT (Tout, terminal out) signal from one of the conductors <NUM>, <NUM> the at the OP amp inverting input -. The VTOUT voltage varies linear with the change of conductance when an item is weighed on the scale sensor. One of the silver conductors <NUM>, <NUM> is connected to the supply voltage -VS negative terminal to provide a power feed to the tactile sensor. Else, the supply voltage VS powers the OP amp through its positive terminal. The output voltage VOUT from the OP amp is fed to an Analogue to digital converter circuit A/D converter <NUM> providing a digital signal of the measured changes in conductance from the tactile sensor, which is measured as a change in voltage potential between the both conductors <NUM>, <NUM> induced by the pressure sensitive ink <NUM> when a load is applied to the scale <NUM>.

Moreover the electronic circuit <NUM> comprises a miniaturized Wl-FI/Bluetooth/NFC transmitter <NUM>, with a possible aerial/antenna <NUM>, to transmit the digitalized signal through radio frequency transmission to a smart phone, personal computer or the like computerized device (not shown), having a display, and an application program (app) or a computer program which calculates/transforms the weight of an item put on the scale of the present invention through the received digital signals. The app can also create the mentioned curves when the scale <NUM> is utilized to measure the amount of food taken from tableware such as a plate.

VOUT =-VS x (RF/RS) where RF is the feedback variable resistor, and RS is the variable resistance from the sensor <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> when a load is applied to it, meaning it is simple to calibrate with the feedback resistor RF.

An OP amp can be of the type MCP6001 rail to rail amplifier, or the like amplifier, which in one embodiment has a size (width, width, height) in mm for instance in one embodiment (<NUM>,<NUM>, <NUM>,<NUM>, <NUM>,<NUM>) mm. Other data is available from e.g. Texas Instruments. The A/D converter <NUM> could for instance be an ADS7886 from Texas instruments (<NUM>,<NUM>, <NUM>,<NUM>, <NUM>,<NUM>) mm. Regarding WI-FI/Bluetooth® tooth transmitters, the RFFM8202 transmitting on the frequency <NUM> can be utilized. A battery <NUM> to power the electronic circuit <NUM>, can be found at the company Fullriver, which delivers ultra-thin batteries as for instance, the #023030Fe battery (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>,<NUM>) mm with the nominal capacity & voltage of 5mAh/<NUM> V, and being chargeable. The components named herein are only given examples/embodiments of possible ones to utilize for the in the scale embedded or plugged in electronics. With these components the scale <NUM> should have a thickness of approximately <NUM>,<NUM>, but with a plugged in circuit <NUM> only <NUM>,<NUM>.

Electronic components mentioned could be mounted on a square of approximately 30x30 mm at a height less than <NUM>. It is appreciated that the electronic circuit could be surface mounted in one embodiment of the present invention. With surface mounted components and new technology, the scale <NUM> can have a thickness of approximately <NUM>,<NUM> or less. It is appreciated that the scale <NUM> of the present invention is not limited to current dimensions of electronic components mentioned as long as it is in the gist of a foldable pocket sized scale.

A thin foldable tactile sensor for the purpose of the present invention can also be developed/manufactured with sensors that are capacitive sensors such as those made by Pressure Profile Systems, Inc. , Los Angeles, CA, USA. Those sensors have a digital output signal, thus enabling to omit, not shown, the OP amplifier, and the A/D converter mentioned in the embodiment depicted in <FIG>. The placement of the electronics, and tactile sensor for the capacitive digital embodiment can be the same as depicted in the exemplifying embodiments of <FIG>, <FIG>.

<FIG> depicts a possible ring shape <NUM> of the conductors <NUM>, <NUM>, and the pressure sensitive ink <NUM> fitting to the shape of a heat dissipating plate rim, and the space <NUM> does not comprise any conductor <NUM>, <NUM> or ink <NUM>. This so called empty space <NUM> can be utilized to embed the electronic circuit <NUM> in the mid of it, making it easy to fold or roll the entire scale, else the circuit could be placed adjacent to the perimeter of the scale to ease up its folding. As depicted in <FIG>, by placing the electronic circuit <NUM> in the mid of the scale <NUM>, the scale itself has a thickness of <NUM>,<NUM>, and the electronics <NUM> in the mid has approximately a thickness of <NUM>,<NUM>, making the scale easily foldable over the electronic circuit <NUM>.

In <FIG> it is schematically illustrated a foldable scale <NUM> with a plug in electronic circuit <NUM>, i.e. the circuit is for instance plugged in to the scale through female and male terminals/connectors (not shown).

<FIG> schematically illustrates a folded scale <NUM> in a cover <NUM> with a lid/cap <NUM> in accordance with the present invention.

<FIG> schematically illustrates a rolled/folded scale <NUM> in accordance with the present invention.

<FIG> schematically illustrates a cover <NUM> for a scale with a lid/cap <NUM> in accordance with the present invention.

It is appreciated that the scale can be manufactured in multiple shapes such as being round, square, rectangular and other possible suitable shapes as well as it could reassemble a napkin/serviette. Also, it is appreciated that the electronic circuit <NUM> may comprise further components than those mentioned in the present invention embodiments such as buffers, digital amplifiers, and other manufacturing company specific components as long it is within the scoop of the present invention to provide a miniaturized and foldable scale.

Claim 1:
A pocket size foldable scale (<NUM>) to guide persons to eat food in a regulated sound manner, having at least one of embedded miniature electronics, and plug in miniature electronics, comprising:
at least one flexible thin substrate foldable tactile sensor with a thin first upper half substrate with a printed silver conductive electrode layer (<NUM>) with a silver layer connection terminal (<NUM>), a second thin upper half substrate with a printed silver conductive electrode layer (<NUM>) and a further silver layer connection terminal (<NUM>), a pressure sensitive ink layer (<NUM>), the silver layer connection terminals (<NUM>, <NUM>,) and the ink layer being placed between the silver conductors (<NUM>, <NUM>), and two pieces of the substrate (<NUM>), having a thickness in the range of <NUM>,<NUM> to <NUM>, outputting signals which are linear to weight due to at least one of a change of conductance, and resistance, when an object is weighed on said scale, wherein said two conductive layers (<NUM>, <NUM>) and the pressure sensitive ink (<NUM>) are a spiral, ring or matrix/array of dots squares; and
a miniaturized electronic scale circuit comprising at least the following components an amplifier connected to said tactile sensor, which receives and amplifies said output sensor signals, said amplifier being connected to an analog to digital converter, which is connected to at least one of a WI-FI, near field communication, and Bluetooth transmitter, being able to transmit obtained scale signals to a device with a receiver for said scale signals, said scale electronics comprising a miniaturized battery powering said components.