WO2017049123A1

WO2017049123A1 - System and apparatus for obtaining food data and integrating with liquid and additive consumption

Info

Publication number: WO2017049123A1
Application number: PCT/US2016/052194
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maxim D. WHEATLEY; Jonathon E. PERRELLI; Connor BACON; David J. Wheatley
Original assignee: LifeFuels, Inc.
Priority date: 2015-09-18
Filing date: 2016-09-16
Publication date: 2017-03-23

Abstract

Provided are systems methods and apparatuses designed to be components of a portable or non-portable consumable hydration container, and consisting of at least two RFID or similar type antennas capable of reading and importing product data encoded on tags mounted on liquid vessels, foodstuffs, and the like. At least one of the RFID or similar reading devices is positioned and oriented internally within the container to read data from vessels or consumable items inserted within the container and at least one is positioned and oriented to read data from vessels or consumable items external to the container. Alternatively or additionally, data encoded on the vessel or food item may consist of a product code or SKU, the use of which enables more detailed product data to be accessed from local or remote data storage.

Description

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING

FOOD DATA AND INTEGRATING WITH LIQUID AND ADDITIVE CONSUMPTION

The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/220,381, filed September 16 2015 entitled "System and Apparatus for Obtaining Food Consumption Data and Integrating with Liquid and Additive Consumption", the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Portable refillable bottles and other containers used for water and other beverages are widely used and are important for the health and hydration of users. However, one limitation of such bottles and hydration containers is that the consumable contents remain constant and unchanged except for changes in quantity as the contents (frequently, but not exclusively water) are consumed and subsequently replenished. Furthermore, vitamins, health, and dietary supplements in the form of liquids, powders, gels, and solid tablets are becoming increasingly popular and widely consumed. Furthermore, such supplements and additives are frequently being bought in bulk by consumers since they are using and consuming such supplements and additives on a frequent and long term basis. In addition, such nutritional supplements are frequently dissolved in water for consumption, with different supplements consumed at intervals, several times throughout the day. It would therefore be beneficial if a portable hydration container or bottle be comprised of a number of separate vessels containing additives such as vitamins and pharmaceuticals chosen and inserted within the hydration container by the user in various different combinations, such that some of the vitamins, pharmaceuticals etc. could be periodically dispensed into the liquid contents when required, and consumed by the user. Data may be readily obtained about the consumption of consumables from the container (eg water) and additives which may be stored within the container and subsequently introduced or dispensed into the consumable (e.g. water), however a limitation of such bottles and containers is that data is not readily available about other foodstuffs which are also consumed by the user, but are not carried, stored or consumed from within the container, such as solid foodstuffs. The embodiment of the present disclosure teaches of a device, system, or apparatus configured in such a way as to enable contextually informed dispensing events based, in part or in whole, on data obtained from other foodstuffs but not directly dispensed, stored, or otherwise managed by the device itself.

SUMMARY

This Summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure, and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. This Summary merely presents some of the concepts of the disclosure as a prelude to the Detailed Description provided below.

The present disclosure generally relates to portable hydration containers. More specifically, aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for obtaining data about other liquid and/or solid foodstuffs consumed by the user and the integration of that data with data about the additives and consumable liquids consumed by the user from within the container itself. This enables a much more complete dataset to be available about a user's food, liquid and additive consumption, which may be used for a number of purposes beneficial to the user.

As described above, one of the main limitations of existing portable bottles and other containers is that the consumable contents contained in such bottles and containers remain essentially unchanged other than in their quantity. The utility of such bottles and containers may be greatly enhanced if the flavor, consistency, and/or the nutritional, chemical or other make-up of the consumable liquid could be altered over some period of time (e.g., hourly, daily, etc.) and/or according to some other cycle based on, for example, the needs or desires of the user, in order to optimize the health and well-being of the user. For example, the consumable liquid may be enhanced with an energy boosting supplement in the morning, with vitamin supplements throughout the day and with a calming nutritional supplement at the end of the day. Such a daily cycle may be supplemented by an additional longer term cycle of additives dispensed on a weekly, bi-weekly, etc. basis or some other customized time-cycle. As well as nutritional supplements, it may additionally be desirable to dispense other types of substances or additives such as vitamins, flavorings, pharmaceuticals and the like, into the contents of portable containers in order to further optimize the health, hydration, recovery and other benefits to a user, athlete or patient. Furthermore, mobile and wearable activity and fitness monitoring devices as well as remote applications may communicate with and/or receive data provided from portable bottles and other containers to control and monitor liquid and/or additive consumption and to perform other functions such as, for example, communicating a timely signal to portable and other containers to release all or a pre-defined amount of an additive substance from one of the additive vessels into the consumable contents of the hydration container.

Since portable hydration containers may be typically filled in the morning and topped up throughout the day as the liquid is consumed, it is neither practical nor desirable to require that a user fill multiple compartments of a container with multiple different consumable liquids or mixtures for consumption throughout the course of the day. Therefore, a more practical and desirable solution is to sequentially dispense a selection, sequence or combination of different additives from one or more additive vessels into a consumable liquid at the appropriate time in response to a signal from a mobile or wearable device or application. Neither is it desirable that a user have to carry around separate additive vessels and insert them into the hydration container when needed, at various times throughout the day, it is preferable that a longer term supply of additives be available within the container for dispensing as needed or signaled by the application. An illustrative example of such an additive delivery ecosystem is shown in FIG 1.

It is additionally of benefit to the user that the dispensing of additives such as, for example, vitamins, nutrients and the like, into a consumable liquid take account of other foods and foodstuffs that the user has consumed or is currently consuming, as well as the amount of liquid and additives that the user has consumed from within the portable container itself. This enables a more comprehensive picture of a user's liquid, additive and food consumption to be established such that additive dispensing can be optimized for the user and longer term consumption and purchase recommendations made with a greater degree of accuracy, value and relevance to the user.

The systems, methods, and apparatuses of the present disclosure are designed to include, enable, or otherwise account for the desirous and advantageous features and functionalities described above. For example, one or more of the embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a portable hydration container having a means to identify and import data about foodstuffs external to the container such as, for example, snack bars and other packaged items, energy drinks, sodas and use that data to schedule and/or modify additive dispensing into the portable container and to generate future recommendations. Data may be read and imported about almost any consumable item which is able to have an RFID or similar tag affixed to it, or as part of the product packaging.

As will be described in greater detail below, the methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure are designed to obtain data and information about other non-liquid consumables (not stored in or dispensed from the hydration container), that a user has consumed and to integrate that data into, and consequentially adjust the dispensing of, additives dispensed within the hydration container.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a system, method and apparatus are provided for the reading and importing of data about foodstuffs, such as might be encoded on an RFID or similar type of tag affixed to the foodstuff packaging, and the use of that data to adjust the dispensing of additives into a consumable within a portable container. The apparatus and system may also use such imported data to provide purchase recommendations (e.g., of additives, foodstuffs, etc.) to the user of that portable container.

Another feature of the methods, apparatuses, and systems described herein is to communicate the imported or otherwise obtained data to a processor in order that the consumption of that food item and/or vessel contents can be taken into account in the future dispensing of additives into the consumable liquid within the hydration container.

Another feature of the methods, apparatuses, and systems described herein is to communicate the imported or otherwise obtained data to a processor in the "cloud" and/or eCommerce service in order that the data can be taken into account in the generation of future additive and/or food item purchase recommendations. According to an aspect of the invention, a portable device for retaining a consumable liquid, comprises: a dispensing assembly that dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of an additive contained in an additive vessel received in the device; an internally-facing sensor disposed in proximity to the additive vessel and configured to read a first data storage tag affixed to the additive vessel, wherein the data storage tag stores data associated with the additive contained in the additive vessel; an externally-facing sensor configured to read a second data storage tag affixed to a foodstuff package, wherein the second data storage tag stores data associated with the foodstuff contained within the foodstuff package; a level sensor sensing a level of the consumable liquid in the portable device; and a processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to adjust a dispensing schedule of the additive based on the data associated with the additive contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, and the level of the consumable liquid.

According to another aspect of the invention, adjusting a dispensing schedule adjusts the amount of additive and timing of a dispense event of the additive by the dispensing assembly.

According to a further aspect, the dispensing assembly dispenes variable, non-zero quantities of plural additives respectively contained in a plural additive vessels received in the device.

According to yet another aspect, the processor and memory store instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to adjust dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff and the level of the consumable liquid.

According to a still further aspect, the processor and memory store instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to adjust dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid.

According to yet another aspect, the portable device further includes a transmitter, wherein the processor and memory store instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to transmit, via the transmitter, the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid to a server hosting a loyalty purchase program, wherein the transmitted data informs or modifies purchasing recommendations for future additives.

According to a still further aspect, a method of controlling a portable device retaining a consumable liquid having a dispensing assembly that dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of an additive contained in an additive vessel received in the device; an internally-facing sensor disposed in proximity to the additive vessel; an externally-facing sensor, and a level sensor, the method comprising: reading, with the internally-facing sensor, a first data storage tag affixed to the additive vessel, wherein the data storage tag stores data associated with the additive contained in the additive vessel; reading, with the externally-facing sensor, a second data storage tag affixed to a foodstuff package, wherein the second data storage tag stores data associated with the foodstuff contained within the foodstuff package; sensing, with the level sensor, a level of the consumable liquid in the portable device; and adjusting a dispensing schedule of the additive based on the data associated with the additive contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, and the level of the consumable liquid.

According to a yet further aspect, said adjusting a dispensing schedule adjusts the amount of additive and timing of a dispense event of the additive by the dispensing assembly.

According to an even further aspect, said dispensing assembly dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of plural additives respectively contained in a plural additive vessels received in the device, the method further including: adjusting dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff and the level of the consumable liquid.

According to a still further aspect, the method adjusts dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid.

According to a still yet further aspect, the method transmits the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid to a server hosting a loyalty purchase program, wherein the transmitted data informs or modifies purchasing recommendations for future additives. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, characteristics, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying claims and drawings, all of which form a part of this disclosure. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows an illustrative block diagram of an overall hydration ecosystem in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

Figure 2 shows an example of a hydration container assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

Figure 3 shows an example apparatus being part of a portable container with the capability for obtaining data about foodstuffs in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

Figure 4 shows an example method for obtaining food data and integrating with additive and consumable consumption.

Figure 5 shows a block diagram of an example system with the capability for importing, communicating, and acting upon data about food items in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various examples and embodiments of the methods, systems, and apparatuses of the present disclosure will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these examples. One skilled in the relevant art will understand, however, that one or more embodiments described herein may be practiced without many of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art will also understand that one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can include other features not described in detail herein. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail below, so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description. FIG. 1 shows an illustrative block diagram of an overall ecosystem within which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure has application and/or may be implemented. FIG. 1 includes a container 100, generally but not necessarily portable, that may contain a consumable (e.g., a liquid) into which liquid, powder, and/or other forms of consumable additives may be dispensed from one or more separate removable additive vessels 101. Data about the additives within each vessel 101 may be encoded within a RFID or similar active or passive type tag 102 mounted on or otherwise attached to the additive vessel 101. Such data about the additives contained within the vessels 101 can be read from the RFID or similar type tag 102 by, for example, a RFID or similar-type antenna that is a component of the container 100. For example, in accordance with at least one embodiment, the container 100 may include an RFID antenna (not shown) that rotates around a central axis of the container 100 to individually and/or sequentially read data from additive vessels 101 inserted in a circular arrangement around the central axis of the hydration container. In this manner, data about the additives contained in the additive vessels 101 may be collected, analyzed, and/or communicated by the container 100 (e.g., by a processor and/or other components of the container 100), and made available to one or more user devices 106, local storage 105, remote network storage 107 and the like. Such information may also be presented to the user by means of a display 111 mounted on the container and/or by means of a display on the user's mobile device 106.

Furthermore, In accordance with one or more embodiments, an infra-red LED emitter 103 and an array of infra-red LED receivers 104 may be mounted within or adjacent to the chamber within which a consumable liquid may be stored (e.g., contained). The LED emitter 103 and the infra-red LED receivers 104 may be configured to determine the level, volume, or quantity (e.g., the amount) of liquid consumable in the container 100 at any given time. As such, data about the consumable liquid in the chamber of the container 100 may be collected, analyzed, and/or communicated by the container 100 (e.g., by a processor and/or other components of the container 100), and made available to one or more user devices 106, local storage 105, remote network storage 107 and the like. Such information may also be presented to the user by means of a display 111 mounted on the container and/or by means of a display on the user's mobile device 106. Furthermore, data about a user of the container 100 may be accessible to and/or obtainable by the container (e.g., by a processor or other component of the container 100). For example, the container 100 may receive (e.g., retrieve, access, request, or otherwise obtain) data about the user that is stored, for example, in one or more databases or storage devices 105 local to the user, within an application residing on a device of the user 106 (e.g., a portable user device, such as a cellular telephone, smartphone, personal data assistant, laptop or tablet computer, etc.), and/or in network/cloud data storage 108, 107. In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the data about the user may include, for example, user demographic information (e.g., age, gender, weight, body mass index, address, occupation etc.), additive purchase history information, additive usage history information, charge/payment information for purchases, medical and/or prescription history and various other data associated with the user or actions or behaviors of the user. User data may also include sports and fitness activities, fitness schedule/regime, workout schedule and/or preferred locations for fitness training etc. In this manner, such data about the user of the container 100 may be collected, analyzed, and/or communicated by the container 100 (e.g., by a processor and/or other components of the container 100), and made available to the device of the user 106, to one or more other devices of the user, to the one or more databases or storage devices 103 local to the user, to the network/cloud data storage 108, 107, and the like. Such data may be communicated to, and received from, a user device by means of local wireless network 109 and further communicated to or from the cloud from the user device by means of wide area wireless network 110. It may also be communicated by means of WiFi and/or other wired or wireless communications methods known in the art. Such information may also be presented to the user by means of a display 111 mounted on the container and/or by means of a display on the user's mobile device 106.

Furthermore, one or more APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) from a mobile device application associated with, and controlling the container 100 may interface with and access context data from other applications running on a device of the user (e.g., user device 106), where such context data may include, but is not limited to, geo-location, time, date, weather conditions, temperature, personal schedule (e.g., from a calendar application), travel schedule of the user etc. APIs to third party applications may also be used by the container 100 to access user data about the current or past physical activity of the user. For example, data may be obtained from a variety of existing or future personal physical activity tracking/monitoring devices or applications (e.g., Fitbit, Apple Health-Kit, etc.), any of which may furnish various data related to the physical activity of the user. Some non-limiting examples of the type of data that may be obtained from such physical activity tracking/monitoring devices include data about the type of physical activity undertaken by the user, the number of steps taken by the user during a period of time, speed of motion, estimated energy expenditure (e.g., calories burned), heart rate and the like. Accordingly, data about the user's physical activity levels and activity history may be collected, analyzed, and/or communicated by the container 100 (e.g., by a processor and/or other components of the container 100).

All or a portion of the data described above may be communicated to or otherwise retrieved by one or more processors which may be located within the consumable container 100 or external to the consumable container (e.g., in the user's mobile device 106, in the cloud network 108, etc.), where various combinations of that data may be analyzed and used to derive more specific and focused patterns and trends about a user's behavior patterns, activity patterns, additive and consumable purchase and consumption patterns, personal preferences, health and fitness regime and the like.

FIG. 2 shows a container for consumables 200 comprising a removable top portion or lid 208. A dispensing assembly 207 fits within the top portion of the consumable container thereby using gravity to aid in the dispensing of additives from the additive vessels (not shown) into the consumable in the container and providing easy user access to add, change or configure additive vessels by removal of the lid 208. The dispensing assembly 207 comprises a series of apertures into which additive vessels can be inserted by a user. In the current embodiment five apertures are arranged in a circle, however this is not a limitation and a wide range of configurations and numbers of apertures are possible. The container 200 is also equipped with a display 203 which may, in some embodiments, display information about the user of the container, the contents of the additive vessels, the contents of the container, and/or the amount, volume or rates of consumption of the additive vessel contents and/or the container contents. It may also display information or data read and imported from food or drink items external to the container, whose RFID or other tags have been read by an antenna in the container 200.

The container 200 also has one or a plurality of buttons 204 for user control and input of dispensing instructions and for other functions. The container is equipped with an internal sensor (not visible in FIG. 2) appropriately positioned and configured to detect when the lid or top portion 208 is removed and/or replaced, in the preferred embodiment this may be a Hall Effect sensor however this is not a limitation and many other methods known in the art may be used to detect when the top portion is removed or replaced for the purposes of identifying when additive vessels are changed and/or the container refilled. The container also comprises a consumable chamber 201 removably fitted within an outer sleeve 202, which may contain electronic or other components for determining the level or amount of consumable in the chamber 201. The electronic components may be powered by a battery 205 in the base of the sleeve, the battery being inductively charged when placed on a charging coaster 206.

FIG. 3 shows an example system in accordance with the previously described and illustrated portable hydration container, where the system has the capability of identifying and obtaining data about additives and additive vessels within the container as well as food items external to the container by means of passive RFID tags, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. One learned in the art will acknowledge that alternate applications of technology are suitable for the purpose, and that optical readers (such as barcode scanners) might also be effective in obtaining data from other foodstuffs. In such an example, a barcode scanner might be configured to orient itself so as to not be disrupted or blocked by a users' hand, while also allowing for more ergonomic application of the scanner to the target. In all the aforementioned cases, the objective of the application is to passively and automatically obtain and sync relevant data from a food or beverage product to inform current and future foodstuff purchases and/or dispensing events.

The embodiment of the present disclosure teaches of a portable device capable of partially or fractionally dispensing mechanically and/or electromechanically, at least one food substance from a removable, second, container. Furthermore, the embodiment of the present disclosure teaches of such a device further informed by at least one onboard scanning and/or reading apparatus configured in such a way so as to enable a human user to manually and/or automatically share data regarding the consumption of non-device-based foodstuffs with the portable device. In addition, the device is configured in such a way so as to allow dynamic dispensing of a foodstuff in a non-zero fractional manner, in the ideal embodiment, this is accomplished through the continuously variable application of pressure to an additive vessel contained within the device. Furthermore, the device is configured to process incoming data from non-device-based foodstuffs presented by the user, for the purpose of changing, altering, or otherwise modifying the dispensing of at least one additive and/or additive vessel. Processing the aforementioned data might occur on the device itself, or on a peripheral and/or local network and/or device, such as a mobile phone and the like.

In the preferred embodiment, the device itself is additionally composed of an interface allowing for a user to select, initiate, modify, or otherwise interact with the device specific to the personalized consumption of at least one additive. Furthermore, the interface might be supplemented or comprised in whole, by a secondary interface on a secondary device, such as a mobile phone and/or mobile application. In the aforementioned interfaces, the system and method is further improved by enabling more precise user-input that determines not only what foodstuff has been scanned (and thus inferred to have been consumed), but also what fraction of the foodstuff has been consumed, this consideration is valuable due to the non- uniformity of such foodstuff containers, whereby one container might contain a plurality of servings, or in other cases due to a users' preference, a fraction of a serving might be consumed; in these cases it would thus be necessary for a user to confirm or otherwise refine personal consumption behavior data to more precisely inform, modify, or otherwise alter a dynamic non-zero fractional dispensing event of an additive in such a portable device.

The embodiment of the present disclosure makes particular reference to a level sensing apparatus within the primary device, configured specifically to monitor the removal, addition, and/or consumption of a fluid contained within the device. Prior to a dispensing event of an additive, readings and/or data obtained from the level sensing apparatus provides additional context enabling several important operations; a primary operation enables that the dispensing event is configured or otherwise modified to eject or dispense a volume of additive commensurate with the volume of fluid such that the resultant mixture is within a target concentration range, which in many cases corresponds further to a specific flavor, quantity of ingredient, and/or degree of functional effect (such as with caffeine, etc.) In addition, the level sensing apparatus enables the system, whether via the interface on the device itself, or via an interface on a secondary device, to provide prompts, guidance etc. to guide a user to an optimal consumption rate, in various cases it might be beneficial, from either an ingredient/nutrient absorption standpoint, and/or hydration absorption standpoint, for a user to consume the mixture and/or fluid at a greater or slower rate than they might otherwise default to. It would therefore be of additional benefit for the aforementioned system to be further informed and/or refined through the incorporation of data related to other foodstuffs, in addition to the contents of the additive vessels contained removably within the device itself. In this use case, it would therefore be possible for the system and/or device to further modify or alter both dispensing events and activity, as well as consumption rate guidance in accordance with standard protocol as provided by the device, a secondary device, and/or the additive vessels themselves as well as other foodstuff contents/nutrients/ingredients data relevant or otherwise pertinent to the user's goals, requirements, diet, allergies, sensitivities, preferences and the like. Without at least one means of obtaining the aforementioned data from other non-device-based foodstuffs, such operations and/or behaviors would not be readily achieved without direct and conscious intervention by a user.

As a further example, a scanned foodstuff might provide insight to the device that the user has consumed 65% of a protein bar (this fractional consumption might be obtained via input by the user), the data exchange further informs the device of particular ingredients and nutrient levels, as one non-limiting example, the aforementioned data might be Magnesium contained within the scanned protein bar, the device will accordingly reduce the volume and/or frequency of future dispensing events of an additive vessel (or vessels) that are composed in whole or in part of Magnesium, based upon user parameters which might include preference, goals, diet, physiology, physical activity, demographics, and the like. It should be clear to one learned in the art that such adjustments, modifications, and/or recommendations can be effective for pairing non-device foodstuffs with specific additive vessels and their associated dispensing and consumption, and that increase, decrease, and/or alteration in timing and/or rate of consumption may all be improved or otherwise refined by such a system as is disclosed in the aforementioned and proceeding.

RFID tags are small electronic components onto which data may be written or stored and subsequently read by an antenna. The stored data may typically and usefully be data about the item to which the RFID tag is affixed. This may, in the current example, be data about a food or other consumable item encoded on an RFID tag affixed to or otherwise forming a part of the packaging of that food product. Such data may be read by an RFID antenna which needs only to be in close proximity to the tag and does not require direct physical contact with the tag. There are generally two types of RFID tags: active tags and passive tags. In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the system described utilizes passive RFID tags, which require no power supply and are therefore smaller, lighter, and less expensive.

In accordance with at least one embodiment, the portable hydration container 200 has mounted within it a number of RFID or similar type antennas (301, 302), which are able to read or otherwise obtain data from RFID or similar types of tag that may be mounted on or affixed to foodstuffs and/or to the packaging of consumable items. RFID tags may also be mounted on additive vessels 303 which may be inserted in the container 200 and/or may be mounted on other foodstuffs, packaged food items, and the like that are separate from the container 200. Thus, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein, at least one antenna 301 may be internally facing and at least one antenna 302 externally facing. The RFID or other antennas (301, 302) may have a limited angle and/or range of operation such that they are only able to read data from tags that are specifically placed in a position close to that antenna.

The internally facing antenna 301 may read data encoded on passive RFID or similar tags affixed to additive vessels 303 inserted within the container 200, while the externally facing antenna 302 may read data encoded on tags affixed to the packaging of other foodstuffs separate from and external to the container 200. Such foodstuffs may include almost any consumable food item. Some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples of such foodstuffs include energy bars, solid nutritional supplements, and other consumables generally associated with health and nutrition, pre-packaged meals or foodstuffs, energy drinks, sodas and almost any food or drink item having external packaging which facilitates the attachment of an RFID tag or the encoding of data about the contents of the packaging thereon.

In an example scenario, a user would hold the food item 304 close to (e.g., typically within one inch of) the externally facing antenna 302 and may carry out some user action to provide power to the antenna 302. Such user action may include, for example, pressing a button or activating some combination of user input buttons 204 mounted on the container 200, tilting or otherwise adjusting the orientation of the container 200 in a manner which is detected by inertial sensors (not shown) within the container 200, pushing or pressing the food item 304 against a button or mechanical switch mechanism which causes power to the antenna 302 to be enabled, as well as numerous other actions that would result in power being provided to the antenna 302. In an alternate embodiment where power consumption is not a major concern, the RFID antenna may be constantly receiving power. In an alternative embodiment the food packaging may have a component whose proximity to the hydration container is sensed by a separate sensor and which then automatically, and without user action, causes the RFID antenna to receive power.

When the antenna 302 is powered, the data encoded on the tag 306 mounted on the packaging of the external food item 304 is read, imported and communicated to a processor which may be located within the container 200, external to the container 200 in an associated mobile device (e.g., device 106 in the example system shown in FIG. 1), and/or remote to the location of the container 200 (e.g., in the cloud). Data encoded within the tag 306 may include, but is not limited to: identification of the food item, weight or volume of the item, number of calories, nutritional content, and the like. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the data may consist simply of a product SKU or identification code sufficient to unambiguously identify the product. In such an embodiment, the system may use this single item of data to access a wide range of relevant and appropriate data relating to that product from local or remote storage, from a remote network (e.g., the cloud), and/or from other external storage. Additionally, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, data from a processor unit may also be written to and encoded on an external RFID or similar tag via the RFID antennas (301, 302).

The following are some non-limiting and non-exhaustive example scenarios in which one or more of the embodiments described herein may be applied or utilized.

Following a surgical procedure, a patient is following a tightly controlled regimen of vitamins, pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements which are delivered via the dispensing system in the portable liquid container. The doctor prescribes additional pharmaceuticals. The doctor or patient holds the new pharmaceuticals (e.g., which are contained in a bottle or other type of packaging) next to the RFID antenna of the portable container. When this action occurs, data about these additional pharmaceuticals is read from the tag mounted or affixed to the bottle or packaging containing the pharmaceuticals and is communicated to a processor unit within the container, which then adjusts the schedule and dispensing of vitamins and pharmaceuticals to take account of this additional component to the patient's regimen.

A user's weight loss regimen consists of the carefully controlled intake of vitamins, nutrients and supplements dispensed into water, coupled with a tightly controlled schedule of prepackaged meals. When the user consumes one of the meals, the packaging is placed close to the antenna of the portable container and data about the meal is read from the tag on the packaging and communicated to the processor unit within the container, which then adjusts the schedule and dispensing of vitamins, nutrients and supplements to take account of what was eaten and when it was eaten. This provides the weight-loss patient with some flexibility about what they eat and when they eat since the dispensing system can adapt to the variation and can adjust the dispensing schedule accordingly.

An amateur or professional athlete takes great care to ensure that his levels of hydration, vitamin intake, etc. are controlled and well balanced, and his routine may be disrupted when he is out jogging and finds that he unexpectedly runs low on energy, and must eat a couple of energy bars or drink an energy supplement. However, because the system of the present disclosure is able to read the tags on the energy bars or bottles, the subsequent dispensing of vitamins and supplements, and recommendations on hydration quantity and timing can be adjusted to compensate for this additional, unscheduled energy bar consumption.

FIG. 4 shows an example process flow for importing data about consumable items internal and external to a container and communicating that data to internal and external processors and services for a variety of purposes. Such purposes may include adjusting an additive dispensing schedule, updating consumption and/or purchase history, generating and/or updating personal profile information, generating purchase recommendations within an eCommerce system and the like.

A personalized additive dispensing schedule for a hydration container might typically be stored in memory within the hydration container itself, within an associated computing device and/or in remotely accessible storage 401. At step 402 a user may carry out some action to provide power to, or otherwise energize one or more externally facing RFID antennas within the hydration container, enabling that antenna to read and import data. If an RFID tag is positioned outside of the hydration container and is within readable range of the antenna 403, while it is powered, then that data is read and imported 404, if no tag is within readable range then it might be concluded that the powering action was carried out in error and no data is read or imported and power to the antenna is turned off. Data imported from the RFID tag via the antenna is communicated to an internal processor and/or memory 405 and may be further communicated to an application on the user's associated computing device, e.g. smartphone, tablet computer, laptop or similar, at step 406. The personalized additive dispensing schedule may then be adjusted 409 based on the data read and imported from the external RFID tag. The dispensing schedule may also be dynamically adjusted based on a number of other factors including the level of consumable within the hydration container, user context and the like and a revised schedule then communicated 410 to the internal processor within the container 410 and stored in memory therein 411.

Data read from the passive RFID tags and data about the amount or level or consumption of other liquids in the container may further be communicated wirelessly or otherwise 407 to a remote eCommerce system where that data may be used to update the user's consumption history 408. Such data may also be used to generate personalized recommendations for the user, as shown in more detail in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an example system with the capability for importing, communicating, and acting upon data about food items in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. The apparatus consists of at least two RFID or similar antennas, at least one of which 501 is oriented internal to the hydration container and at least one of which 502 is oriented external to the hydration container. The internally oriented antenna 501 is positioned so as to read the data encoded on RFID tags 503 mounted on, or forming a part of, additive or other vessels which may be inserted within the hydration container. The externally oriented antenna 502 is positioned so as to read the data encoded on RFID tags 504 mounted on, or forming a part of, food items which are not inserted within the hydration container. This data is communicated to an internal data processing unit 505 and may be supplemented by data about the amount or level of consumable liquid within the hydration container 507. The internal data processing unit may then adjust the additive dispensing schedule and communicate timely dispensing instructions to the dispensing module 507.

Data about the additives, the external foodstuffs, the level of liquid consumable and/or dispensing schedule may be wirelessly or otherwise communicated along with other contextual data to the cloud and/or to an eCommerce service, where such data may also be integrated or combined with other data, including but not limited to data about the user of the container 508 and data about the user's purchase history 509 and forming one of several inputs to a recommendation engine 510. Personalized recommendations may then be generated regarding future consumption patterns and schedules as well as future purchase recommendations for consumable items which may be subsequently inserted within the container (e.g., additive vessels, vitamins, nutritional supplements and the like) or used external to the container (e.g., energy bars and the like). Purchase and other user recommendations may then be communicated to, or otherwise accessed by the user via the mobile device application 506 and/or other applications on the user's computer, tablet or other computing device 511. The user may then act upon those recommendations and complete the purchase process via the application. With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for the sake of clarity.

The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation. Furthermore, it should be noted that one or more of the features and/or limitations described in accordance with any one embodiment may also be applied to any other embodiment described herein, and examples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment in a suitable manner, done in different orders, or done in parallel. It should also be understood that the apparatuses, systems, and/or methods described above may be applied to, or used in accordance with, other apparatuses, systems, and/or methods.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A portable device for retaining a consumable liquid, comprising:

a dispensing assembly that dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of an additive contained in an additive vessel received in the device;

an internally-facing sensor disposed in proximity to the additive vessel and configured to read a first data storage tag affixed to the additive vessel, wherein the data storage tag stores data associated with the additive contained in the additive vessel;

an externally-facing sensor configured to read a second data storage tag affixed to a foodstuff package, wherein the second data storage tag stores data associated with the foodstuff contained within the foodstuff package;

a level sensor sensing a level of the consumable liquid in the portable device; and a processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to adjust a dispensing schedule of the additive based on the data associated with the additive contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, and the level of the consumable liquid.

2. The portable device of claim 1, said adjusting a dispensing schedule adjusting the amount of additive and timing of a dispense event of the additive by the dispensing assembly.

3. The portable device of claim 1, said dispensing assembly dispensing variable, non-zero quantities of plural additives respectively contained in a plural additive vessels received in the device.

4. The portable device of claim 3, said processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to adjust dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff and the level of the consumable liquid.

5. The portable device of claim 4, said processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to adjust dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid.

6. The portable device of claim 5, further comprising:

a transmitter,

said processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to transmit, via the transmitter, the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid to a server hosting a loyalty purchase program, wherein the transmitted data informs or modifies purchasing recommendations for future additives.

7. A method of controlling a portable device retaining a consumable liquid having a dispensing assembly that dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of an additive contained in an additive vessel received in the device; an internally-facing sensor disposed in proximity to the additive vessel; an externally-facing sensor, and a level sensor, the method comprising: reading, with the internally-facing sensor, a first data storage tag affixed to the additive vessel, wherein the data storage tag stores data associated with the additive contained in the additive vessel;

reading, with the externally-facing sensor, a second data storage tag affixed to a foodstuff package, wherein the second data storage tag stores data associated with the foodstuff contained within the foodstuff package;

sensing, with the level sensor, a level of the consumable liquid in the portable device; and

adjusting a dispensing schedule of the additive based on the data associated with the additive contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, and the level of the consumable liquid.

8. The method of claim 7, said adjusting a dispensing schedule adjusting the amount of additive and timing of a dispense event of the additive by the dispensing assembly.

9. The method of claim 7, said dispensing assembly dispensing variable, non-zero quantities of plural additives respectively contained in a plural additive vessels received in the device, the method further comprising: adjusting dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff and the level of the consumable liquid.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

adjusting dispensing schedules of the additives based on the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting the data associated with the additives contained in the vessel, the data associated with the foodstuff, the level of the consumable liquid, and past consumption by the user of the additives in the consumable liquid to a server hosting a loyalty purchase program, wherein the transmitted data informs or modifies purchasing recommendations for future additives.