TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates generally to lifestyle enhancement systems and methods. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for motivating children to develop healthy habits, through the use of digital devices commonly available with the children and/or their parents.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Personal hygiene habits are a part of our everyday life and play a very important role in maintaining good personal health. Personal hygiene is the practice that leads to body cleanliness and good personal appearance or simply personal grooming. Personal hygiene helps in protection against several infectious diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery, etc. The habits related to personal hygiene, such as the washing of hands and the brushing and flossing of teeth help in keeping bacteria, viruses, and illnesses at a distance.
[0003] Unfortunately, most people are not aware of such habits. Especially, children do not have the knowledge or skill to take care of their hygiene. Moreover, they do not adopt personal hygiene habits easily. Instead, they find such habits as more time consuming and less interesting. As a result, most of the kids do not take these habits seriously. For instance, they do not like brushing their teeth, washing their hands, shampooing their hair, etc. regularly. However, they come in contact with a lot of dirt, dust, and pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, when they go out to places such as schools and parks, etc. The resultant contact with pathogens and environmental contaminants further result in disorders like food poisoning, skin allergies, diarrhea, bacterial diseases, and other infectious diseases.
[0004] To overcome these drawbacks, various products, such as motorized toothbrushes, interactive water bottles have been introduced in the art. Such products implement personal hygiene more interesting by using various methods including enabling persons (which are generally children) to interact with electronic displays.
[0005] Also, a United States patent document US20090307859A1 discloses an electric toothbrush and method of using the toothbrush, for improving the oral habits of a child. The toothbrush incorporates a digital training aid that includes a display screen and a microprocessor which generates pictorial images of a virtual character on the display screen. The microprocessor is programmed to record the actual frequency and duration of brushing over at least a twenty-four-hour period and to compare the actual figures with pre-programmed desired runtimes and frequencies. The microprocessor changes the images of the virtual character displayed on the screen to reflect the relationship between the actual times and desired times. The microprocessor includes a plurality of gaming programs that are only accessible when the minimum desired frequency and time of brushing is met. However, this invention is only limited to a toothbrush. In this, the display screen is present in the toothbrush handle, the person is unable to see the virtual character modification while brushing his teeth. It uses one or more play buttons or keys to modify the virtual character.
[0006] Another United States patent document US8909543B2 discloses a method of detecting and recording the physical activity of a person. In particular, the invention is directed at an interactive coupon, redeemable by the holder after having participated in physical activity for a predetermined period. It includes a display unit that displays a virtual character. The virtual character will appear healthy when the coupon has detected the predetermined period of the physical activity from the person and the virtual character may appear ill if the coupon detects the period of the physical activity below a threshold level. The character may also grow and become stronger upon the detection of several different thresholds of physical activity. This ensures that the person regularly engages in physical activity to maintain the health of the virtual character. However, this patent is only limited to wearable bands and it mainly focuses on physical activity, not on personal hygiene. Also, it works on the principle of redeemable coupon which could be redeemed only when a person completes at least one physical activity.
[0007] Therefore, there is long felt a need for a system and method that motivates or encourages people, and especially children, to adopt healthy habits related to personal hygiene.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Some of the objects of the present invention are listed below:
? It is an object of the present invention to provide a personal hygiene product including at least one motion sensor configured to perceive at least one activity of a person;
? It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic communication device having a virtual character to motivate a person to adopt at least one healthy habit;
? It is yet another object to keep a record of personal hygiene activities of a person and alerting the person based on his/her daily activities automatically; and
? It is a further object of the present invention to provide wireless communication between an electronic communication device having a virtual character and a motion-sensing unit present on the surface of a personal hygiene product used by a person.
[0009] Other objects, aspects, features, and goals of the present invention will be better understood from the detailed description of the present invention.
SUMMARY
[0010] It should be understood that the present invention disclosure is not limited to the particular system and methodology described herein, as there can be multiple possible aspects of the present invention disclosure which are not expressly illustrated herein. It is to be understood that the terminology used in the description is to describe the particular versions or embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention disclosure.
[0011] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for motivating a person to adopt healthy habits, the system comprising a personal hygiene product including a motion-sensing unit, an electronic communication device connected with the personal hygiene product, the electronic communication device including a display unit, wherein the motion-sensing unit is configured to detect motion of the personal hygiene product, generate an output signal in correlation with the detected motion, process the generated output signal, and transmit the processed output signal to the electronic communication device, and wherein the display unit is configured to display a virtual character, and modify the virtual character in response to the processed output signal received from the motion-sensing unit.
[0012] In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic communication device is connected with the personal hygiene product through a wireless communication channel.
[0013] In one embodiment of the invention, the motion-sensing unit further comprises a plurality of motion sensors configured to detect at least one physical activity of the person, and generate movement data, and a controlling unit including a microprocessor and a memory unit, the controlling unit is configured to analyze the movement data to generate the processed output signal, and store information regarding the physical activity of the person.
[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, the display unit is further configured to display a plurality of recommended healthy activities and behaviors to the person.
[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the display unit is further configured to display historical data related to the personal hygiene of the person.
[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic communication device is further configured to automatically alert the person regarding their hygiene activity and recommend healthier habits and tips to follow.
[0017] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a personal hygiene product for motivating a person to adopt healthy habits, the personal hygiene product comprising a motion-sensing unit, wherein the motion-sensing unit is configured to detect motion of the personal hygiene product, generate an output signal in correlation with the detected motion, process the generated output signal, and transmit the processed output signal to an electronic communication device.
[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the motion-sensing unit further comprises a plurality of motion sensors configured to detect at least one physical activity of the person, and generate movement data, and a controlling unit including a microprocessor and a memory unit, the controlling unit being configured to analyze the movement data to generate the processed output signal, and store information regarding the physical activity of the person.
[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the plurality of motion sensors is selected from a group consisting of an active sensor, a passive sensor, and a hybrid sensor.
[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the personal hygiene product is selected from a group consisting of a toothbrush, a hand wash, a towel, a soap, and a hair comb.
[0021] The following description is illustrative in nature and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will be apparent by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0022] So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may have been referred by embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
[0023] These and other features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following text figure, with like reference numbers referring to like structures across the views, wherein:
[0024] Fig. 1 illustrates a person brushing his teeth using a toothbrush (personal hygiene product) which is in wireless communication with an electronic communication device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] Fig. 2 illustrates a personal hygiene product including a motion-sensing unit, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] Fig. 3 illustrates the electronic communication device having a display unit that displays different stages of modifications of a virtual character, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] Fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart representing a method for motivating a person for adopting healthy habits, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0028] Fig. 5 illustrates a person washing his hands using a hand wash device, according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] While the present invention is described herein by way of example using embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described, and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further, some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e. meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense, (i.e. meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one" and the word "plurality" means "one or more" unless otherwise mentioned.
[0030] Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion of documents acts, materials, devices, articles, and the like is included in the specification solely to provide a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention. In this disclosure, whenever a composition or an element or a group of elements is preceded with the transitional phrase "comprising", it is understood that we also contemplate the same composition, element or group of elements with transitional phrases "consisting of, "consisting", "selected from the group of consisting of, "including", or "is" preceding the recitation of the composition, element or group of elements and vice versa.
[0031] According to an aspect of the present invention, a system and method for motivating a person to adopt at least one healthy habit are disclosed. The system comprises a personal hygiene product used by a person. A motion-sensing unit present on the surface of the personal hygiene product is configured to perceive at least one activity of the person. The motion-sensing unit further includes several motion sensors that detect or sense at least one activity of the person.
[0032] The motion sensors present in the motion-sensing unit are functionally coupled to a controlling unit that controls several functional elements. The controlling unit present in the motion-sensing unit further includes a memory unit to record data transmitted by the motion sensors and an integrated processor that executes programs for performing modifications in a virtual character. Further, the motion-sensing unit includes a power supply unit to supply power to several electronic components present in the motion-sensing unit.
[0033] Further, the motion sensors are adapted to sense at least one activity of the person and transmit the signal to the controlling unit. The controlling unit records the sent signal related to at least one physical activity of the person and transmits an output signal to an electronic communication device through a wireless connection using a set of standard wireless communication protocols. The electronic communication device may be either of a cell phone, or a laptop computer, or a tablet computer, or a notebook computer, or an iPhone, or an iPod, or an iPad. The electronic communication device comprises a display unit to display the activities of the virtual character. Moreover, the person is enabled to track their previous record of personal hygiene. Furthermore, the invention is programmed to display the virtual character selected by the person which modifies its shape and size based on the personal activities or data received from the controlling unit. The invention provides the person with advantageous personal hygiene information based on their previous personal hygiene record and motivates the person by displaying virtual modification of the virtual character selected by the person.
[0034] The display unit of the electronic communication device displays the virtual character modifications according to the real-time data received from the controlling unit. Also, the modification of virtual character is only done when a person completes at least one task or complete at least one activity (e.g. a person brushes his teeth, routinely wash hands with hand wash, combing and shampooing their hair, etc.). The motion sensor, the controlling unit, and the power supply unit also exhibit-waterproof characteristics. Referring to the figures, the invention will be explained in more detail.
[0035] Fig. 1 illustrates a person 120 brushing his teeth using a toothbrush 101 (personal hygiene product) which is in wireless communication with an electronic communication device 108, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 further illustrates a system 100 for motivating a person 120 to adopt healthy habits is shown, the person 120 is brushing his teeth using a toothbrush (“the personal hygiene product”) 101 using a brush handle 101A of the toothbrush 101. The toothbrush 101 is coupled to the electronic communication device 108 through a wireless communication channel 111. The wireless communication channel 111 is either a satellite communication, or an infrared (IR) communication, or radio wave communication, or microwave communication, or wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), or mobile communication or Bluetooth. The electronic communication device 108 is adapted to display a virtual character 110 on a display unit 109 of the electronic communication device 108.
[0036] Fig. 2 illustrates the personal hygiene product 101 including a motion-sensing unit 102, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to Fig. 2, there is illustrated a detailed view of the motion-sensing unit 102 present in the brush handle 101A of the toothbrush 101. The activities of the person 120 when brushing their teeth is analyzed and the related data is stored using a combination of functional units. The motion-sensing unit 102 positioned at the brush handle 101A is adapted to detect motion of the toothbrush 101 and generate an output signal, in correlation with the detected motion. The generated output signal is processed and transmitted to the electronic communication device 108. The display unit 109 is further adapted to modify the virtual character 110 being displayed, in response to the processed output signal received from the motion-sensing unit 102.
[0037] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the person 120 may also be enabled to choose the characteristics of the virtual character 110 according to their preferences. The display unit 109 is also adapted to display a plurality of healthy activities and behaviors to the person 120. The modification of the virtual character 110 motivates or encourages the person 120 to adopt at least one healthy habit. For example, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, when the person 120 brushes their teeth, the motion-sensing unit 102 present at the brush handle 101A activates and transmits movement data pertaining to the motion of the toothbrush 101, to the electronic communication device 108 that results into the modification of the virtual character 110 being displayed in the display unit 109 of the electronic communication device 108.
[0038] In accordance with several embodiments of the present invention, the motion-sensing unit 102 comprises a plurality of motion sensors 103 which may include one or more of an active sensor, a passive sensor, and a hybrid sensor. The plurality of motion sensors 103 is configured to detect or sense at least one physical activity of the person 120. The motion sensors 103 are configured to sense or perceive the activity of the person when the person is using the personal hygiene product (or the toothbrush in this case) 101. The motion-sensing unit 102 further comprises a controlling unit 104 that is configured to analyze the movement data received from the plurality of motion sensors 103.
[0039] The controlling unit 104 further comprises a memory unit 105 to store the information regarding the physical activity of the person 120 and a set of instructions to be executed by a microprocessor 106 for analysis of the movement data received from the plurality of motion sensors 103. The controlling unit 104 also comprises a wireless module 107 that links the motion-sensing unit 102 to the electronic communication device 108 through wireless communication channel 111. A power supply unit 112 is also provided to supply electric power to the plurality of motion sensors 103 and the controlling unit 104. The power supply unit 112 is a rechargeable battery that provides DC power supply to a plurality of functional elements of the motion-sensing unit 102.
[0040] Fig. 3 illustrates the electronic communication device 108 having the display unit 109 that displays different stages of the modifications of the virtual character 110, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition to the modifications in the virtual character 110, the display unit 109 is also configured to display recommended healthy person behaviors and healthy activities. The electronic communication device 108, through the display unit 109, is also configured to display historical data related to personal hygiene of the person 120 and enables the person 120 to track their hygiene activity. The electronic communication device 108 is further configured to automatically alert the person 120 regarding their hygiene activity and recommend healthier habits and tips to follow in the future.
[0041] The electronic communication device 108 is also configured to receive information regarding the movement of the person 120 from the motion-sensing unit 102 through the wireless communication channel 111. Fig. 3 shows the virtual character 110 modification at different stages. A first stage 110A of the virtual character 110 shows the size of the virtual character 110 at the first stage 110A when the person 120 has started adopting the brushing habit. A second stage 110B shows the size of the virtual character 110 at the middle size (larger than the first stage 110A) when the person 120 brushes his teeth regularly for a predefined period. Further, a third stage 110C shows the size (larger than the first stage 110A and the second stage 110B) of the virtual character 110 at the final stage, when the person 120 brushes his teeth continuously for the predefined period.
[0042] The computed program for the virtual character 110 modifications is stored in the memory unit 105 that is responsible for changes in the size and shape of the virtual character 110. The electronic communication device 108 is selected from a group of cell phones, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, and a pocket computer or any other suitable electronic device. The display unit 109 is selected from a group of a Cathode Ray Tube display (CRT), or Light Emitting Diode display (LED), or Electroluminescent Display (ELD), or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), or a plasma display, or a Thin-Film Transistor display (TFT), or an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), Quantum Dot Display (QLED) or any combination thereof.
[0043] Fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart representing a method 200 for motivating the person 120 for adopting healthy habits, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method 200 begins at step 202 when the person 120 uses the personal hygiene product 101, such as the toothbrush of Figs 1-3. At step 204, the plurality of motion sensors 103 sense at least one activity of the person 120 and generate the output signal. At step 206, the controlling unit 104 receives the output signal from the plurality of motion sensors 103. At step 208, the controlling unit 104 processes the received output signal. At step 210, the processed output signal is transmitted from the controlling unit 104 to the electronic communication device 108, through the wireless communication channel 111. At step 212, on receiving the processed output signal, the electronic communication device 108 displays a plurality of activities of the virtual character 110, at the display unit 109.
[0044] Fig. 5 illustrates a person washing his hands using a hand wash device as the personal hygiene product 101, according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. The motion-sensing unit 102 is present on the neck of the hand wash device. The motion-sensing unit 102 wirelessly communicates to the electronic communication device 108 where the virtual character 110 displays a plurality of activities based on the output signal generated by motion-sensing unit 102. Similarly, the personal hygiene product 101 can also be a towel, a soap, or a hair comb, etc.
[0045] The programming instructions can be, for example, computer-executable and/or logic implemented instructions. In some examples, a computing device is configured to provide various operations, functions, or actions in response to the programming instructions conveyed to the computing device by one or more of the computer-readable medium, the computer recordable medium, and/or the communications medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium can also be distributed among multiple data storage elements, which could be remotely located from each other. The computing device that executes some or all of the stored instructions can be a micro-fabrication controller or another computing platform. Alternatively, the computing device that executes some or all of the stored instructions could be remotely located computer systems, such as a server.
[0046] Further, while one or more operations have been described as being performed by or otherwise related to certain modules, devices or entities, the operations may be performed by or otherwise related to any module, device or entity. As such, any function or operation that has been described as being performed by a module could alternatively be performed by a different server, by the cloud computing platform, or a combination thereof. Further, the operations need not be performed in the disclosed order, although in some examples, an order may be preferred. Also, not all functions need to be performed to achieve the desired advantages of the disclosed system and method, and therefore not all functions are required.
[0047] Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art, from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing broadest scope of consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and appended claims.

CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. A system (100) for motivating a person to adopt healthy habits, the system (100) comprising:
a personal hygiene product (101) including a motion-sensing unit (102);
an electronic communication device (108) connected with the personal hygiene product (101), the electronic communication device (108) including a display unit (109);
wherein the motion-sensing unit (102) is configured to detect motion of the personal hygiene product (101), generate an output signal in correlation with the detected motion, process the generated output signal, and transmit the processed output signal to the electronic communication device (108); and
wherein the display unit (109) is configured to display a virtual character (110) and modify the virtual character (110) in response to the processed output signal received from the motion-sensing unit (102).
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device (108) is connected with the personal hygiene product (101) through a wireless communication channel (111).
3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motion-sensing unit (102) further comprises:
a plurality of motion sensors (103) configured to detect at least one physical activity of the person, and generate movement data; and
a controlling unit (104) including a microprocessor (106) and a memory unit (105), the controlling unit (104) being configured to analyze the movement data to generate the processed output signal, and store information regarding the physical activity of the person.
4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display unit (109) is further configured to display a plurality of recommended healthy activities and behaviors to the person.
5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display unit (109) is further configured to display historical data related to the personal hygiene of the person.
6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device (108) is further configured to automatically alert the person regarding their hygiene activity and recommend healthier habits and tips to follow.
7. A personal hygiene product (101) for motivating a person to adopt healthy habits, the personal hygiene product (101) comprising a motion-sensing unit (102), wherein the motion-sensing unit (102) is configured to:
detect motion of the personal hygiene product (101);
generate an output signal in correlation with the detected motion;
process the generated output signal; and
transmit the processed output signal to an electronic communication device (108).
8. The personal hygiene product (101) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the motion-sensing unit (102) further comprises:
a plurality of motion sensors (103) configured to detect at least one physical activity of the person, and generate movement data, and
a controlling unit (104) including a microprocessor (106) and a memory unit (105), the controlling unit (104) being configured to analyze the movement data to generate the processed output signal, and store information regarding the physical activity of the person.
9. The personal hygiene product (101) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of motion sensors (103) are selected from a group consisting of an active sensor, a passive sensor, and a hybrid sensor.
10. The personal hygiene product (101) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the personal hygiene product (101) is selected from a group consisting of a toothbrush, a hand wash, a towel, a soap, and a hair comb.