Image-Based Glucose Display Using Disguised Nonmedical Visual Cues

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical monitoring devices, such as continuous glucose monitors, expose users to privacy risks by displaying medical data in a way that is easily visible to others, potentially revealing personal health information in public settings and reminding users of their medical condition.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that modifies nonmedical images, such as landscapes, to represent measurement data by altering features like horizons and peaks to encode glucose levels, using machine learning models to generate synthetic images that convey trends without directly showing numerical values, ensuring privacy and maintaining a non-medical appearance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If medical measurement data is displayed using traditional charts and graphs, then the data is clearly visible and easy to interpret, but the user's privacy is compromised and medical condition is revealed to others

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy of measurement dataVSAvoidinterpretability of data

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms medical measurement data into visual representations using non-medical imagery where measurement values are encoded through visual features such as horizon height, mountain peak elevation, or water level in landscapes. These visual encodings preserve the interpretability of data trends while completely disguising the medical nature of the information, thus protecting user privacy in public settings

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary transformation layer that converts raw medical measurement data into disguised visual representations. This intermediary process uses non-medical image features (such as landscape horizons or mountain peaks) as mediators to represent glucose levels, thereby maintaining data interpretability while eliminating direct exposure of sensitive medical information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If medical charts and graphs are displayed on public devices, then real-time monitoring is achieved, but personal health information is unintentionally shared with others

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereal-time monitoring capabilityVSAvoidunintentional disclosure of health information

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system maintains real-time monitoring by continuously updating visual features of non-medical images (such as changing horizon heights or mountain peak elevations) to reflect current measurement values. This approach preserves the speed and immediacy of real-time data display while completely disguising the medical nature of the information through aesthetic visual transformations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates visual copies of measurement data using non-medical imagery instead of traditional medical charts. These copied representations maintain the functional information needed for monitoring while replacing the harmful visual format with benign, aesthetically pleasing images that do not reveal the user's medical condition to others

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Loss of information

If traditional clinical interfaces are used for medical data display, then comprehensive data visualization is achieved, but the user experience is degraded due to unwanted reminders of medical condition

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of data visualizationVSAvoiduser experience quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent preserves complete data visualization by encoding all necessary measurement information into visual features of non-medical images. Trends, ranges, and patterns in the data are represented through variations in horizon heights, mountain elevations, or water levels, maintaining full informational content while transforming the clinical interface into an aesthetically pleasing experience that does not remind users of their medical condition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system makes the display interface universal by using non-medical imagery that serves both aesthetic purposes and data representation functions. The same visual features (horizon lines, mountain peaks, water levels) simultaneously provide visual appeal and encode comprehensive measurement data, eliminating the need for separate clinical interfaces and improving overall user experience

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20260045016A1System and method for displaying an image-based representation of measurement data

Publication Date: 2026.02.12 ROCHE DIABETES CARE INC

AI summary

A method of operating a medical monitoring system includes providing stored program instructions for a software application. The software application is configured to be stored in a non-transitory memory of a computing device. Upon execution by a processor of the computing device, the software application is configured to (i) obtain measurement data, (ii) store image data of a nonmedical image on the non-transitory memory, (iii) modify the image data based on the measurement data to generate modified image data, and (iv) render the modified image data as a modified image on a display screen of the computing device. Modifying the image data includes changing a feature of the nonmedical image to represent the measurement data.