Portable Nutrition Management System with Barcode Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers lack effective tools for managing daily nutrition intake, as existing food nutrition component tables on packaging are inconsistent and difficult to use for planning, leading to potential nutritional imbalances, especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly, women, and children, and there is a lack of nutrition details in restaurant cooking processes.
Innovation Solution
A food nutrition management system using a portable electronic device, transmitting unit, database, operation unit, code generator, analyzer, and register and management unit to calculate and display daily nutrition ingestion, compare food nutrition component tables with suggested intake levels, and alert users to deficiencies or surpluses, incorporating personal data and barcode scanning for various food items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If food nutrition component tables are labeled on packaging, then nutrition information is provided to consumers, but the nutrition amounts per unit are inconsistent and difficult to use for daily nutrition planning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a portable electronic device as an intermediary between the food nutrition component tables and the consumer. This device scans barcodes on food packaging, automatically retrieves nutrition information from a database, and calculates daily nutrition intake based on personal data. This intermediary system standardizes the presentation of nutrition information and makes it easily usable for daily planning, resolving the inconsistency and usability problems of traditional packaging labels.
2Loss of information
If consumers use existing food nutrition component tables for reference, then some nutrition information is available, but consumers cannot easily manipulate and track daily nutrition ingestion amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The portable electronic device performs automatic calculations and tracking of daily nutrition intake without requiring manual manipulation by the consumer. The system automatically scans food items, retrieves nutrition data, sums up daily intake based on personal specifications, and identifies nutritional deficiencies or surpluses. This self-service approach eliminates the complexity of manual nutrition tracking while making the system easy to use.
3Ease of operation
If no nutrition management system is used, then consumers have freedom in food selection, but nutritional imbalances occur leading to diseases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback to consumers about their daily nutrition intake by comparing it against recommended amounts based on personal data. The portable electronic device notifies users of nutritional deficiencies or surpluses and suggests appropriate food selections to maintain balance. This feedback mechanism guides consumers toward balanced nutrition while preserving their freedom to choose foods, preventing nutritional imbalances and associated diseases.
Data Source
AI summary
A food nutrition management system provides a portable electronic device to a user for inputting a personal data and special codes. The personal data and the special codes are received by a register and management unit for further registering at a database. The database is searched for a food nutrition component table corresponding to a special code. The food nutrition component table searched is transmitted for displaying on a display unit, stored in the database when a store instruction is input through the portable device, and analyzed and compared with a suggestion of daily ingestion amounts per person for a variety of nutrition when an inquiry instruction is input. The portable electronic device displays current and past ingestion amounts for the variety of nutrition and notices the user of which nutrition is insufficient or surplus and of the possible diseases and symptoms.