Automated Nutritional Tracking via Transaction Data Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for tracking nutritional information require manual entry of food consumption, which is tedious and often inaccurate, especially when eating out, as users must remember and log ingredients and amounts, leading to fatigue and abandonment of tracking efforts.

Innovation Solution

A health tracking computing device that automatically calculates nutritional information by receiving transaction data from food purchases, identifying food order combinations, determining nutritional values, and outputting this information to user devices, integrating with payment processing networks and menu databases to retrieve relevant data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual entry of food consumption is required, then users can track nutritional information, but the process becomes tedious and inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of nutritional trackingVSAvoidconvenience of food logging

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic nutritional tracking without requiring user intervention. The processor automatically receives transaction data, identifies food items, calculates nutritional information, and updates the database, enabling the system to serve itself rather than requiring manual user entry

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary system (the health tracking computing device) that bridges the gap between food purchases and nutritional tracking. This intermediary automatically processes transaction data, matches items against menu databases, and calculates nutritional values, eliminating the need for direct manual user input while maintaining accurate tracking

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If manual tracking of food consumption is required, then nutritional information can be recorded, but user engagement decreases due to fatigue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconsistency of trackingVSAvoiduser engagement and retention

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically maintains reliable tracking records through processor-driven operations that receive transaction data, identify food items, calculate nutritional information, and update databases without user intervention, ensuring consistent and reliable tracking that does not depend on user motivation or effort

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides automated feedback to users by delivering nutritional information based on their purchases, creating a closed-loop system that reinforces user engagement through immediate, actionable insights without requiring additional user effort to maintain tracking consistency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If automated calculation of nutritional information is implemented, then accuracy and convenience improve, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconvenience of nutritional trackingVSAvoidcomplexity of automated system

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the automated nutritional tracking function into distinct modular components: a processor for receiving and analyzing data, a database for storing nutritional information, an identification module for matching food items, and a calculation module for determining nutritional values. This segmentation manages complexity by organizing functions into separate, manageable units that can operate independently

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Extent of automation

If transaction data is automatically processed, then nutritional tracking becomes automated, but data privacy concerns increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelevel of automated trackingVSAvoiddata privacy risks

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the specific transaction data elements necessary for nutritional calculation (food items purchased, quantities, prices) while leaving sensitive personal information separate. The processor focuses exclusively on extracting and processing relevant nutritional data from transaction records, minimizing the collection and processing of unnecessary personal information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS11158209B2Systems and methods for identifying a combination of purchased items

Publication Date: 2021.10.26 MASTERCARD INT INC

AI summary

A system and method for identifying items purchased at a merchant is provided. The method includes receiving transaction data associated with a transaction of the consumer, the transaction data including a transaction amount and a merchant identifier associated with the merchant. Price information and tax information associated with the merchant are retrieved. A most likely item combination is selected based on a pre-tax total for the transaction and the price information.