Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of body portion
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-27
2003-02-04
Hindenburg, Max F. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of body portion
Reexamination Certificate
active
06516221
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display method of a measuring device for measuring bio-characteristic indexes such as weight or body fat mass.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, there appears in a field of health care a trend to lay stress on a body fat rate rather than a weight. In particular, a person with high body fat rate is, even if a weight thereof is less than a standard weight value, called to be of “latent obesity” and is considered to be problematic from a health viewpoint. A type of distribution of body fat depends on the individual, and having fat accumulated in an internal organ is thought to be problematic. This visceral fat type obesity means a condition where fat is accumulated in tissues of a mesentery in an abdomen, and is considered to have higher morbidity rate of various complications comparing with a subcutaneous fat type obesity. A person of visceral fat type obesity does not necessarily appear to be fat and has BMI (Body mass index) within a normal range, but has lots of visceral fat. In this case, he (she) is not categorized to be of obesity since he (she) does not have a fat physique, but he (she) is not in good condition from a health viewpoint.
A dieting is extensively carried on and is booming to reduce the body fat together with the body weight, but an unnatural dieting temporarily decreases a part of muscle and bone together with the fat. In addition, what is increased in a rebound (a phenomenon increasing weight again) is the fat which is easy to be accumulated in a body. That is, important elements such as muscle and bone or a fat free tissue remain in a weak condition and only the fat is accumulated. Thus, even if the weight after the rebound is the same with that before dieting, the body fat rate may be higher or sometimes it reaches up to the “latent obesity” condition. Repeat of the rebound phenomenon is called weight cycling, and because basal metabolism rate lowers as skeletal muscle decreases, physical constitution changes so as to get fat easily and to get lean hardly.
Under this situation, there is proposed a body fat meter which takes advantage of the scientific principle that the body fat can be evaluated by measuring a bioelectric impedance, and devices including the body fat meter incorporated therein are widely spreading into homes because of its easy handling. These kinds of devices cause an electric current between ends of a body of a person to be measured and measure a voltage applied therebetween to determine an impedance value of the body. Then the body fat rate at that time is calculated and displayed based on the determined impedance value and personal data including height, body weight, sex, age or the like of the person to be measured. Some of them are configured to store past data of the body fat rate, to display these values or to numerically display an increased/reduced body fat mass comparing with the past one.
It is not recommended to reduce body fat excessively in a short time from a viewpoint of burden to the body, but it is recommended to reduce it gradually during a long period. Since what is likely to be reduced by the excessive and short time dieting is the skeletal muscle, a body fat meter is required to easily judge whether body fat is reduced or not by such dieting.
The conventional body fat meter provides the data of the body fat rate or the body fat mass only at that time or allows comparison with past data or to see the change thereof by calling out their numerical data, but does not allow a long term transition or change thereof to be shown at a time. Further, since body fat rate decreases when weight increases by taking meals or water without increasing body fat, thereby decreasing the ratio of body fat to weight, it is problematic to exercise body fat management based only body fat rate.
Since physical conditions including body fat, weight, total body water volume and fat free mass are likely to vary depending on daily living conditions, it preferable to judge health based not only on daily variation but also on long-term variation.
The present invention is made in the light of the problems described above, and the object thereof is to make the transition of bio-characteristic indexes be easily realized by displaying long-term variation together with short-term variation thereof. Especially in the body fat meter, the object is to display in an easily sensible manner the long-term transition of body fat rate of the person to be measured, and to provide a device which allows the subject person to diet appropriately and to exercise management of weight and body fat using the inventive body fat meter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A bio-characteristic value measuring device with graphical display comprises a measuring device, a storage device, and a display device, whereby said measuring device measures a bio-characteristic value, said storage device stores a measured characteristic value, and said display device graphically displays variations of characteristic values in at least first and second units of time simultaneously, said characteristic values in said first unit of time being defined by stored characteristic values, and said characteristic values in said second unit of time being defined by average values of characteristic values calculated based on a plurality of characteristic values in said first unit of time.
Further, a bio-characteristic value measuring device with graphical display comprises a measuring device, an input device, an arithmetic device, a storage device, and a display device, whereby said measuring device measures a bio-characteristic value, said input device inputs personal body information of a person to be measured, said arithmetic device evaluates a bio-characteristic index of said person to be measured based on the measured bio-characteristic value and an input personal body information thereof, said storage device stores an evaluated bio-characteristic index and said input personal body information, and said display device graphically displays variations of characteristic values in at least a first and a second units of time simultaneously, said characteristic value in said first unit of time being defined by stored past bio-characteristic indexes, and said characteristic values in said second unit of time being defined by average values of characteristic values calculated based on a plurality of index values in said first unit of time.
Further, a body weight scale of the present invention comprises a body weight measuring device, a storage device, and a display device, whereby said body weight measuring device measures a body weight, said storage device stores a measured body weight, and said display device simultaneously displaying a plurality of variations among a daily variation, a weekly variation and a monthly variation of stored past body weight values.
Further, a body fat meter of the present invention comprises an impedance measuring device, an input device, an arithmetic device, a storage device, and a display device, whereby said impedance measuring device measures a bioelectric impedance value, said input device inputs a personal body information of a person to be measured, said arithmetic device evaluates a body fat of said person to be measured based on a measured bioelectric impedance value and an input personal body information, said storage device stores an evaluated body fat and said input personal body information, and said display device graphically displays simultaneously a plurality of variations out of a daily, a weekly and a monthly variations of stored past body fat data.
Further, a body fat meter of the present invention comprises an impedance measuring device, a weight measuring device, an input device, an arithmetic device, a storage device, and a display device, whereby said impedance measuring device measures a bioelectric impedance value, said weight measuring device measures a body weight value, said input device inputs a personal body information of a person to be measured, said
Hirouchi Masaru
Kodama Masato
Sakata Kazuhiko
Hindenburg Max F.
McDermott & Will & Emery
Tanita Corporation
Wimgood Pamela
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