HYDRATION TRACKING APPARATUS

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 63/735,961 filed Dec. 19, 2024, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE SUBJECT DISCLOSURE

Field of Endeavor

The subject disclosure relates to hydration tracking, and more particularly, to a transferable apparatus configured to operatively associate with a water bottle to visually display consumption tracking of the water bottle.

Background of Related Art

Dehydration is a common and preventable condition that affects millions of people, which occurs when the body loses more water than it takes in. Dehydration can result in a myriad of medical issues including organ problems, muscle problems, cognitive problems, and in extreme cases death.

Current apparatuses for tracking hydration typically involve containers, such as bottles, marked with water levels, such that a user can tell how much water they have consumed over time. However, these graduated water bottles require a user to carry the same bottle and may not be large enough to track the appropriate volume of water in a single bottle, which then requires a user to remember how many times they have refilled the bottle.

Handwritten tabulation is another prior solution, but it is not only tedious and inconvenient but is also incapable of providing encouragement to the user. True, there are smart water bottles/apps, but these are very expensive, require yet another app on one's phone, and, of course, requiring the user of the app to be repeatedly looking at said phone, which in turn increases screen time, which is likely counterproductive to the task at hand that requires proper hydration.

As can be seen, there is a need for a removable hydration tracking apparatus employable across various bottle types and configured to track a total volume of water intake over a time by way of an illuminated counting display of numbers.

SUMMARY OF THE SUBJECT DISCLOSURE

In one aspect of the subject disclosure, a hydration tracking apparatus includes the following: a band having a first portion coupled to a second portion; the first portion sufficiently elastic to snugly engage an outer circumference of a cylindrical object so as to retain the second portion along said outer circumference; at least one interface element, at least partially disposed within the second portion; a plurality of illuminative elements, at least partially disposed within the band; at least one power source, at least partially disposed within the band; and control circuitry configured to actuate at least one of the plurality of illuminative elements in response to actuation of the at least one interface element.

In another aspect of the present subject disclosure the hydration tracking apparatus further includes the following: wherein the first portion is made from a first material, and the second portion made from a second material, wherein each illuminative element is associated with a display element illuminated along the second portion only when the associated illuminative element is activated, wherein each display element is indicative of a hydration status; further including a transparent front cover operatively associable with a rear housing so as to retain therebetween the at least one interface element, the plurality of illuminative elements, the at least one power source, and the control circuitry; a light-blocking shroud along which each display element is fixed; and an over-molding band that engages the rear housing and the second portion to prevent movement relative therebetween.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present subject disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a hydration tracking apparatus 200, according to aspects of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the hydration tracking apparatus 200, wherein an over-mold sleeve 250 is dimensioned and adapted to interconnect two points along a band first portion 201 so as to support a housing 230 of a band second portion 202 and connect the former to the latter.

FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the hydration tracking apparatus 200, according to aspects of the subject disclosure, wherein the housing 230 is not connected to the band first portion 201 by an over-mold sleeve 250; rather, an outer display pane 240 engages connection elements 247 of an over-mold band 246 associated with the band first portion 201, as shown in more detail in FIG. 6.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of the hydration tracking apparatus 200, according to aspects of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of the hydration tracking apparatus 200, shown in a used environment, wherein and a third of the plurality of display elements 226 (in this embodiment, a number ‘3’) is illuminated by one or more of the plurality of illuminative elements (not seen).

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top view cross section of an exemplary embodiment of a hydration tracking apparatus, illustrating the outer display pane 240, the outer housing 242, the inner housing 244 (with the over-mold attached thereto), and the over-mold band 246.

FIG. 7 is a user interface schematic of an exemplary embodiment of the subject disclosure illustrating various hydration tracking functionalities by showing the same hydration tracking apparatus 200 at different enabled states associated with a series of different functionalities. Specifically, looking at the first column (the left-most column) illustrates (from top to bottom) - OFF/deactivated state, where all illuminative elements are off/deactivated; a TURN ON/OFF state, where a user holds the actuatable interface element 206 for, say, two seconds, wherein the actuatable illuminative element 210 (not seen) turn on (use same process to turn off again and button light turns); NUMBER TOGGLE state, wherein while on the held actuatable interface element 206 held for, say, 0.25 seconds to toggle between the plurality of display elements 226—e.g., zero to ‘1’, ‘1’ to ‘2’, and so forth. Release and hold again for 0.25 seconds to increase again; and AUTO-OFF state, wherein a display element 226 is displayed, then band turns off after, say, 30 seconds along with the actuatable interface element 206. Referring to the second column (from top to bottom), a LOW BATTERY state that prompts a first color from the actuatable illuminative element; an ERROR state that prompts a second color from the actuatable illuminative element; CHARGING state that prompts the first color or third color from the actuatable illuminative element; a CHARGING FINISHED state that prompts a fourth color from the actuatable illuminative element to indicate such. The third column (from top to bottom) illustrates a sequence of plurality of display elements 226 represented along the front transparent cover 204 to indicate the counting of hydration actions tracked.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT DISCLOSURE

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the subject disclosure. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the subject disclosure, since the scope of the subject disclosure is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the subject disclosure provides a removable hydration tracking apparatus comprising a plurality of components for hydration tracking and visually representing the tracked hydration. In the subject disclosure, the hydration tracking apparatus can include a band having an elastic first portion and a computational second portion having at least one actuatable interface element, a plurality of display elements, a plurality of illuminative elements, at least one power source, and circuitry to control all aspects of the apparatus. Advantageously, the subject disclosure embodies a removable apparatus, attachable to most any bottle of the user's choice and configured to track hydration consumed by the user from the chosen bottle during a given time.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 6, aspects of an embodiment of a hydration tracking apparatus 200 are illustrated. In embodiments, hydration tracking apparatus 200 can include a plurality of components configured to track the hydration status of a user, portably across a plurality of hydration containers. In embodiments, the plurality of components includes at least one actuatable interface element 206, a plurality of display elements 226, a plurality of illuminative elements 216, at least one power source 218, and circuitry 214 to control all aspects of the apparatus.

In embodiments, a band first portion 201 can be made from stretchable, flexible, and durable material, such that it can fit securely over a plurality of bottle types and/or sizes. In embodiments, band first portion 201 can be made from silicon, fabric, or other similar materials known in the art. In embodiments, the band first portion 201 and second portion 202 can have a plurality of thicknesses to provide improved stretching capabilities. For example, in a specific embodiment band first portion 201 can have a diameter of approximately 2.75 inches with a wall thickness of approximately 0.0625 inches along a and can have a second wall thickness increasing continuously from 0.0625 inches to 0.25 across band second portion 202. Though it is understood that various dimensions and sizes are contemplated herein, and so for example the second wall thickness could be 0.40 inches or more or 0.05 inches or less.

In an alternative embodiment, band second portion 202 can be formed from a material, different from material used in the first portion 201. In embodiments, when made from differing materials the first portion 201 and second portion 202 can be coupled forming a continuous band by a plurality of loops, hoops, or connectors. Advantageously, variable wall thickness allows for better flexibility along the minimums while allowing for protection of internal components along the maximums. In some embodiments, the first portion 201 is the elastic portion that stretches to fit the bottle 100 snugly, while the second portion 202 is more rigid for securely housing operative components.

In embodiments, the second portion 202 can house a plurality of components configured to track the hydration status of a user. At least one actuatable interface element 206, a plurality of display elements 226, a plurality of illuminative elements 216, at least one power source 218, and circuitry 214 to control all aspects of the apparatus 200, can be disposed within the second portion 202. In embodiments, actuatable interface element 206 can be a button, labeled with indicia to indicate an instruction to the user, such as “press” but is not so limited. In embodiments, actuatable interface element 206 is operative associated with a switch 208, such as a tact switch or the like, which is connected to at least one power source 218 and control circuitry 214, each of which can be connected to the plurality of illuminative elements 216 and can be configured to track the hydration status of a user and represent indicia thereof along a transparent front cover 2024 of the second portion 202. An actuatable illuminative element 210 may activate when the switch 208 is toggled to ‘enable’—i.e., when the at least one actuatable interface element 206 is engaged by the user.

The second portion 202 may operatively associated with a housing 230 for securing the plurality of components configured to track the hydration status of a user. The housing 230 may include a rear housing portion 220 having compartments and dividers for separately retaining said plurality of operative components. The housing 230 may include a front transparent cover 204 dimensioned and adapted to engage with the rear housing portion 220 to encase the plurality of operative components within their respective compartments.

The housing 230 may provide a Universal Serial Bus interface (USB-C for example), port 212 or another charging port or interface for charging the power source 218, which may be a lithium-ion battery or the like. Additionally, the power source 218 and control circuitry 214 can be commodity elements, as known in the art.

In embodiments, the plurality of display elements 226 may be any display elements known in the art, having indicia thereon configured to display a hydration status of a user. In embodiments, each of the plurality of display elements 226 can include an indicia indicative of an amount of hydration consumed, for example 1, 2, 3 . . . , or other counting formats etc., indicating a user has finished the hydration in a bottle that band 201/202 is currently affixed to the number of times indicated through the indicia. In embodiments, the plurality of illuminative elements 216 can be low power lighting, such as Light Emitting Diodes (LED), but are not so limited, located along a rigid flex PCB assembly (control circuitry 214), wherein each LED is disposed behind one of the plurality of display elements 226. The display elements 226 may be located along a light blocking shroud 222.

Referring to FIG. 7, the user can actuate interface element 206 which can cause the control circuitry 214 to illuminate one or more of the plurality of illuminative elements 216 which backlight and one or more of the plurality of display elements 226. In embodiments, the control circuitry 214 can store a sequential count such that each display element 226 is backlit by one or more of the plurality of illuminative elements 216 in sequence. For example, initially none of the plurality display elements 226 are illuminated, but upon a first actuation of interface element 206 a first of the plurality of display elements 226 can be illuminated by one or more of the plurality of illuminative elements 216. Upon a second actuation of interface element 206, the first one the plurality of display elements 226 can be unlit and a second of the plurality of display elements 226 can be illuminated by one or more of the plurality of illuminative elements 216. The process can proceed in sequence such that each press of interface element 206 causes illumination of a next of the plurality of display elements 226 by one or more of the plurality of illuminative elements 216. Once a last display element is reached a subsequent press of interface element 206 causes a reset such that no display elements 226 are illuminated.

In embodiments, manufacture of hydration tracking apparatus 200 can be performed by molding wherein the second portion 202 is formed around the plurality of components. For example, the plurality of components such as, at least one actuatable interface element 206, a plurality of display elements 226, a plurality of illuminative elements 216, at least one power source 218, and control circuitry 214 can be constructed and placed in a mold, such as a silicon mold, such that band second portion 202 formed from silicon can be formed around the plurality of components.

Referring to FIG. 6, the band second portion 202 may include an outer display pane 240, an outer housing 242 that snugly embraces the outer display pane 240, an inner housing 244, with an over-mold band 246 attached thereto, wherein the inner housing 244 has holes 241 (see FIG. 2B) that secure the over-mold band 246 to the outer housing 242 by way of material of the over-mold band 246 (which could be portions of the connection elements 247, see FIG. 2B) occupying said holes 241 of the outer display pane 240. Alternatively, one or more parts can be manufactured within band second portion 202 whereby the plurality of components can be formed separately and placed within second portion 202 after molding.

While it is understood that the hydration tracking apparatus 200 is described with respect to a removable band, it is not so limited. In alternative embodiments, hydration tracking apparatus can be a sleeve or C-shaped channel configured to removably affix to containers of various sizes. Additionally, hydration tracking apparatus 200 can be integral to a container such that all components are fixable attached to the container.

As used in this application, the term “about” or “approximately” refers to a range of values within plus or minus 10% of the specified number. And the term “substantially” refers to up to 80% or more of an entirety. Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “aligned” means parallel, substantially parallel, or forming an angle of less than 35.0 degrees. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “transverse” means perpendicular, substantially perpendicular, or forming an angle between 55.0 and 125.0 degrees. Also, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “length” means the longest dimension of an object. Also, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “width” means the dimension of an object from side to side. For the purposes of this disclosure, the term “above” generally means superjacent, substantially superjacent, or higher than another object although not directly overlying the object. Further, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “mechanical communication” generally refers to components being in direct physical contact with each other or being in indirect physical contact with each other where movement of one component affect the position of the other.

The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the embodiments or the claims. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed embodiments.

In the following description, it is understood that terms such as “first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” and the like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms unless specifically stated to the contrary.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the subject disclosure and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject disclosure as set forth in the following claims.