Researchers Submit Patent Application, “Consumption Tracking Wine Glass”, for Approval (USPTO 20220133069): Patent Application

2022 MAY 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Washington, D.C., NewsRx journalists report that a patent application by the inventors Cohron, James (Louisville, TN, US); Roth, Tonya (Louisville, TN, US), filed on March 17, 2021, was made available online on May 5, 2022.

No assignee for this patent application has been made.

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Alcohol consumption holds an important role in social engagement and bonding, and as such alcoholic beverages are a routine part of life for many individuals. However, regular and/or excessive consumption of alcohol may cause numerous health issues, including death. For example, alcohol consumption contributes to more than 3 million deaths each year globally, and the improper use of alcohol is responsible for approximately 5.1% of the global burden of disease. As such, an individual may choose to track the amount of wine or other alcoholic beverages that he or she consumes for weight loss, legal compliance or general health purposes. Further, many dietitians and other healthcare professionals may ask patients to record the number of ounces of alcohol that they consume to track their calories for weight loss or other medical reasons. Similarly, some individuals prefer to track their alcohol consumption for the purposes of drink management or blood alcohol level monitoring for situations such as parole or staying under the legal blood alcohol limit while operating, for example, a motor vehicle.

“Some individuals may manually measure the quantity of alcohol that they consume based on the capacity of the bottles, cans or glasses that they use to consume the alcohol in order to keep track of their total alcohol consumption. However, such individuals frequently forget to keep track of each and every drink (or portion thereof) that they consume, which may lead to inaccurate alcohol consumption calculations and records. This is undesirable for health management and weight loss purposes, as it is extremely important to accurately monitor the amount of alcohol consumed when engaging in such activities.

“Further, when utilizing conventional wine glasses, it is oftentimes difficult to determine how much wine has been poured and consumed, as wine glasses vary widely in shape and size. Some modern wine glasses are comprised with etched measurement marks which allow a user to measure the wine consumed in the glass manually via observing the measurement increment that corresponds with a level of wine within the glass. However, this manual method of quantifying the amount of alcohol poured or consumed may be done incorrectly or inaccurately by users, especially while intoxicated, which leads to inaccurate alcohol consumption tracking results. Additionally, the measurement marks are often etched into the glass at specific fixed increments, such as 4, 8, and 12 ounces, which may be difficult to accurately measure if the amount of alcohol consumed is in between the etched increments. Further, individuals may simply forget to track the amount of alcohol/wine that they consume, or may simply feel as though wine glasses with measurement increments are tacky, distasteful, and embarrassing and may choose not to use the same.

“Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for an alcohol consumption tracking device that enables a user to automatically measure the amount of wine or other alcoholic beverages consumed by the user. There is also a long felt need in the art for an alcohol consumption device that enables a user to accurately monitor their alcohol consumption and analyze trends and patterns related to their alcohol consumption for health management, weight loss and other purposes. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a consumption tracking wine glass which automatically measures the exact quantity of alcohol consumed by the user via the glass, and that does not rely on a user’s manual observation and consumption calculation. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a consumption tracking wine glass that notifies a user to avoid drinking further if impaired due to excessive consumption, and that ensures that the user is not unintentionally over served at a party or occasion. Finally, there is a long felt need for a consumption tracking wine glass that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and both safe and easy to use.

“The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a consumption tracking glass or container that allows a user to accurately track and record his or her alcohol consumption via the container, and analyze consumption trends over a period of time. The container may be in the form of a wine glass that is comprised of a shaped body portion for holding an alcoholic beverage that is supported by both a stem and a base. The base is comprised of a weight sensor that measures and records the weight/volume of alcohol added to the body portion of the wine glass automatically. The base may also be comprised of a small wireless communication module that allows the container to send the weight/volume information to a compatible smartphone application, wherein the smartphone application stores the received information and allows the user to analyze the information via a plurality of patterns, graphs and trends. In addition, the base or the stem of the container may comprise a relatively small reset button that allows a user to reset the weight sensor.

“In this manner, the consumption tracking wine glass of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, and provides a relatively easy to use, automatic and accurate method of measuring the exact amount of any alcoholic drink consumed by the user. The trackable wine glass of the present invention is also user friendly, inasmuch as the glass comprises a weight/volume sensor which automatically and accurately measures the exact amount of alcohol consumed without the need for additional effort on the part of the user. Additionally, the compatible smart device application/software application allows the user to monitor his or her alcohol consumption in both real-time, and over prolonged periods of time to analyze trends and patterns for the purposes of weight loss, alcoholic drink management, legal compliance and to better understand the user’s habits.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

“The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a consumption tracking container that allows a user to accurately track and record wine/alcohol consumption via the container. In a preferred embodiment, the container is a wine glass having each of a body, a stem and a base. The base is further comprised of a weight/volume sensor that calculates and records the weight and/or volume of alcohol added to the container. More specifically, the weight sensor is preferably embedded in the base at the approximate geometric center of the glass, and is configured to dynamically measure the weight/volume of the alcohol/wine in the glass and to report the real time weight/volume information to the user via a related mobile application/software. Additional embodiments of the container may further comprise an inclinometer or clinometer for measuring the angle of slope of the container to adjust for the fact that the container may not be on a completely horizontal surface and to ensure that the correct weight and/or volume of alcohol within the glass is recorded. Further, the stem of the container may also be comprised of a control button that is in communication with the weight/volume sensor and allows a user to reset the weight/volume sensor to zero, for example, to begin a new consumption tracking session or for calibration purposes.

“The base may also be comprised of a wireless communication module that is in electrical communication with the weight/volume sensor. The module is used to send the collected weight/volume information to a compatible smartphone application via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi. Alternatively, the information may be associated with a scannable QR code/barcode that can be scanned by a smart device for pairing, wherein the smartphone application then stores the received information and displays it to a user in the form of patterns, trends, and graphs that show consumption trends with a timestamp and the weight/volume of alcohol consumed. The paired smartphone application may be utilized by a user, a third party such as spouse or caretaker, law enforcement/parole officer or any other individual who may have interest in knowing the amount of alcohol that is or was consumed by the user.

“The smartphone application may also display the weight of alcohol/wine consumed in multiple different units, such as grams, milligrams or ounces, and the volume of the alcohol in milliliters or fluid ounces. The application may also be comprised of an artificial intelligence (AI) and/or algorithm that recommends alcohol portion size based on medical history of the user by converting the user’s alcohol consumption into a visual representation, such as a graph, chart, etc., that identifies the quantity of the alcohol/wine that should be consumed to meet the user’s weight loss or other objectives. The algorithm/AI may also consider a plurality of other factors in determining the appropriate portion of alcohol/wine to recommend for consumption by the user, such as comparing the weight loss objective or amount inputted by a user to the weight of alcohol/wine consumed by the consumer, local blood alcohol/DUI laws, parole restrictions, etc. As such, the AI/algorithm may provide further feedback to encourage the user to limit his or her consumption of alcohol/wine.

“In a further embodiment of the present invention, a method for accurately measuring alcohol or wine served in a wine glass is disclosed. The method is comprised of the initial step of measuring and recording the weight and/or volume of an alcoholic beverage poured into the wine glass via a weight sensor, and then transmitting the recorded weight/volume information in the form of a wireless communication signal to a paired smartphone application. Upon receipt, the received information may be recorded, analyzed and/or displayed. For example, the display may illustrate trends, recommendations and/or warnings based on the recorded consumption information and the medical history inputted by the user.

“The consumption tracking wine glass of the present invention is particularly advantageous because it enables users to better track the amount of wine/alcohol consumed without any additional labor or the potential for miscalculations. The device also encourages and recommends healthy drinking habits for users, as well as further enabling a user to accurately track their alcohol consumption for purposes of weight loss, drink management, legal compliance and to obtain a better overall understanding of the user’s drinking habits. The device further ensures that individuals are not unintentionally over served at a dinner party or other function and allows third parties, such as dietitians, doctors, family members, caretakers, law enforcement/parole officers, etc., to readily check the drinking pattern/status of the user via the smartphone application.

“To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A beverage container for tracking consumption of an alcoholic beverage, the beverage container comprising: a sidewall; a bottom; wherein the sidewall and the bottom form an interior cavity for receipt of the alcoholic beverage; and a sensor for sensing a weight or a volume of the alcoholic beverage contained within the interior cavity.

“2. The beverage container of claim 1 further comprising a stem and a base, wherein the stem is fixedly attached to, and extends between, each of the bottom and the base.

“3. The beverage container of claim 2, wherein the sensor is attached to the base.

“4. The beverage container of claim 3 further comprising a reset button.

“5. The beverage container of claim 4, wherein the reset button is in communication with the sensor.

“6. The beverage container of claim 5 further comprising a wireless communication module.

“7. The beverage container of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication module is in communication with each of the sensor and a smart device.

“8. The beverage container of claim 7, wherein the smart device is one of a smartphone, a smart watch, a computer, a tablet and a remote server.

“9. The beverage container of claim 8 further comprising an inclinometer in communication with the sensor.

“10. An alcohol consumption tracking system comprising: a beverage container; a sensor; a wireless communication module; and a mobile application on a device that is remote from the beverage container.

“11. The alcohol consumption tracking system of claim 10, wherein the beverage container is comprised of a continuous sidewall that forms an interior cavity for receipt of an alcoholic beverage, and further wherein the sensor senses a weight or a volume of the alcoholic beverage contained within the interior cavity.

“12. The alcohol consumption tracking system of claim 11, wherein the sensor is in wireless communication with each of the wireless communication module and the mobile application.

“13. The alcohol consumption tracking system of claim of claim 11 further comprising a stem and a base, wherein the stem is fixedly attached to, and extends outwardly from, the base to support the interior cavity.

“14. The alcohol consumption tracking system of claim 13, wherein the sensor is attached to the base.

“15. The alcohol consumption tracking system of claim 14 further comprising a reset button.

“16. The alcohol consumption tracking system of claim 15, wherein the reset button is in communication with the sensor.

“17. The alcohol consumption tracking system of claim 16 further comprising an inclinometer in communication with the sensor.

“18. A beverage container for tracking consumption of an alcoholic beverage, the beverage container comprising: a sidewall; a bottom; an interior cavity for receipt of the alcoholic beverage; a stem; a base; and a sensor for sensing a weight or a volume of the alcoholic beverage contained within the interior cavity.

“19. The beverage container of claim 18 further comprising an inclinometer in communication with the sensor.

“20. The beverage container of claim 18 further comprising a reset button and a speaker, each of which is positioned on the base.”

For additional information on this patent application, see: Cohron, James; Roth, Tonya. Consumption Tracking Wine Glass. Filed March 17, 2021 and posted May 5, 2022. Patent URL: https://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220220133069%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20220133069&RS=DN/20220133069

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