System for real-time tracking of fluid consumption by a user

Abstract

A system for tracking fluid consumption of a user from a fluid container in real-time includes a cap connected to the fluid container, the cap including a micro-electro-mechanical system to detect motion and orientation of the cap in relation to the fluid container, a first transducer to transmit sound waves toward the fluid stored within the container, a second transducer to receive the echo of the sound waves, a computing device to generate data pertaining to the fluid consumption of the user based on information from the micro-electro-mechanical system and the transducers, and a communication system to transmit the fluid consumption data to a cloud computer via a network to permit at least one party of interest to have access to the fluid consumption data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for tracking fluid consumption of a user from a fluid container in real-time, the system configured to generate and transmit data pertaining to the fluid consumption to a network so the data will be readily accessible to at least one party of interest, the system comprising:
 a cap configured to be operably connected to the fluid container, the cap comprising a micro-electro-mechanical system configured to detect motion and orientation of the cap in relation to the fluid container, a first transducer configured to transmit sound waves toward the fluid stored within the container, a second transducer configured to receive the echo of the sound waves, a computing device configured to generate the data pertaining to the fluid consumption of the user based on information from the micro-electro-mechanical system and the transducers, and a communication system configured to transmit the fluid consumption data to a cloud computer via the network to permit the at least one party of interest to have ready access to the fluid consumption data through the cloud computer.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the cap further comprises a battery. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the cap further comprises a light-emitting diode configured to provide the user an alert pertaining to the fluid consumption data. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the cap further comprises an analog front end unit configured to provide analog filtering, biasing and digitization of the sound waves. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the cap further comprises a sensor configured to determine whether the cap is secured to the fluid container. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the fluid consumption data comprises a unique identification number associated with the fluid container. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the communication system of the cap transmits the fluid consumption data to the cloud computer via a mobile device or a relay device. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the communication system is configured to communicate wirelessly with the mobile device or the relay device. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , further comprising at least one party of interest computing device operably connected to the cloud computer via the network to enable the at least one party of interest to access the fluid consumption data. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the cloud computer is configured to generate usage reports, notifications and alerts based on the fluid consumption data.