Windows 7 launch promotion in Japan. Credit: Burger King

Would you avoid those fries at lunch if you could see exactly how the calories would expand your waistline in 10 years? That's the concept behind a newly surfaced Microsoft patent application, which proposes to motivate people to get healthy through a computer program that would project how they'll look based on factors including their current diet, exercise routine and genetics.

"Many people out of sheer laziness refrain from partaking in physical activity and consume unhealthy food," reads the application. "This avoidance is borne out by the soaring demographic of persons who can be classified as being obese and who continually and incessantly eat fast foods (e.g., hamburgers, french fries, pizza, hot dogs, etc.) and then proceed to 'supersize' the order for a marginal increase in price, for example. In most instances, if people were pictorially or visually made aware of the consequences of their choices and actions, many, if not most, would modify their behavior and life style selections to comport with a healthier body image."

Yes, this is from the same company that teamed with Burger King last week to celebrate the launch of Windows 7 in Japan with a seven-patty hamburger weighing in at more than 2,000 calories.

Irony aside, the approach outlined in the patent filing appears to dovetail with Microsoft's HealthVault program for tracking and storing personal medical information.

As described in the patent, the system would use a variety of information about the person's current diet and exercise habits to create an image of what they're likely to look like in future years. In addition, the patent filing says the system would use medical records to "isolate genetic factors and predispositions which can impact how an individual will look."

Apart from scaring people with visions of their expanding bellies and backsides, the system could be used for predictive positive reinforcement -- showing people how their future appearance could improve if they changed their habits.

The patent was filed in April 2008 and made public last week. We weren't able to find any evidence of Microsoft developing a prototype or bringing the technology to market yet, but we've contacted a company representative for more information about its plans, and we'll update this post depending on the response.