Programmable virtual exercise instructor for providing computerized spoken guidance of customized exercise routines to exercise users

• US 20070293370A1
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph William Klingler
• Original Assignee: Joseph William Klingler
• Inventors: Klingler, Joseph William
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/4
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/00 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A programmable virtual exercise instructor processes a word processing document having text chunks corresponding to instructions of actions of an activity in order to communicate the instructions to a person performing the activity. The activity may be an exercise routine with the actions being exercises. The text chunks include words indicative of timing information associated with the text chunks. The exercise instructor converts the text chunks to speech and extracts the timing information from the text chunks. The exercise instructor audibly speaks each text chunk one at a time at a rate consistent with the timing information associated with the text chunk such that the instructions of the activity actions are audibly spoken to the person to thereby direct the person through the activity. The exercise instructor may visually display the text chunks such that the instructions of the activity actions are visually displayed to the person as well.

Claims

1. A system for communicating instructions of an activity to a person, the system comprising:

a speaker; and

a processor operative to receive a text stream corresponding to an activity having actions to be performed by a person performing the activity, the text stream including text chunks respectively corresponding to instructions of the actions of the activity, the text chunks include words indicative of timing information associated with the text chunks;

wherein the processor converts the text chunks to speech and extracts the timing information from the text chunks;

wherein the processor audibly speaks via the speaker the text chunks one at a time at a rate consistent with the timing information such that the instructions of the activity actions are audibly spoken via the speaker to the person to thereby direct the person through the activity.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the activity is an exercise routine and the activity actions are exercises of the exercise routine.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a display;

wherein the processor visually outputs via the display the text chunks for the person to see.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the processor highlights on the display each text chunk as the text chunk is being audibly spoken.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

words indicative of timing information associated with the text chunks include explicit timing words representative of units of time for the instructions corresponding to the text chunks such as “

minutes” and

“

seconds”

.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

words indicative of timing information associated with the text chunks include implicit timing words representative of time durations for the instructions corresponding to the text chunks such as “

breaths”

, “

repetitions”

, “

times”

, and “

repps”

.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the processor assigns a unit of time to each of the implicit timing words, wherein the units of time assigned to the implicit timing words are configurable by an operator of the processor.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein:

each text chunk includes a text chunk termination character which designates the end of the text chunk such that the processor distinguishes the text chunks from one another when converting the text chunks into speech.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the text chunks are arranged in the text stream in a sequential order;

wherein the processor audibly speaks via the speaker the text chunks in the sequential order such that the instructions of the activity actions are audibly spoken in the sequential order.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein:

at least one text chunk includes a word indicative of a command to keep the at least one text chunk silent when the processor audibly speaks via the speaker the text chunks, wherein the processor audibly speaks via the speaker the text chunks one at a time at a rate consistent with the timing information with the exception of speaking the at least one text chunk.

11. A method for communicating instructions of an activity to a person, the method comprising:

receiving a text stream corresponding to an activity having actions to be performed by a person performing the activity, the text stream including text chunks respectively corresponding to instructions of the actions of the activity, the text chunks including words indicative of timing information associated with the text chunks;

converting the text chunks to speech;

extracting the timing information from the text chunks; and

audibly speaking the text chunks one at a time at a rate consistent with the timing information such that the instructions of the activity actions are audibly spoken to the person to thereby direct the person through the activity.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the activity is an exercise routine and the activity actions are exercises of the exercise routine.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

visually outputting the text chunks on a display for the person to see.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

highlighting each text chunk on the display as the text chunk is being audibly spoken.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein:

words indicative of timing information associated with the text chunks include explicit timing words representative of units of time for the instructions corresponding to the text chunks such as “

minutes” and

“

seconds”

.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein:

words indicative of timing information associated with the text chunks include implicit timing words representative of time durations for the instructions corresponding to the text chunks such as “

breaths”

, “

repetitions”

, “

times”

, and “

repps”

.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

assigning a programmable unit of time to each of the implicit timing words.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein:

each text chunk includes a text chunk termination character which designates the end of the text chunk such that the processor distinguishes the text chunks from one another when converting the text chunks into speech.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the text chunks are arranged in the text stream in a sequential order;

wherein audibly speaking each text chunk includes audibly speaking the text chunks in the sequential order such that the instructions of the activity actions are audibly spoken in the sequential order.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein:

at least one text chunk includes a word indicative of a command to keep the at least one text chunk silent when the processor audibly speaks via the speaker the text chunks;

wherein audibly speaking each text chunk includes audibly speaking the text chunks one at a time at a rate consistent with the timing information with the exception of speaking the at least one text chunk.