Apparatus and method for prompting a sequence of timed activities

• US 20080201639A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jay Shoman
• Original Assignee: Jay Shoman
• Inventors: Shoman, Jay
• Application Number:
  US11/706,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201639A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

The Invention is an apparatus and method for prompting a sequence of timed activities such as a program of exercise. A computer is programmed to allow a user to select an activity or a plurality of activities and the duration of each selected activity. The computer is programmed to select a first prompt and a second prompt. A sequence of activities may be selected by the user and incorporated into a composite audio file, each with its own first and second prompts. The composite audio file may include music selected by the user. The first and second prompts may instruct the user to begin and end the activity while the music provides pacing cues to allow the user to pace him or herself during the period of the activity between the first and second prompts.

Claims

1. A method for prompting a sequence of timed activities, the method comprising:

a. presenting by a computer of a menu of the timed activities to a user;

b. selecting by said user using said computer of a timed activity from said menu;

c. selecting by said user using said computer of a duration for said selected timed activity;

d. selecting by said computer of an audio cue, said audio cue being determined by said selected timed activity;

e. selecting by said user of an audio information having a rhythm and a tempo, said audio information being stored in a computer memory operably associated with said computer;

f. associating by said computer of said audio cue and said audio information, said association of said audio cue and said audio information being a timed association, said timed association being determined by said selected duration of said selected timed activity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein,

a. said step of selecting by-said user of the timed activity comprises:

selecting by said user of a plurality of the timed activities from said menu, said user arranging in an order each of said plurality of the timed activities, said arrangement of said order of said plurality of the timed activities defining the sequence of the timed activities;

b. said step of selecting said duration for said timed activity further comprises;

selecting said duration for each of said plurality of the timed activities in the sequence;

c. said step of selecting by said computer of said audio cue comprises;

said audio cue being a one of a plurality of said audio cues, said computer selecting a one of said plurality of said audio cues for each of said plurality of the timed activities in the sequence;

d. said step of associating by said computer of said audio cue and said audio information further comprises;

associating by said computer of said audio information and said selected one of said plurality of said audio cues for each of said plurality of the timed activities in the sequence, said association of said audio information and said one of said plurality of said audio cues for each of said plurality of the timed activities being said timed association, said timed association being determined by said selected duration of each of said selected plurality of the timed activities.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each of said plurality of said audio cues is a one of a plurality of first prompts, the method further comprising:

a. playing said one of said plurality of said first prompts associated with a first of said plurality of the timed activities in the sequence;

b. playing said audio information;

c. pausing said play of said audio information, said pausing of said play of said audio information occurring at a first predetermined time with respect to said playing of said one of said plurality of said first prompts associated with said first of said plurality of the timed activities, said first predetermined time being determined by said selected duration of said first timed activity in the sequence;

d. playing said one of said plurality of said first prompts associated with a second of said plurality of the timed activities in the sequence;

e. playing said audio information;

f. pausing said play of said audio information, said pausing of said play of said audio information occurring at a second predetermined time with respect to said playing of said one of said plurality of said first prompt associated with said second of said plurality of the timed activities, said second predetermined time being determined by said selected duration of said second timed activity in the sequence.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of selecting by said user of said audio information comprises:

selecting by said user of a plurality of music audio files.

5. The method of claim 4, the method further comprising:

concatenating said plurality of music audio files into a play list audio file.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said plurality of audio cues comprises a plurality of first prompts, each of said plurality of first prompts corresponding to a one of said plurality of the timed activities, said step of associating by said computer of said audio information and said audio cue for each of said plurality of the timed activities in the sequence further comprises:

a. cutting said play list audio file into a plurality of segments, each of said plurality of segments corresponding to a one of said plurality of the timed activities, each of said plurality of said segments having a length, said length of each of said plurality of segments being determined by said duration of said one of said plurality of the timed activities corresponding to said segment;

b. inserting by said computer of each of said plurality of said first prompts corresponding to each of said plurality of the timed activities before each of said plurality of segments corresponding to each of said plurality of the timed activities, said plurality of segments and said inserted plurality of said first prompts defining a composite audio file;

c. concatenating by said computer of said composite audio file and saving said composite audio file in a form downloadable by a portable audio player.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each of said plurality of said first prompts is a one of a plurality of first verbal instructions.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said one of said plurality of first verbal instructions is a direction to begin a fitness-related activity.

9. An apparatus for prompting a sequence of timed activities, the apparatus comprising:

a. a computer; and

b. a computer memory operably associated with said computer, said computer being programmed to allow a user to select a plurality of activities from a menu of activities, said computer being programmed to allow said user to select the sequence of said selected plurality of activities, said computer being programmed to allow said user to select a duration of each said selected activity of said plurality of activities, said computer being programmed to select a plurality of first prompts, each of said plurality of first prompts corresponding to a one of said plurality of activities, each said first prompt being defined by said one of said plurality of selected activities to which said first prompt corresponds, said computer being programmed to allow said user to select from said computer memory an audio information having a rhythm and a tempo, and said computer being programmed to associate each of said plurality of first prompts in a timed and sequential association with said audio information having rhythm and tempo, whereby each said first prompt may be played to said user in sequence and said audio information having said rhythm and said tempo may provide a pacing cue to said user.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said audio information having a rhythm and a tempo is a music.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said music comprises:

a plurality of music files, each of said plurality of music files being selected by said user, said computer being programmed to concatenate said plurality of said music files into a play list audio file.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each of said plurality of said first prompts cues said user to begin said selected activity to which said first prompt corresponds.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said programming of said computer to associate said plurality of said first prompts in said timed and sequential association with said audio information comprises:

said computer being programmed to associate said plurality of said first prompts to play back in the sequence with a period of time interposed between each said first prompt and each succeeding said first prompt in the sequence, said period of time being defined by said selected duration of said selected activity to which each of said plurality of first prompts corresponds, said computer being programmed to play back said play list during said period of time interposed between said plurality of first prompts in the sequence.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said menu of activities consists of a menu of exercise-related activities.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said computer is programmed to cut said play list audio file into a plurality of segments, each segment having a length, each said length corresponding to said period of time interposed between each said first prompt and each succeeding said first prompt in the sequence.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said computer is programmed to interpose a one of said plurality of segments between each said first prompt and each succeeding said first prompt in the sequence, said computer being further programmed to concatenate said plurality of interposed segments and each said first prompt into a composite audio file.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said first prompt is are selected from a list consisting of pre-recorded prompts, prompts recorded by said user and prompts selected by said user.

18. An apparatus for prompting a sequence of timed activities, the apparatus comprising:

a computer, said computer being programmed to allow a user to select an activity and a duration of said activity, said computer being programmed to select a first prompt occurring at a first time, said selected duration of said activity defining said first time, said computer being programmed to allow said user to select a music file, said music file containing music having rhythm and tempo, said computer being programmed to associate said first prompt with said music file, whereby said first prompt may be played at said first time and said music file played during said duration of said activity, whereby and said user may pace him or herself during performance of the timed activity based on said rhythm and said tempo of said music.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the apparatus further comprising:

a computer memory operably associated with said computer, said music file comprising a plurality of said music files, each of said plurality of music files being selected by said user from said computer memory, said computer being programmed to concatenate said plurality of said music files into a play list audio file, said computer being configured to cut said play list audio files into a segment having said duration, said computer being configured to insert said segment after said first prompt, said computer being configured to concatenate said first prompt, and said segment into a composite audio file, said computer being programmed to store said composite audio file in said computer memory in a form that may be downloaded by a portable audio player, whereby said user may listen to said first and said second prompts on said portable audio player and may listen to said first prompt followed by said play list audio file.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said computer is programmed to allow said user to select a plurality of said activities as the sequence of the timed activities, each of said selected plurality of activities having a one of a plurality of said first prompts associated with said activity, said computer being programmed to allow said user to select a one of a plurality of said durations for each of said selected plurality of activities, said composite audio file including said first for said each of said selected plurality of activities in the sequence, whereby when said composite audio file is played, said user may hear said first prompt associated with each of said selected plurality of activities in sequence with said selected duration between each said first prompt in the sequence and said user may hear said music during said duration of said selected activity.