Athletic Monitoring System And Method

• US 20090174558A1
• Filed: 03/05/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: White, Russell W.
• Application Number:
  US12/398,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174558A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0071 Distinction between different activities, movements, or kind of sports performed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/20 Swimming
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0028 for running, jogging or speed-walking movable endless bands A63B22/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/16 for cycling , i.e. arrangements on or for real bicycles
• 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: G01C 21/10 : by using measurements of speed or acceleration G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/002 : for cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 : Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 : Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 : Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 : Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 : specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 : Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 : using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 : for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 : with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 : including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 : including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 : including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 : Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for monitoring the athletic performance of a user while also providing the user with entertainment such as an outputting of music. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a housing component at least partially defining an enclosure. A performance engine may be located within the enclosure and may utilize a signal from a motion sensor to generate a performance metric like current speed, distance traveled, or cadence. The system may also include an audio and/or a visual output mechanism such as a speaker assembly or a display device. The output mechanism may be capable of presenting the performance metric to a user.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a housing component at least partially defining an enclosure;

a memory located at least partially within the enclosure;

a set of performance engine instructions stored in the memory and configured to utilize a signal from a motion sensor to generate a first performance metric and a second performance metric;

an audio file player located within the enclosure;

an audio output device configured to output a first audio output signal representing an audio file played by the audio file player;

a display configured to output a map to display a performance route and at least one of the first and second performance metrics using GPS data; and

a wide area wireless transceiver located within the enclosure and operable to receive an incoming telephone call, wherein the audio output device is operable to indicate the existence of the incoming telephone call and to pause the first audio output signal in connection with an answering of the incoming telephone call.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the audio output device is further configured to output a second audio output signal representing a spoken reporting of the first performance metric and the second performance metric, the second audio output signal output responsive to a user request.

3. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising an application configured to receive the first and second performance metrics and the GPS data and output the map.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the application is configured to convert the GPS data and the first and second performance metrics to an animated sequence.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to download an application including the set of performance engine instructions.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device includes a GPS device to provide the GPS data.

7. The computing device of claim 2, further comprising a bicycle motion sensor that is the motion sensor, wherein the bicycle motion sensor is operable to communicate the signal across an interface selected from a group consisting of a wired interface and a wireless interface.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first performance metric and the second performance metric are each selected from a group consisting of a cadence metric, a speed metric, a heart rate performance metric, a time metric, a calories burned metric, and a distance metric and further wherein the system utilizes a GPS device to sense movement.

9. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a local area wireless transceiver and a heart rate sensor operable to communicate heart rate information for the user to the local area wireless transceiver, wherein the set of performance engine instructions are further operable to utilize the heart rate information to generate a heart rate performance metric.

10. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a toggle disk to enable user interaction with the performance monitoring system.

11. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising an application loaded in the performance monitoring system, wherein the application is downloaded over the air via the wide area wireless transceiver.

12. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a collection of performance metric information from a device storing the collection, wherein the device comprises;

a housing component at least partially defining an enclosure;

a memory located at least partially within the enclosure;

a set of performance engine instructions stored in the memory and configured to utilize a signal from a motion sensor to generate a first performance metric and a second performance metric;

an audio file player located within the enclosure;

an audio output device configured to output a first audio output signal representing an audio file played by the audio file player;

a display configured to output a map to display a performance route and at least one of the first and second performance metrics using GPS data; and

a wide area wireless transceiver operable to receive an incoming telephone call, and wherein the device is operable to indicate the existence of the incoming telephone call and to pause the first audio output signal in connection with an answering of the incoming telephone call; and

(b) generating a viewable representation of the collection.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the device is to output a second audio output signal representing a spoken reporting of the first performance metric and the second performance metric.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the device includes an application configured to receive the first and second performance metrics and the GPS data and output the map.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the collection of performance metric information is indirectly received from the device, further wherein the indirect receipt comprises at least one communication via the Public Internet.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising allowing a first user to share at least a portion of a first user collection of performance metric information with a different user via a wide area cellular network.

17. A performance monitoring system comprising:

a computer readable medium storing instructions to direct a cellular telephone to generate a first performance metric and a second performance metric that are based at least in part on a signal generated by a motion sensing device; and

wherein the cellular telephone comprises an audio output mechanism to output a first audio output signal representing an audio file being played by the cellular telephone, a GPS component to facilitate location-based and tracking functionality, a display configured to display a performance route and at least one of the first and second performance metrics using GPS data from the GPS component, and a wide area wireless transceiver operable to receive an incoming telephone call, and wherein the cellular telephone is configured to indicate the existence of the incoming telephone call and to pause the audio file in connection with an answering of the incoming telephone call.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the cellular telephone is configured to download a set of performance engine instructions to generate the first and second performance metrics and to store the set of performance engine instructions in the computer readable medium.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a different computer readable medium storing instructions to direct a personal computer to receive a collection of performance metric information from the cellular telephone and to send an update that comprises a modified set of performance engine instructions to the cellular telephone.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising a mounting system for securing the motion sensing device to a human body part, including a mechanism that secures the mounting system to the human body part and a device holder portion formed such that the motion sensing device at least partially fits within the device holder portion.