INSTRUCTIONAL GAMING METHODS AND APPARATUS

• US 20090176581A1
• Filed: 03/04/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Respondesign Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Respondesign Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spooner, Ted, Barnes, Phineas Ayer, Leighton, Jason, Dhabolt, Jade L.
• Application Number:
  US12/397,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176581A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

An instructional gaming apparatus and method implements adaptive instructional gaming from a start point along a trajectory to a final goal. The system comprises a receiver for electronically receiving data from a user. The system further includes an electronic subject matter database with a clearly defined set of discrete heuristics combined with an electronic processor for the creation of an electronic instructional gaming curriculum unique to the individual user and their goals to enable proficiency in the given subject matter. Performance is periodically tested. And electronic means allows the information from the user performance database to be incorporated into the discrete heuristic utilized by the electronic processor for the creation of future electronic instructional gaming curriculums and/or individual instructional gaming lessons for the specific user in the given subject.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, if executed, result in:

eliciting a user to perform a plurality of physical tests;

analyzing the test results to rate different performance areas including at least cardiovascular performance and muscular performance;

accessing a database of exercises, wherein the exercises in the database indicate associated difficulty levels, and wherein the exercises are mapped to the different performance areas so that each difficulty level relates to a respective one of the ratings;

comparing the ratings to the difficulty levels, respectively, and identifying a subset of the exercises according to the comparison; and

dynamically generating a workout session from the subset of exercises, wherein an end segment of the workout session is formed by selecting a combination of exercises from the subset at a time occurring after a beginning segment of the workout session has been completed, and wherein the computer readable medium elicits feedback from the user during the workout session and dynamically modifies the subset during the workout session by adding or deleting exercises to or from the subset according to the solicited feedback.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

eliciting and obtaining new test results at each occurrence of a first interval;

generating a new subset whenever new tests results are obtained if the new test results vary from previous test results, wherein the new subset of exercises is formed independently of feedback obtained prior to obtaining the associated new test results; and

continuing to elicit feedback from the user according to a second interval after generating the new subset of the exercises, wherein the second interval is more frequent than the first interval, and wherein the new subset is dynamically modified by adding or deleting exercises to or from the new subset according to the continually elicited feedback.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

graphically rendering a model that performs the exercises selected in the workout session to guide the user through the workout session.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein at least one combination of the exercises performed by the model is rendered during the workout session, and wherein the graphical rendering of the at least one combination of exercises is not pre-rendered.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

identifying a duration of the workout session;

determining a duration of a warm-up period according to the identified workout session duration; and

selecting a combination of exercises from the subset to fit within the determined duration.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

filtering the subset according to information from the database indicating which exercises are associated with the warm-up period; and

selecting the combination of exercises to fit within the determined duration from the filtered subset.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

comparing the ratings to identify a most deficient one of the performance areas;

setting an inter-session workout goal according to the identified deficient performance area;

identifying an intra-session workout goal according to an input indicating a user'"'"'s preference for the workout session;

identifying a duration of the workout session; and

allocating a first portion of the workout session to the inter-session workout goal and a second portion of the workout session according to the intra-session workout goal, wherein durations of the first and second portions are determined according to the identified workout session duration.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

utilizing the performance area mappings to select, for the first portion, exercises from the subset that correspond to the inter-session workout goal; and

utilizing the performance area mappings to select, for the second portion, exercises from the subset that correspond to the intra-session workout goal.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

obtaining the feedback by querying the user.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 37, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

obtaining the feedback by measuring a user'"'"'s biological response to a completed portion of the workout session.

11. A computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, if executed, result in:

eliciting a user to perform a plurality of physical tests;

analyzing the test results to obtain performance ratings;

comparing the ratings to a database containing a plurality of entries, wherein each entry includes an exercise and an associated difficulty level for that exercise;

initially filtering the exercises according to the comparison to generate an initial list of exercises;

dynamically generating a workout session from the initial list, wherein an end segment of the workout session is formed by selecting a combination of exercises at a time occurring after a beginning segment of the workout session has been completed;

eliciting feedback from the user during the workout session and dynamically forming new lists during the workout session by adding or deleting exercises from the initial list according to the elicited feedback, wherein the computer readable medium dynamically generates the workout session by assembling exercise combinations using the most recently formed list.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 39, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

obtaining the feedback by querying the user.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

obtaining the feedback by measuring a user'"'"'s biological response to a completed portion of the workout session.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 39, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in:

graphically rendering a model that performs the exercises selected in the workout session to guide the user through the workout session.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 42, wherein at least one combination of exercises performed by the model is rendered during the workout session, and wherein the graphical rendering of the at least one combination of exercises is not pre-rendered.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a display; and

circuitry coupled to the display, the circuitry configured to;

display graphical representations of a plurality of physical tests and eliciting a user to perform the physical tests according to the displayed graphical representation of the tests;

obtain performance results after the user completes the physical tests;

compare the obtained performance results to a database containing a plurality of entries, wherein each entry includes an exercise and an associated difficulty level for that exercise;

initially filter the exercises according to the comparison to generate an initial list of the exercises;

dynamically generate a workout session from the initial list, wherein an end segment of the workout session is formed by selecting a combination of exercises at a time occurring after a beginning segment of the workout session has been completed; and

obtain feedback from the user during the workout session and dynamically form new lists during the workout session by adding or deleting exercises from the initial list according to the obtained feedback, wherein the workout session is dynamically generated by assembling exercise combinations using the most recently formed list.

17. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the circuitry is further configured to obtain the feedback by querying the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the circuitry is further configured to obtain the feedback by measuring a user'"'"'s biological response to a completed portion of the workout session.

19. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the circuitry is further configured to graphically render a model that performs the exercises selected in the workout session to guide the user through the workout session.

20. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein at least one combination of exercises performed by the model is rendered during the workout session, and wherein the graphical rendering of the at least one combination of exercises is not pre-rendered.