Activity Monitoring Systems and Methods of Operating Same

• US 20120083714A1
• Filed: 10/02/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eric Nathan Friedman, James Park, Shelten Gee Jao Yuen
• Original Assignee: Eric Nathan Friedman, James Park, Shelten Gee Jao Yuen
• Inventors: Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao, Park, James, Friedman, Eric Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/251,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20120083714A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/587
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0686 having a forming anvil staying below the tissue during stapling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 : combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 : Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 : Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4815 : Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 : Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 : specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 : Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 : Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 : Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 : using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 : Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/744 : Displaying an avatar, e.g. an animated cartoon character
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 : characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/72 : Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/73 : Altitude
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/04 : heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 : heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/50 : temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/70 : body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 : calorie expenditure
• 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: G01C 22/00 : Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 : Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/00 : Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels G01C3/20, G01C3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 : Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/003 : Kinematic accelerometers, i.e. measuring acceleration in relation to an external reference frame, e.g. Ferratis accelerometers G01P15/001, G01P15/16, G01P15/165 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 : Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 : worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The present inventions, in one aspect, are directed to an activity monitoring system comprising a portable monitoring device and a base device. In one embodiment, the portable monitoring device includes a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user, a motion sensor, disposed in the housing, to detect motion of a user and, in response thereto, to generate data which is representative of motion of the user, processing circuitry, disposed in the housing, to calculate a calorie burn of the user and/or number of steps taken by the user using the data which is representative of motion of the user. The portable monitoring device also includes a display to display data to the user, wherein the display includes a data transfer mode to optically transmit data which is representative of the calorie burn of the user and/or number of steps taken by the user. The base device includes a visual sensor to detect the data which is representative of the calorie burn of the user and/or number of steps taken by the user transmitted by the display.

Claims

1. An activity monitoring system comprising:

a portable monitoring device adapted to couple to a body of a user, the portable monitoring device including;

a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user;

a motion sensor, disposed in the housing, to detect motion of a user and, in response thereto, to generate data which is representative of motion of the user;

processing circuitry, disposed in the housing and coupled to the motion sensor, to calculate a number of steps taken by the user using the data which is representative of motion of the user; and

a display, coupled to the processing circuitry, to display data which is representative of the number of steps, wherein the display includes a data transfer mode to optically transmit data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user; and

a base device including a visual sensor to detect the data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user transmitted by the display of the portable monitoring device.

2. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the portable monitoring device includes a user interface to receive a user input, wherein, in response to the user input, the display enters the data transfer mode to optically transmit data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user.

3. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the portable monitoring device receives an instruction via wireless transmission wherein, in response, the display enters the data transfer mode data to optically transmit data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user.

4. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the portable monitoring device receives an instruction via vibration sequence wherein, in response, the display enters the data transfer mode data to optically transmit data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user.

5. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the portable monitoring device transmits identification data to the base station so that the optically transmitted data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user is correlated with the user associated with the portable monitoring device.

6. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display optically transmits a sequence of one or more characters or symbols that are representative of the number of steps taken by the user.

7. The activity monitoring system of claim 6 wherein the characters or symbols are a binary sequence of bits.

8. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display outputs display data to allow the user to physically align the display relative to the visual monitoring sensor.

9. The activity monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the display data to align the display relative to the visual monitoring sensor includes one or more visual landmarks to indicate proper alignment between the display and the visual monitoring sensor.

10. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display transmits data using an intensity of one or more pixels of the display and/or one or more colors of one or more pixels of the display.

11. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display transmits data by switching on/off one or more pixels of the display.

12. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display transmits data using one or more LCD segments of the display.

13. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the visual sensor of the base device includes a camera.

14. The activity monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the base device is a mobile telephone, internet portal device and/or computer.

15. An activity monitoring system comprising:

a portable monitoring device adapted to couple to a body of a user, the portable monitoring device including;

a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user;

a motion sensor, disposed in the housing, to detect motion of a user and, in response thereto, to generate data which is representative of motion of the user;

processing circuitry, disposed in the housing and coupled to the motion sensor, to calculate a calorie burn of the user using the data which is representative of motion of the user, and

a display, coupled to the processing circuitry, to display data to the user, wherein the display includes a data transfer mode to optically transmit data which is representative of the calorie burn of the user; and

a base device including a visual sensor to detect the data which is representative of the calorie burn of the user transmitted by the display of the portable monitoring device.

16. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein the portable monitoring device includes a user interface to receive a user input, wherein, in response to the user input, the display enters the data transfer mode to optically transmit data which is representative of the calorie burn of the user.

17. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein the portable monitoring device receives an instruction via wireless transmission wherein, in response, the display enters the data transfer mode data to optically transmit data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user.

18. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein the portable monitoring device receives an instruction via vibration sequence wherein, in response, the display enters the data transfer mode data to optically transmit data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user.

19. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein the portable monitoring device transmits identification data to the base station so that the optically transmitted data which is representative of the number of steps taken by the user is correlated with the user associated with the portable monitoring device.

20. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display optically transmits a sequence of one or more characters or symbols that are representative of the calorie burn of the user.

21. The activity monitoring system of claim 20 wherein the characters or symbols are a binary sequence of bits.

22. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display outputs display data to allow the user to physically align the display relative to the visual monitoring sensor.

23. The activity monitoring system of claim 22 wherein the display data to align the display relative to the visual monitoring sensor generates one or more visual landmarks to indicate proper alignment between the display and the visual monitoring sensor.

24. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display transmits data using an intensity of one or more pixels of the display and/or one or more colors of one or more pixels of the display.

25. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display transmits data by switching on/off one or more pixels of the display.

26. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein, in the transfer mode, the display transmits data using one or more LCD segments of the display.

27. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein the visual sensor of the base device includes a camera.

28. The activity monitoring system of claim 15 wherein the base device is a mobile telephone, internet portal device and/or computer.

29. An activity monitoring system comprising:

a portable monitoring device adapted to couple to a body of a user, the portable monitoring device including;

a housing having a physical size and shape that is adapted to couple to the body of the user;

a motion sensor, disposed in the housing, to detect motion of a user and, in response thereto, to generate data which is representative of motion of the user;

an altitude sensor, disposed in the housing, to detect an altitude of the user, and, in response thereto, to generate data which is representative of a change in altitude of the user;

processing circuitry, disposed in the housing and coupled to the motion sensor and the altitude sensor, to calculate a calorie burn of the user using (i) the data which is representative of motion of the user and (ii) the data which is representative of a change in altitude of the user, and

a display, coupled to the processing circuitry, to display data to the user, wherein the display includes a data transfer mode to optically transmit data which is representative of the calorie burn of the user; and

a base device including a visual sensor to detect the data which is representative of the calorie burn of the user transmitted by the display of the portable monitoring device.