Methods and Systems for Geo-Location Optimized Tracking and Updating for Events Having Combined Activity and Location Information

• US 20140343892A1
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao, Park, James, Lee, Hans Christiansen
• Granted Patent: US 8,942,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• 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 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• 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 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• 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 5/6802 Sensor mounted on worn items
• 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 5/743 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: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 : Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 : Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• 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

Abstract

A method includes obtaining a first geo-location and a second geo-location. The first and second geo-locations are associated with a monitoring device. The monitoring device is configured to be used by a user. The first geo-location is determined at a first time and the second geo-location is determined at a second time. The first time and the second time are associated with a rate of obtaining geo-location data. The method includes calculating a difference in distance between the second and first geo-locations and changing the rate of obtaining a third geo-location associated with the monitoring device based on the difference in distance between the second and first geo-locations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first geo-location of a monitoring device at a first time;

receiving a second geo-location of the monitoring device at a second time;

determining a distance difference between the second and the first geo-locations;

determining whether the distance difference exceeds a pre-determined threshold;

decreasing a rate of obtaining additional geo-locations when the distance difference does not exceed the pre-determined threshold within a pre-determined amount of time; and

sending an instruction including the decreased rate of obtaining the additional geo-locations to the monitoring device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geo-location includes a longitude or a latitude, wherein the second geo-location includes a latitude or a longitude.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device includes a bracelet, or a watch, or a wristband.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance difference includes a difference between latitudes of the second and first geo-locations and a difference between longitudes of the second and first geo-locations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second time occurs after the first time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined amount of time is equal to a difference between the second and first times.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the instruction including the decreased rate of obtaining the additional geo-locations is performed to command the monitoring device to obtain the additional geo-locations at a reduced rate lower than a rate at which the first and second geo-locations are obtained.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein decreasing the rate of obtaining the additional geo-locations facilitates a reduction in battery use of the monitoring device.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a first geo-location of a wearable monitoring device, the first geo-location calculated at a first time;

receiving a second geo-location of the wearable monitoring device, the second geo-location at a second time, the second time occurs after the first time;

determining whether a difference between the second geo-location and the first geo-location is less than a pre-determined geo-location value and determining whether a difference between the second time and the first time is less than a pre-determined time value; and

decreasing a rate of obtaining geo-location data in response to determining that the difference between the second geo-location and the first geo-location is less than the pre-determined geo-location value and determining that the difference between the second time and the first time is less than the pre-determined time value.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising interpolating additional geo-locations between the first and second geo-locations upon determining that the difference between the second geo-location and the first geo-location is less than the pre-determined geo-location value and determining that the difference between the second time and the first time is less than the pre-determined time value.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising calculating a statistical value from the first and second geo-locations, wherein interpolating is performed using the statistical value.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein interpolating is performed using the first geo-location or the second geo-location.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein interpolating is performed using a geo-location located between the first and second geo-locations.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first geo-location includes a longitude or a latitude, wherein the second geo-location includes a latitude or a longitude.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the wearable monitoring device includes a bracelet, or a watch, or a wristband.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the wearable monitoring device is for wearing on a leg, or a wrist, or a forearm, or an upper arm, or a head, or a chest, or a waist, or an article of clothing.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the difference between the second and first geo-locations includes a difference between latitudes of the second and first geo-locations and a difference between longitudes of the second and first geo-locations.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein decreasing the rate of obtaining the geo-location data facilitates a reduction in battery use of the wearable monitoring device.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a first spatial position of an activity tracker, the first spatial position obtained at a first time;

receiving a second spatial position of the activity tracker, the second spatial position obtained at a second time;

determining based on the first and second times whether a rate of change from the first spatial position to the second spatial position is greater than a pre-determined rate;

increasing a rate of obtaining geo-location data upon determining that the rate of change from the first spatial position to the second spatial position is greater than the pre-determined rate; and

sending an instruction including the increased rate of change of obtaining the geo-location data to the activity tracker via a network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first spatial position includes an x co-ordinate, a y co-ordinate, and a z co-ordinate, wherein the second spatial position includes an x co-ordinate, a y co-ordinate, and a z co-ordinate.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the activity tracker includes a watch, or a wristband, or a bracelet.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the second time occurs after the first time.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the rate of change from the first spatial position to the second spatial position comprises is based on a ratio of a difference between the second spatial position and the first spatial position and a difference between the second and first times.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the network includes the Internet, an Intranet, or a combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the activity tracker is wearable on an article of clothing, or on a hand, or on a leg, or on a foot.

26. A method comprising:

receiving a first geo-location of a monitoring device at a first time;

receiving a second geo-location of the monitoring device at a second time;

determining a distance difference between the second and the first geo-locations;

determining whether the distance difference exceeds a pre-determined threshold;

increasing a rate of obtaining additional geo-locations when the distance difference exceeds the pre-determined threshold within a pre-determined amount of time; and

sending an instruction including the increased rate of obtaining the additional geo-locations to the monitoring device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first geo-location includes a longitude and a latitude, wherein the second geo-location includes a longitude and a latitude.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the monitoring device includes a watch, or a wristband, or a bracelet.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the second time occurs after the first time.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein sending the instruction comprises sending the instruction via a computer network to the monitoring device.