DYNAMIC PROGRESS-TOWARDS-GOAL TRACKER

• US 20160089572A1
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Jiahe, Butcher, Larry Russell
• Application Number:
  US14/793,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20160089572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/22 in connection with sports or games
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking progress toward goals are described. An example computing system for a dynamic progress-towards-goal tracker includes a display, a logic machine, and a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to visually present a graph with an axis having an initial scale, and for each of a plurality of successive durations, receive a completion magnitude indicative of progress towards completion of a sub-goal for that duration. The instructions are further executable to, responsive to the completion magnitude exceeding a threshold for any duration, automatically increase a scale of the axis to an expanded scale that is greater than the initial scale, and, for each of the plurality of successive durations, visually present via the display a graphical element on the graph, the graphical element having a size that visually indicates, relative to the axis, the completion magnitude for that duration.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

a display;

an inertial measurement unit interface configured to receive movement data from an inertial measurement unit;

a logic machine; and

a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to;

calculate a step count based on the movement data from the inertial measurement unit;

visually present via the display a graph with an axis having an initial scale including one or more values in units of steps;

for each of a plurality of successive durations, receive a completion magnitude indicative of progress towards completion of a sub-goal for that duration, the sub-goal comprising a first threshold number of steps and the completion magnitude comprising a measured number of steps measured by the inertial measurement unit during that duration;

automatically increase a scale of the axis to an expanded scale that is greater than the initial scale based on the completion magnitude exceeding a second threshold for any duration; and

for each of the plurality of successive durations, visually present via the display a graphical element on the graph, the graphical element having a size that visually indicates, relative to the axis, the completion magnitude for that duration.

2. A computing system, comprising:

a display;

a logic machine; and

a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to;

visually present via the display a graph with an axis having an initial scale;

for each of a plurality of successive durations, receive a completion magnitude indicative of progress towards completion of a sub-goal for that duration;

automatically increase a scale of the axis to an expanded scale that is greater than the initial scale based on the completion magnitude exceeding a threshold for any duration; and

for each of the plurality of successive durations, visually present via the display a graphical element on the graph, the graphical element having a size that visually indicates, relative to the axis, the completion magnitude for that duration.

3. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the sub-goal is a number of steps.

4. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the completion magnitude is indicative of a number of steps taken during an associated duration.

5. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the initial scale has a maximum axis value that is at least 4/3 of the sub-goal.

6. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the expanded scale has a maximum axis value that is at least 4/3 of a largest completion magnitude.

7. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the threshold is the sub-goal.

8. The computing system of claim 2, further including a communication subsystem configured to wirelessly communicate with a wearable device that collects data from which the completion magnitude is derived.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further executable to send display instructions to a display of the wearable device to visually present via the display of the wearable device the graphical element on the bar graph.

10. The computing system of claim 2, further including one or more sensors configured to take measurements useable to calculate the completion magnitude for each of the plurality of successive durations.

11. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the instructions are further executable to visually present a progress indicator having a color selected from a plurality of different colors, each different color indicating a different level of progress toward completing an aggregate goal, the aggregate goal aggregating each of a plurality of sub-goals.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the aggregate goal is a target number of steps to be completed during an aggregate duration corresponding to the plurality of sub-goals.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the instructions are further executable to automatically increase the target number of steps to a challenge target number of steps responsive to determining that the target number of steps are on track for completion in less than the aggregate duration.

14. On a computing system comprising a display, a method for tracking and visually presenting progress toward a goal, the method comprising:

visually presenting via the display a graph with an axis having an initial scale;

for each of a plurality of successive durations, receiving a completion magnitude indicative of progress towards completion of a sub-goal for that duration;

responsive to the completion magnitude exceeding a threshold for any duration, automatically increasing a scale of the axis to an expanded scale that is greater than the initial scale; and

for each of the plurality of successive durations, visually presenting via the display a graphical element on the graph, the graphical element having a size that visually indicates, relative to the axis, the completion magnitude for that duration.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sub-goal is a number of steps and wherein the completion magnitude is indicative of a number of steps taken during an associated duration.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the initial scale has a maximum y-axis value that is at least 4/3 of the sub-goal.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the expanded scale has a maximum y-axis value that is at least 4/3 of a largest completion magnitude.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the threshold is the sub-goal.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising visually presenting a progress indicator having a color selected from a plurality of different colors, each different color indicating a level of progress toward completing a target number of steps within a target duration.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising automatically increase the target number of steps to a challenge target number of steps responsive to determining that the target number of steps are on track for completion in less than the target duration.