WIRELESS PORTABLE ACTIVITY-MONITORING DEVICE SYNCING

• US 20160227484A1
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Park, James, Panther, Heiko Gernot Albert, Burton, Barry Christopher, Friedman, Eric Nathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,655,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A notification signal, intended to be received by a wireless communication device, is repetitively broadcast by a portable activity-monitoring device that generates user-activity data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable activity-monitoring device. The notification signal conveys information that identifies the portable activity-monitoring device and indicates whether or not the portable activity-monitoring device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the user-activity data to the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. An activity monitoring device comprising:

a housing;

one or more components disposed in the housing, the one or more components including one or more sensors configured to capture activity monitoring data;

a memory device for storing the activity monitoring data;

a wireless communications circuit; and

a processor coupled to the wireless communications circuit, the memory device, and the one or more components, the processor configured to access information from the memory device identifying a state of one of the one or more components and determine from the information that the state of the one of the one or more components has changed, the processor is configured to initiate synchronizing of the activity monitoring data with a computing device upon determining that the state of the one of the one or more components has changed, the synchronizing causing sending of the activity monitoring data from the memory device to the computing device via the wireless communications circuit.

2. The activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the state includes a charge state of the activity monitoring device.

3. The activity monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the one or more components include a battery, wherein the charge state of the activity monitoring device includes a level of power stored within the battery, wherein the change in the state includes a change in the level of power.

4. The activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the state includes an operating mode of the activity monitoring device, wherein the operating mode includes a battery saving mode or a sleep mode.

5. The activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the state includes a level of the activity monitoring data, wherein the change in the state occurs when the level of the activity monitoring data becomes greater than or less than a pre-determined level.

6. The activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the information identifying the state of the one of the one or more components includes the state of the first sensor, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the state of the first sensor has changed, and to initiate synchronizing of the activity monitoring data captured by the second sensor with the computing device upon determining that the state of the first sensor has changed.

7. The activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a motion sensor, an altitude sensor, a heart rate sensor, and a body temperature sensor.

8. The activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the change in the state occurs in response to the one or more sensors capturing a specific amount of the activity monitoring data.

9. An activity monitoring device comprising:

a housing;

one or more components disposed in the housing, the one or more components including one or more sensors configured to capture activity monitoring data;

a memory device for storing the activity monitoring data;

a wireless communications circuit; and

a processor coupled to the one or more components, the memory device, and the wireless communications circuit, the processor configured to access the activity monitoring data from the memory device, and analyze the activity monitoring data to determine that a predefined goal associated with a user of the activity monitoring device is achieved, the predefined goal being related to an amount of activity performed by the user or a value of a physiological metric of the user, the processor is configured to initiate synchronizing of the activity monitoring data with a computing device upon determining that the predefined goal is achieved, the synchronizing causing sending of the activity monitoring data from the memory device to the computing device via the wireless communications circuit.

10. The activity monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the predefined goal includes a number of floors to climb, or a number of calories to burn, or a number of steps to complete, or an amount of weight to loose, or an amount of time asleep, or a body fat value.

11. The activity monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the predefined goal is a predefined portion of another predefined goal.

12. The activity monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a motion sensor, an altitude sensor, a heart rate sensor, and a body temperature sensor.

13. The activity monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the predefined goal is specified based on user input to an electronic device via a user interface of the electronic device, the electronic device being configured to communicate with the activity monitoring device or the computing device via a wireless network.

14. An activity monitoring device comprising:

a housing;

one or more components disposed in the housing, the one or more components including one or more sensors configured to capture activity monitoring data for identifying an activity performed;

a memory device for storing the activity monitoring data;

a wireless communications circuit; and

a processor coupled to the one or more components, the memory device, and the wireless communications circuit, the processor configured to access the activity monitoring data from the memory device to determine that there is a change in a state of a physiological metric generated from the activity monitoring data, the processor further configured to initiate synchronizing of the activity monitoring data with a computing device after determining the change in the state of the physiological metric, the synchronizing causing sending of the activity monitoring data from the memory device to the computing device via the wireless communications circuit.

15. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the change in the state of the physiological metric identifies a change in a type of the activity performed.

16. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the state of the physiological metric identifies being asleep or awake.

17. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the state of the physiological metric identifies being sedentary or non-sedentary.

18. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the state of the physiological metric identifies arriving at a specific location or leaving the specific location.

19. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to determine that there is the change in the state of the physiological metric generated from the activity monitoring data for greater than a pre-determined amount of time, wherein the processor is configured to initiate synchronizing of the activity monitoring data with the computing device upon determining that there is the change in the state of the physiological metric generated from the activity monitoring data for greater than the pre-determined amount of time.

20. The activity monitoring device of claim 19, wherein the change in the state includes a change in a heart rate, or a change in a number of steps taken, or a change in motion.

21. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a motion sensor, an altitude sensor, a heart rate sensor, and a body temperature sensor.

22. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the physiological metric includes a number of calories and the activity monitoring data includes a body weight value.

23. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the activity monitoring device is configured to be worn on a body of a user and the computing device is configured to be carried by the user.

24. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the change in the state is from an active state to an inactive state, wherein the processor is configured not to initiate synchronizing of the activity monitoring data during a time that the state of the physiological metric is active.

25. The activity monitoring device of claim 24, wherein the active state occurs when the physiological metric indicates a running activity.

26. The activity monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the change in the state is from a lack-of-motion state to a state of motion.

27. An activity monitoring device comprising:

a housing;

an interface associated with the housing, the interface configured to receive an input;

one or more components disposed in the housing, the one or more components including one or more sensors configured to capture activity monitoring data;

a memory device for storing the activity monitoring data;

a wireless communications circuit; and

a processor coupled to the one or more components, the interface, the memory device, and the wireless communications circuit, the processor configured to access the activity monitoring data from the memory device, and examine the input to determine a time associated with a change in a state of an activity metric generated from the activity monitoring data, the change in the state of the activity metric identifying a change in a level of the activity monitoring data, the processor is configured to initiate synchronizing of the activity monitoring data with a computing device based on the time associated with the change in the state of the activity metric, the synchronizing causing sending of the activity monitoring data from the memory device to the computing device via the wireless communications circuit.

28. The activity monitoring device of claim 27, wherein the change in the state of the activity metric identifies a change in a type of an activity performed.

29. The activity monitoring device of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to refrain from synchronizing the activity monitoring data again until there is another change in the state of the activity metric.

30. The activity monitoring device of claim 27, wherein the input corresponds to a user-specification of an activity that the user is intending to begin, or an activity in progress, or an activity that the user has completed.