Athletic Data Aggregation for Online Communities

• US 20170266531A1
• Filed: 03/14/2017
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Elford, Michael C., Richen, Owyn, Trevino Lopez, Homero
• Granted Patent: US 10,709,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• 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: A63B 71/0616 Means for conducting or scheduling competition, league, tournaments or rankings
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for monitoring athletic performance data for a plurality of users and motivating increased athletic activity among users by providing challenges and suggestion for improving athletic performance. User athletic performance data and other information may be synchronized with an athletic monitoring service provider to associate various parameters of athletic performance with selected athletic activities in furtherance of determining and matching users with other challenge participants.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

broadcasting an electronic communication to a plurality of users including an identifier associated with an athletic activity performed by a user of the plurality of users and performance data of the user during the athletic activity;

generating, by a processor, a leaderboard associated with said identifier;

determining, by the processor, which communications from a plurality of communications include said identifier and performance data associated with another athletic activity performed by the user;

extracting the performance data from the communications that include the identifier and data associated with another athletic activity; and

populating a portion of the plurality of users on the leaderboard with the plurality users ranked based on the performance data associated with their respective athletic activities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the leaderboard is generated when the identifier is first used in a communication including performance data associated with an athletic activity performed by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, where a user of the plurality of users includes the identifier in a plurality of communications including performance data associated with a plurality of athletic activities performed by the user, the user is ranked on the leaderboard based on a cumulative value of the performance data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the users on the leaderboard is based on a performance metric derived from the performance data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance data includes at least one of distance, time and pace.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the users are ranked on the leaderboard for a selected time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a metadata tag.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the metadata tag is a hashtag.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of leaderboards are generated for different identifiers used in communications.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of leaderboards are searchable based on the identifiers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, where a communication includes a plurality of different identifiers, the performance data associated with the athletic activity included in the communication contributes to the user'"'"'s ranking on each of the leaderboards associated with the identifiers.

12. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the processor to at least;

broadcast to a plurality of users a communication including performance data and an identifier associated with an athletic activity performed by a user of the plurality of users;

generate a leaderboard associated with said identifier;

determine other communications which include said identifier and performance data associated with another athletic activity performed by the user;

extract the performance data from the communications; and

populate a portion of the plurality of users on the leaderboard with the plurality of users ranked based on the performance data associated with their respective athletic activities.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the leaderboard is generated when the identifier is first used in a communication including performance data associated with an athletic activity performed by the user.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to:

determine that the identifier was included in a plurality of communications including performance data associated with a plurality of athletic activities performed by the user, and

rank the user on the leaderboard based on a cumulative value of the performance data.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein ranking the users on the leaderboard is based on a performance metric derived from the performance data.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the performance data includes distance, time and/or pace.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the users are ranked on the leaderboard for a selected time period.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the identifier is a metadata tag.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the metadata tag is a hashtag.

20. A method comprising:

broadcasting to a plurality of users a first communication indicating a first athletic activity performed by a first user;

determining, by a processor, a first identifier associated with the first communication;

determining, by the processor, a plurality of other communications corresponding to the first identifier;

electronically receiving performance data for a plurality of other users associated with the plurality of other communications; and

generating, by the processor, a leaderboard indicating a first ranking of the first user and the plurality of other users in accordance with a performance metric.