Pedometer stop watch

• US 4,741,001 A
• Filed: 05/02/1986
• Issued: 04/26/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Ma
• Original Assignee: Robert Ma
• Inventors: Ma, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Heyman, John S.
• Application Number:
  US06/859,067
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 377/5, 377/20, 377/24, 377/24.2, 235/95 C, 235/105, 368/134, 368/165, 368/179, 368/10, 324/166, 324/171, 73/490, 364/561
• US Class Current: 377/24.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/025 for measuring physiological data

Abstract

The substantial structure of this invention consists of an intensive mechanical swing device and a group of electronic circuits situated in a small-size box body. The swing device features a highly balanceable and sophisticated pendulum designed to absorb the natural swing energy of a human body during running. While the pendulum is swinging, a microswitch will turn on or off to transmit every signal to an IC where precise number of running steps is calculated. In the surface of the box body, a hanging ear is equipped so that the device can be hung on the waist. On the face of the box body is a display and four control keys are equipped to control and lay out all the designed functions of this invention.

Claims

1. A pedometer comprising:

a microprocessor having a ROM, a RAM associated with said ROM, and input and output means;

a spring-biased pendulum associated with said input means of said microprocessor and to send electric signals through contact with said input means, said spring-biased pendulum being normally biased away from contact with said input means until jarred into contact therewith;

display means associated with said microprocessor;

a crystal oscillator for generating a constant frequency to said microprocessor;

amplification means within said microprocessor for amplifying said frequency provided by said crystal oscillator;

at least four switching means interconnecting said display means and said microprocessor for selectively supplying start, stop, and select instructions, each of said switching means being associated with said display means and said microprocessor to enable multiple functions through repeated actuations thereof to effect the display of time, date, calorie count, alarm time, stopwatch mode and step mode on said display and alarm notification through said output means.

2. The pedometer of claim 1, wherein said switching means includes a first button switch (S2) which upon consecutive depressions brings up a timing mode, an alarm mode, an hour alarm, a step counting mode, and a stop mode respectively.

3. The pedometer of claim 2, wherein said switching means further comprises a second button switch (S1) which when depressed after said depression of said first button switch (S2) enables the user to select digits representing seconds in said time mode, digits representing hours in said alarm mode, termination function in said alarm mode after adjustment of minutes of said alarm time, and measurement systems and return to step mode in said step mode.

4. The pedometer of claim 3, wherein said switching means further includes a third button switch (S3) which when depressed in said time mode after the depression of said second button switch (S1) will reset said time mode to zero and after each depression of said first button switch (S2) will adjust the hour, the minute, the month, and the week in said time mode and reset to zero, said third switch in said alarm mode acting after depression of said first switch (S2) to adjust the minute output, said third button switch (S3) in said step mode after depression of said second button switch (S1) acting to select the measurement system and after depression of said first button switch (S2) acting to adjust the step distance, said third button switch (S3) in said step mode also acting to enter the values of the desired step after said said first button switch (S2) is depressed and to provide the total distance of strides and consumed calories, said third button switch (S3) in said stop watch mode acting to start timing, stop timing, and to reset timing.

5. The pedometer of claim 4, wherein said switch means includes a fourth button switch (S4), said fourth switch serving to start and stop said alarm action in said alarm mode and in said stop watch mode subsequent to depression of said third button switch (S3), acting to reset and display the cumulative time and again after depression of said third button switch (S3) to reset the stop watch mode to zero, said fourth button switch (S4) in said step mode acting to reset said step mode to zero.

6. The pedometer of claim 1, wherein said spring-biased pendulum is comprised of a rod having two ends, one end being pivotally attached to said pedometer;

a spring attached to said rod and biasing it away from contact with said microprocessor;

a contact member associated with said microprocessor and acting to abut said pendulum when said pendulum is jarred from its normal position toward said microprocessor, said abutment member, said pendulum, and said microprocessor forming a closed circuit when engaged with one another.

7. A pedometer comprising:

a microprocessor including a ROM and RAM associated therewith;

a spring-biased pendulum associated with said microprocessor for sensing jarring motion, said pendulum being normally biased away from said microprocessor and serving to send signal means to said microprocessor upon jarring motion by abutting said microprocessor;

a display means associated with said microprocessor;

a crystal oscillator for generating a constant frequency to said microprocessor;

said microprocessor including input means and output means, said output means including at least a beeper and a light;

a pulse amplifier for amplifying said frequency from said crystal oscillator;

a preset timer for receiving said amplified frequency and comparing it with preset data;

a time sequence control for receiving data from said pulse amplifier, said preset timer, and said pendulum;

a program counter connected to said time sequence control;

input means connected to said switches and an interrupt switch connected to said pendulum, said input means acting to enable said time sequence control for feeding data into said program computer, said data then being input into said ROM as decimal locations;

data computation unit for receiving data from said ROM and said program computer and sending said data to said display means upon adjustment of said input means and sending signals to said beeper and light upon adjustment of said input means.