Pedometer with game mode

• US 6,302,789 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Harada, Takahiro, Shimizu, Kazunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kasick, Julie
• Application Number:
  US09/791,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20010007825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7, 463/1, 434/255, 235/105, 482/8
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/00 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a new pedometer with game mode which can be used as a game by a child to get some exercise such as walking and/or running without reluctance. When a vibration is detected by a vibration detector, the count values of a step-number counter and an integrating counter are incremented, and thereby a display state of a character displayed on an LCD is varied based on the count values of step-number counter and/or the integrating counter.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic game, comprising:

providing the electronic game in a form that can be worn by a user, wherein the electronic game includes a display screen and a controller for controlling an appearance of a game character on the display screen, and further wherein the electronic game includes a step counter for counting steps taken by the user;

using the step counter to determine a number of steps taken by the user to obtain a step count value; and

using the step count value as an input to the controller to control the appearance of the game character on the display screen.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further including enabling the user to present a gift to the game character upon causing the step-count value to reach a predetermined amount.

3. The method of claim 2, further including causing a display state of the game character to change upon being given said gift.

4. The method of claim 1, further including causing a display state of said game character to change based on a time of day.

5. The method of claim 1, further including displaying the step count value on said display screen.

6. The method of claim 1, further including using a vibration detector as said step counter.