Body motion teaching system

• US 6,503,086 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2000
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael M. Golubov
• Original Assignee: Michael M. Golubov
• Inventors: Golubov, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, KATHLEEN MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US09/557,129
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 434/247-252, 434/256-258, 463/7, 439/322, 439/350
• US Class Current: 434/247
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

A computerized method for illustrating, to a user, a plurality of human body motions relating to a particular human physical activity provided. The method includes the steps of dividing the human physical activity into a plurality of motion segments; displaying, on a display screen, a menu including the plurality of motion segments, the display screen being coupled to a computer; accepting, as input to the computer from a user, a selection of one of the plurality of motion segments; and displaying, on the display screen, from at least two vantage points, a moving image of a generally human shaped actor performing the selected one of the plurality of motion segments. Preferably, an image of an instructor is simultaneously displayed on the display screen with the display of the moving image of the generally human shaped actor, and a corresponding audio narration of the moving image of the generally human shaped actor is provided via a sound generation device coupled to the computer.

Claims

1. A computerized method for illustrating, to a user, a plurality of human body motions relating to a sport, comprising the steps of:

dividing the sport into a plurality of motion segments, the plurality of motion segments including a first plurality of motion segments relating to a first skill of the sport and a second plurality of motion segments relating to a second skill of the sport;

displaying, on a display screen, a menu including the plurality of motion segments, the display screen being coupled to a computer;

accepting, as input to the computer from a user, a selection of one of the plurality of motion segments;

displaying, on the display screen, from at least two vantage points, a moving image of a generally human shaped actor performing the selected one of the plurality of motion segments.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, simultaneously with the display of the moving image of the generally human shaped actor, an image of an instructor on the display screen with the generally human shaped actor, and a corresponding audio narration of the moving image of the generally human shaped actor via a sound generation device coupled to the computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the moving image is implemented with one or more compressed video objects and wherein the audio narration is implemented with one or more compressed audio objects.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the instructor is implemented as a separate object.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the instructor is in the form of an animated image.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the instructor is in the form of a video image of a living human individual.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is divided into a first category and a second category, the first category corresponding to the first skill and the second category corresponding to the second skill, the first category of the menu including the first plurality of motion segments, the second category of the menu including the second plurality of motion segments.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sport is baseball.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the sport is basketball.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the moving image further comprises displaying on the display screen, simultaneously with the moving image, a stop button and a resume button, wherein the stop button, when actuated by a computer input device, causes the computer to pause the moving image, and wherein the resume button, when actuated by a computer input device, causes the computer to resume playing of the moving image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the moving image further comprises displaying on the display screen, simultaneously with the moving image, a toggle button, wherein the toggle button, when actuated by a computer input device, causes the computer to pause the moving image if the moving image is being played, and causes the computer to resume playing of the moving image if the moving image is paused.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the generally human shaped actor is in the form of an animated image.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generally human shaped actor is in the form of a video image of a living human individual.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least some of the plurality of motion segments, the computer displays four panels on the screen, with each panel containing an image of the generally human shaped actor performing the motion from a different vantage-point.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the images in the panels move simultaneously.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the images in the panels move sequentially.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the sport is baseball.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the sport is golf.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the sport is basketball.

20. A computerized method for illustrating, to a user, a plurality of human body motions relating to a team sport, comprising the steps of:

dividing the team sport into a plurality of motion segments, wherein the team sport has a plurality of player positions, and wherein the plurality of motion segments further include a first plurality of motion segments relating to a first player position and a second plurality of motion segments relating to a second player position;

displaying, on a display screen, a menu including the plurality of motion segments, the display screen being coupled to a computer;

accepting, as input to the computer from a user, a selection of one of the plurality of motion segments;

displaying, on the display screen, from at least two vantage points, a moving image of a generally human shaped actor performing the selected one of the plurality of motion segments.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the menu is divided into a first category and a second category, the first category corresponding to the first player position and the second category corresponding to the second player position, the first category of the menu including the first plurality of motion segments, the second category of the menu including the second plurality of motion segments.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the sport is baseball.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the sport is basketball.