Wrist-worn device for displaying and setting heart rate parameters

• US 6,832,109 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2001
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Nissilä, Seppo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oropeza, Frances P
• Application Number:
  US09/969,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 362/23, 362/84, 362/103, 482/8, 482/9, 600/500-503, 600/509, 600/520, 600/519, 607/2
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals

Abstract

A wrist-worn device comprising a display for showing a heart rate parameter value, such as a heart rate measured from a person'"'"'s body or a heart rate variable derived from the heart rate. The display comprises at least two display areas which display areas the wrist-worn device is arranged to employ to show that a heart rate parameter momentarily belongs to a heart rate parameter value range corresponding to the display area and which wrist-worn device comprises at least one sliding means for selecting a desired heart rate parameter value range by mechanically sliding the sliding means to cover at least one display area at a time.

Claims

1. A wrist-worn device comprising:

a display for showing a heart rate parameter value, said display having at least two display areas arranged to show a measured heart rate parameter, each display area representing a heart rate parameter value range; and

at least one sliding means mechanically engageable with said display for selecting a desired heart rate parameter value range by mechanically sliding the sliding means to cover at least one display area at a time.

2. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding means is adapted to cover at least one display area representing a heart rate parameter value range where the heart rate parameter value should not be.

3. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the display is a bar display composed of a string of display areas in a bar-shaped arrangement.

4. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the display is a ring-shaped display composed of adjacent display areas in a ring-shaped arrangement.

5. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding means is adapted to cover at least one display area representing a heart rate parameter value range where the heart rate parameter value should be.

6. A wrist-worn device according to claim 3, wherein the wrist-worn device is arranged to display that a heart rate parameter momentarily belongs to the highest value range of the display area at a first end and that a heart rate parameter belongs to the value range comprising the lowest values of the display area at a second end of the bar display.

7. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding means is made of at least partly transparent plastic to allow the display area to be seen through the sliding means.

8. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the wrist-worn device comprises an upper sliding means serving as a sliding means to cover at least one display area representing values which a momentary heart rate parameter value should not exceed, the wrist-worn device further comprising a lower sliding means serving as a sliding means to cover at least one display area representing values under which the momentary heart rate parameter value should not drop.

9. A wrist-worn device according to claim 8, wherein the upper sliding means and the lower sliding means are different in colour to allow the user to distinguish between the two sliding means.

10. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the wrist-worn device comprises a flexible circuit board, the display being formed on the circuit board to make the device flexible.

11. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises an illumination element for at least one display area to illuminate the display area when a momentary heart rate parameter value is within a heart rate parameter value range corresponding to the display area in question.

12. A wrist-worn device according to claim 1, wherein the wrist-worn device comprises a wristband for attaching the device around the wrist, the wrist-worn device further comprising an electronics unit arranged to process a heart rate parameter value shown on the display, the wristband of the wrist-worn device, the electronics unit and the display being sealably integrated using plastic to form a single, uniform wrist-worn device.

13. A wrist-worn device according to claim 12, wherein the part of the wrist-worn device which encapsulates the display is made of transparent plastic.

14. A wrist-worn device according to claim 12, wherein the electronics unit comprises receiver means for receiving a person'"'"'s heart rate information and calculation means for processing the heart rate information to form a heart-rate parameter to be shown on the display of the wrist-worn device.

15. A wrist-worn device comprising:

a display for showing a heart rate parameter value, said display having at least two display areas arranged to show a measured heart rate parameter, each display area representing a heart rate parameter value range; and

at least one sliding means for selecting a desired heart rate parameter value range by mechanically sliding the sliding means to cover at least one display area at a time, wherein the sliding means comprises a first toothing and the wrist-worn device comprises a second toothing, which first toothing and second toothing can be engaged with each other to secure the sliding means in place on a desired location on top of the display of the wrist-worn device.