Smart garment

• US 8,099,258 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Alten, Brett G., Borchers, Robert Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee, Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US12/713,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20100151996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00

Abstract

A sensor authenticated to a garment transfers information, either wirelessly or wired, to an external data processing device. Such information includes location information, physiometric data of the individual wearing the garment, garment performance and wear data (when the garment is an athletic shoe, for example). The external data processing device can be portable digital media players that are, in turn, in wireless communication with a server computer or other wireless devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

electronically pairing a garment sensor and a garment by way of a first bi-directional communication link, wherein the garment sensor is physically affixed to the garment;

tracking garment usage and detecting wear patterns involving the garment using the garment sensor;

forming a second bi-directional communication link between the garment sensor and an external database;

sending the tracked garment usage and detected wear patterns to the external database;

receiving expected useful lifetime information for the garment from the external database, wherein the expected useful lifetime information is based on tracked garment usage and detected wear patterns from a plurality of similar garments; and

alerting a user when the garment reaches its expected useful lifetime, based on the received expected useful lifetime information and on the tracked garment usage.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein when the garment is a running shoe, the garment sensor tracks running shoe wear data and running shoe dynamic force data.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the running shoe wear data and the running shoe dynamic force data are correlated to user performance data that includes a current running style profile.

4. A system, comprising:

a garment sensor for sensing garment-related activity;

a garment electronically paired by way of a first bi-directional communication link to the garment sensor, wherein the garment sensor is physically affixed to the garment; and

an external data processing device in communication with the garment sensor by way of a second bi-directional communication link, wherein garment sensor senses garment wear data and transmits the garment wear data to the external data processing device over the second bi-directional communication link.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the external data processing device processes data received from the garment sensor into the real time feedback by:

retrieving a running style profile template;

comparing the retrieved running style profile template to the current running style profile of the user; and

suggesting a modification of the current running style profile based upon the comparing.

6. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein processing of the data received by the external data processing device further comprises:

updating the current running style profile after the modification of the current running style has been suggested.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein processing of the data received by the external data processing device further comprises:

providing further feedback to the user based upon the updated current running style profile.

8. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the current running style profile is accumulated over a plurality of previous running events.

9. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein when the garment is a running shoe, the garment performance data includes running shoe wear data and running shoe dynamic force data.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the running shoe wear data and the running shoe dynamic force data are correlated to at least some of the user performance data that includes the current running style profile.

11. A method comprising:

forming a database of garment data having a list of specific garment designs and correlated wear patterns;

receiving garment wear data including a tag identifier, performance data, and actual wear data from a data processing device associated with a particular garment;

updating the wear pattern correlated to a specific garment design corresponding to the particular garment based on the received garment wear data;

receiving a request to download the wear pattern correlated to a specific garment design from a garment sensor affixed to a garment having the specific garment design; and

sending the wear pattern to the garment sensor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the garment sensor is physically affixed to the garment and senses changes to the garment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the changes include wear.

14. A method performed by an external database comprising:

receiving garment usage and detected wear patterns from a garment sensor physically affixed to a garment by way of a first bi-directional communication link, wherein the garment and the garment sensor are electronically paired over a second bi-directional link, the garment usage and detected wear patterns being tracked using the garment sensor;

processing the received garment usage and detected wear patterns to form expected useful lifetime information;

storing the expected useful lifetime information at the database;

sending by way of the first bidirectional communication link, at least some of the expected useful lifetime information for the garment from the external database, wherein the expected useful lifetime information is based on garment usage and detected wear patterns from a plurality of similar garments; and

alerting a user of the garment when the garment reaches an expected useful lifetime based on the received expected useful lifetime information and a current tracked garment usage.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein when the garment is a running shoe, the garment sensor tracks running shoe wear data and running shoe dynamic force data.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the running shoe wear data and the running shoe dynamic force data are correlated to user performance data that includes a current running style profile.