Personal exercise device

• US 8,343,013 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ActivBody, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EZ As A Drink Productions Incorporated
• Inventors: Yanev, Kostadin Dimitrov, Angelov, Angel Marinov, Dobrev, Kamen Radev, Marinov, Asen Angelov, Roybal, Paul Gerard, Vitanov, Bojidar Kostadinov
• Primary Examiner(s): RICHMAN, GLENN E
• Application Number:
  US13/403,803
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 482 1- 9, 482900-902
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills

Abstract

An exercise system may include an exercise device, which may be configured to facilitate personal exercise and quantification thereof. The exercise device may include a housing body configured to receive compressive force during personal exercise. Personal exercise may include an exercise performed by a user involving one or more body parts of the user. The exercise device may include a force sensor carried by the housing body. The forces sensor may be configured to generate an output signal responsive to compressive force being exerted on the housing body. The exercise device may include one or more processors carried by the housing body. The one or more processors may be configured to execute one or more computer program modules to, among other things determine one or more exercise parameters based on the output signal of the force sensor.

Claims

1. An exercise device configured for personal exercise and quantification thereof, the device comprising:

a housing body configured to receive compressive force during personal exercise;

a force sensor carried by the housing body, the forces sensor configured to generate an output signal responsive to compressive force being exerted on the housing body, the output signal conveying information associated with the compressive force;

a geo-location sensor carried by the housing body and configured to generate a second output signal conveying information associated with a geo-location of the exercise device; and

one or more processors carried by the housing body, the one or more processors being configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the one or more computer program modules comprising;

a sensor module configured to receive the second output signal of the geo-location sensor and to receive the output signal of the force sensor.

2. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein personal exercise includes an exercise performed by a user involving at least one body part of the user, the at least one body part including one or more of arms, hands, legs, feet, torso, or neck.

3. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising display apparatus carried by the housing body and configured to display, for presentation to a user, information related to compressive force exerted on the housing body, wherein the one or more computer program modules further comprise a display module configured to control the display apparatus to present information related the information related to compressive force.

4. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising communications apparatus carried by the housing body and configured to transmit information related to one or both of personal exercise or compressive force exerted on the housing body, wherein the one or more computer program modules further comprise a communications module configured to control the communications apparatus to transmit the information.

5. The exercise device of claim 4, wherein the communications apparatus is configured to receive one or both of software updates or firmware updates.

6. The exercise device of claim 4, wherein the communications apparatus is configured to communicatively couple to a user accessory to convey information related to one or both of personal exercise or compressive force exerted on the housing body, wherein the user accessory is physically separate and distinct from the exercise device.

7. The exercise device of claim 4, wherein the communications apparatus is configured to communicatively couple to a computing platform configured to receive and process information related to one or both of personal exercise or compressive force exerted on the housing body, wherein the computing platform is physically separate and distinct from the exercise device.

8. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising an actuator carried by the housing body and configured to provide tactile feedback to a user, wherein the one or more computer program modules further comprise a tactile feedback module configured to control the actuator to provide the tactile feedback.

9. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising an audio transducer carried by the housing body and configured to provide audio feedback to a user, wherein the one or more computer program modules further comprise an audio module configured to control the audio transducer to provide the audio feedback.

10. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface carried by the housing body and configured to present user configurable settings to a user, and to receive selections from the user of values for the user configurable settings.

11. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising a power supply carried by the housing body, wherein the one or more computer program modules further comprise a power management module configured to manage power delivered by the power supply.

12. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising electronic storage carried by the housing body and configured to store information related to the compressive force.

13. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer program modules further comprise a coaching module configured to provide verbal, visual, and/or textual conveyance of one or more of exercise parameters, coaching tips related to personal exercise, encouraging statements, guidance related to personal exercise, or comparative information of current personal exercise or prior personal exercise.

14. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is further configured to timestamp one or both of (1) information associated with the compressive force exerted on the housing body based on the output signal of the force sensor or (2) information associated with the geo-location of the exercise device.

15. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the housing body is configured to be coupled to a strap, the strap being configured to facilitate exertion of compressive force on the housing body responsive to a tensive force exerted on the strap.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising an exercise analysis module configured to determine one or more exercise parameters related to personal exercise of a user of the exercise device, the one or more exercise parameters being determined based on the second output signal of the geo-location sensor.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of a completion level of a prescribed exercise routine, speed, acceleration, distance traveled, or course of travel.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the geo-location sensor includes a GPS device.

19. A method for quantification of personal exercise using an exercise device configured to facilitate personal exercise, the method comprising:

receiving a compressive force on a housing body of the exercise device, the compressive force exerted during personal exercise;

generating an output signal at a force sensor carried by the housing body responsive to the received compressive force, the output signal conveying information associated with the compressive force;

generating a second output signal at a geo-location sensor carried by the housing body, the second output signal conveying information associated with a geo-location of the exercise device; and

determining one or more exercise parameters at one or more processors carried by the housing body based on both the output signal and the second output signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein personal exercise includes an exercise performed by a user of the exercise device involving at least one body part of the user, the at least one body part including one or more of arms, hands, legs, feet, torso, or neck.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying at a display apparatus carried by the housing body, for presentation to a user, information related to compressive force exerted on the housing body.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising transferring, to a computing platform, information related to one or both of personal exercise or compressive force exerted on the housing body, wherein the computing platform is physically separate and distinct from the exercise device.