Methods and program products for providing heart rate information

• US 8,855,756 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adidas AG
• Original Assignee: Adidas AG
• Inventors: DiBenedetto, Christian, Powch, Maya Ann, Black, Stephen John
• Primary Examiner(s): Gedeon, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US13/486,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20120235821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/519
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0065 Evaluating the fitness, e.g. fitness level or fitness index
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0068 Comparison to target or threshold, previous performance or not real time comparison to other individuals
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/065 Visualisation of specific exercise parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• 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 24/0087 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of groups A63B21/00 - A63B23/00, e.g. controlling load
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Methods and program products for providing heart rate information are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method for providing heart rate information about a user includes the steps of defining a plurality of heart rate zones as ranges of percentages of a maximum heart rate of the user, determining upper and lower limits for said heart rate zones based on the maximum heart rate of the user, associating a color with each of said heart rate zones, receiving heart rate information from the user, and initiating a graphical display in response to receiving heart rate information from the user, wherein a color of a portion of the graphical display corresponds with the color associated with one of said heart rate zones.

Claims

1. A method for providing heart rate information about a user comprising:

defining a plurality of heart rate zones as ranges of percentages of a maximum heart rate of the user;

defining said heart rate zones based on a ventilation threshold heart rate of the user;

determining upper and lower limits for said heart rate zones based on the maximum heart rate of the user;

associating a color with each of said heart rate zones;

receiving heart rate information from the user; and

initiating a graphical display in response to receiving heart rate information from the user, wherein a color of a portion of the graphical display corresponds with the color associated with one of said heart rate zones.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the heart rate information is measured by a portable heart rate sensor during a physical activity conducted by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining which of said heart rate zones the user'"'"'s instantaneous heart rate falls within based on said upper and lower limits.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting said upper and lower limits for said heart rate zones based on user information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user information includes a performance parameter of the user measured while the user was engaged in a physical activity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the user information includes responses from the user to questions posed to the user after the user has completed a physical activity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the percentage ranges of all of the zones are not equal to one another.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of heart rate zones are further defined based on the peak heart rate of the user.

9. A method for providing heart rate information about a user during monitored activities comprising:

defining a plurality of heart rate zones, wherein each heart rate zone is associated with a different color;

receiving first heart rate information related to a first time period, wherein the first heart rate information comprises the amount of time the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in each heart rate zone during monitored activities during the first time period; and

initiating a graphical display based on the first heart rate information, wherein the graphical display indicates the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the first time period by displaying graphical elements whose colors are associated with the different heart rate zones and whose areas are proportional to the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in the different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the first time period.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first time period is single day.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first time period is single week.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the heart rate information includes information about the user'"'"'s heart rate during a plurality of monitored activities conducted during the first time period.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphical elements displayed are displayed adjacent to one another as a continuous bar whose total area is proportional to the total monitored time during the first time period.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving second heart rate information related to a second time period, wherein the second heart rate information comprises the amount of time the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in each heart rate zone during monitored activities during the second time period; and

initiating a graphical display based on the second heart rate information, wherein the graphical display indicates the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the second time period by displaying graphical elements whose colors are associated with the different heart rate zones and whose areas are proportional to the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in the different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the second time period.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first time period is a first week and wherein the second time period is a second week, the method further comprising:

receiving a request for a display of graphical elements are that indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during individual days of the first week; and

displaying graphical elements that are indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during individual days of the first week.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first time period is a first day and wherein the second time period is a second day, the method further comprising:

receiving a request for a display of graphical elements are that indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during an individual monitored activity of the first day; and

displaying graphical elements that are indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during an individual monitored activity of the first day.

17. A tangible computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for causing at least one processor to:

define a plurality of heart rate zones, wherein each heart rate zone is associated with a different color;

receive first heart rate information related to a first time period, wherein the first heart rate information comprises the amount of time the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in each heart rate zone during monitored activities during the first time period; and

initiate a graphical display based on the first heart rate information, wherein the graphical display indicates the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the first time period by displaying graphical elements whose colors are associated with the different heart rate zones and whose areas are proportional to the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in the different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the first time period.

18. The tangible computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first time period is single day.

19. The tangible computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first time period is single week.

20. The tangible computer program product of claim 17, wherein the heart rate information includes information about the user'"'"'s heart rate during a plurality of monitored activities conducted during the first time period.

21. The tangible computer program product of claim 17, wherein the graphical elements displayed are displayed adjacent to one another as a continuous bar whose total area is proportional to the total monitored time during the first time period.

22. The tangible computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable medium further has computer program logic for causing at least one processor to:

receive second heart rate information related to a second time period, wherein the second heart rate information comprises the amount of time the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in each heart rate zone during monitored activities during the second time period; and

initiate a graphical display based on the second heart rate information, wherein the graphical display indicates the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the second time period by displaying graphical elements whose colors are associated with the different heart rate zones and whose areas are proportional to the relative amount of time that the user'"'"'s heart rate fell in the different heart rate zones during monitored activities during the second time period.

23. The tangible computer program product of claim 22, wherein the first time period is a first week and wherein the second time period is a second week, and wherein the computer readable medium further has computer program logic for causing at least one processor to:

receive a request for a display of graphical elements are that indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during individual days of the first week; and

display graphical elements that are indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during individual days of the first week.

24. The tangible computer program product of claim 22, wherein the first time period is a first day and wherein the second time period is a second day, and wherein the computer readable medium further has computer program logic for causing at least one processor to:

receive a request for a display of graphical elements are, that indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during an individual monitored activity of the first day; and

display graphical elements that are indicative of the user'"'"'s heart rate during an individual monitored activity of the first day.