Tracking user physical activity with multiple devices

• US 9,369,365 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Molettiere, Peter Andrew, Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao, Hong, Jung Ook, Axley, Andrew Cole, Park, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/849,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 702/127, 702/150, 702/155, 702182-185
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Methods, devices, and computer programs are presented for creating a unified data stream from multiple data streams acquired from multiple devices. One method includes an operation for receiving activity data streams from the devices, each activity data stream being associated with physical activity data of a user. Further, the method includes an operation for assembling the unified activity data stream for a period of time. The unified activity data stream includes data segments from the data streams of at least two devices, and the data segments are organized time-wise over the period of time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of data streams from a plurality of devices, each data stream including data of a same user activity metric captured with a respective device;

determining, based on the data streams, when a user is utilizing each of the plurality of devices;

assembling a unified activity data stream for the user activity metric over a period of time, the unified activity data stream including data segments from at least two devices of the plurality of devices, the included data segments being associated with time segments when the user utilized the respective device, the unified activity data stream being organized time-wise over the period of time; and

presenting the unified activity data stream on a user interface.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining when the user is utilizing each of the plurality of devices further includes:

identifying when each device shows activity associated with the user activity metric; and

determining that the user is utilizing each device based on the identifying.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining when the user is utilizing each of the plurality of devices further includes:

identifying which device shows a higher activity level for each time segment.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein assembling a unified activity data stream further includes:

identifying a priority for each device; and

when multiple devices include data segments showing user activity over a time segment, utilizing the data segment for a device with a highest priority.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining when the user is utilizing each of the plurality of devices further includes:

identifying which devices include a step count greater than zero.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

determining when a user is in a vehicle; and

discarding data from one or more devices corresponding to a period when the user is in the vehicle.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user interface includes one or more of steps taken by the user over a period of time, a distance walked over the period of time, calories burnt over the period of time, or heartbeat information, wherein the user interface includes a graph bar, each bar of the graph bar showing a level of activity over a corresponding period.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein operations of the method are performed by a computer program when executed by one or more processors, the computer program being embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of data streams from a plurality of devices, each data stream including data of a same user activity metric captured with a respective device;

determining, based on the data streams, when a user is utilizing each of the plurality of devices;

determining when the user is switching from utilizing one device to another;

assembling a unified activity data stream for the user activity metric over a period of time, the unified activity data stream including data segments from at least two devices of the plurality of devices, wherein the included data segments being associated with time segments when the user utilized the respective device, the unified activity data stream being organized time-wise over the period of time; and

presenting the unified activity data stream on a user interface.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein determining when the user is switching from utilizing one device to another further includes:

identifying time segments of activity that follow time segments without activity for each device; and

identifying time segments without activity that follow time segments with activity for each device.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein determining when the user is utilizing each of the plurality of devices further includes:

identifying when each device shows activity; and

determining that the user is utilizing each device based on the identifying.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein determining when the user is switching from utilizing one device to another further includes:

accessing calendar data associated with the user; and

selecting the device based on the calendar data.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein accessing calendar data further includes:

determining an activity of the user for a time segment based on the calendar data.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein accessing calendar data further includes:

determining a location of the user for a time segment based on the calendar data.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein determining when the user is switching from utilizing one device to another further includes:

accessing contact information data associated with the user; and

selecting the device based on the contact information data.

16. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the user interface includes one or more of steps taken by the user over a period of time, a distance walked over the period of time, calories burnt over the period of time, or heartbeat information, wherein the user interface includes a graph bar, each bar of the graph bar showing a level of activity over a corresponding period.

17. A method comprising:

receiving a first data stream from a step-counter device, the first data stream including steps taken during each period from a plurality of periods;

receiving a second data stream from a smartphone, the second data stream including steps taken during each period from the plurality of periods;

determining, based on the first and second data streams, when a user utilized the step-counter device for tracking the steps taken and when the user utilized the smartphone for tracking the steps taken;

assembling a steps-taken data stream for the user over a day, the steps-taken data stream including data segments from the first data stream and from the second data stream, wherein the included data segments are associated with time segments when the user utilized the step-counter device or the smartphone, the steps-taken data stream being organized time-wise for the day; and

presenting the steps-taken data stream on a user interface.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein receiving the first data stream from the step-counter device further includes:

receiving the first data stream from a personal computer, the step-counter device sending the first data stream to the personal computer before the personal computer transmits the first data stream.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein receiving the first data stream from the step-counter device further includes:

receiving the first data stream from the smartphone, the step-counter device sending the first data stream to the smartphone before the smartphone transmits the first data stream.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein receiving the first data stream from the step-counter device further includes:

establishing a network connection with the step-counter device; and

receiving the first data stream from the step-counter device over the network connection.

21. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein determining when the user utilized the step-counter device and the smartphone for tracking the steps taken further includes:

identifying when the step-counter device shows activity; and

identifying when the smartphone device shows activity.

22. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein determining when the user utilized the step-counter device and the smartphone for tracking the steps taken further includes:

identifying which device shows a higher activity level for each time segment.

23. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein determining when the user utilized the step-counter device and the smartphone for tracking the steps taken further includes:

identifying when the step-counter device shows a step count greater than zero; and

identifying when the smartphone device shows the step count greater than zero.

24. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the user interface includes one or more of the steps taken by the user over a period of time, a distance walked over the period of time, calories burnt over the period of time, or heartbeat information, wherein the user interface includes a graph bar, each bar of the graph bar showing a level of activity over a corresponding period.

25. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of data streams from a plurality of devices, each data stream including data of a same user activity metric captured with a respective device;

determining, based on the data streams, activities of a user during a day;

for each activity of the user, assigning a priority to each device;

assembling a unified activity data stream for the user activity metric over a period of time, the unified activity data stream including data segments from at least two devices of the plurality of devices, wherein the included data segments are selected based on the activity corresponding to the data segment and the priorities assigned to the plurality of devices for the activity of the data segment, the unified activity data stream being organized time-wise over the period of time; and

presenting the unified activity data stream on a user interface.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the activities are selected from a group consisting of walking, sleeping, commuting, working, being outdoors, swimming, cycling, running, or being at a gym.

27. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein determining activities of the user during the day further includes:

analyzing global positioning system data to identify a location of the user.

28. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein determining activities of the user is based on one or more of data in a calendar of the user, or a pattern found in the data of one or more devices from the plurality of devices, or information entered by the user regarding the activity.

29. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the user interface includes one or more of steps taken by the user over a period of time, a distance walked over the period of time, calories burnt over the period of time, or heartbeat information.