Fitting system for sporting equipment

• US 9,814,935 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Newlight Capital, LLC
• Original Assignee: Blast Motion Incorporated
• Inventors: Bentley, Michael, Bose, Bhaskar, Kaps, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): BAILEY, FREDERICK D
• Application Number:
  US15/044,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20160184639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6895 Sport equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• 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: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

Enables a fitting system for sporting equipment using an application that executes on a mobile phone for example to prompt and accept motion inputs from a given motion capture sensor to measure a user'"'"'s size, range of motion, speed and then utilizes that same sensor to capture motion data from a piece of equipment, for example to further optimize the fit of, or suggest purchase of a particular piece of sporting equipment. Utilizes correlation or other data mining of motion data for size, range of motion, speed of other users to maximize the fit of a piece of equipment for the user based on other user'"'"'s performance with particular equipment. For example, this enables a user of a similar size, range of motion and speed to data mine for the best performance equipment, e.g., longest drive, lowest putt scores, highest winning percentage, etc., associated with other users having similar characteristics.

Claims

1. A fitting system for sporting equipment comprising:

at least one motion capture element coupled to a piece of equipment and configured to capture motion capture data during a movement of said piece of equipment performed by a first user, said at least one motion capture element comprising a wireless communication interface configured to transmit said motion capture data from the at least one motion capture element;

a database comprising measurements associated with a plurality of other users, and,

an application configured to execute on a computer that is configured to wirelessly communicate with said at least one motion capture element, wherein the application is configured to

accept said motion capture data from the motion capture element via the wireless communication interface;

calculate at least one measurement

of a characteristic of said first user or

of said movement of said piece of equipment performed by said first user

based on the motion capture data;

perform a comparison of said at least one measurement of said characteristic or of said movement to said database of said measurements associated with said plurality of other users;

based on said comparison, identify a second user of said plurality of other users, wherein a corresponding measurement associated with said second user in said database of measurements is similar to said at least one measurement of a characteristic of said first user or of said movement of said piece of equipment performed by said first user; and

,

present information associated with a piece of equipment associated with said second user to the first user.

2. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said identify said second user comprises:

identify a user of said plurality of other users having a maximum value correlation with said at least one measurement associated with said first user.

3. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said at least one measurement represents a height or an arm length, or a torso length, or a leg length of the first user or any combination thereof.

4. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said at least one measurement represents a wrist to floor measurement of the first user.

5. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said at least one measurement represents a hand size or longest finger size of the first user or both the hand size and longest finger size of the first user.

6. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to:

display one or more images to enable the first user to view a sporting event.

7. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to:

accept an input from the first user to purchase said piece of equipment associated with said second user.

8. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said at least one measurement comprises:

a range of motion between a first and second rotational value.

9. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said at least one measurement comprises:

a speed of the first user.

10. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to:

prompt the first user for an age of the first user;

identify said second user of said plurality of other users wherein said second user has an age similar to said age of said first user.

11. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to:

present information associated with a grip or length of said piece of equipment associated with said second user, or any combination thereof.

12. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to:

present information associated with a stiffness of said piece of equipment associated with said second user.

13. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to:

present information associated with a model or manufacturer of said piece of equipment associated with said second user or any combination thereof.

14. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said computer is further configured to:

predict a first derivative or other derivate based on age or growth with respect to time to determine an optimally sized piece of equipment for a current point in time or for a longest time that said optimally sized piece of equipment should last for the first user.

15. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said computer is further configured to:

present exercises and/or stretches that would improve performance to a predicted performance level based on performance data associated with the plurality of other users.

16. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said computer is further configured to:

present equipment that would be appropriate for an increase strength or flexibility so that the first user can grow into, or improve into equipment.

17. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said computer is further configured to:

detect areas of the body of the first user that may be indicative of injury associated with the motion capture data; and

,

alert the first user.

18. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said piece of equipment comprises a shoe.

19. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 18 wherein said at least one measurement of a characteristic of said first user or of said movement of said piece of equipment performed by said first user comprises a gait analysis.

20. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said computer is further configured to:

prompt a first user to move the motion capture sensor to a first location;

accept a first motion capture data from the motion capture sensor at the first location via the wireless communication interface;

prompt the first user to move the motion capture sensor to a second location or rotational value;

accept a second motion capture data from the motion capture sensor at the second location or rotational value via the wireless communication interface;

calculate a distance or rotation between the first and second location or rotational value based on the first and second motion capture data.

21. The fitting system for sporting equipment according to claim 1 wherein said computer is further configured to:

prompt the first user to move through a movement;

accept a third motion capture data from the motion capture sensor for the movement via the wireless communication interface;

calculate a speed for the movement based on the third motion capture data.