SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING THE POSITION OF A PUNCHING BAG

• US 20090176620A1
• Filed: 01/06/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Matthew Reynolds
• Original Assignee: John Matthew Reynolds
• Inventors: Reynolds, John Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,874,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/222 suspended from a fixed support

Abstract

A punching bag system is provided for determining the position of a punching bag. A punching bag is suspended by a coupling from a stand which permits the punching bag to travel between an up position where it is in contact with a contact area on the stand, and a down position where it is free from contact with the stand. Light-emitting devices and light-receiving devices are radially positioned on the stand between the coupling and the contact area. Light is emitted from the light-emitting devices and reflected into the light-receiving devices when the punching bag is in the up position. The light-receiving devices generate an output proportional to the amount of light received therein which is analyzed to determine if the punching bag is in the up position. A metric is determined based in part on the determined position and is presented by an output device.

Claims

1. A punching bag system comprising:

a punching bag having first and second ends and a longitudinal axis;

a stand having a bottom face including a ring-shaped contact area;

a coupling attached to the bottom face and to the second end of the punching bag, wherein the coupling permits the punching bag to travel between an up position in which a portion of the punching bag is disposed near or in contact with the contact area on the bottom face of the stand and a down position where the portion of the punching bag near or on the generally round body is substantially spaced apart from the bottom face of the stand;

light-emitting devices radially positioned on the bottom face of the stand and configured to emit light, wherein the light-emitting devices are radially spaced from the coupling and are spaced from the contact area;

light-receiving devices radially positioned on the bottom face of the stand and configured to generate a signal upon receiving light, wherein the light-receiving devices are radially spaced from the coupling and are spaced from the contact area, and wherein light emitted by the light-emitting devices is reflected into the light-receiving devices by the punching bag when the punching bag is in the up position; and

a controller configured to measure the signals from the light-receiving devices and determine when the punching bag is in the up position or the down position based on the signals, wherein after determining a cycle of three successive determinations of the punching bag being in the up position and then in the down position, the controller determines that the punching bag has been punched, and wherein the controller outputs a metric based at least in part on the number of instances that the punching bag has been punched over a period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the metric is the number of punches of the bag.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the metric is the number of instances which the bag has been punched over a period of time.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the metric is the number of instances which the bag has been punched over a period of one minute.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the metric is the number of cycles of the bag being in the up position and then the down position.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an output device for presenting the metric.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the output device comprises a visual display for presenting the metric to a user.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the output device comprises an audio output device for presenting the metric to a user.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the output device is configured to present a user with a notification and the controller is configured to determine the amount of time between the notification being presented to the user and a determination that the bag is in the up position.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the output device is configured to present the amount of time determined by the controller in claim 9.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the output device comprises an electronic communication interface configured to present the metric to a computing system.

12. A punching bag system comprising:

a punching bag having a diameter that varies about a longitudinal axis of the punching bag, wherein the punching bag comprises;

a generally round body having a first diameter, wherein the first diameter is the largest diameter of the punching bag;

a neck longitudinally spaced apart from the generally round body and having a second diameter less than the first diameter;

wherein the bag has a first longitudinal end at an end of the longitudinal axis nearest the generally round body and a second longitudinal end at an end of the longitudinal axis nearest the neck; and

wherein the first diameter is longitudinally spaced apart from the second longitudinal end by a first distance;

a stand having at least a bottom face, wherein a coupling is attached to the bottom face and connects at least a portion of the second longitudinal end of the punching bag to the bottom face of the stand, and wherein the coupling permits the punching bag to travel between an up position where a portion of the punching bag near or on the generally round body is in contact with the bottom face of the stand and a down position where the portion of the punching bag near or on the generally round body is substantially spaced apart from the bottom face of the stand;

light-emitting devices radially positioned on the bottom face of the stand and configured to emit light, wherein the light-emitting devices are radially spaced from the coupling device at a second distance, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance;

light-receiving devices radially positioned on the bottom face of the stand and configured to generate an output upon receiving light, wherein the light-receiving device are radially spaced from the coupling device at the second distance, and wherein light emitted by the light-emitting devices is reflected into the light-receiving devices by the punching bag when the punching bag is in the up position;

a controller for measuring the output from the light-receiving devices and determining when the punching bag is in the up position or the down position based on the output, and wherein the controller determines a metric based at least in part on the determination of whether the punching bag is in the up position or the down position; and

an output device for presenting the metric.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the metric is the number of instances which the bag has been punched.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the metric is the number of instances which the bag has been punched over a period of time.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the light-emitting devices are infrared light emitting diodes (LEDs).

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the light-receiving devices are configured to generate an output upon receiving infrared light.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the neck of the punching bag is comprised of a material configured to reflect infrared light.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising a reflective component circumferentially positioned around at least a portion of the neck of the punching bag.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the reflective component is configured to reflect infrared light.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the output device comprises a visual display for presenting the metric to a user.

21. An apparatus for determining the location of a punching bag and presenting a metric based at least in part on the determined location of the punching bag, the apparatus comprising:

a circular housing having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, wherein the circular housing is configured to be attached to a stand and the inner diameter and outer diameter are sized to permit a punching bag to be suspended from a coupling attached to the stand and positioned inside the inner diameter of the circular housing, and wherein the outer diameter of the circular housing is sized to prevent contact between the punching bag and the housing when a portion of the punching bag is in contact with the stand while the punching bag is in an up position;

light-emitting devices radially positioned within the circular housing and configured to emit light;

light-receiving devices radially positioned within the circular housing and configured to receive light emitted by the light-emitting devices, wherein at least some of the light emitted from the light-emitting devices is reflected into the light receiving devices when the punching bag is in the up position;

a controller for measuring the output from the light-receiving devices and determining whether the punching bag is in the up position or a down position wherein the punching bag is substantially spaced apart from the stand, and wherein the controller determines a metric based at least in part on the determination of whether the punching bag is in the up position or the down position; and

an output device for presenting the metric.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the outer diameter of the circular housing defines a circumferential portion of the circular housing along which the output device is positioned.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the output device comprises a visual display.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the light-emitting devices and light-receiving devices are arranged in pairs of one light-emitting device and one light-receiving device.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the light-emitting devices are infrared light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the light-receiving devices are configured to generate an output upon receiving infrared light.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the light-receiving devices are configured to generate an output proportional to the intensity of infrared light received in the light-receiving device.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein light is emitted from the light-emitting devices intermittently according to a defined frequency.