SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE RACE

• US 20090258710A1
• Filed: 04/09/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Nims, Jason, Quatrochi, Danielle
• Application Number:
  US12/421,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20090258710A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• 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 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• 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 24/0084 Exercising apparatus with means for competitions, e.g. virtual races
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0616 Means for conducting or scheduling competition, league, tournaments or rankings
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

Systems and techniques for the collection and display of athletic information. Athletic data relating to a single person or group of people is collected at a central location, and subsequently displayed at a desired remote location so that the person or people can review and critique their performance. In addition, athletic data for multiple persons can be collected at a central location, and subsequently displayed to a user at a desired remote location, so that the user can compare his or her athletic activities to others, for example as part of an event, competition, or race.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory having a plurality of modules, including;

a participant module for storing participant information for a plurality of participants in an athletic activity including at least a first participant and a second participant;

an athletic activity module for storing information relating to one or more athletic data gathered from the participants during the athletic activity;

a computer interface for receiving the athletic data relating to athletic activity from each of the participants; and

a processor configured to associate the athletic data with a participant having participant information stored in the participant module of the memory, wherein the processor is also configured to compare the athletic data for at least a portion of the plurality of participants.

2. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the participant information includes at least one of age, gender, skill level, athletic performance history, and geographic location for engaging in the athletic activity.

3. The system recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the participants is a team comprising a plurality of team members.

4. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the athletic data includes at least one of speed, pace, distance, and time of each of the participants during the athletic activity.

5. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the athletic activity is a competition.

6. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the athletic activity is a race.

7. The system recited in claim 6, wherein the race is a distance of at least 5 km.

8. The system recited in claim 6, wherein the race is located in a first geographic location, and wherein the first participant is located in the first geographic location, and wherein the second participant is located in a second geographic location.

9. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the second participant is a virtual participant in the race.

10. The system recited in claim 6, wherein the race occurs in a plurality of host cities.

11. The system recited in claim 10, wherein the first participant engages in the race in one of the host cities and the second participant engages in the athletic activity in a geographic location that is not one of the host cities.

12. The system recited in claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of host cities hosts a concert after the race.

13. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the first participant is located in a first geographic location and the second participant is located in a second geographic location that is different from the first geographic location.

14. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the computer interface receives the athletic data from an athletic performance sensing device comprising at least one athletic performance sensor, wherein the athletic performance device is portable and attachable to at least one participant.

15. The system recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one athletic performance sensor includes at least one of an accelerometer, a pedometer, inclinometer, and a heart rate monitor.

16. The system recited in claim 14, wherein each participant has an athletic performance sensing device that is portable and attachable to the participant during the athletic activity.

17. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to evaluate the athletic data from each of the plurality of participants to determine leader board results.

18. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to award a prize to at least one participant based at least in part on the leader board results.

19. The system recited in claim 18, wherein the prize is a customized keepsake of the athletic activity.

20. The system recited in claim 18, wherein the prize is awarded to each participant included in the leader board results.

21. The system recited in claim 17, wherein a first portion of the plurality of participants engages in the athletic activity in a first location and the processor is further configured to sort the leader board results by the participants that engaged in the athletic activity at the first location.

22. The system recited in claim 21, wherein a second portion of the plurality of participants engages in the athletic activity in a second location and the processor is further configured to sort the leader board results by the participants that engaged in the athletic activity at the second location.

23. The system recited in claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to compare the athletic data from a participant engaging in the athletic activity in the first location with the leader board results of the participants engaging in the athletic activity in the second location.

24. The system recited in claim 17, further comprising an output computing device capable of displaying the leader board results on a website accessible by the participants.

25. The system recited in claim 1, further comprising an output device.

26. The system recited in claim 25, wherein the output device is capable of outputting audio and/or visual data relating to the athletic data of at least a portion of the participants.

27. The system recited in claim 25, wherein the output device is at least one of a computing device, a mobile device, a smartphone, and a portable audio device.

28. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the computer interface is further configured to receive charitable donations based at least in part on a participant'"'"'s engagement in the athletic activity.

29. A method of organizing a global race, including the steps of:

receiving race registration information from each of a plurality of participants, wherein a first portion of the participants are engaging in a race in a first geographic location and a second portion of the participants are engaging in the race in a second geographic location that is different from the first geographic location;

receiving race performance data from each of the plurality of participants after the participants complete the race; and

generating a results list based at least in part on the race performance data from each of the plurality of participants.

30. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the race occurs in a plurality of host cities, and wherein the first geographic location is a host city and the second geographic location is not a host city.

31. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the race performance data is generated by a plurality of athletic performance sensing devices that are portable and attachable to each of the participants.

32. The method recited in claim 29, further comprising the steps of comparing the race performance data of a first participant in the first portion of the plurality of participants with the results list of the second portion of the plurality of participants.

33. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the first geographic location is in a first country and the second geographic location is in a second country that is different than the first country.

34. The method recited in claim 29, further comprising the step of awarding a prize based at least in part on the results list.

35. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the race registration information includes at least one of age, gender, skill level, and geographic location.

36. The method recited in claim 35, further comprising the step of sorting the results list by at least one of age, gender, skill level, and geographic location.

37. A system for managing a global race, comprising:

a server for storing race registration data from a plurality of participants and race performance data from each of the participants, wherein the plurality of participants includes at least a first participant in a first geographic location and a second participant in a second geographic location that is different from the first geographic location;

a registration kiosk for receiving race registration information from at least one of the participants, wherein the registration kiosk is configured to transmit the race registration information to the server, and wherein the registration kiosk is positioned in the first geographic location;

a computer interface for receiving race performance data from each of the plurality of participants and capable of transmitting the race performance data to the server;

a processor configured receive the race performance data from the server and is also configured to compare the race performance data of each of the plurality of participants, wherein the processor is further configured to create a leader board based at least in part on the race performance data from each of the plurality of participants; and

an output device for displaying the leader board.

38. The system recited in claim 37, wherein the race registration data for each participant includes at least one of age, gender, skill level, and geographic location.

39. The system recited in claim 38, wherein the leader board is sortable by at least one of age, gender, skill level, and geographic location of each of the participants.

40. The system recited in claim 39, wherein the processor is further configured to compare the race performance data of a participant from the first geographic location with the leader board results of the second geographic location.

41. The system recited in claim 37, wherein the output device is a web server that is capable of displaying a website that contains the leader board, wherein the website is accessibly by each of the participants.

42. A system, comprising:

a plurality of race participants participating in a race in a plurality of geographic regions, wherein a first portion of the race participants participate in the race in a first geographic location and a second portion of the race participants participate in the race in a second geographic location that is different than the first geographic location;

a plurality of athletic performance sensing devices, each of the athletic performance sensing devices including at least one athletic performance sensor, and wherein at least one athletic performance sensing device is attached to each of the race participants in all of the geographic locations, and wherein each of the athletic performance sensing devices are configured to sense race performance data of each of the participants during the race, wherein the race performance data includes at least one of speed and distance of the participant during the race; and

a central computer for receiving and processing the race performance data from each of the athletic performance sensing devices in all of the plurality of geographic locations, the central computer, comprising;

a receiver for receiving the race performance data from each of the plurality of athletic performance sensing devices;

a processor for compiling the race performance data from each of the participants; and

a web server for displaying the race performance data from each of the participants on a website that is accessible by each of the race participants.