EXERCISE MACHINE SYSTEM

• US 20110010188A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Takaaki, Sakakibara, Hitoshi, Shinomiya, Youichi
• Application Number:
  US12/735,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010188A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0081 Coaching or training aspects related to a group of users
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0093 the load of the exercise apparatus being controlled by performance parameters, e.g. distance or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0058 using motors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4033 Handles, pedals, bars or platforms
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4034 for operation by feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4035 for operation by hand
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4047 Pivoting movement weight pivoting A63B21/0615
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/64 Frequency, e.g. of vibration oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/01 User's weight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/30 blood pressure A63B2230/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/62 posture
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/70 body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0211 moving torso with immobilized lower limbs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0233 Muscles of the back, e.g. by an extension of the body against a resistance, reverse crunch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/04 : for lower limbs training appliances for special sports A63B69/00; for the purpose of producing mechanical power F03G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0059 : Exercising apparatus with reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 : Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• 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 26/003 : for improving balance or equilibrium balance beams A63B4/00; apparatus for rope dancing A63B7/08; balancing drums, balancing boards or the like A63B22/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 : Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 : Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/04 : for anthropometrical measurements, such as weight, height, strength
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 : using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication

Abstract

Operation time interval measurement means 28 of a passive exercise machine 1 measures the operation time interval and stores the measurement result of the operation time interval in association with the user identifiers in a machine operation table TB2. A server 2 includes an exercise history table TB12 that associates and stores the user identifiers and the measurement data on the operation time interval received by external communication means 41 from the passive exercise machine 1 via a network, operation time interval-to-exercise point conversion means 46 for determining exercise points that are obtained by quantifying the exercise amount of each user from the operation time interval of the user stored in the operation history table TB12 and storing the determined exercise points in the exercise history table TB12, and machine operation pattern determination means 47 for determining a machine operation pattern number indicating an operation state of the passive exercise machine 1 that is being used by the user when a cumulative total number of exercise points per user that has been stored in the exercise history table TB12 exceeds a predetermined threshold level. The server 2 transmits the determined machine operation pattern number from the external communication means 41 to the passive exercise machine 1.

Claims

1. An exercise administration system that is an exercise machine system, in which one or a plurality of exercise machines for allowing a user to perform an exercise is connected to a server that is operated by a service provider of a service that promotes health of the user via a network, wherein

the exercise machine comprises:

an exercise load application means for applying an exercise load to the user;

an operation control means for changing an operation state of the exercise load application means in response to a machine control signal input from the server;

an identifier storage means for storing user identifiers that have been allocated to individual users;

an operation time interval measurement means for measuring an operation time interval of the exercise machine;

a measurement data storage means for storing measurement results of the operation time interval in association with the user identifiers; and

a communication means for communicating with the server via the network, and

the server comprises;

a communication means for communicating with the exercise machine via the network;

a server storage means for storing the user identifiers and the measurement data on the operation time interval that have been received by the communication means from the exercise machine in association with each other;

a point conversion means for determining exercise points obtained by quantifying an exercise amount of each user from the operation time interval of the user stored in the server storage means and storing the exercise points in the server storage means; and

a machine operation control means for transmitting, from the communication means to the exercise machine, a machine control signal for changing an operation state of the exercise machine for the user when the cumulative total number of exercise points for each user that has been stored in the server storage means exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The exercise administration system according to claim 1, wherein the user is a resident of a community that provides to the residents thereof a living environment enabling the residents to lead an active life, and

the server is provided with means for transmitting exercise points of each user that have been read from the server storage means to at least either of an administrator of the community and the user.

3. The exercise administration system according to claim 1, wherein the user is a resident of a community that provides to the residents thereof a living environment enabling the residents to lead an active life, and

the server is provided with an exercise point totaling means for reading exercise points of all of the residents living in the community from the server storage means and totaling the exercise points, and a means for transmitting, upon receiving a request from the service provider that operates the server, a cumulative total number of exercise points to an advertiser that provides an advertisement for new residents to the community on the Internet, thereby updating the cumulative total number of exercise points displayed on the advertisement for new residents to the community.

4. The exercise administration system according to claim 1, wherein the user is a resident of a community that provides to the residents thereof a living environment enabling the residents to lead an active life, and a computer used by a physical therapist is connected to the network,

the exercise administration system comprises health state measurement means for measuring a health assessment index for evaluating a health state of the user,

the server is provided with a means for storing measurement data on the health assessment indexes obtained with the health state measurement means in association with the user identifiers in the measurement data storage means when the measurement data on the health assessment indexes are received by the communication means, and a means for reading the operation time interval and measurement data on the health assessment index for each user from the measurement data storage means and transmitting the read-out data from the communication means to the computer used by the physical therapist, and

upon receiving a response with diagnostic results from the computer used by the physical therapist, the communication means of the server stores the diagnostic results in association with the user identifiers in the measurement data storage means, and the communication means transmits the diagnostic results to at least one of the administrator of the community, the user, and a family member of the user.

5. The exercise administration system according to claim 4, wherein the user is a resident of a community that provides to the residents thereof a living environment enabling the residents to lead an active life, and a computer used by a physical therapist and a computer of an insurance company that has signed a medical insurance contract with the residents are connected to the network;

the server is provided with means for reading diagnostic results of the users diagnosed by the physical therapist from the measurement data storage means and transmit the diagnostic results from the communication means to the computer of the insurance company, and

the computer of the insurance company is provided with means for receiving the diagnostic results of the users transmitted from the server, and means for calculating a reduction ratio of insurance premium on the basis of the diagnostic results of the users, and the insurance premium of the medical insurance is set on the basis of the diagnostic result obtained by the physical therapist.