INTERFACING PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICES AND SPORTS EQUIPMENT

• US 20120028761A1
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dorogusker, Jesse, Krueger, Scott, Bolton, Lawrence, Schubert, Emily C., Lydon, Gregory T., Lambert, Debbie, Hailey, Michael, Ginsburg, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 8,317,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/065 Visualisation of specific exercise parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0683 Input by handheld remote control
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0053 using alternators or dynamos
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0023 the inclination of the main axis of the movement path being adjustable, e.g. the inclination of an endless band
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/02 with movable endless bands , e.g. treadmills other training appliances for running on the spot A63B69/0028
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0605 performing a circular movement, e.g. ergometers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0664 performing an elliptic movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 calorie expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0084 Exercising apparatus with means for competitions, e.g. virtual races
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• 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: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Circuits, methods, and apparatus that allow sports or other equipment, such as gym or other cardio equipment, to write data to a media player. Examples further provide the uploading of this data to a computer and third-party website. To monitor progress, the third-party website can be used to track workout data over time. The third party-website can also collect data from other users, which is particularly useful for providing a competitive environment. This data can then be graphically displayed in various ways to provide encouragement.

Claims

1. A sports equipment apparatus comprising:

circuitry to form a communication link with a media player;

circuitry to receive media from the media player through the communication link and to provide the media to a user;

circuitry to receive control information from the user and to control the providing of the media based on the control;

circuitry to receive user profile data from the media player; and

circuitry to generate workout data, wherein the workout data depends at least in part on the user profile data, and to write the workout data to the media player on a periodic basis using the communication link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a display for providing prompts to a user.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the prompts include a workout selection menu.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a treadmill.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication link circuitry is coupled to a connector insert.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the connector insert is a 30-pin connector insert.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry to generate workout data measures angular displacement of a wheel.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the circuitry to generate workout data further measures time, and generates the workout data by using time and the angular displacement of the wheel.

9. A method for an item of sports equipment, the method comprising:

establishing, by the item of sports equipment, a communication link with a media player;

receiving, by the item of sports equipment, media from the media player through the communication link;

receiving, by the item of sports equipment, control information from a user, wherein the control information is usable to control the media from the first media player;

providing, by the item of sports equipment, the media to a user;

receiving, by the item of sports equipment, user profile data from the media player;

generating, by the item of sports equipment, workout data, wherein the first workout data depends at least in part on the user profile data; and

sending, by the item of sports equipment, the workout data to the media player through the communication link, wherein the media player writes the workout data to a storage medium.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the media comprises either or both of music or video.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein providing the media to the user includes providing the media through one or more of a headphone jack, a speaker, or a display.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein generating the workout data includes:

measuring, by the item of sports equipment, a physical movement; and

converting, by the item of sports equipment, the measurement into workout data using at least some of the user profile data.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

displaying, by the item of sports equipment, information based on the workout data.

14. A method of storing data in a memory of a media player, the method comprising:

establishing, by a media player having a memory, a communication link with an item of sports equipment;

providing, by the media player, user profile data from the memory of the media player to the item of sports equipment;

periodically receiving, by the media player, data from the sports equipment, the data comprising workout data related to contemporaneous workout activity, wherein the received data is based at least in part on the user profile data; and

storing, by the media player, the received data in the memory.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the received data is stored as a file, the method further comprising:

after the contemporaneous workout activity is completed, appending end of file data to the stored file.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving, by the media player, identifying information from the item of sports equipment; and

storing, by the media player, the received identifying information in the memory in association with the received workout data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the identifying information for the item of sports equipment includes at least one of a manufacturer name, a model name, or an equipment type.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the identifying information for the item of sports equipment includes at least one of a current location of the item of sports equipment or a name of a facility at which the sports equipment is located.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving, by the media player, information indicating a workout selected by the user;

determining, by the media player, based at least in part on the selected workout, whether the memory has sufficient capacity to store all of the workout data for the selected workout; and

providing, by the media player, a notification to the user in the event that the memory does not have sufficient capacity to store all of the workout data for the selected workout.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the received data is stored in an XML format.