Smart garment

• US 7,698,101 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2007
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Borchers, Robert Edward, Alten, Brett G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee; Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US11/683,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00

Abstract

A sensor authenticated to a garment transfers information, either wirelessly or wired, to an external data processing device. Such information includes location information, physiometric data of the individual wearing the garment, garment performance and wear data (when the garment is an athletic shoe, for example). The external data processing device can be portable digital media players that are, in turn, in wireless communication with a server computer or other wireless devices.

Claims

1. A method of electronically pairing a sensor and a garment, comprising:

establishing a bi-directional communication link between the sensor and the garment;

accessing processing resources incorporated in the garment, the processing resources being independent of the sensor and used to determine if the garment is authorized, the processing resources including memory resources, the memory resources storing information including garment identification data, backup garment performance data and back up user performance data;

using the garment identification data to determine if the garment is an authorized garment; and

electronically pairing the garment and the sensor only if the garment is authorized and the sensor is authenticated, wherein if the garment is determined to be not authorized and the sensor is determined to be authenticated, then,

authorizing the garment by a garment user inputting an appropriate authorization code to the sensor.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the garment performance data and the garment user performance data when the garment and the sensor are electronically paired with each other; and

using the memory resources in the garment to back up the garment performance data and the garment user performance data.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining if the garment is the authorized garment comprises:

receiving the garment identification information by the sensor; and

comparing the garment identification information to authorized garment identification information stored in the sensor.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the garment data by the sensor; and

passing the garment data to an external circuit for further processing.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the garment data includes a garment manufacture date, garment wear data, a garment wear threshold value.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 comprising:

comparing a current garment wear data value to the garment wear threshold value; and

issuing a wear notification based upon the comparison of the current garment wear data value and the garment wear threshold value.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user performance data by the sensor; and

passing the user performance to an external circuit for further processing.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein when the garment is a shoe, then the user performance data includes stride data, force of impact data and corresponding location of impact data.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

calculating a user running style profile based upon the stride data, the force of impact data and the corresponding point of impact data;

comparing the user running style profile to a running style profile template; and

issuing virtual coaching instructions based upon the comparison of the user running style profile and the running style profile template.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the external circuit is a computing device arranged to process the received data.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing device is part of a network of computing devices.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the data is processed by at least one of the network of computing devices.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the computing devices is a personal portable computing device.

14. A computer readable storage medium embodied in a tangible form and including at least computer program code for electronically pairing a sensor and a garment, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

computer code for establishing a bi-directional communication link between the sensor and the garment;

computer code for accessing processing resources incorporated in the garment, the processing resources being independent of the sensor and used to determine if the garment is authorized, the processing resources including memory resources, the memory resources storing information including garment identification data, backup garment performance data and back up user performance data;

computer code for using the garment identification data to determine if the garment is an authorized garment; and

computer code for electronically pairing the garment and the sensor only if the garment is authorized and the sensor is authenticated, wherein if the garment is determined to be not authorized and the sensor is determined to be authenticated, then, authorizing the garment by a garment user inputting an appropriate authorization code to the sensor.

15. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

computer code for receiving the garment performance data and the garment user performance data when the garment and the sensor are electronically paired with each other; and

computer code for using the memory resources in the garment to back up the garment performance data and the garment user performance data.

16. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the computer code for determining if the garment is an authorized garment further comprises:

computer code for receiving the garment identification information by the sensor; and

computer code for comparing the garment identification information to authorized garment identification information stored in the sensor.

17. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

computer code for receiving garment data by the sensor; and

computer code for passing the garment data to an external circuit for further processing.

18. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the garment data includes a garment date of manufacture, garment wear data, a garment wear threshold value.

19. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18 comprising:

computer code for comparing a current garment wear data value to the garment wear threshold value; and

computer code for issuing a wear notification based upon the comparison of the current garment wear data value and the garment wear threshold value.

20. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

computer code for receiving user performance data by the sensor; and

computer code for passing the user performance to an external circuit for further processing.

21. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 20, wherein when the garment is a shoe, then the user performance data includes stride data, force of impact data and corresponding location of impact data.

22. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

computer code for calculating a user running style profile based upon the stride data, the force of impact data and the corresponding point of impact data;

computer code for comparing the user running style profile to a running style profile template;

computer code for issuing virtual coaching instructions based upon the comparison of the user running style profile and the running style profile template.

23. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the external circuit is a computing device arranged to process the received data.

24. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the computing device is part of a network of computing devices.

25. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the data is processed by at least one of the network of computing devices.

26. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 25, wherein at least one of the computing devices is a personal portable computing device.

27. A system, comprising:

a sensor having a bi-directional communication interface; and

a garment electronically paired with the sensor only if the garment is authorized and the sensor is authenticated, wherein the sensor determines if the garment is authorized by establishing a bi-directional communication channel with the garment, retrieving garment identification data from processing resources incorporated into the garment, using the bi-directional communication channel, and comparing the identification data to a database of authorized garment identifiers, wherein if the garment is determined to be not authorized and the sensor is determined to be authenticated, then the garment is authorized by a garment user inputting an appropriate authorization code directly to the sensor that updates the database of authorized garment identifiers, wherein when the garment and the sensor are electronically paired, the sensor receives data from the processing resources incorporated into the garment and passes the data to circuit external to the sensor and the garment for further processing.

28. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the external circuit is a portable computing device in communication with the sensor.

29. A system as recited in claim 28, wherein the data received from the garment is user performance data.

30. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein when the garment is a shoe, then the user performance data includes stride data, force of impact data and corresponding location of impact data.

31. A system as recited in claim 30, wherein the further processing comprises:

calculating a user running style profile based upon the stride data, the force of impact data and the corresponding point of impact data;

comparing the user running style profile to a running style profile template;

issuing virtual coaching instructions based upon the comparison of the user running style profile and the running style profile template.

32. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein the portable computing device is part of a network of computing devices.

33. A system as recited in claim 32, wherein the user performance data is processed by at least one of the network of computing devices.

34. A system as recited in claim 33, wherein at least one of the computing devices is a portable multimedia player.

35. An sensor capable of being electronically paired with a garment, comprising:

a processor; and

a bi-directional communication interface arranged to establish a bi-directional communication link between the sensor and the garment,

wherein the processor electronically pairs the sensor with the garment by performing at least the following operations;

establishing a communication link between the sensor and the garment using the bi-directional communication interface;

accessing processing resources incorporated in the garment, the processing resources being independent of the sensor and used to determine if the garment is authorized, the processing resources including memory resources, the memory resources storing information including garment identification data, backup garment performance data and back up user performance data;

retrieving at least some of the garment information from the garment memory resources that includes the garment identification data;

using the garment identification data to determine if the garment is an authorized garment;

electronically pairing the garment and the sensor only if the garment is authorized and the sensor is authenticated, wherein if the garment is determined to be not authorized and the sensor is determined to be authenticated, then,

authorizing the garment by a garment user inputting an appropriate authorization code to the sensor.

36. The sensor as recited in claim 35, wherein once the sensor and the garment are electronically paired, then the sensor receives garment data and user performance data.

37. The sensor as recited in claim 36, wherein the garment data and user performance data are passed by the sensor to an external circuit for further processing.

38. The sensor as recited in claim 37, wherein the external circuit is incorporated into a portable consumer electronic product.

39. The sensor as recited in claim 36, wherein the garment data includes a garment manufacture date, garment wear data, a garment wear threshold value.

40. The sensor as recited in claim 39 wherein the external circuit compares a current garment wear data value to the garment wear threshold value, and issues a wear notification based upon the comparison of the current garment wear data value and the garment wear threshold value.

41. The sensor as recited in claim 36, wherein when the garment is a shoe, then the user performance data includes stride data, force of impact data and corresponding location of impact data.

42. The sensor as recited in claim 41, wherein the external circuit further processes the user performance data by,

calculating a user running style profile based upon the stride data, the force of impact data and the corresponding point of impact data;

comparing the user running style profile to a running style profile template; and

issuing virtual coaching instructions based upon the comparison of the user running style profile and the running style profile template.

43. The sensor as recited in claim 35, wherein the processor determines if the garment is the authorized garment by comparing garment identification information received from the garment to authorized garment identification information.