System for monitoring the physical activity of a user, a portable medium and a method for monitoring

• US 8,676,170 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technogym SpA
• Original Assignee: Technogym SpA
• Inventors: Porrati, Luca, Strocchi, Giovanni, Catania, Fabrizio
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Suhail
• Application Number:
  US13/107,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20120094649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• 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 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0683 Input by handheld remote control
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• 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 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• 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 24/0087 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of groups A63B21/00 - A63B23/00, e.g. controlling load
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A system for monitoring the physical activity of a user comprises a portable medium and a remote server having access to a database containing data received from the portable medium. The portable medium has a sensor for detecting the movement of the user, a display, a memory, an interface for exchanging data with a gym machine, a processor for deriving in real time a dimensionless parameter representing the physical activity of the user wearing the portable medium, and wireless communication means configured to establish a connection between the portable medium and a mobile telephone which is set up to connect to the remote server to transfer data to the remote server in real time. The remote server is programmed to transmit, in real time, motivational indications as a function of the data transmitted by the portable medium for display on the mobile telephone.

Claims

1. A system (1) for monitoring physical activity of a user (2), comprising:

a portable medium (3) which can be worn by the user (2) and which is equipped with;

a sensor (4) designed to detect a signal relating to movement of the user (2);

a power supply (5);

a display unit (6) of the portable medium;

a data storage memory (7);

an interface (8) which can be coupled to a gym machine (9) and which is configured to allow data to be exchanged between the memory (7) and the gym machine (9);

a processor (11) programmed for deriving in real time, at least from the signal detected by the sensor (4), a dimensionless parameter value representing the physical activity of the user (2) wearing the portable medium (3) and for displaying, on the display unit (6), an indication, as a function of the derived value of the dimensionless parameter and of a reference value of the dimensionless parameter constituting a preset target for an amount of physical activity to be performed by the user (2) in a predetermined time interval;

a remote server (12) having access to a database (13) containing data received from the portable medium (3),

characterized in that the portable medium (3) comprises wireless communication means (10) configured to establish a short-range connection (C1) between the portable medium (3) and a mobile telephone (14), the mobile telephone (14) being equipped with a display unit (15) and being set up to establish an Internet connection (I1) and to connect up to the remote server (12) through the Internet connection (I1) in order to transfer data in real time to the remote server (12) through the Internet connection (I1),

the remote server (12) being programmed to transmit, in real time through the Internet connection (I1), motivational indications as a function of the data transmitted by the portable medium (3) to the remote server (12), so that the motivational indications are displayed on the display unit (15) of the mobile telephone (14),

wherein motivational indications are derived in real time from the data transmitted by the portable medium (3) to the remote server (12) through the short-range connection (C1) and the Internet connection (I1), wherein said data comprise said dimensionless parameter, representative of the amount of physical activity carried out by the user during a day, and said reference value of the dimensionless parameter.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remote server (12) is set up to allow selection of a criterion for calculating the reference value of the dimensionless parameter and to download into the memory (7) of the portable medium (3), through the Internet connection (I1) and the short-range connection (C1) established by the wireless communications means (10), instructions for calculating the reference value of the dimensionless parameter, said instructions relating to the selected calculation criterion so that the processor (11) of the portable medium (3) can use those instructions.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the interface (8) is configured to receive in real time from the gym machine (9) at least one signal representing the physical activity performed by the user on the gym machine (9) and wherein the processor (11) is programmed to derive the dimensionless parameter also from the signal received from the gym machine (9) and to make the indication available in real time as a function of the derived value of the dimensionless parameter, on the display unit (6) of the portable medium or on a display screen (25) of the gym machine (9) or on the display unit (15) of the mobile telephone (14).

4. A portable medium (3) which can be worn by a user (2) and which is equipped with:

a sensor (4) designed to detect a signal relating to movement of the user (2);

a power supply (5);

a display unit (6);

a data storage memory (7);

an interface (8) which can be coupled to a gym machine (9) and which is configured to allow data to be exchanged between the memory (7) and the gym machine (9);

a processor (11) programmed to derive in real time, at least from the signal detected by the sensor (4), a dimensionless parameter value representing physical activity of the user (2) wearing the portable medium (3) and for displaying, on the display unit (6) of the portable medium, an indication, as a function of the derived value of the dimensionless parameter and of a reference value of that parameter constituting a preset target for an amount of physical activity to be performed by the user (2) in a predetermined time interval,

characterized in that it comprises wireless communication means (10) configured to establish a short-range connection (C1) between the portable medium (3) and a mobile telephone (14) set up to establish an Internet connection (I1) and to connect up to the remote server (12) through the Internet connection (I1) in order to transfer data relating to the movement of the user (2) in real time to the remote server (12) through the Internet connection (I1),

to allow motivational indications to be derived in real time from the data transmitted by the portable medium (3) to the remote server (12) through the short-range connection (C1) and the Internet connection (I1), wherein said data comprise said dimensionless parameter, representative of the amount of physical activity carried out by the user during a day, and said reference value of the dimensionless parameter.

5. The portable medium according to claim 4, wherein the portable medium (3) is set up to receive from the remote server (12) calculating instructions used by the processor (11) to calculate the reference value of the dimensionless parameter and to store the instructions in the memory (7).

6. The portable medium according to claim 4, wherein the communication interface (8) is configured to receive in real time from the gym machine (9) a signal representing the physical activity performed by the user on the gym machine (9) and wherein the processor (11) is set up to derive the dimensionless parameter also from the signal received from the gym machine (9) in order to make the indication available on the display unit (6) of the portable medium (3) or on a display screen (25) of the gym machine (9) or on a display unit (15) of the mobile telephone (14).