Method and apparatus for personal characterization data collection using sensors

• US 9,311,382 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Varoglu, Devrim, Bidabadi, Mohammad, Concha, Paolo D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US13/715,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 707/748, 707/752, 707/753
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A processor-based personal electronic device (such as a smartphone) is programmed to automatically respond to data sent by various sensors from which the user'"'"'s activity may be inferred. A wireless communication link may be used by the device to obtain data from remote sensors which may be worn by the user. A personal “scorecard” may be generated from the raw data and from data concerning other users. Personal, raw characterization data may be computed into personal statistical data by averaging over time. Then, it may be sent (anonymously) to a server that receives such data from many (or all) users. The server may return personal statistical positioning to enable comparison of the user to other participants. In certain embodiments, the generation of a personal scorecard from the personal position in the group statistics may be performed in the user'"'"'s device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory program storage device comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

obtain, at an electronic device, sensor data from a plurality of sensors including at least a motion sensor;

determine, at the electronic device, a fitness activity of a user based at least in part on the sensor data;

generate, at the electronic device, statistical data for the user, the statistical data for the user incorporating data representing performance of the fitness activity by the user;

transmit, by the electronic device, the statistical data for the user to a server via a network;

obtain, by the electronic device, a scorecard for the user from the server via the network, wherein the scorecard includes one or more scores for the user, at least one of the scores being based in part on the statistical data for the user and in part on additional statistical data received at the server from one or more other electronic devices, the additional statistical data representing performance of the fitness activity by one or more persons other than the user; and

,

provide information, at the electronic device, to the user based, at least in part, on the scorecard for the user.

2. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to provide information comprise instructions to display a graphical representation of one or more of the scores.

3. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to provide information comprise instructions to display a numeric value related to one or more of the scores.

4. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 3 wherein the displayed numeric value is a percentile.

5. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to obtain sensor data comprise instructions to obtain two or more of:

sensor data corresponding to motion of a device;

sensor data corresponding to location information of the device;

sensor data corresponding to the person'"'"'s heart rate;

data corresponding to time;

data corresponding to date;

or

data corresponding to personal identifying information of the person.

6. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the sensor data comprises location sensor data and motion sensor data.

7. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the sensor data comprises data from a remote sensor worn by the user.

8. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 7 wherein the remote sensor is in wireless data communication with the electronic device.

9. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the fitness activity comprises one or more of:

walking;

running;

or

bicycling.

10. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the scores is based on computing a first average value from the statistical data for the user over a period of time encompassing multiple instances of performing the fitness activity and comparing the first average value to a second average value computed by the server from the additional statistical data.

11. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to retain at least some of the sensor data in a memory.

12. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 11 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to

generate statistics based, at least in part, on some of the retained sensor data;

and,

retain the statistics in the memory.

13. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the one or more persons other the user include one or more persons in one or more remote locations.

14. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions to provide information to the user comprise instructions to:

assign an order to the user and at least one of the one or more other persons in accordance with a specified manner; and

display information about the one or more scores for the user based, at least in part, on the assigned order.

15. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 further comprising instructions to publish, via the electronic device, information corresponding to the fitness activity of the user through a social media service.

16. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the scorecard includes separately determined scores for each of a plurality of fitness activities engaged in by the user.

17. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 16 wherein the scorecard includes separately determined scores for indoor and outdoor fitness activities engaged in by the user.

18. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 16 wherein the score for each of the fitness activities is based on a statistical position of the user relative to the one or more other persons with regard to that fitness activity.

19. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to generate statistical data for the user include instructions to:

generate activity characterization data each time the user performs the fitness activity, the activity characterization data including a distance and a duration of the fitness activity; and

compute the statistical data based on aggregating the activity characterization data across a preselected time period in which the user performs the fitness activity one or more times.

20. A processor-based system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user and in data communication with the at least one processor; and

,

a memory storing instructions for causing the at least one processor to;

obtain sensor data from the at least one sensor;

determine a fitness activity of a user based at least in part on the sensor data;

generate statistical data for the user, the statistical data for the user incorporating data representing performance of the fitness activity by the user;

transmit to a server, via a network, the statistical data for the user;

obtain from the server, via the network, a scorecard for the user, wherein the scorecard includes one or more scores for the user, at least one of the scores being based in part on the statistical data for the user and in part on additional statistical data received at the server from one or more other electronic devices, the additional statistical data representing performance of the fitness activity by one or more persons other than the user; and

provide information to the user based, at least in part, on the scorecard for the user.

21. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the instructions to obtain sensor data comprise instructions to obtaining two or more of:

sensor data corresponding to motion of a device;

sensor data corresponding to location information of the device;

sensor data corresponding to the person'"'"'s heart rate;

data corresponding to time;

data corresponding to date;

or

data corresponding to personal identifying information of the person.

22. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the sensor data comprises data from a remote sensor worn by the user.

23. A processor-based system as recited in claim 22 wherein the remote sensor is in wireless data communication with the electronic device.

24. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein at least one of the scores is based on computing a first average value from the statistical data for the user over a period of time encompassing multiple instances of performing the fitness activity and comparing the first average value to a second average value computed by the server from the additional statistical data.

25. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to retain at least some of the sensor data in a memory.

26. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the instructions to provide information to the person comprise instructions to:

assign an order to the user and at least one of the one or more other persons in accordance with a specified manner; and

display information about the one or more scores for the user based, at least in part, on the assigned order.