Patent Application
20150240507
An exercise system and facility concerns support of exercise components usable to provide a triathlon type exercise regimen, for example.
Known exercise facilities typically address individual activities by providing weight lifting, treadmills for running and other types of exercise such as ski type exercise and cycling. Known exercise facilities may also have a general pool for swimming. The activities and room layout in such known facilities are generally not structured and organized to comprehensively address the requirements of a particular sport or regimen such as a triathlon or pentathlon, for example.
An exercise system employed in an exercise facility includes multiple rooms. The system includes at least one swimming pool, in a first room, cycling exercise equipment, in a second room, running exercise equipment, in a third room. At least one computer provides a scheduler for scheduling a sequence of at least two of, swim, cycle and running activities, occurring in the first second and third rooms of the facility, in providing exercise for a user, in response to command. A transition room provides access to the first, second and third rooms and stores clothes and equipment for use in the swim, cycle and running activities.
An exercise system comprises a specialized gym and workout program based on a Triathlon or other program such as a Pentathlon, for example. Although described herein in the context of a Triathlon, this is exemplary only and one of ordinary skill will readily appreciate the system is applicable to other exercise programs involving sequential segments of exercise of particular types. The system supports workout in a customized gym facility enhanced with systems to track and monitor user performance individually over time. In an embodiment, workouts are based on a Swim, Bike, Run routine of a Triathlon but also shorter combination classes (or Bricks), such as Swim and Bike, Swim and Run, or Bike and Run, for example. The system supports community engagement both physically and online where a participant is able to compare results as well as compete with other participants based on a variety of variables (including age, weight, experience, time, distance, for example).
Classes are based on a fixed time schedule so classes operate similar schedules such as, a 15 minutes swim, a 25 minutes bike and a 20 minutes run, with 5 minute transitions between each activity. A full triathlon class is 1 hour of exercise (10 minutes of transition) Brick classes run from 35 minutes (Swim and Run) to 45 minutes (Bike and Run). In addition, ironman classes are provided with double theses time. In an embodiment, classes occur each hour where an instructor goes through the exercises with the users, coaching and teaching along the way. User distances, resistances and other data are tracked and recorded so users can keep track of personal performance, as well as compete against others in the class, as well as other users in the gym. The exercise facility provides leaderboards within the gym showing user performance in a variety of categories. The Gym components include, Check-in, Store, Locker rooms, Swimming Room, Biking Room, Running room and Transition room. As used herein the term “room” is a part or division of a building substantially enclosed by walls, floor, and ceiling. The term “substantially” herein means that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide. The following description refers to specific numbers of equipment, pools, bikes and treadmills but this is exemplary only. It will be readily appreciated that different numbers of machines/equipment may be used and different types of machines and equipment may be used for other types of exercise and the numbers and types of machines, pools may vary from facility to facility.
Due to space requirements there are typically a limited number of pools compared with number of bikes and treadmills. A workout class begins with the swim for 10-15 minutes. The pools are used on average for two 10-15 minute sessions per hour. There will be some classes with longer swims. During downtime, pools can be rented for private swim training and instruction. The transition room 338 joins the workout rooms. It is where users change clothes and equipment for each exercise, similar to the transition in a real triathlon. The transition room 338 has a series of identified (e.g., numbered) storage areas that are correlated to pool, bike and treadmill identifiers (e.g., number). So a user is allocated pool number two, locker number two, bike number two, and treadmill number two, for example. A user loads equipment and clothes into their storage area before the class begins, and return to it after each exercise (Swim, Bike, Run). Classes are set up so transitions occur at similar times.
A user is allocated to swimming pool 3 in the swimming room 332, cycle equipment 3 in a bike room 336 and running treadmill 3 in a running room 334. In response to clothes and equipment selection, the user performs a swim exercise in endless pool 3 in step 315, returns to a cycle transition room position in step 318 where cycle equipment and clothes are selected and performs a cycling activity in the bike room in step 321. The bike room 336 has up to 55 bikes, up to 54 for users and 1 for an instructor, for example. The bikes are advantageously configured to be in elevated rows of 4-8 bikes, each row is offset to the one in front of it, advantageously creating the feeling of a pack of bikers in a race. An instructor is in the first row, slightly elevated but facing the same direction as the other cyclists. The Front wall of the bike room presents a selectable projection video of a scene from different triathlons from a first person perspective, edited to go with the class, (i.e. hill climb, straight, downhill). This allows cyclists to feel as if they are part of a real race. Each class is associated with, and is named after, a different famous triathlon course. Information about the users ride (torque and distance, for example) and performance is recorded. Displays in the bike room show the class performance of the class members to one another categorized by different variables.
Following completion of the cycle activity, the user returns to a run transition room position in step 323 where running equipment and clothes are selected and performs a running activity in step 326. The running room 334 has up to 55 treadmills, up to 54 for users and 1 for an instructor, for example. The treadmills are in elevated rows of 4-8 treadmills with each row offset with respect to the one in front, creating the feeling of a pack of runners in a race. An instructor is in the first row, slightly elevated but facing the same direction as the other runners. The Front wall of the running room presents a selectable projection video of a scene from different triathlons from a first person perspective, edited to go with the class, (i.e. street scene, coastal scene). This allows runners to feel as if they are part of a real race. Each class is associated with, and is named after, a different famous triathlon course. Information about the users run (speed and distance, for example) and performance is recorded. Displays in the running room show the class performance of the class members to one another categorized by different variables. Upon completion of the run activity, the user returns equipment and clothes at a transition room finish position in step 329 and returns to the locker room to change and finish. System 10 acquires pertinent information from the pools bikes and treadmills, including but not limited to distance, resistance, incline, speed, torque and water velocity, for example. System 10 processes and compiles the acquired data per user to create performance statistics, advanced user profiles and competition metrics. This enables users to improve performance, compete against others, and creates competition amongst the exercise community.
The website supports facility financial transactions, scheduling and data collection. In response to registration, a user purchases credit for a type of class, triathlon class or a brick class. Triathlon comprises Swim and bike and run or a Brick class (Swim and Bike, Swim and Run, Bike and Run). Classes occur approximately each hour. The user purchase credits and uses the credits to reserve class seating and schedule a class via the UI images of
In step 205 (
In step 214 in response to class completion, the user dismounts a bike and returns to the Transition room, stores the biking equipment in an allocated numbered storage area and retrieves running equipment. In step 218 in response to donning the running equipment, the user proceeds to the running room and performs the running exercise. The running room is configured similarly to the bike room, with rows of 6 treadmills facing a video wall showing a course. System 10 collects and processes performance related data from a custom data collection device on each treadmill and stores collected data from the session (including speed, distance, elevation and heart rate, for example) in the respective corresponding user profile. During class, performance data is displayed on monitors on the treadmill including data ranking participants on a variety of levels.
At least one computer system in system 10 includes a scheduler for, in step 919, scheduling a sequence of at least two of, swim, cycle and running activities, occurring in the first second and third rooms of the facility, in providing exercise for a user, in response to command. The scheduler schedules a sequence of swim, cycle and running activities mimicking triathlon (or another) exercise. The scheduler in the at least one computer provides at least one display image enabling a user to schedules a sequence of at least two of, swim, cycle and running activities by scheduling exercise classes for fixed individual time periods for corresponding individual activities with a fixed time period for transition between activities. The scheduler schedules a sequence of at least two of, swim, cycle and running activities for a plurality of users by synchronizing time of transition between activities for the plurality of users.
In step 922, the at least one computer system processes data acquired from at least two of, the swimming machine, the cycling exercise equipment and the running exercise equipment, to derive information indicating user performance. The acquired data includes at least one of, distances, resistances, time durations and speeds and user characteristics including at least one of, user age and weight. The at least one computer processes the acquired data to derive the information indicating user performance. Further, the at least one computer processes the user characteristics and the acquired data together to derive the information indicating user performance. Also the at least one computer records and tracks the acquired data to track user personal performance and compare performance of different users in different sports categories and processes data acquired from the swimming machine. The process of
The above-described embodiments can be implemented in hardware, firmware or via the execution of software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium such as a CD ROM, a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a magnetic tape, a RAM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magneto-optical disk or computer code downloaded over a network originally stored on a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine readable medium and to be stored on a local recording medium, so that the methods described herein can be rendered via such software that is stored on the recording medium using a general purpose computer, or a special processor or in programmable or dedicated hardware, such as an ASIC or FPGA. As would be understood in the art, the computer, the processor, microprocessor controller or the programmable hardware include memory components, e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash. that may store or receive software or computer code that when accessed and executed by the computer, processor or hardware implement the processing methods described herein. In addition, it would be recognized that when a general purpose computer accesses code for implementing the processing shown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general purpose computer into a special purpose computer for executing the processing shown herein. The functions and process steps herein may be performed automatically or wholly or partially in response to user command. An activity (including a step) performed automatically is performed in response to executable instruction or device operation without user direct initiation of the activity. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” A “processor” as used herein comprises, a computer system circuit and device operating in response to instruction and is not just software. A processor comprises a logic or computer circuit structure executing predetermined instruction sufficient to perform a respective function.
The architecture of
