Patent Application
20140315688
This application claims the benefit of Canadian Patent Application 2,813,997 filed on Apr. 22, 2013 incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a visual display associated with an exercise machine, and to a method of visualizing an exercise routine. During the routine, if the user changes the exercise parameters, the display is updated and provides the changes in real-time.
A user of an exercise machine may or may not be motivated to complete an exercise on the machine, depending on various factors. Several visual displays have been proposed for the user to view an exercise progress in real-time during a given exercise routine. Prior art displays vary from simple LED lights tracking the progress from the start to the end of the exercise to complicated metaphorical simulations of a person rolling a stone uphill or running away from a collapsing cascading cliff.
None of the visual displays known in the art provide the user with a visual representation of some or all of the routine concurrently with the user's real-time exercise progress at a given time during the routine.
The invention is a visual display coupled to an exercise machine, the exercise machine having one or more moving components. The visual display may be coupled to the exercise machine by wire or wirelessly. It may be integral with the machine or as a separate component.
The visual display comprises a display and a controller. The controller is configured to generate control signals causing at least part of the display to present at least three visual representations of a path. The path comprises a perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion. The perimeter portion has a beginning and an end joined by boundaries. The interior portion is adapted to visually change in response to the control signals. A first visual representation signifies the start of the path, wherein the entire interior portion is uniform or a consistent color gradient in appearance and the perimeter portion is identifiably different than the interior portion. One or more intermediate visual representations signifies the middle of the path, wherein the interior portion consists of a first part located adjacent to a second part and separated by an interior separation. The first part is identical in appearance to the interior portion of the path's first visual representation, and the second part is identifiably different than the first part. A final visual representation signifies the completed path, wherein the entire interior portion is consistent in appearance with the second part of the one or more intermediate visual representations.
In a further embodiment, the invention is a visual display coupled to an exercise machine. The visual display comprises a display, a user-operated command console for selecting exercise routine parameters and a controller configured to generate control signals. The control signals cause at least part of the display to present a graphical representation, which comprises a perimeter portion identified by a first state and an interior portion identified by a second state. The perimeter portion surrounds the interior portion. The first and second states are distinguishable from each other. At least part of the interior portion is adapted to visually change to a plurality of third states in response to the control signals, which are generated in response to movement of the machine components and the parameters. Each of the plurality of third states is distinguishable from each other and from the second state.
In a further embodiment, the invention is a method of displaying an exercise routine to a user of a display, comprising at least three steps. The first step is generating a first graphical representation of a path at the start of the routine. The path comprises a perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion, The entire interior portion is identifiably different in appearance than the perimeter portion. The second step is generating one or more second graphical representations of the path during the routine, wherein a first part of the interior portion remains identifiably different in appearance than the perimeter portion and a second part of the interior portion is identifiably different than the first part of the interior portion. The third step is generating a third graphical representation of the path at the end of the routine, wherein the entire interior portion is consistent in appearance but is distinguishable from the interior portion displayed in the first step.
a illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in the incomplete state, wherein the perimeter portion and an interior portion is uniform in appearance.
b illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in a partially completed or intermediate state, wherein the perimeter portion and one section of an interior portion are distinguishable from a second section of the interior portion).
c illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in the completed state wherein the perimeter and an interior portion are uniform in appearance and is distinguishable from the interior portion displayed in the incomplete state).
a illustrates one embodiment of an exercise machine and integrated visual display of the present invention in use.
b illustrates a close-up of the visual display of
The visual display of the present invention is a monitor, screen or representation of a display on a device, such as a television, watch or smart phone. The display is configured to present visual information to a user of an exercise machine while the user is exercising. Some or all of the visual information displayed includes a graphical depiction of a path or successive paths which represent an exercise or exercise routine from start to finish. “Path” as used herein is not limited to a route, but it does require a start, a middle and an end. In the context of this invention, the path is part of an exercise protocol or exercise routine. Two or more paths may be presented in succession during the course of an exercise routine.
There are at least three graphical representations presented on the display, corresponding to a start of the exercise, an intermediate stage or stages of the exercise and the completed exercise. The exercise routine may be quick and have just one intermediate stage, such as a race at a constant pace. More often, however, the exercise routine has two or more intermediate stages, each of which may be displayed in accordance with the present invention. As illustrated herein, in one embodiment, twenty successive paths represent an exercise routine of the present invention. A routine is represented by as few as one path. There is no maximum number of paths that may be represented, although screen size constraints or the length of time of the routine will typically be limiting factors.
The visual display according to the present invention is an electronic display associated with an exercise machine, the electronic display in its simplest form, depicts the perimeter of a geometric shape such as a bar portrayed as a row or column. The two ends of the bar represent the start and finish respectively. The perimeter portion of the bar at the start of the exercise routine is displayed differently than the interior portion of the bar. For example the perimeter may be in color and the interior may lack color, or be a different color or more than one color. Alternatively, the perimeter may lack color, so long as it is discernible and is identifiably different from the interior, while the interior may have color. In another embodiment, the perimeter is lit with LEDs and the interior has unlit LEDs. Alternatively, the interior is lit with LEDs and the perimeter has unlit LEDs, again so long as it is discernible and distinguishable from the interior. In another embodiment, the perimeter has no movement (ie: is a constant color or lit LED) and the interior is flashing intermittently or has other movement. Alternatively, the perimeter has movement and the interior has no movement. The perimeter is always constant and “uniform” in its representation, whether it is the same color, shade, color gradient, movement or otherwise. As such, the word “uniform” is to be read in its broadest meaning, and is not limited to monochrome representations.
At the start of an exercise routine, the interior portion is identifiably different than the perimeter portion such that the user can visually see the start of the path and the end of the path. After the start of the routine, the interior portion gradually changes during one or more intermediate steps, depending on the stage of the exercise routine and user-input parameters. The interior portion represents the relative degree of completion on the path and during the routine.
If the exercise routine is programmed as a timed race at constant pace and constant difficulty level (eg: constant resistance), there may only be one intermediate step. If the exercise routine is programmed based on time at varying pace and varying difficulty levels to simulate uphill, flat and downhill terrain for example, there may be two or more intermediate steps. Varying difficulty levels change the size/shape of the path which will, in turn, change the appearance of the intermediate step although the percentage fill remains the same indicating the same percentage completion.
Other shapes of paths are contemplated, including outlines of other geometric shapes, outlines of a known or fictitious race courses, outlines of letter shapes, outlines of recognizable symbols, such as a proprietary design, trademark or other symbol, outlines of a recognizable location such as a path through a city (eg: Boston Marathon course) or across a country (eg: Canada) or a recognizable landmark (eg: Mount Everest), and outlines of recognizable personalities such as an image of a celebrity. In all cases, the path must have a perimeter and an interior portion. In addition, the path must have a beginning and an end, even if the end is the same location as the beginning, such as with the shape of an oval track.
Non-limiting examples of path shapes include a simple rectangular-shaped bar, an outline of a marathon path, an outline of the letters in the word E Q U A T O R, an outline of the NIKE™ swoosh, an outline of a figure of a runner, an outline of the Trans-Canada highway across Canada and an image outline of a recognizable sports personality. The possibilities of path shapes are endless, although the criteria mentioned above are required.
In a simple embodiment shown in
The perimeter pixels 25 represent an outline of the exercise routine from start to finish. Alternatively, the perimeter pixels 25 represent an outline of one particular stage or path of a multi-stage exercise routine. The user may be presented the entire routine from beginning to end throughout the routine, or alternatively one or several stages or paths of the routine, depending on the length of the routine, the display size and display resolution. In one embodiment, the interior pixels 50 represent the incomplete part of the exercise routine up to a particular moment in time.
As the user starts the exercise routine, the interior pixels located at one part of the bar gradually change from the incomplete state to a completed state. In one embodiment, the pixels change from bottom to top, corresponding to the start and finish of a path or the exercise routine, wherein the second row from the bottom 65 comprising one empty circle in this example, is the first row to change from incomplete to complete.
As shown in
In other embodiments, different manners of completion are contemplated including from top to bottom, one side to another side, and diagonally, so long as the manner of completion is consistent. In one embodiment, the manner of completion is repeatable and intuitive for the user such that it is easily understood at any given moment how much of the routine or how much of a given stage or path is complete and, conversely, how much remains until the routine is finished.
An incomplete pixel may change over time, such as over three seconds, or instantaneously, when a given milestone or threshold is reached. In one embodiment, illustrated in
As the exercise routine progresses, the completeness of the interior pixels 50 gradually change from the incomplete state, namely empty circles in this example as shown in
As the routine progresses, the interior separation 70 moves in the same direction such that the relative amount of incomplete pixels decreases as the relative amount of complete pixels increases. In the example of
In one embodiment, the completed interior pixels on one end of the bar are lighter in comparison with the darker completed interior pixels at the other end of the bar, such that as the interior pixels change from incomplete to complete, a color gradient is revealed, such as from light blue to dark blue. In this embodiment the incomplete pixels are all the same color and are distinguishable from the complete pixels regardless of whether they are lighter or darker in color. In another embodiment, the gradient changes from darker to lighter colored pixels as the exercise routine progresses. The perimeter pixels 25 may follow the color gradient along the length and/or width of the bar as well, or the perimeter pixels 25 may all be monochrome.
In other embodiments, such as with higher resolution displays, such as thin film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal displays, individual pixels themselves are not distinguishable by the user. The user sees the interior separation move from an incomplete state toward a complete state during the exercise routine.
An incomplete state at a given time during an exercise routine is typically understood to be a period not yet reached during the routine, as predetermined by the machine settings or as defined or changed by the user before or during the routine. The user may input information into the program function of the exercise machine using any means, including by a key pad coupled to or integral with the visual display. Examples of key pads, also referred to as user-operated command consoles for selecting exercise routine parameters, are known in the art.
In one embodiment, one path, such as one bar, may represent the entire exercise routine. In another embodiment, a succession of paths may be presented concurrently, such as two or more bars 80, as shown in
Alternatively, the successive paths may be presented on the display one at a time such that the second incomplete path is presented only once the first path is complete. Once the first path is complete, it may remain visible or disappear from the display.
Two or more successive bars may have different lengths, to represent different degrees of difficulty at different times during the exercise routine. It is understood that a controller controls the resistance of the machine's moving components, based on pre-determined or user-input parameters. The degree of resistance or type of exercise can be visually represented on the display as successive paths of different lengths, color, or otherwise.
In one mode of the present invention, basic user information may be input prior to the start of a routine, such as the user's weight and age. Other user information may also be added. The user may also choose the type of routine or if there is only one choice of routine, other exercise routine information such as the time of the routine and the intensity or resistance level. Other routine information may also be provided as options and selected or not selected by the user. This mode may be referred to as the “Program or Setup” mode.
In a second mode of the present invention, no information is input into the machine. A pre-determined exercise routine starts as soon as there is movement on the exercise machine of the relevant machine components. This mode may be referred to as the “Quick Start” mode.
Examples of relevant moving machine components in an exercise machine include one or more of foot pedals, steps, a belt, levers, bars, a seat back and any other component whose movement is required to accomplish the intended exercise on the exercise machine.
In one embodiment, the machine components are the foot pedals or the seat back on the exercise machine referred to as the Equator™. The movement of this type of exercise machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,118,710. As illustrated in
If a routine on an exercise machine is set to be twenty minutes long, the visual representation at the start of the routine may be a bar twenty-two pixels in height, for example, wherein the top and bottom rows are part of the perimeter pixels and the twenty interior rows represent one minute per row. The bar in this example is five pixels wide. At the start of the exercise routine, there are fifty perimeter pixels on the outer portion of the bar represented as filled circles and sixty interior pixels represented as empty circles, for a total of one hundred and ten pixels.
The data from the mechanical and electrical components of the exercise machine are fed to the display, either directly or indirectly through a computer processor and with means known in the art. The coupling may be with a hard wire connection, including for displays integrated with the exercise machine, such as the example of
The coupling may also be by wire connection for remote displays connected to an existing exercise machine. The coupling may also be by a wireless connection, such as via a Bluetooth™ or other wireless protocol from the exercise machine to a remotely situated display. The remotely situated display may be a physical display or a virtual depiction of a display on a media device, such as a smart television, watch or mobile device. The user-operated command console for selecting exercise routine parameters may on the remotely situated display or on a separate key pad coupled to the machine.
After the first time period of exercise path expires, such as one minute, a signal is generated and sent from the exercise machine to the display to indicate the completion of the first time period of the routine. The second row of the path changes from having three empty circles (sandwiched between two filled circles on the perimeter) to a row displaying five filled circles, thereby informing the user that the first minute of the routine is complete. The three interior-filled circles may be the same as or different than the two perimeter-filled circles, so long as the complete interior circles are identifiably different than the incomplete circles in the interior portion.
In one embodiment, the duration of the exercise routine selected by the user is divided by twenty as represented by twenty columns. The resulting duration of each column is further divided by the number of pixels in that column's height. For example, if a column has a corresponding duration of 30 seconds and is 24 pixels tall, each row of pixels is assigned a value of 30÷24=1.25 seconds per row of pixels. The height of the column, in this case 24 rows of pixels, may correspond to resistance level 3 on a given machine, for example. Every 1.25 seconds during the exercise routine, the relevant row of pixels is lit on the visual display. In so doing, the visual display appears as if the column is gradually filling up. Once a column is filled with color, for example, that particular path of the exercise routine is complete.
In another embodiment, the user can change the settings of the exercise routine during the routine, such as to change the intensity level of a particular stage or the time remaining until completion of the routine. In addition, the user may increase or decrease the overall duration of the routine. Whenever a change is made by the user, the processor automatically recalculates the parameters and displays the remainder of the path and/or routine on the visual display. If the time until the completion of the routine is increased by ten minutes for example, the relative amount of time to complete a given stage, will take longer than it did prior to the change in parameters and the rate of changing the interior pixels from incomplete to complete will change commensurately. Similarly, if the user changes the level of resistance from, for example a path or column height of 20 pixels to a height of 40 pixels and, if 50% or 9 rows of the interior pixels had already changed from the incomplete to complete condition, 50% or 19 rows of pixels will be shown in the complete condition once the change has been executed.
This visual depiction of the state of completion of the exercise routine may be shown concurrently with or independent from a countdown timer and other program, machine or user information.
The user sees at a glance the stage of completion during the exercise routine and the approximate distance or time to completion of remaining paths and/or the entire routine. Visualizing the user's real-time position and the distance or time to completion motivates the user to continue the exercise routine and provides the user validation about the amount of completed exercise represented by the completed portion of the routine. The visual display provides valuable information compared to a simple timer, countdown timer or prior art graphical representations of a routine. The knowledge of where the user is located, from a position and time perspective relative to the routine, during the execution of a routine, allows the user to make informed choices about changing parameters or maintaining the routine as is.
In one embodiment, the parameter of distance rather than time may be used as the criteria for changing from an incomplete to a complete state. Doing so would require that the user program the total distance for a program and the system then counts down from the distance to ‘0’ or arriving at the finish line. If done this way, the system could treat “distance” as it now does “time”. For that matter, the criteria for “filling” could be based upon the number of cycles, the number of steps, total work the user would like to accomplish, or other.
It also provides the user with real-time information about the pace and time to reach completion of the routine and allows the user to either maintain his or her pace or change parameter settings during the routine to either slow down or increase the pace. For example, if the user is expecting to be at a certain position relative to a given stage or the entire routine at a certain time, but is lagging behind, the user may decide to change a parameter to, for example allow for a quicker pace. Changing the pace will result in more/fewer calories burned, more/less total cycles of the pedals, a different value for average watts, and so on. If settings are changed during the routine, the controller recalculates the time to completion and presents the appropriate visual representation in real-time.
While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the present invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and arrangements and such changes, modifications and arrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2813997 | Apr 2013 | CA | national |
