GB2375608A

GB2375608A - Fitness monitor utilising a mobile telephone and a remote computer

Info

Publication number: GB2375608A
Application number: GB0111665A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graeme John Clayton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-05-14
Filing date: 2001-05-14
Publication date: 2002-11-20
Also published as: GB0111665D0

Abstract

A miniature fitness monitor which can be plugged directly into a normal mobile phone to transmit a signal indicative of the user's pulse rate to a remote computer. The self-contained device would be affixed to the user, preferably by means of a wrist strap, and would detect the user's pulse rate. The signal would be conditioned so that the device could be plugged directly into the microphone socket of a normal mobile phone. The user would then telephone the remote data monitoring computer, which would interpret and record the relevant data at that moment in time. The accumulated data and further information would preferably be returned and displayed on a personalised web site, or on the display of the mobile phone, as part of a fitness monitoring programme.

Description

Description of a Mobile Fitness Monitor Personal fitness monitoring is a popular activity and can involve complex dedicated monitoring equipment, either used in conjunction with casual fitness programmes or with elaborate exercise regimes developed by qualified trainers. Monitoring equipment is increasingly sophisticated with the capability to monitor multiple biological parameters and to send and receive signals via telephone lines. Some equipment has been developed to provide a remote health monitoring service where alarms are flagged up if prescribed limits are exceeded, possibly calling out the emergency services. The problem is that this technology and supporting services are expensive and requires the user to be hard-wired into bulky data processors or signal units. This equipment is too sophisticated for those fitness monitoring applications where the simple measurement of pulse rate is the main indicator.

This new device makes the most of a very common modem technology, the mobile phone, to provide a simple, truly portable measurement system that could be developed with internet based software to give every user a fully personalised assessment and fitness record based on their heart rate measured at key points during and after exercise. The user is given instructions on when to connect the transducer during their exercise regime. The transducer could be worn on a wrist strap. The user would plug the device cable into the microphone socket of their mobile phone, and would call a service number. The device would detect the user's pulse rate, condition the signal, and transmit that data via the mobile phone to be stored in a remote database. The data would be supplemented with the user's identification, time and date information, and possibly other parameters, in order to build up a record of the user's fitness in due course, in the remote database The transmission need only be long enough to register the instantaneous pulse rate. The user may be able to key in optional data via the telephone keypad to assist in the interpretation of the data.

The device would be designed to operate without any external power source, any electrical demand being met either from the electrical connection with the mobile phone or from a miniature battery built into the transducer unit.

The processed data would be made available back to the user, either via a display on the mobile phone, or via a personalised web page. The data could show trends and other information relating to the user's heart rate. The user would be given advice on when to make the monitoring telephone call (s) as part of a regular exercise regime, for example four short measurements could be taken at rest before the exercise, at peak activity times during the exercise, and at set points after the exercise has stopped. Each measurement could be logged into the database via the mobile phone Essential Features A miniature device which can be plugged directly into a normal mobile phone to transmit a signal indicative of the user's pulse rate to a remote computer. The device (1) would be affixed to the user, preferably by means of a wrist strap (2). A transducer within the device would detect the user's pulse rate, and the signal would be conditioned to give an output suitable for direct connection (3) into the microphone socket of a normal mobile phone (4).

The device would not need a connection to an external power source, and would be completely self-contained with just one connection for the mobile phone microphone socket.

The user would be able to telephone a service number whereby the measured pulse rate would be interpreted and recorded by computer (5). The accumulated data and further information would preferably be returned and displayed on a personalised web site (6), or displayed on the mobile phone, preferably as part of a fitness monitoring programme

Claims

The Claims I claim: 1. A fitness monitoring system for monitoring a user's progress in an exercise regime, compnsmg a transducer, signal conditioning and connection cable to connect to the user's mobile phone, a remote computer to record at least the user's pulse rate, date and time, and a means whereby the user would be able to retrieve the aggregated data and other fitness-related information.
2. The monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the physical parameter measuring means is a pulse rate monitor including the transducer and signal processor arranged to give an output indicative of the user's pulse rate, suitable for direct connection into the microphone socket of a mobile phone.
3. The monitoring system of claim I wherein the computer at the service telephone number would receive the signal from the mobile phone and would preferably interpret the signal as the user's pulse rate, to be recorded in a database along with other information.
4. The monitoring system of claim 1 wherein information from the database would be made available back to the user preferably via a personalised web page or via the display on the mobile phone.
5. The system of claim 2 wherein the device will not require any external connection to a separate power source other than the cable connection to the microphone socket on the mobile telephone.
6. The database of claim 4 wherein the data recorded by the remote computer will preferably include the user's name, date and time, pulse rate, and preferably other data to preferably enable meaningful trends and analysis charts to be compiled for the user.
7. The monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the user could preferably key into the telephone optional data about the chosen exercise which would then preferably be used by the remote computer to analyse the aggregated information.