CA2813997A1

CA2813997A1 - Visual display and method of displaying an exercise routine

Info

Publication number: CA2813997A1
Application number: CA2813997A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Andrew Weinman; Howard J. Solow
Original assignee: Equator Fitness IP Holdings Inc
Current assignee: Equator Fitness IP Holdings Inc
Priority date: 2013-04-22
Filing date: 2013-04-22
Publication date: 2014-10-22
Also published as: US20140315688A1; CA2849227A1

Abstract

A visual display is coupled to an exercise machine. The exercise routine progress of the user is graphically displayed as one or more shapes, each having a perimeter and an identifiably different interior portion. As the routine progresses, the appearance of a part of the interior portion gradually changes, which allows the user to visualize the relative completion of the entire routine and, optionally, the relative completion of an intermediate stage of the routine. A method of visualizing an exercise routine includes generating a starting image, one or more intermediate images and a finished image.
The one or more intermediate images show the user's exercise progress during the routine relative to a given stage of the routine and the entire routine.

Description

Visual Display and Method of Displaying an Exercise Routine Field of the Invention [001] 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.
Background

[002] 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.

[003] 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.
Summary of the Invention

[004] 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.

[005] 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 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.

[006] 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.

[007] In a further embodiment, the invention is a method of displaying an exercise routine to a user on 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.
Brief Description of the Drawings

[008] Fig. 1 a illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in the incomplete state.

[009] Figs. lb illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in a partially completed or intermediate state.

[0010] Fig. 1 c illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in the completed state.

[0011] Fig. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, comprising successive paths, the whole consisting of an exercise routine.

[0012] Fig. 3a illustrates one embodiment of an exercise machine and integrated visual display of the present invention in use.

[0013] Fig. 3b illustrates a close-up of the visual display of Fig. 3a.
Detailed Description

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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 routince 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.

[0016] The visual display according to the present invention is an electronic display associated with an exercise machine which, 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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 EQUATO
R, an outline of the NIKE(tm) 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.

[0021] In a simple embodiment shown in Fig. 1a, at the start of the exercise routine, the path is a simple rectangular-shaped bar, such as a vertical column. Bar 10 comprises sixty pixels arranged as three pixels wide 15 and twenty pixels high 20. The perimeter pixels 25, illustrated as filled circles, comprise the twenty pixels 30 of the left side of the bar, the twenty pixels 35 of the right side of the bar, the middle (interior) pixel 40 at the bottom of the bar and the middle (interior) pixel 45 at the top of the bar. The interior pixels 50, illustrated as empty circles, comprise the eighteen pixels within the bar which are surrounded by the perimeter pixels 25. In this example, at the start of the exercise routine, there are forty-two perimeter pixels 25, illustrated as filled circles and eighteen interior pixels 50, illustrated as empty circles. The three pixels at the bottom 55 of the bar represent the start of the path in this embodiment. The three pixels at the top 60 of the bar represent the end of the path. The twenty pixels 30 of the left side of the bar and the twenty pixels 35 of the right side of the bar represent the path's boundaries.

[0022] 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 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 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.

[0023] 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 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.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1 b, an interior separation 70 develops which separates the completed and incomplete states of the interior portion. The interior separation 70 is the location such as a border on the interior portion which separates the two states, namely the incomplete state and the completed state. A completed state may be presented as a different color, or movement of that part of the interior portion, so long as it is different that the part of the interior portion which is incomplete. In one embodiment, as illustrated, the completed state is similar or identical to the perimeter portion, which is represented by a filled in circle. In this embodiment, the user can quickly visualize the stage of completion as there are only two variables presented: 1) the incomplete state; and 2) the completed state which blends into and is indistinguishable from the perimeter.

[0025] 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 is complete and, conversely, how much remains until the routine is finished.

[0026] 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 Fig. lb at 65, the empty circle visually changes from an empty circle to a filled circle as the state of completion changes from incomplete to complete at that moment in time. This may take the form, for example of an unlit LED located in the interior portion lighting up. The filled circles of the interior bar, which represent a state of completion, may be identical to the filled circles of the perimeter pixels or they may take another form, so long as they are different than the empty circles of the incomplete exercise routine.

[0027] As the exercise routine progresses, the interior pixels 50 gradually change from the incomplete state, namely empty circles in this example as shown in Fig.
la, to the partially completed state as shown in Figs. 1 b, to a completed state as shown in Fig. 1 c.

[0028] 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 Figs. la ¨ 1 c, the interior separation 70 moves from the bottom 55 to the top 60 of the bar.

[0029] In one embodiment, the pixels on one end of the bar are lighter in comparison with the darker 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 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.
[00321 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 Fig. 2. At the start of the routine, the interior portion of all bars is presented in the incomplete state. As the routine starts and progresses over time, the interior portion of the first bar 85 gradually changes from the incomplete state to the completed state.
Once the entire first bar 85 is displayed in its completed state, the interior portion of the second bar 90 gradually changes from the incomplete state to the completed state. This continues until all the bars are presented in the completed state. Once all the bars are completed, the exercise routine is finished.
[0033] 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.

[0034] Two or more successive bars may have different lengths, to represent different degrees of difficulty during the exercise routine at different times. 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.
[0035] 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.
[0036] In a second mode of the present invention, no information is input into the machine. The 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.
[0037] 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.
[0038] In one embodiment, the machine components are the foot pedals or the seat back on the exercise machine referred to as the Equator (tm). The movement of this type of exercise machine is disclosed in US Patent No. 8,118,710. As illustrated in Fig. 3a, a visual display 100 is coupled to and integral with the exercise machine 110. The moving components on this exercise machine include foot pedals 115 and the seat back 120. In the Quick Start mode, as soon as either or both of the foot pedals 115 or the seat back 120 of the machine are moved, the exercise routine starts and the visual display 100 of the present invention is activated. A close-up of the display is shown in Fig. 3b.
[0039] 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 length, 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. 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.
[0040] 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 Fig. 3b which is a display with multiple successive paths, each path in the shape of a vertical bar. The first four bars from the left are depicted as being in a completed state in the form of a color gradient. The completed state in this example corresponds to 1 minute and 37 seconds into the exercise machine. In order to complete the routine, the remaining 16 bars must be transform successively from a state of incompleteness to a state of completeness. In this example, a rectangle with the time 1:58 is depicted in the middle of the bars, which represents a countdown from 2 minutes while the exercise routine is paused.
[0041] 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(tm) 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.
[0042] After the first time period of exercise 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 minute of the routine. The second row of the display 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 interior circles are identifiably different than the incomplete circles in the interior portion.
[0043] 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 columns 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 stage of the exercise routine is complete.
[0044] 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 stage 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.
[0045] 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.
[0046] The user sees at a glance the stage of completion during the exercise routine and the approximate distance or time to completion of remaining stages 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.
[0047] 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. If settings are changed during the routine, the controller recalculates the time to completion and presents the appropriate visual representation in real-time.

[0048] 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.

Claims

1. A visual display coupled to an exercise machine, the machine having one or more moving components, the visual display comprising:
a display; and a controller configured to generate control signals causing at least part of the display to present at least three visual representations of a path, the path comprising a perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion, the perimeter portion having a beginning and an end joined by boundaries, one of the interior portion or the perimeter portion adapted to visually change in response to the control signals, the other of the perimeter portion or the interior portion remaining unchanged, the at least three visual representations comprising:
a starting visual representation of the path, wherein the perimeter portion is identifiably different than the interior portion;
one or more intermediate visual representations of the path, wherein the interior portion consists of a first part located adjacent to a second part and separated by a defined interior separation, the first part being identical in appearance to the interior portion of the path's starting visual representation, and the second part being identifiably different than the first part; and an ending visual representation of the path, wherein the entire interior portion is uniform and consistent in appearance to the second part of the one or more intermediate visual representations.

2. The visual display of claim 1, wherein the defined interior separation of the one or more intermediate visual representations is configured to move from the beginning to the end along the boundaries of the perimeter portion in response to the control signals, the control signals being generated in response to at least the movement of the machine's one or more moving components.

3. The visual display of claim 1, wherein said coupling of the display to the exercise machine is chosen from the group consisting of wired coupling and wireless coupling.

4. The visual display of claim 1, wherein said display is chosen from the group consisting of a monitor, screen, television, watch and smart phone.

5. The visual display of claim 1, wherein said exercise machine moving components are chosen from the group consisting of foot pedals, steps, a belt, levers, bars and a seat back.

6. The visual display of claim 1, wherein the path is chosen from the group consisting of an outline of a geometric shape, an outline of a race course, an outline of letter or word shapes, an outline of a symbol, an outline of a location and an outline of a personality's image.

7. The visual display of claim 6, wherein said geometric shape is a bar.

8. The visual display of claim 1, wherein two or more paths are presented in succession during the course of an exercise routine.

9. The visual display of claim 8, wherein the length of two or more successive paths is different.

10. A visual display coupled to an exercise machine, the machine having one or more moving components, the visual display comprising:
a display;

a user-operated command console for selecting exercise routine parameters;
and a controller configured to generate control signals causing at least part of the display to present a graphical representation comprising a perimeter portion identified by a first state, the perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion identified by a second state, said first and second states being distinguishable from each other, wherein at least part of the interior portion is adapted to visually change to a plurality of third states in response to the control signals, the control signals generated in response to movement of one or more of the machine's components and the exercise routine parameters, each of the plurality of third states being distinguishable from each other and from the second state.

11. The visual display of claim 10, wherein the exercise routine parameters are selectable by a user before or during an exercise routine.

12. The visual display of claim 11, wherein one or more different exercise routine parameters are selectable by the user during the exercise routine.

13. The visual display of claim 10, wherein the first, second and third states are chosen from the group consisting of color, color gradient and movement, wherein movement includes intermittent flashing.

14. The visual display of claim 13, wherein the first and third states are constant and the second state is intermittently flashing.

15. The visual display of claim 10, wherein the third state is similar in appearance to the first state.

16. The visual display of claim 10, wherein the graphical representation is chosen from the group consisting of an outline of a geometric shape, an outline of a race course, an outline of letter or word shapes, an outline of a symbol, an outline of a location and an outline of a personality's image.

17. The visual display of claim 16, wherein said geometric shape is a bar.

18. A method of displaying an exercise routine to a user on a display, comprising:
generating a first graphical representation of a path at the start of the routine, the path comprising a perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion, wherein the entire interior portion is identifiably different in appearance than the perimeter portion;
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; and generating a third graphical representation of the path at the end of the routine, wherein the entire interior portion is uniform in appearance.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second part of the interior portion of the one or more second graphical representations is indistinguishable from the perimeter portion.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the entire interior portion of the third graphical representation is similar in appearance to indistinguishable from the perimeter portion.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the second part of the interior portion increases and the first part of the interior portion decreases at a rate based on parameters fixed before the start of the exercise routine.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the parameters are fixed by the user or by a computer processor.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the second part of the interior portion increases and the first part of the interior portion decreases at a rate based on parameters input by the user during the exercise routine.