Reflective video display apparatus for interactive training and demonstration and methods of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11701566-B2
Application number	US-201916572844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2019
Priority date	May 29, 2018
Publication date	Jul 18, 2023
Grant date	Jul 18, 2023

Abstract

A smart mirror can show live or recorded streaming video of an instructor performing a workout in a package that is attractive and unobtrusive enough to hang in a living room. The smart mirror includes a mirror surface with a fully reflecting section and a partially reflecting section. A display behind the partially reflecting section shows the video when the smart mirror is on and is almost invisible when the smart mirror is off. The smart mirror also has a speaker, a microphone, and a camera to enable a user to view the video content and interact with the instructor. The smart mirror may connect to the user's smart phone, a peripheral device (e.g., a Bluetooth speaker) to augment user experience, a biometric sensor to provide biometric data to assess user performance, and/or a network router to connect the smart mirror to a content provider, an instructor, and/or other users.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An interactive exercise method, comprising:
acquiring, via one of a wired network or a wireless network, video content of an exercise instructor against a dark background, at least a portion of the video content being a single continuous shot of the exercise instructor performing an exercise;
transmitting the video content to a set of interactive exercise devices, each interactive exercise device from the set of interactive exercise devices associated with at least one user from a set of users; and
for each interactive exercise device from the set of interactive exercise devices:
displaying the video content to the at least one user associated with that interactive exercise device via a video display of that interactive exercise device, the video display disposed behind a partially transmissive mirror of that interactive exercise device, at least a portion of the video content of the exercise instructor appearing superimposed on a first portion of a reflection of that at least one user in the partially transmissive mirror when displaying the video content, a second portion of the reflection of that at least one user appearing over the dark background of the video content shown on the video display when displaying the video content, the second portion of the reflection of that at least one user appearing unobscured by virtue of the dark background of the video content when displaying the video content;
measuring biometric information associated with that at least one user and displaying the biometric information via the video display of that interactive exercise device;
displaying, via the video display of that interactive exercise device, biometric information associated with each other user from the set of users;
displaying, via the video display of that interactive exercise device, a ranking of the set of users, the ranking based on the biometric information associated with each user from the set of users;
acquiring video of the at least one user performing the exercise, during the display of the video content, via a camera disposed behind the partially transmissive mirror of that interactive exercise device, the camera aligned with an aperture of a frame coupled to the partially transmissive mirror, the partially transmissive mirror positioned between the frame and the at least one user while the user is performing the exercise, the frame having a width equal to or smaller than a width of the partially transmissive mirror, and the frame having a height equal to or smaller than a height of the partially transmissive mirror;
determining, based on the video of the at least one user performing the exercise, a performance of the at least one user in reproducing a proper form or motion of the exercise;
displaying information based on the performance of the at least one user to advise the at least one user of the proper form or motion; and
pausing display of the video content in response to detecting that one of: (1) a software application of a mobile device operably coupled to that interactive exercise device has been closed, (2) the software application of the mobile device operably coupled to that interactive exercise device has been minimized, or (3) the mobile device operably coupled to that interactive exercise device has entered a sleep mode.

2. The interactive exercise method of claim 1 , further comprising, for at least one interactive exercise device from the set of interactive exercise devices, causing display of a representation of a fitness class recommendation generated based at least in part on a social network of the at least one user.

3. The interactive exercise method of claim 1 , further comprising:
acquiring the video content of the exercise instructor performing the exercise;
archiving the video content of the exercise instructor as a fitness class from a plurality of fitness classes; and
for at least one interactive exercise device from the set of interactive exercise devices, causing display of a listing of the plurality of fitness classes.

4. The interactive exercise method of claim 3 , wherein acquiring the video content of the exercise instructor includes acquiring video content at two or more angles.

5. The interactive exercise method of claim 1 , wherein the video content of the exercise instructor includes a 360 -degree view of the exercise instructor.

6. The interactive exercise method of claim 1 , wherein, for each interactive exercise device from the plurality of interactive exercise devices, the frame includes (1) an inner frame, the video display mounted to the inner frame, and (2) an outer shell to protect the inner frame.

7. The interactive exercise method of claim 1 , wherein, for each interactive exercise device from the set of interactive exercise devices, the biometric information includes at least one of a heart rate of the at least one user, a predetermined heart rate zone of the user, or a score based on the heart rate and the predetermined heart rate zone of the user.

8. A non-transitory, processor-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
receive, at an interactive exercise device associated with a user, video content of an exercise instructor against a dark background, the video content including a single continuous shot of the exercise instructor performing an exercise;
cause display of the video content to the user via a video display of the interactive exercise device, the video display disposed behind a partially transmissive mirror of the interactive exercise device, at least a portion of the video content of the exercise instructor appearing superimposed on a first portion of a reflection of the user in the partially transmissive mirror when displaying the video content, a second portion of the reflection of the user appearing over the dark background of the video content shown on the video display when displaying the video content, the second portion of the reflection of the user appearing unobscured by virtue of the dark background of the video content when displaying the video content;
cause display, via the video display, of biometric information associated with at least one other user from a set of users that includes the user;
cause display, via the video display, of a ranking of the set of users, the ranking based on the biometric information associated with each user from the set of users;
cause display, via the video display, of information based on a performance of the user to advise the user of the proper form or motion; and
cause display, via the video display, of the video content to be paused in response to detecting that one of: (1) a software application of a mobile device operably coupled to the interactive exercise device has been closed, (2) the software application of the mobile device operably coupled to the interactive exercise device has been minimized, or (3) the mobile device operably coupled to the interactive exercise device has entered a sleep mode.

9. The non-transitory, processor-readable medium of claim 8 , further storing instructions to cause the processor to at least one of play, pause, rewind, fast forward, or skip portions of the video content in response to a user interaction with a graphical user interface of the mobile device operably coupled to the interactive exercise device.

10. The non-transitory, processor-readable medium of claim 8 , further storing instructions to cause the processor to archive the video content of the exercise instructor as a fitness class from a plurality of fitness classes.

11. The non-transitory, processor-readable medium of claim 8 , further storing instructions to cause the processor to c

Assignees

• Curiouser Products Inc

Inventors

• Putnam Brynn

Classifications

• A63B71/0622 Primary

  Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user · CPC title

• A61B5/0079

  using mirrors, i.e. for self-examination · CPC title

• A61B5/024

  Measuring pulse rate or heart rate · CPC title

• A61B5/4884

  inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing · CPC title

• A61B5/7435

  Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface · CPC title