Shoe wear-out sensor, body-bar sensing system, unitless activity assessment and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9968158-B2
Application number	US-201715443392-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Oct 18, 2005
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A system assesses activity and displays a unitless activity value. A detector senses activity of a user. A processor reads sensed activity data from the detector. A display displays the unitless activity value. An enclosure houses the detector and the processor. The processor periodically reads the sensed activity data from the detector and processes the data to generate an activity number, the number being used to generate the unitless activity value based upon a maximum number and a display range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assessing activity, comprising:
detecting activity data indicative of activity of a user during an activity period;
processing the detected activity data to determine a number representative of the detected activity data during the activity period; and
generating a unitless activity value based on a comparison of the determined number and an expected maximum number for the activity period, wherein the generating the unitless activity value comprises:
determining a ratio based on the comparison of the determined number and the expected maximum number for the activity period; and
multiplying the determined ratio by a range number.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to the generating, identifying a type of activity of the user performed during the activity period; and
prior to the generating, identifying the expected maximum number for the activity period based on the identified type of activity.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the identifying the type of activity comprises detecting at least one press of a button.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the identifying the type of activity comprises processing at least a portion of the detected activity data.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting the generated unitless activity value to the user.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising repeating the detecting, the processing, the generating, and the presenting for a plurality of consecutive activity periods.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repeating the detecting, the processing, and the generating for a plurality of consecutive activity periods.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing the detected activity data to determine the number comprises integrating power spectral density of acceleration data of the detected activity data over the period of time of the activity period.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the activity period is at least eight hours.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detected activity data is indicative of a number of physical repetitions.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unitless activity value is based on an intensity of the activity of the user during the activity period.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unitless activity value is based on a length of the activity period.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detected activity data is indicative of at least two different activities.

14. A method of assessing activity, comprising:
detecting activity data indicative of activity of a user during an activity period;
processing the detected activity data to determine a number representative of the detected activity data during the activity period; and
generating a unitless activity value based on a comparison of the determined number and an expected maximum number for the activity period, wherein:
the detecting is at least partially carried out by a detector;
each one of the processing and the generating is at least partially carried out by a processor; and
an enclosure at least partially houses the detector and at least partially houses the processor.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising presenting the generated unitless activity value to the user, wherein:
the presenting is at least partially carried out by one output component of the following types of output component:
a display output component; and
an audio output component; and

the enclosure at least partially houses the one output component.

16. A method of assessing activity, comprising:
detecting activity data indicative of activity of a user during an activity period;
processing the detected activity data to determine a number representative of the detected activity data during the activity period;
generating a unitless activity value based on a comparison of the determined number and an expected maximum number for the activity period; and
presenting the generated unitless activity value to the user, wherein the presenting is at least partially carried out by one output component of the following types of output component:
a display output component; and
an audio output component.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the detecting is at least partially carried out by a detector;
each one of the processing and the generating is at least partially carried out by a processor;
an enclosure at least partially houses the detector and at least partially houses the processor and at least partially houses a wireless transmitter;
the one output component is external to the enclosure; and
the one output component:
receives the generated unitless activity value via the wireless transmitter; and
presents the generated unitless activity value received via the wireless transmitter.

18. A method of assessing data, comprising:
detecting data;
sampling the detected data during a time period;
processing the sampled data to determine a number representative of the sampled data for the time period;
adding the number to an accumulator number to provide an updated accumulator number; and
determining a unitless activity value based upon the updated accumulator number and an expected maximum number, wherein the determining the unitless activity value comprises:
determining a ratio based on a comparison of the updated accumulator number and the expected maximum number; and
multiplying the determined ratio by a range number.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising presenting the determined unitless activity value to a user.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the detected data is indicative of a number of physical repetitions.

21. A method of assessing activity, comprising:
detecting activity data indicative of activity of a user;
determining a user activity value based on the detected activity data;
comparing the determined user activity value to another activity value; and
reporting a unitless activity value based on the comparing, wherein:
the detecting is at least partially carried out by a detector;
each one of the determining and the comparing is at least partially carried out by a processor;
an enclosure at least partially houses the detector and at least partially houses the processor.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the detector comprises at least one accelerometer.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the determining the user activity value comprises determining power spectral density of the detected activity data over a frequency range.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the other activity value corresponds to an activity value that was determined based on other detected activity data indicative of activity of a professional athlete associated with the activity of the user.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein:
the reporting is at least partially carried out by one output component of the following types of output component:
a display output component; and
an audio output component;

the enclosure at least partially houses a wireless transmitter;
the one output component is external to the enclosure; and
the one output component:
receives the unitless activity value via the wireless transmitter; and
reports the unitless activity value received via the wireless transmitter.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Vock Curtis A
• Youngs Perry

Classifications

• A43B1/0036

  with fluorescent or phosphorescent parts · CPC title

• G08B21/182

  Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold · CPC title

• G01N33/00

  Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00 · CPC title

• A43B7/00 Primary

  Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements · CPC title

• A43D1/00

  Foot or last measuring devices; Measuring devices for shoe parts · CPC title