Exercise devices – Having specific electrical feature – Pace setting indicator
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-17
2002-08-06
Richmon, Glenn E. (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
Having specific electrical feature
Pace setting indicator
C482S004000, C482S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06428449
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of video display systems which present a changing visual image to the user, and in particular to such systems where aspects of the video display are controlled by the user. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such systems where the video image is controllable relative to the perceived rate of motion and direction of travel within the virtual display.
Interactive video games which are controlled by players observing a video monitor and reacting to video images displayed on the monitor, or games where future video images are controlled by commands made by the player, are well known. Such games are presented on self-contained play units which operate with game program cartridges, such as the popular units sold under the brand names NINTENDO or PLAYSTATION, or on personal computers where software is provided on CD-ROMs or diskettes, or downloaded from the Internet, or where play is accomplished through remote servers on the Internet. Control or movement of the video image is accomplished by movement or actuation of mechanical controls, such as buttons on a hand-held device, a joystick, a mouse or keys on the keyboard of a computer. These interactive video games, while providing visual and mental stimulation, require that the players remain essentially stationary or sedentary. A latter generation of video games, often found in arcades, use control mechanisms which simulate actual real world control mechanisms for various scenarios. For example, a steering wheel will be used to control the perceived direction of travel of the video image in a race car video game, while a simulated gas pedal will control the perceived speed of travel. In a motorcycle race video game, the user mounts a simulated motorcycle and controls direction by leaning the motorcycle left or right. Similar systems for simulated skiing, flying, etc. provide control of the video image by body movement.
The beneficial effects of exercise are well documented. Physical exertion which includes spatial movement in outdoor settings, such as jogging, bike riding, rowing, and the like, are very popular, but many if not most participants will not undertake the activity unless there is good weather, a safe environment, daylight, etc. This issue has been addressed in certain large gyms by providing an indoor track, which allows actual movement by the participants during the activity. Where there is limited space, such as in a home, stationary exercise equipment has been developed which allows the user to perform the same motions as the outdoor activity but without any actual change of location. To replace running, biking and rowing, for example, well known equipment such as treadmills, stationary bikes and rowing machines are used. A downside to the use of such stationary equipment is that the scenery remains static, and thus long term exercise sessions can be dull and monotonous. Many users will read while exercising on stationary equipment, or televisions are set up to provide a mental distraction.
It has been found desirable to combine the positive aspects of video games with the positive aspects of physical movement or exercise in a stationary location, such that a person performing exercises is presented with a stimulated video image to reduce boredom, or such that for a person playing a video game the perceived speed of travel is controlled by sensing body movement. In addition, the combination of body movement, visual stimulation and mental stimulation can be used in educational or training games to combat boredom and short attention spans.
One approach to accomplish these goals is to provide a changing video display which is connected to and responsive to motion of a particular piece of exercise equipment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,104 to Andrus et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,243 to Ewert, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,675 to Kashiwaguchi all show stationary bicycles which are electronically connected to a computer and video display monitor, where the rate of perceived motion of the video image is controlled by the pedaling rate. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,417 to Smithson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,503 to Benjamin et al., a stationary bike where the perceived direction of travel is controlled by leaning is shown. Similar systems can be used with rowing machines, flying machines and treadmills, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,519 to Hsu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,249 to Brewer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,572 to Carmein, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,700 to Feldman et al. More complicated virtual reality systems are also known, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,981 to Jarvik. While these devices are each an improvement over their respective non-video equivalents, the systems are specific to a particular piece of equipment and not interchangeable, such that the video display system for a stationary bike cannot be transferred to a treadmill or a rowing machine by the user.
Especially for home-use exercise situations, it is most desirable that the interactive changeable video image display system be responsive to body movement through sensing devices attached directly to the user rather than to the exercise equipment itself. This allows the system to be utilized with different types of equipment, or with no equipment at all, such as where the user simply runs in place. Likewise, where the interactive changeable video image display system responsive to movement is used with entertainment or educational games, it is most desirable that the system not have required hardware specific only to a single game.
An example of a system where the sensing devices are positioned directly onto the user's body is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,637 to Erickson. Erickson discloses an accelerometer connected to the user's ankle, means for wireless transmission of information from the sensor to a computer, software to interpret the information and control a video display image, and a monitor to present the image to the user. The perceived rate and direction of travel are responsive to the rate and direction of movement of the user. Erickson's invention is a device for measuring exercise—it calculates and records very specific aspects of exercise via its accelerometer. It is not a device for general, casual interaction with the computer for game play, nor does it substitute for a keyboard, mouse, joystick, steering wheel, etc., but rather is a device to perform functions and measurements that the keyboard, mouse, etc., cannot do. In contrast to Erickson's system, this invention is not a device for measuring exercise and it is in fact a device for general, casual interaction with the computer for game play and other all-purpose use, including educational use for children who are blind or deaf. The Erickson system is limited to its applicability to various exercises and particularly is limited to its applicability to various games, since the perceived direction control is responsive only to physical directional changes.
It is an object of this invention to provide an interactive video image display system which is responsive to both body motion information and verbal information, where the body motion information is used to control the perceived rate of travel through the virtual world of the video image, and where the verbal information is used to control the perceived rate of direction as well as to control an unlimited number of virtual actions within the video image which have been programmed into the operating software. Voice recognition software and the requisite equipment to accomplish this are well known in the art.
Unlike Erickson's system, the invention is not designed to monitor or measure exercise, but is a device to enable interaction with the computer via the combination of physical exertion and voice commands. The invention has uses far beyond that of the known exercise-type devices. For example, a child's software game that takes place in a virtual maze can be played with the child walking in place and telling the c
Richmon Glenn E.
Saitta Thomas C.
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