Electrical pulse counters – pulse dividers – or shift registers: c – Applications – Measuring or testing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-12
2002-02-19
Wambach, Margaret R. (Department: 2816)
Electrical pulse counters, pulse dividers, or shift registers: c
Applications
Measuring or testing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06349126
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedometer which can keep the user interested in exercise, and more particularly, it relates to a pedometer displaying not only the current number of steps but also various information related to walking such as the total number of steps theretofore counted over a set period, the total number of days spent for counting the steps, the average number of steps per day and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
General pedometers include the following apparatuses:
{circle around (1)} A pedometer simply numerically displaying the number of counted steps on a display part.
{circle around (2)} A pedometer having a memory for about a week for storing the number of steps counted over a week in the memory every day and arbitrarily displaying the number of steps counted over the preceding week on the display part every day (e.g. Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 2-42156 (1990) “Pedometer”).
{circle around (3)} A pedometer displaying an average number of steps per day for expressing the number of steps counted over a long period (e.g. Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 63-135473 (1988) “Pedometer”).
In order to keep his/her health and develop his/her strength with such a pedometer, the user must continuously take walking exercise over a long period.
However, the aforementioned conventional pedometers have the following problems:
The pedometer {circle around (1)} has a simple function. Whether or not the user increases the number of steps as compared with the preceding day, therefore, the pedometer starts counting the steps anew on this day. Thus, the result of the user's effort is not reflected on the pedometer and hence the user cannot keep but soon loses his/her interest in walking. Consequently, the user tends to neglect daily exercise itself.
Although the pedometer {circle around (2)} has a more complicated function than the pedometer {circle around (1)}, data of the preceding week disappear sequentially from the oldest one. Therefore, the pedometer is so limited in capability of keeping the user interested in exercise that the user finally loses his/her interest in exercise. While the memory of the pedometer may be increased in capacity for increasing the number of days storable in the memory beyond a week or to be capable of displaying a graph of data over a month or a year, the structure of the memory or a control circuit of the pedometer is disadvantageously complicated in this case.
The pedometer {circle around (3)} capable of expressing data related to walking over a long period can keep the user interested in exercise. The user can compare his/her average number of steps with those of his/her family or friends and hence his/her motivation for exercise is strengthened. Further, the used capacity of the memory is small and hence the pedometer can be provided at a relatively low cost.
If the user forgets wearing the pedometer in the morning, however, the pedometer counts zero or a value close to zero (if the pedometer erroneously operates due to some impact) as the current number of steps. The pedometer still records the date in this case, and hence average data is disturbed when the pedometer adds the current data thereto. Therefore, the result of the user's effort over tens of days is damaged by occasional carelessness, and the user thereafter hesitates to wear the pedometer and his/her motivation for daily exercise is weakened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pedometer having a function of displaying an average number of steps per time, which can not only maintain correctness of the average number of steps but also keep the user interested in exercise even if the user forgets wearing the pedometer.
In order to attain the aforementioned object, the pedometer according to the present invention comprises a walking detection sensor detecting walking, a counter counting outputs from the walking detection sensor, a clock measuring time, a memory storing the total of each of the number of steps theretofore counted by the counter and the number days spent for counting the steps, a wear determination part determining whether or not the user wears the pedometer, and a display part displaying information related to the walking. The pedometer calculates an average number of steps per day from the total number of steps and the total number of days stored in the memory and displays the average number of steps on the display part, while the current number of steps and the number of days are added to the total number of steps and the total number of days stored in the memory on a day the wear determination part determines that the user wears the pedometer and the former are not added to the latter on a day the wear determination part determines that the user does not wear the pedometer.
When the wear determination part determines that the user does not wear the pedometer, the current number of steps and the number of days are not added to the total number of steps and the total number days stored in the memory respectively. In other words, the current data is excluded from calculation of the average number of steps, and hence the average number of steps can be correctly calculated even if the user forgets wearing the pedometer. Consequently, the pedometer correctly reflects a result of exercise, so that the user can keep his/her interest in the exercise.
Specifically, the wear determination part of this pedometer automatically or manually determines whether or not the user wears the pedometer. The wear determination part automatically makes this determination from the current number of steps. More specifically, the wear determination part compares the current total number of steps with a set value and determines that the user does not wear the pedometer when the total number of steps is not more than the set value. In this case, the set value is preferably changeable through a key. This is because the daily behavioral pattern remarkably varies with the lifestyle of the user. The set value is relatively increased for an office worker or the like, particularly a sales staff generally working outside the office, for example. On the contrary, the set value is relatively reduced for a full-time housewife or the like generally staying indoors. This is because this type of user does not frequently walk about in general and hence the wear determination part may erroneously determine that the user does not wear the pedometer if the set value is excessive.
A switch may be utilized for automatically determining whether or not the user wears the pedometer. In this case, the switch is automatically turned on or off in response to whether or not the user wears the pedometer. When the user wears the pedometer, the switch is turned on so that the wear determination part automatically determines that the user wears the pedometer while determining that the user does not wear the pedometer if the switch is off.
On the other hand, the wear determination part manually determines whether or not the user wears the pedometer through key operation, for example.
Whether the wear determination part automatically or manually makes the aforementioned determination, the current number of steps and the number of days are not directly added to the total number of steps and the total number of days stored in the memory when the wear determination part determines that the user does not wear the pedometer. When the user does not wear the pedometer, the current number of steps or a preceding average number of steps and the number of days may be rendered manually addable to the total number of steps and the total number of days stored in the memory respectively. In this case, a rough number of steps can be estimated from the user's daily life pattern even if the user forgets wearing the pedometer, and hence a roughly estimated number of steps may be entered by key operation for the day the user forgets wearing the pedometer. If the number of steps cannot be es
Kihira Masazumi
Kitamura Munehiro
Maehashi Koji
Ogawa Hiroshi
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Omron Corporation
Wambach Margaret R.
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