User interface and methods of using in exercise equipment

Abstract

An application programmable interface (API) configured to present a selection of video games having interactive gaming content responsive to a variety of physical motion of the exercise equipment that is powered by the equipment user and designed to encourage ongoing participation by the user in various physical activity scenarios. The API is configured to merge exercise equipment with video gaming that is interoperatively compatible across multiple exerciser hardware configurations, across multiple gaming system equipment configurations, and across independent display monitors. Gaming content is designed to interactively encourage continued and varying exercising by associating the motions of the exercise equipment with changes in audio visual content presented on the monitor or by other gaming system configurations.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM[0001]This application claims priority to and incorporates by reference in its entirety U.S. Patent Provisional Application No. 60 / 895,676 filed Mar. 19, 2007. This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 078,913 filed Mar. 9, 2005 that in turn claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional Application No. 60 / 551,366 filed Mar. 9, 2004. All above applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates generally to graphically based interfaces.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The average user's usage of exercise equipment, especially cardio workout equipment involving running or similar activities lessens with time. Exercise equipment is designed by sports physiologists with a penchant for displaying alphanumeric physiologic parameters in view of the exercising user. Some of the displays are augmented by peak activity bar charts and caloric burn rates. After a short while, the user's...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The decline in exercise equipment use is related to the boredom that soon sets in from the inherent repetitious aspect of treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, and other cardio related equipment and the commonness presented by the data and plot displays.

Exercise equipment users try their best in alleviating boredom, for example listening to portable music devices or watch a nearby wall mounted television with limited success.

Currently people are forced to exercise indoors on fitness equipment without any interactivity, resulting in a boring experience that requires significant willpower to start and continue, resulting in considerable lack of motivation to keeping in shape, much less form healthy exercise habits.

Another existing problem is active or fitness games have yet to penetrate the home in any significant degree.

While an arcade game can be successful enough to support a proprietary solution, no single game, or even small set of games, is sufficient to motivate the consumer to make a substantial hardware purchase.

The current market solutions are inadequate.

These solutions are closed, meaning there is absolutely no support for their devices other than from a few choice partners, and their costs force pricing high far above the mass-market.

Further, because the devices do not provide a way to equally compare the effort put forth by two competitors, these devices cannot be used for head-to-head competition or even friendly training.

In prior devices, there is no feedback from the device, so they cannot be used for interactive games or competitive events, and the settings of speed and incline or resistance are absolute, not relative, which means that a given workout is only good for someone within a narrow fitness range.

Someone more fit than that range will find the workout too easy, for someone less fit the workout is too hard.

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