New patents involve Apple + Nike initiative
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Nov 23, 2007 at 1:20pm
Apple patents involving the Apple + Nike initiative have appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Patent number 20070270663 is for a system that includes a portable media player and physiologic data gathering device.
It’s for an integrated system for handling physiologic data that includes a portable device (such as a portable media player) configured to wirelessly receive the physiologic data of a person. A host computer is configured to be detachedly coupled to the portable device, to receive the physiologic data from the portable device and to provide, to the portable device, a result of processing the physiologic data (such as suggested behavior of the user).
Here’s Apple’s background on the invention: “The use of devices to obtain exercise performance information is known. For example, simple mechanical pedometers have been used to obtain information relating to walking or running. A typical mechanical pedometer is a standalone device merely displays an indication of number of steps taken which, typically at most, can be converted to distance traveled by multiplying the number of steps taken by an estimated average stride size.
“Recently, more sophisticated devices are known. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,550 (the ‘550 patent), a foot-mounted unit, including a sensor for sensing motion of the foot of a user, is configured to provide motion information-wirelessly-to a wrist-mounted unit. The wrist-mounted unit includes a display for displaying information to the user based upon data accumulated by the foot-mounted unit and transmitted wirelessly to the wrist-mounted unit. In addition, as described in the ‘550 patent, the wrist-mounted unit may be coupled to a computer and/or a network server via a network. The user can operate software running on the computer and/or the server to analyze received data and/or to select operating parameters for the wrist-mounted unit and/or the foot-mounted unit.
“The inventors have realized that a portable media player may be synergistically employed in a system such as that disclosed in the ‘550 patent or, for that matter, even in other systems such as, for example, systems generally useable for monitoring and/or controlling user exercise or other activity or physiology.”
The inventors are Stanley C. Ng Anthony M. Fadell and Greg Marriott. The graphic below illustrates an example of a system, including a portable media player, generally usable for, among other things, monitoring and/or controlling user exercise or other activity or physiology.
Patent number 20070270721 regards calibration techniques for activity sensing devices. It relates to activity monitoring and, more particularly, to activity monitoring by portable electronic devices.
According to Apple improved techniques and systems to calibrate an electronic device that is providing activity sensing are disclosed. The activity being sensed can, for example, correspond to walking or running by a user. In one embodiment, calibration can be performed by a portable electronic device so that activity data it receives from a remote sensor device can be more accurately processed. The improved techniques and systems to calibrate can be used to monitor, process, present and manage data captured by a remote sensor. The portable electronic device can also offer a convenient user interface that can be visual and/or audio based, customized to a particular application, user-friendly and/or dynamic. The portable electronic device can pertain to a portable media player and thus also provide media playback.
The inventors are John Meron Ananny and Nicolas Robert Kalayjian. It relates to portable media devices and, more particularly, to portable media players that support user exercise routines.
Patent number 20070270721 regards a portable media device with workout support. It relates to portable media devices and, more particularly, to portable media players that support user exercise routines.
According to Apple, improved techniques and systems for utilizing a portable electronic device to monitor, process, present and manage data captured by a remote sensor are disclosed. The portable electronic device offers a convenient user interface that can be visual and/or audio based customized to a particular application, user-friendly and/or dynamic. The portable electronic device can pertain to a portable media player and thus also provide media playback.
The inventors are Gupta Sandeep, Greg Marriott, Max Sprauer, David A. Shayer, John Wesley Archibald and Shannon E. Wells. The graphic below is is a block diagram of a sports monitoring system according to one embodiment of the invention.
Patent number 7007271116 is for an integrated media jukebox and physiologic data handling application. It’s for a method of operating a computer to interoperate with a portable media player.
According to Apple, a method is provided to operate a computer to interoperate with a portable media player. The method includes processing signals provided from the portable media player to the computer that are indicative of whether an accessory has been connected to the portable media player, to determine whether the accessory has been connected to the portable media player. Based on a determination that the accessory has been connected to the portable media player, physiologic data of a user that was provided to the portable media player from a wireless physiologic data gathering device, is received from the portable media player, into the computer, via the accessory.
Here’s Apple’s background on the invention: “The use of devices to obtain exercise performance information is known. For example, simple mechanical pedometers have been used to obtain information relating to walking or running. A typical mechanical pedometer is a standalone device merely displays an indication of number of steps taken which, typically at most, can be converted to distance traveled by multiplying the number of steps taken by an estimated average stride size.
“Recently, more sophisticated devices are known. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,550 (the ‘550 patent), a foot-mounted unit, including a sensor for sensing motion of the foot of a user, is configured to provide motion information-wirelessly—to a wrist-mounted unit. The wrist-mounted unit includes a display for displaying information to the user based upon data accumulated by the foot-mounted unit and transmitted wirelessly to the wrist-mounted unit. In addition, as described in the ‘550 patent, the wrist-mounted unit may be coupled to a computer and/or a network server via a network. The user can operate software running on the computer and/or the server to analyze received data and/or to select operating parameters for the wrist-mounted unit and/or the foot-mounted unit.
“The inventors have realized that a media jukebox computer application, including functionality to interact with a portable media player, may be synergistically combined with functionality to handle physiologic data from a physiologic data gathering device that is in communication with the portable media player for providing physiologic data to the portable media player.”
The inventors are Christopher R. Wysocki, David Heller, Amandeep Jawa, Sandeep Gupta, Greg Marriott, Max Sprauer, David A. Shayer, John Wesley Archibald and Shannon E. Wells.
Patent number 20070271387 is for a communication protocol with use with portable electronic devices. It relates to relates to electrical devices and, more particularly, to electrical devices, such as media players, that communicate with external devices.
According to Apple, improved techniques for communicating between a portable electronic device and an accessory (or auxiliary) device are disclosed. The accessory device can augment or supplement the functionality or capabilities of the portable electronic device. For example, in one embodiment, the accessory device can provide wireless communication capabilities to the portable electronic device. In one embodiment, the portable electronic device pertains to a portable media player and thus provide media data for storage, playback or transmission. In one embodiment, the accessory device is attachable to the portable electronic device.
Here’s Apple’s background on the invention: “A media player stores media assets, such as audio tracks, that can be played or displayed on the media player. One example of a portable media player is the iPod. media player, which is available from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Often a media player acquires its media assets from a host computer that serves to enable a user to manage media assets. The host computer can execute a media management application to acquire and manage media assets. One example of a media management application is iTunes, produced by Apple Computer, Inc.
“Portable media players, such as MP3 players, are able to play music for users often via earphones or a headset. A portable media player typically includes one or more connectors or ports that can be used to interface to the portable media player. For example, the connector or port can enable the portable media player to couple to a host computer, be inserted into a docking system, or receive an accessory device. Typically, portable media players are dedicated to playing media. However, there exist today various different types of accessory devices that can be coupled to portable media players. For example, a remote control can be connected to the connector or port to allow the user to remotely control the portable media player. As another example, an automobile can include a connector and the portable media player can be inserted onto the connector such that an automobile media system can interact with the portable media player. As still another example, a microphone accessory device can be connected to a portable media player to enable voice recording. Yet still another example is a FM radio controller accessory that includes a FM tuner and a controller. Still yet another example is a camera connector that connects to a portable media player as well as a camera (via USB) and serves to facilitate transfer of images from the camera to the portable media player.
“Currently, portable media players can interact with attached accessories in limited ways. However, as accessories become more complex and/or more integrated with operation of portable media players, more sophisticated interaction with accessories is required. Thus, there is a need for improved techniques to enable portable media players to communicate with accessory devices in accordance with a controlled protocol.”
The inventors are Gregory Thomas Lydon and Scott Krueger.
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
