WO2002056969A2

WO2002056969A2 - 10k step exercise method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2002056969A2
Application number: PCT/US2002/001218
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philip Lim-Kong Wong; Ka Yiu Sham
Original assignee: Acumen Manufacturing Limited
Priority date: 2001-01-18
Filing date: 2002-01-18
Publication date: 2002-07-25
Also published as: US20040063547A1; WO2002056969A3; US6974403B2; WO2002056969A9

Abstract

An exercise method and apparatus for ensuring the completion of a predetermined number of steps each day as part of an exercise routine by integrating steps taken during a normal daily routine with steps taken on a treadmill or stepper machine.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

10K STEP EXERCISE METHOD AND APPARATUS

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application

No. 60/262,068, filed January 18, 2001, the disclosures of which is expressly

incorporated by reference herein.

[0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for exercise

users easily to help reaching their common goal of completing "10,000 steps a

day", i.e., 10K steps, so that exercise becomes part of a daily routine and fitness

is achieved through regular exercise.

[0003] The successful maintenance of an exercise program is often hindered

by uncertainty in the amount of exercise being completed during the day. This is

especially true when the goal of the program is to burn a certain number of

calories per day or to cover a certain distance by walking each day. Exercise

carried out outside of the formalized program may vary from day to day and is

essentially an unknown factor. Therefore, the amount of walking on the

treadmill necessary to attain a certain goal each day depends on the number of

steps completed during the rest of the day outside of the formalized exercise on

the treadmill.

[0004] The 10K steps per day program, while an effective method of

ensuring satisfactory performance of a daily routine, often leads to uncertainty as to the amount of exercise already performed outside of the treadmill use or

involves a restriction on the type of exercise being performed. That is, jogging,

walking and other exercises performed aside from the treadmill, constitute an

unknown factor as far as its contribution to the overall 10K steps per day

program or requires careful calculations and estimates in order to determine how

much of the 10K steps per day were performed before exercising on to the

treadmill.

[0005] The method and apparatus of the present invention advantageously

combine a treadmill and a pedometer, by calibrating the strike-length

electronically and storing that calibrated strike-length inside the treadmill for

later use, (strike-length data for pedometer input use also), thereafter

completing the 10,000 (10K) steps each day as an increasingly routine, simple

task.

[0006] The present invention achieves these objects by using a pedometer to

accumulate the total number of steps whenever the exercise user is walking (or

even while shopping), jogging during a day; he/she can transfer the total steps

accumulated during the day to a treadmill. The treadmill, with the stored

strike -length, is programmed to calculate the difference between the steps

already made and the 10,000 (10K)steps.

[0007] A final "distance/time" workout program is then presented,

displaying the "count-down" as to the remaining number of steps. Also, running at a pre-set user comfortable speed, the user is prompted to finish the necessary

workout (steps), i.e. accomplishing 10,000 (10K) steps a day exercise with ease.

[0008] The present invention is implementable in a software

program/module with the addition of a "lOK-Steps" or the like push button added

to a treadmill console.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention

will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention

when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a flow chart (Part A) showing how to calibrate

Strike=Length (calibrated once only for a treadmill);

[0011] Figure 2 is a flow chart (Part B) showing how the "10,000 Steps-A-

Day" exercise program is completed;

[0012] Figure 3A is a perspective partial view of a treadmill console

featuring "10K Steps" program in conjunction with a pedometer;

[0013] Figure 3B is a view of the "10-K" step button used on the console of

the treadmill shown in Fig. 3A;

[0014] Figure 4 is a perspective of a conventional type of electronic

pedometer; [0015] Figure 5 is a flow chart "10K Steps" program similar to Figures 1 and

2 but applied to stepper machine; and

[0016] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a circuit for the electronic

pedometer shown in Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The person seeking to exercise using the present invention will have

a portable electronic pedometer of the type shown in Fig. 4, such pedometers

being commercially available, as well as access to a stepper machine such as

shown in Fig. 3A to which has been added a "10K step" button such as shown in

Fig. 3B. The 10K step method and apparatus are extremely simple to implement

in software and hardware, and to use by the exerciser.

[0018] Specifically, the exerciser uses the pedometer in its normal fashion to

accumulate the total number of steps whenever he or she is walking, whether

that walking be involved with an exercise program, shopping, jogging or the like.

The steps accumulated by the pedometer during the day are then transferred to

a treadmill. Alternatively, this exercise technique can be used in connection

with a stepper (Fig. 5), an elliptical machine or other similar device where steps

are utilized.

[0019] The strike-length is calibrated using a target distance traveled by a

user on the treadmill at a comfortable speed. Once the target distance has been reached (100 feet) in the example of Fig. 1, the treadmill stops and a reading of

the number of steps can be input from the pedometer. Subsequent, the strike-

length or distance for each step is calculated based on the distance of the

treadmill divided by the number of steps taken on the treadmill to accomplish

that distance. If the strike-length is within a maximum and minimum range,

then it is saved into an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only

memory).

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the exerciser's strike-length has been calibrated

and stored in the treadmill memory. Thereby, when the exerciser transfers the

total steps accumulated during the day in the pedometer to the input of the

treadmill, the treadmill system calculates the difference in steps already made

and the goal of the 10,000 (10K) steps.

[0021] After this calculation takes place, a final "distance/time" workout

program showing a "count up" to 10,000 steps or "count down" in the remaining

number of steps in the display. Running at a preset user comfortable speed, the

user is prompted to finish the final number of steps required to accomplish the

10,000 steps in an appropriate and easy manner.

[0022] In Fig. 2, the completion portion of the 10K steps per day program is

illustrated beginning with the reading out of the strike-length and comfortable

speed from the EEPROM or the use of a default value. The number of steps that

the user has completed during the day is then entered as accumulated on a pedometer of the type shown, for example, schematically in Fig. 6. The belt is

then adjusted to the saved "comfortable" speed and effectively the number of

steps from the pedometer is supplemented by the steps being measured on the

treadmill to calculate the elapsed distance and to determine whether the number

of steps has equaled 10K. When the number of steps on the treadmill, plus the

number of steps entered from the pedometer for the day equals 10K, the

treadmill automatically stops.

[0023] As noted above, the calibration of the strike-length as well as the

completion of the program in the treadmill as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is easily

implemented in a software program and hardware module with the addition of

the lOK-steps button on the treadmill console as shown in Fig. 3B.

[0024] Fig. 5 shows how the 10K steps program is utilized in a stepper

machine in conjunction with the pedometer. Instead of entering the number of

steps the user has completed during the day in a treadmill, the number of steps

completed is entered on the stepper. The difference between the number of steps

already completed and the 10,000 steps is calculated and the workout pursued as

displayed on the stepper.

[0025] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the

invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed

embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include

everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An exercising apparatus comprising:

a resettable step counting device providing an output indicating the

number of steps taken by a user since being reset;

an exercise machine including a means for determining a strike-length of

said user during a first exercise period on said machine as a function of a first

output of said step counting device;

a means for storing said strike-length;

a means for calculating the number of steps taken by said user during a

second exercise period on said machine as a function of said stored strike-length;

a means for inputting a second output of said step counting device;

means for summing the second output of said step counting device and the

number of steps taken by said exerciser during said second exercise period to

provide a final output indicating a total number of steps;

means for comparing the total number of steps with a predetermined

number of steps and stopping said exercise machine when the total number of

steps equals said predetermined number.

2. A method of determining the number of steps resulting from the

combination of normal daily movement and movement on a treadmill, comprising

the acts of: using a treadmill to cover a first predetermined distance at a user

determined comfortable speed on said treadmill;

stopping said treadmill when said predetermined distance has been

accomplished;

input the number of steps taken by said user during traverse of said

predetermined distance;

calculate a distance per step;

storing in a memory means the calculated distance per step and the

comfortable speed;

input the number of steps the user has completed away from the treadmill

during a predetermined time period;

read the distance per step and comfortable speed from said storage means;

move said treadmill at said comfortable speed;

calculate number of steps equivalent to movement of said treadmill as a

function of said distance per step;

determining the sum of said input steps the user completed away from the

treadmill during said predetermined time period and said calculated steps

resulting from movement of said treadmill at said comfortable speed and at said

distance per step; and

stopping said treadmill when said sum equals a predetermined number.

3. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said exercise

machine is a treadmill.

4. The exercise apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said treadmill

further includes a means for controlling the speed of said treadmill to a user

settable speed during said first exercise period, and wherein said treadmill is

controlled to function at said user set speed during said second exercise period.

5. An exercise apparatus comprising:

a console having an input section for receiving a first quantitative input

representing exercising units completed by said user away from said exercise

machine during a predetermined time period;

an exercise surface communicating with said console and providing to said

console a second quantitative indication of exercise units performed by said user

on said surface;

a summing device for adding together said first and second quantitative

unit to provide a total number of quantitative exercise units completed;

comparing means for comparing said total number of said quantitative

units completed with a predetermined number.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising the step of

providing an indication that said total number of quantitative units equals said

predetermined number.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said exercise

apparatus is a stepper machine.

8. The exercise apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said

apparatus is a treadmill.