Music and accelerometer combination device for collecting, converting, displaying and communicating data

This invention relates in general to music and accelerometers and, more particularly, to a music and accelerometer combination device for collecting, converting, displaying, and communicating data.

Both activity monitors and MP3 players have gained considerable notoriety in the current marketplace. Together, these devices can serve to inform an end user of his performance data and to entertain/motivate the same user in his workouts. However, these devices are not without flaws and, furthermore, users of these devices quickly realize their limitations.

Turning first to activity monitors, these devices are invaluable in a society fraught with obesity issues. Obesity increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including diabetes, asthma, hypertension, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, and heart disease. Thirty percent of adults in the United States, who are twenty years or older, are obese. Unfortunately, the same obesity-related diseases and health conditions are becoming more common in younger people as well. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. The percentage of obese children and adolescents is at an all time high. Inactivity and sedentary behavior are among the biggest contributors to the increase of obesity in children, adolescents, and adults.

Current health and entertainment devices are single minded in their approaches. Further, these devices typically fail to offer multiple metrics for monitoring their physical activity. A person is more likely to become physically active if the individual is able to see the immediate results of their own physical activity being displayed in a customized format that features a metric that appeals to them. Additionally, a person is more likely to engage in physical activity and sustain that activity if the person can continually monitor their preferred metric and not have to retrieve that metric on a website at a delayed time. Furthermore, a person is more likely to comply with a doctor\'s orders when a person can view those doctor\'s orders and monitor their progress in complying with such orders. Providing an incentive for people to engage in physical activity presents a significant challenge and an immense opportunity for those relegated with the onerous task of controlling the population\'s health.

In regards to the second component of this equation, MP3 players, these devices are generally dumb devices that simply play music. Concisely stated: there is little intelligence in these devices. This certainly limits their applications, their utility, and their promise. A new frontier has emerged: How can these popular devices be combined in a way that does not sacrifice their unique capabilities?

Therefore, an effective coordination between these devices in an optimal manner such that the end user\'s experience is enriched offers a significant challenge to those involved in this enormously popular industry.

In accordance with the present invention, a method, a system, and a music and accelerometer combination device for collecting, converting, displaying, and communicating data is provided, which substantially eliminates or reduces the disadvantages and problems associated with previous systems, methods, and devices.

In contrast to other systems, the present invention provides for an effective integration between components: providing a single device that offers a musical or entertainment experience, along with an activity monitor. These components are not physically separated, they are physically integrated. In addition, a display is provided for the device to illustrate real-time data for the end user. Also, the device can be connected to a personal computer (PC), or a kiosk to download songs or to connect the device to a network to access a website. A kiosk would be a machine that may or may not technically be a PC but could be a terminal that operates with a mainframe not necessarily housing any information. Also called a thin client.

More specifically, a method for integrating and managing data is provided that includes interacting with an end user via a music and health component combination device, the device including: a health component that is operable to track data by the user and a music module operable to play music for the user. The device further includes a memory and a processor operable to convert data from the health component into one or more metrics based on data received from the memory.

In at least one detailed embodiment of the present invention, the device includes a separate button for activating the music module and an activity manager for activating the health component. The health and entertainment device allows the end user to select between songs, albums, or play lists, and, further, to shuffle stored music data.

In a more particular embodiment, the health and entertainment device offers a dimming function that allows certain parameters being displayed by the device to be highlighted, emphasized, or deemphasized.

Important technical advantages of certain embodiments of the present invention include the ability to achieve a viable integration between two distinct components: a music element and an accelerometer. In addition, the device can be used in conjunction with smart clothing. Also, the web portal transmits user specific data to the health and entertainment device such that the data displayed is customized for each user.

There are numerous other advantages, including the device\'s compatibility with other instruments. For example, the device can easily interface with a heart rate (HR) monitor. The HR monitor can be plugged into the device such that the device can be used as a data-capturing instrument. The device could also readily interface with other instruments, such as a weight scale, a blood-pressure monitor, a glucometer, etc. In this sense, the larger hard drives [or more robust processors] of these bigger devices can be leveraged to collect important data about the end user. The data can then easily be relayed or downloaded at the website.

Additionally, inherent in the device is the ability to have audio feedback that can be used to inform the end user of real-time statistics (e.g., calories burned, pace, speed, distance, heart rate, etc.). Other technical advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims. Moreover, while specific advantages have been enumerated above, various embodiments may include all, some, or none of the enumerated advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To provide a more complete understanding of the present invention and features and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts, in which:

FIG. 1A is a simplified block diagram that illustrates a communication system in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention;

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