| Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devicesRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Including Means For Processing Electronic Data (e.g., Computer/video Game, Etc.), In A Game Requiring An Element Of A Participant`s Physical Skill Or Ability (e.g., Hand-eye Coordination, Reflex, Etc.)Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070213110, Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATION DATA [0001] This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/814,981, filed Jun. 19, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety; this application is a continuation-in-part and claims benefit and priority to the applicant's co-pending non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/298,434 entitled "Device, System, and Method for Outdoor Computer Gaming," filed on Dec. 9, 2005, which claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/648,157, filed on Jan. 28, 2005, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety; this application is a continuation-in-part and claims benefit and priority to the applicant's co-pending non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/367,178, entitled "Ambulatory Based Human-Computer Interface," filed on Mar. 2, 2006, which claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/683,020, filed on May 19, 2005, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety; this application is a continuation-in-part and claims benefit and priority to the applicant's co-pending non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/555,784, entitled "Shake-Jamming Interface for Handheld Media Players," filed on Nov. 2, 2006, which claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/751,267 filed on Dec. 16, 2005, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety; this application is a continuation-in-part and claims benefit and priority to the applicant's co-pending non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/427,320, entitled "Gait Responsive Portable Media Player," filed on Jun. 28, 2006, which claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/765,856, filed on Feb. 7, 2006, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety; this application also claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/815,655, filed on Jun. 21, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE APPLICATION [0002] The present invention relates generally to portable media players and exercise based gaming devices and, more specifically, to a jumping and bobbing based aerobic exercise experience and game application enabled upon portable media players that also play music. BACKGROUND [0003] Electronic Media Players have become popular personal entertainment devices due to their highly portable nature and interconnectivity with existing computer networks, for example the Internet. The accessibility and simplicity in downloading music and other electronic media continues to fuel the popularity of these devices as is exemplified by Apple Computer, Inc.'s highly successful iPod.TM. portable media player. Recent models also allow for the storage and display of personal photos allowing users to carry about a photo album stored in memory of the media player. Other manufacturers have competing Media Players offering various functionalities and file playing compatibilities in an effort to differentiate their products in the marketplace. [0004] As discussed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0224638, Ser. No. 10/423,490 to Fadell, et al., assigned to Apple Computer, Inc., the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, an increasing number of consumer products are incorporating circuitry to play musical media files and other electronic media. Additional embodiments of media players are disclosed in the current applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/267,079, filed Nov. 3, 2005, as well as the applicant's co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/648,197, filed on Jan. 27, 2005; 60/665,291, filed on Mar. 26, 2005; 60/651,771, filed on Feb. 9, 2005; and 60/756,856, filed on Feb. 7, 2006. The aforementioned provisional and non-provisional patent applications are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. [0005] For example, many portable electronic devices such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) include the ability to play electronic musical media in many of the most commonly available file formats including Moving Picture Experts Group-1 ("MPEG-1") Audio Layer 3 ("MP3"), Audio Video Interleave ("AVI"), Waveform audio format ("WAV"), Moving Picture Experts Group ("MPG"), Quicktime ("QT"), Windows.TM. Media Audio ("WMA"), Audio Interchange File Format ("AIFF"), Audio ("AU"), Real Audio Media ("RAM"), Real Audio ("RA"), Movie files ("MOV"), Musical Instrument Digital Interface ("MIDI"), among others. [0006] In the relevant art, portable media players enable users to listen to music as digital audio files and/or as part of digital video files, selecting media items from memory and playing the media files such that the audio content can be listened to through headphone or speakers. Such listening activities however are passive, relegating the user to being a listener of the music content but does not allow the user to coordinate his or her physical motions with the music in a computer moderated way that quantifies actions and awards a score. SUMMARY [0007] Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods, apparatus, and computer program products that enable aerobic exercise rhythm games to be played upon portable media player devices that play music to users. Embodiments of the present invention comprise an accelerometer and/or other similar motion sensor device integrated into and/or physically connected to a portable media player device such that it detects motions imparted by the user upon the portable media player as the user bobs and jumps. As defined herein, a "bob" is a bodily motion in which a standing user flexes and extends his or her knees in rapid succession, thereby raising and lowering his or her center of mass without losing physical foot contact with the ground. As defined herein a "jump" is a bodily motion in which a standing user extends his legs with enough force and speed to lift his body off the ground for a momentary period of time. As the user bobs and/or jumps, thereby moving the media player device up and down, the sensor and supporting hardware and/or software of embodiments of the present invention determine the rhythm at which the user performs the bobs and jumps as well as the magnitude of each bob and/or jump. [0008] Embodiments of the present invention are further operative to award points to the user for the magnitude of the bobs and/or jumps performed, the number of bobs and/or jumps performed, and/or the synchronicity of the rhythm of the bobs and/or jumps performed with an audible rhythm present within a current playing media file. In addition, embodiments of the present invention are operative to monitor the sequence of bobs and jumps performed by the user and award points accordingly. In this way a user may listen to a musical media file, bobbing and jumping to the rhythm of the music and be awarded assessment points for the magnitude, number, sequence, and/or synchronicity of the physically motions performed by the user concurrently with a playing musical file played by the media player. In some embodiments extra points are awarded for syncopation, accents, and/or other complex motions imparted in rhythm with the playing music. In this way, embodiments of the present invention add an entertaining aerobic physical activity to the ordinarily passive experience of listening to music with a portable media player. In addition, some embodiments of the present invention may be configured to generate musical sounds, such as percussion instrument sounds, in response to user bobs and/or jumps, the musical sounds being played through a portable media player in audio combination with the playing music file. [0009] A media player system according to the present invention includes an accelerometer or other similar motion sensing device for collecting data representative of user bobbing and/or jumping actions. The media player also includes software for processing the sensor data, determining if a characteristic bobbing and/or jumping action was imparted by the user, assessing the rhythm characteristics of the bobbing and/or jumping, comparing the rhythm characteristics of the bobbing and/or jumping with one or more rhythm characteristics associated with a currently playing media file, and, in response to the assessments and/or comparisons, awards scoring values to the user. In addition, in some embodiments of the present invention the software also is operative in response to a detected characteristic bobbing and/or jumping action, to play computer generated instrument sounds, in sonic combination with a musical piece being played from memory of the portable media player. [0010] In some embodiments, the greater the magnitude of the detected bobbing and/or jumping actions imparted by the user, the greater a score increment value awarded to the user. In some embodiments, the larger the number of the detected bobbing and/or jumping actions imparted by the user, the greater the score awarded to the user. [0011] According to some embodiments, the longer duration of the detected bobbing and/or jumping actions imparted by the user, the greater the score awarded to the user. In some embodiments, the greater the air-time detected during a detected jumping action imparted by the user, the greater a score increment value awarded to the user. [0012] In some embodiments, the greater synchronicity between the detected rhythm present in a sequence of detected bobs and/or jump actions and the rhythm present within a currently playing musical file, the greater a score increment value awarded to the user. According to some embodiments, the longer the duration of maintained substantial synchronicity between the detected rhythm present in a sequence of detected bobs and/or jump actions and the rhythm present within a currently playing musical file, the greater a score increment value awarded to the user. [0013] In some embodiments the "synchronicity" means that the bobs and/or jumps fall substantially at the same moment in time as primary beats present within the currently playing musical file. According to some such embodiments, the shorter the time difference between a detected bob and/or jump and a determined primary beat in the musical media file, the greater the score increment value awarded to the user. [0014] In some embodiments the "synchronicity" means that sequential bobs and/or jumps fall substantially at the same time interval between them as the time interval between primary beats present within the currently playing musical file. In some such embodiments, the shorter the time difference between a detected bob and/or jump time interval and a time interval between primary beats in the musical media file, the greater the score increment value awarded to the user. [0015] According to some embodiments the "synchronicity" is a combination of both the aforementioned moment in time assessment and time interval assessment above. For example, the shorter the time difference between a detected bob and/or jump time interval and a time interval between primary beats in the musical media file, the greater the score increment value awarded to the user. Furthermore, the greater the correspondence in time between the bob and jump events and the primary beat events, the even greater the score increment value awarded to the user. [0016] In some embodiments the primary beat present within a currently playing media file is determined based upon a data segment relationally associated with the media file. For example, a data segment indicating the number of Beats Per Minute (or BPM) of the media file may be used to determine the rate of the primary beat. In addition, a time stamp, time flag, or other synchronizing data point may be used to indicate when in time the beat sequence began. In some such embodiments a primary beat present within a currently playing media file is determined based upon a time varying rhythm file that is associated with and/or integrated within the currently playing music media file. [0017] According to some such embodiments, a primary beat present within a currently playing media file is determined by an assessment of the musical content of the musical file through a signal processing routine. In one such embodiment the detected presence of a base drum sound above a certain intensity magnitude is used to determine a primary beat of the musical media piece. In other such embodiments a primary beat present within a currently playing media file is determined by detection of the presence of a snare drum sound above a certain intensity magnitude. [0018] In some embodiments, the presence of a particular sequence of bobs and jumps are used in determining a score increment value awarded to the user. According to some embodiments, the ratio of bobs to jumps is used in determining a score increment value awarded to the user. In some such embodiments the greater the proportion of jumps the higher the score. [0019] In some embodiments, a musical sound is played by the media player in response to a detected bob and/or jump, in audio combination with the currently playing media file. In some such embodiments the volume and/or duration of the sound is determined at least in part upon a magnitude of the bob and/or jump. In some such embodiments the volume and/or duration of the sound is determined based at least in part upon an air-time of a detected jump. In some embodiments a different musical instrument sound is selected based upon whether the imparted action was determined to be a bob or a jump. [0020] According to some embodiments of the present invention, an accelerometer is affixed within the casing of the portable media player, the accelerometer providing acceleration data representing accelerations imparted upon the portable media player itself. In some embodiments the software of the present invention is configured to recognize a profile of acceleration data collected over a period of time indicative of a user bobbing and/or jumping when the portable media player is affixed to his or her waist or held within his or her pocket. This acceleration profile can be recognized as accelerations above a certain threshold and/or changing direction within certain timing characteristics. A positive and negative threshold may be set such that the acceleration value must exceed both the positive and negative thresholds within a certain time period for the deliberate user bobbing and/or jumping to be determined. The acceleration data exceeding the positive and negative threshold within a certain amount of time may be used to determine that the user has imparted a single up-down bob or jump upon the portable media player. Continue reading about Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices... Full patent description for Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Game apparatus and storage medium having game program stored thereon Next Patent Application: Dvd games Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Jump and bob interface for handheld media player devices patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.77086 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Novartis , Pfizer , Philips , Polaroid , Procter & Gamble , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
