Apple wants you to get in shape, it seems. A patent (number 20120060118) for a portable media device with workout support has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
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 invention relates to improved techniques and systems for utilizing a portable electronic device to monitor, process, present and manage data captured by a remote sensor. Apple says it can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, system, device, apparatus (including a graphical user interface), or computer readable medium.
As a workout monitoring process operable on a portable electronic device, one embodiment of the invention includes at least the acts of: determining a workout to be performed by a user of the portable electronic device; determining workout music to be utilized for the workout; receiving, processing and storing workout data acquired from a sensor; playing the workout music; and presenting at least a portion of the workout data to the user.
As a graphical user interface presented by a portable electronic device for enabling a user of the portable electronic device to configure the portable electronic device to monitor a workout undertaken by the user, where the portable electronic device has a display, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: a workout screen presented on the display of the portable electronic device, the workout screen enabling the user to select at least a workout type; and a workout characteristics screen presented on the display of the portable electronic device in response to the user selection of the workout type, the workout characteristics screen enabling the user to select at least one workout characteristic for the workout of the workout type.
The inventors are Sandeep Gupta, Greg Marriott, Max Sprauer, David A. Shayer, John Wesley Archibald and Shannon E. Wells.
