Visual Display and Method of Displaying an Exercise Routine

Abstract

A visual display is coupled to an exercise machine. The exercise routine progress of the user is graphically displayed as one or more shapes, each having a perimeter and an identifiably different interior portion. As the routine progresses, the appearance of a part of the interior portion gradually changes, which allows the user to visualize the relative completion of the entire routine and, optionally, the relative completion of an intermediate stage of the routine. A method of visualizing an exercise routine includes generating a starting image, one or more intermediate images and a finished image. The one or more intermediate images show the user's exercise progress during the routine relative to a given stage of the routine and the entire routine.

1 . A visual display coupled to an exercise machine, the machine having one or more moving components, the visual display comprising:
 a display; and   a controller configured to generate control signals causing at least part of the display to present at least three visual representations of a path, the path comprising a perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion, the perimeter portion having a beginning and an end joined by boundaries, one of the interior portion or the perimeter portion adapted to visually change in response to the control signals, the other of the perimeter portion or the interior portion remaining unchanged, the at least three visual representations comprising:
 a starting visual representation of the path, wherein the perimeter portion is identifiably different than the interior portion; 
 one or more intermediate visual representations of the path, wherein the interior portion consists of a first part located adjacent to a second part and separated by a defined interior separation, the first part being identical in appearance to the interior portion of the path's starting visual representation, and the second part being identifiably different than the first part; and 
 an ending visual representation of the path, wherein the entire interior portion is uniform and consistent in appearance to the second part of the one or more intermediate visual representations. 
   
     
     
         2 . The visual display of  claim 1 , wherein the defined interior separation of the one or more intermediate visual representations is configured to move from the beginning to the end along the boundaries of the perimeter portion in response to the control signals, the control signals being generated in response to at least the movement of the machine's one or more moving components. 
     
     
         3 . The visual display of  claim 1 , wherein said coupling of the display to the exercise machine is chosen from the group consisting of wired coupling and wireless coupling. 
     
     
         4 . The visual display of  claim 1 , wherein said display is chosen from the group consisting of a monitor, screen, television, watch and smart phone. 
     
     
         5 . The visual display of  claim 1 , wherein said exercise machine moving components are chosen from the group consisting of foot pedals, steps, a belt, levers, bars and a seat back. 
     
     
         6 . The visual display of  claim 1 , wherein the path is chosen from the group consisting of an outline of a geometric shape, an outline of a race course, an outline of letter or word shapes, an outline of a symbol, an outline of a location and an outline of a personality's image. 
     
     
         7 . The visual display of  claim 6 , wherein said geometric shape is a bar. 
     
     
         8 . The visual display of  claim 1 , wherein two or more paths are presented in succession during the course of an exercise routine. 
     
     
         9 . The visual display of  claim 8 , wherein the length of two or more successive paths is different. 
     
     
         10 . A visual display coupled to an exercise machine, the machine having one or more moving components, the visual display comprising:
 a display;   a user-operated command console for selecting exercise routine parameters; and   a controller configured to generate control signals causing at least part of the display to present a graphical representation comprising a perimeter portion identified by a first state, the perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion identified by a second state, said first and second states being distinguishable from each other,   wherein at least part of the interior portion is adapted to visually change to a plurality of third states in response to the control signals, the control signals generated in response to movement of one or more of the machine's components and the exercise routine parameters, each of the plurality of third states being distinguishable from each other and from the second state.   
     
     
         11 . The visual display of  claim 10 , wherein the exercise routine parameters are selectable by a user before or during an exercise routine. 
     
     
         12 . The visual display of  claim 11 , wherein one or more different exercise routine parameters are selectable by the user during the exercise routine. 
     
     
         13 . The visual display of  claim 10 , wherein the first, second and third states are chosen from the group consisting of color, color gradient and movement, wherein movement includes intermittent flashing. 
     
     
         14 . The visual display of  claim 13 , wherein the first and third states are constant and the second state is intermittently flashing. 
     
     
         15 . The visual display of  claim 10 , wherein the third state is similar in appearance to the first state. 
     
     
         16 . The visual display of  claim 10 , wherein the graphical representation is chosen from the group consisting of an outline of a geometric shape, an outline of a race course, an outline of letter or word shapes, an outline of a symbol, an outline of a location and an outline of a personality's image. 
     
     
         17 . The visual display of  claim 16 , wherein said geometric shape is a bar. 
     
     
         18 . A method of displaying an exercise routine to a user on a display, comprising:
 generating a first graphical representation of a path at the start of the routine, the path comprising a perimeter portion surrounding an interior portion, wherein the entire interior portion is identifiably different in appearance than the perimeter portion;   generating one or more second graphical representations of the path during the routine, wherein a first part of the interior portion remains identifiably different in appearance than the perimeter portion and a second part of the interior portion is identifiably different than the first part of the interior portion; and   generating a third graphical representation of the path at the end of the routine, wherein the entire interior portion is uniform in appearance.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the second part of the interior portion of the one or more second graphical representations is indistinguishable from the perimeter portion. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the entire interior portion of the third graphical representation is similar in appearance or indistinguishable from the perimeter portion. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the second part of the interior portion increases and the first part of the interior portion decreases at a rate based on parameters fixed before the start of the exercise routine. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the parameters are fixed by the user or by a computer processor. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the second part of the interior portion increases and the first part of the interior portion decreases at a rate based on parameters input by the user during the exercise routine.