DIGITAL SCOREBOARD

Abstract

A digital scoreboard system and method for public posting of exercise scores using a digital scoreboard is described herein. The method comprises receiving at least one exercise score from a user and at least one further exercise score from a further user. The exercise score and the further exercise score are processed and posted together with the processing data via a digital scoreboard display device. The digital scoreboard display device is publicly disposed on a premise associated with a sport club. The user and the further user are provided access to the exercise scores and the processing data.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present utility patent application is related to and claims priority benefit of the U.S. provisional applications No. 61/934,773, filed on Feb. 2, 2014 under 35 U.S.C. 119(e). The contents of this related provisional application are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes to the extent that such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith or limiting hereof.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to data processing and, more specifically, to systems and methods for posting of exercise scores of sport club members using a digital scoreboard.

BACKGROUND

It is an established fact that regular physical exercise contributes to good health. Encouragement by peers and a competitive spirit stimulate sport club members to maintain regular exercise regimens. In some types of exercise programs, such as, for example, CrossFit, sharing and comparing exercise scores and results is an integral part of the training system. Viewing scores of other sport club members and posting their own scores for public view encourages participants to achieve better results. Conventionally, members can share their scores by manually writing them on a whiteboard. However, the information becomes unreadable when a large number of scores are submitted. Additionally, club members can only submit their scores when they are on the premises of the sport club.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

According to one example embodiment of the disclosure, a digital scoreboard system is provided. The digital scoreboard system can include a digital scoreboard engine and a database in communication with the digital scoreboard engine. The digital scoreboard engine may be configured to receive at least one exercise score from a user. The at least one exercise score is associated with the user. The digital scoreboard engine may be further configured to receive at least one further exercise score from a further user. The at least one further exercise score is associated with the further user. The digital scoreboard engine may process the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score to rank the user in relation to the further user, calculate statistics for the user and the further user, compute progress associated with the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise scores, and so forth. The digital scoreboard engine may post the exercise score, the further exercise score, and data related to the processing via a digital scoreboard display device.

Additionally, the digital scoreboard system can include a digital scoreboard application installed on a client device. User input related to the user exercise score may be received via the digital scoreboard application. The digital scoreboard application may transmit the exercise score to the digital scoreboard engine.

Other example embodiments of the disclosure and aspects will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an environment within which digital scoreboard systems and methods for public posting of exercise scores using a digital scoreboard can be implemented, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing various modules of the digital scoreboard system, in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing a method for public posting of exercise scores using a digital scoreboard, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a digital scoreboard for public posting of exercise scores, an input device, and a client device for providing and accessing the exercise scores, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic representation of a computing device for a machine in the exemplary electronic form of a computer system, within which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein can be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show illustrations in accordance with exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments, which are also referred to herein as “examples,” are described in enough detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present subject matter. The embodiments can be combined, other embodiments can be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical changes can be made without departing from the scope of what is claimed. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Digital scoreboard systems and methods for public posting of exercise scores using a digital scoreboard are provided. A digital scoreboard can be disposed on the premises of a sport club. The digital scoreboard can communicate with a digital scoreboard system to enable users authenticated by the digital scoreboard system to provide their exercise scores remotely using mobile devices or locally using an input device attached to the digital scoreboard display device. The device attached to the digital scoreboard can be a touch screen device (for example, a tablet personal computer (PC)). The device can be mounted next to the digital scoreboard (e.g., a large display, such as a television (TV set), a screen, and so forth). Members, coaches, trainers, or other persons can input training scores using the touch screen device, and these scores will be displayed on the digital scoreboard. A mobile application associated with the digital scoreboard can be installed on the touch screen device to enable input of exercise scores. To provide the exercise scores remotely, a member of the sport club can install the mobile application on his/her mobile device or another device. Alternatively, the member can provide the scores via a webpage or a web-based application associated with the digital scoreboard system. The technology can be used, for example, in CrossFit workouts or for other uses.

The received exercise scores can be displayed on the digital scoreboard display device on the premises of the sport club. The training scores can be processed to rank the members and/or calculate other statistics. The ranks and statistics can be displayed on the digital scoreboard. Additionally, members can access and comment on the exercise scores and rankings of the members via mobile devices. Furthermore, the exercise scores of the members can be analyzed to assess various parameters associated with the exercise scores, such as remaining exercises, progress over a certain period, and total number and total time of the workouts. Based on the assessment, recommendations can be generated and provided to members via mobile devices.

FIG. 1 illustrates an environment within which the digital scoreboard system 100 and methods for public posting of exercise scores of sport club members using the digital scoreboard can be implemented, in accordance to some embodiments. The digital scoreboard system 100 can include a digital scoreboard engine 210 residing in a cloud or on a server. Additionally, the digital scoreboard system 200 can include a digital scoreboard display device 230, such as a monitor device, a TV set, an LCD display, and so forth. The digital scoreboard display device 230 can be equipped with an input device 180 connected to the digital scoreboard display device 230 (for example, by an HDMI cable). In some embodiments, the input device 180 includes a touch screen device mounted near the digital scoreboard display device 230. Users can input exercise scores locally using the input device 180 attached to the digital scoreboard display device 230. Additionally, a sport club administrator, trainer, owner or another user 120 may use an administrator console 250 to manage workout schedule, register new members with the digital scoreboard system 200, and get information about a new member, such as profile information, a “before” picture, billing information, insurance waivers, and so forth.

Alternatively, users can use a digital scoreboard application 240 installed on their client devices 140 to input their exercise scores and access statistics from any location.

The digital scoreboard engine 210 may communicate with the digital scoreboard display device 230, digital scoreboard application 240, and/or administrator console 250 via a network 110.

The network 110 may include the Internet or any other network capable of communicating data between devices. Suitable networks may include or interface with any one or more of, for instance, a local intranet, a PAN (Personal Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a virtual private network (VPN), a storage area network (SAN), a frame relay connection, an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) connection, a synchronous optical network (SONET) connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 or E3 line, Digital Data Service (DDS) connection, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) connection, an Ethernet connection, an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) line, a dial-up port such as a V.90, V.34 or V.34bis analog modem connection, a cable modem, an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) connection, or an FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) or CDDI (Copper Distributed Data Interface) connection. Furthermore, communications may also include links to any of a variety of wireless networks, including WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) or TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), cellular phone networks, GPS (Global Positioning System), CDPD (cellular digital packet data), RIM (Research in Motion, Limited) duplex paging network, Bluetooth radio, or an IEEE 802.11-based radio frequency network. The network 110 can further include or interface with any one or more of an RS-232 serial connection, an IEEE-1394 (Firewire) connection, a Fiber Channel connection, an IrDA (infrared) port, a SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) connection, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection or other wired or wireless, digital or analog interface or connection, mesh or Digi® networking. The network 110 may include a network of data processing nodes that are interconnected for the purpose of data communication.

The client device 140 includes a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a computer, a laptop, a PC, and so forth. Conventional computing devices, such as mobile devices, can include various hardware components, including a processor, a screen, a light source, a receiver, and a communications interface. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a digital scoreboard application can be created, such as, for example, an iPhone application or Android application that can allow configuring an existing client device to perform functionalities of the method disclosed herein. Alternatively, the digital scoreboard application 240 can be cloud or web-based, so the client device 140 can interact with the digital scoreboard system 200 over a network 110 to provide capabilities of the digital scoreboard application 240 remotely.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing various modules of the digital scoreboard system 200, in accordance with certain embodiments. Specifically, the digital scoreboard system 200 may include a digital scoreboard engine 210, a database 220, and optionally, a digital scoreboard display device 230, digital scoreboard application 240, and an administrator console 250. The digital scoreboard engine 210 may be configured to receive exercise scores from a user and further users. The digital scoreboard engine 210 may process the exercise scores to rank the user in relation to the further users, calculate statistics for the user and the further users, and compute progress associated with the exercise scores. The exercise scores, user ratings, statistics, and other data related to the processing may be posted via the digital scoreboard display device 230 displayed in the premises of the sport club. The database 220 may be configured to store exercise scores, processing data, user account data, and other data.

Additionally, users may remotely access exercise scores, user ratings, statistics, and other data related to the processing via the digital scoreboard application 240 from their client devices. Access to the exercise scores, user rating, statistics, and other data may be protected by a password, code, or otherwise.

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing a method 300 for posting exercise scores of sport club members using the digital scoreboard within the environment described with reference to FIG. 1. The method may commence with optional registering of a user with the digital scoreboard system. The user can include a sport club member, administrator, or coach associated with the sport club. During the registration, a user can specify credentials to be used to access the digital scoreboard system. Upon receipt of the credentials of a specific user, access to the system can be granted, and input and/or actions related to the digital scoreboard system can be associated with the user. A user can access the digital scoreboard system via a digital scoreboard application installed on a client device, a web browser, and so forth. Alternatively, the user can access the digital scoreboard system via the input device attached to the digital scoreboard display device. The input device may have the digital scoreboard application installed. The digital scoreboard application can allow a user interface to input exercise scores, view their own exercise scores or exercise scores of other members of the sport club, and perform other operations. The exercise scores provided by the user via the digital scoreboard application can be received by the digital scoreboard engine at operation 310 and stored in a database. At operation 320, the digital scoreboard engine can receive a further exercise score from a further user.

The digital scoreboard engine processes the received exercise scores at operation 330 in order to rank users based on their scores, calculate statistics associated with the users, track progress of the user, and so forth. Additionally, the digital scoreboard engine can generate a summary dashboard based on the exercise scores and data related to the processing.

The exercise scores of the user and further users, the summary dashboard, and/or the data related to the processing can be posted on the digital scoreboard display device at operation 340. The digital scoreboard display device can be viewed on the premises of the sport club. Furthermore, the users can access the exercise scores, the summary dashboard, and/or the data related to the processing using the digital scoreboard application installed on the client devices or via the input device mounted near the digital scoreboard.

In some example embodiments, the digital scoreboard system is associated with a CrossFit program (see FIG. 4). The digital scoreboard system provides a simplified input and display of information to a CrossFit sport facility, across mobile devices 440 (e.g., iPad, iPhone, and Android smartphone), and to a digital TV monitor 420 or projector. An example implementation 400 of the digital scoreboard system illustrates displaying of the sport club member results.

Whether the user is a gym (also known as “box”) owner, trainer, or a member, all data associated with workouts (structure of the workout, time to complete, number of repetitions performed, and so forth) as well as all time records per exercise can be input via a mobile device 440 and transmitted via the computing cloud to all other devices associated with the digital scoreboard system. Alternatively, the exercise scores may be input via an input device 410 that is permanently attached to the digital TV monitor 420. In some example embodiments, the input device 410 is attached to the digital TV monitor 420 by a cable 430. The cable 430 includes a HDMI cable, a USB cable, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) cable, a Video Graphics Array (VGA) cable, and so forth. In other embodiments, the input device 410 can communicate with the digital TV monitor 420 by Bluetooth, WiFi, or otherwise.

In addition, the digital scoreboard system can include an administrator console or a web admin portal accessible via a web browser, on an input device, on a PC, and the like. Chronologically, example capabilities provided by the administrator console include the following operations:

Before Workout:

The owner (or operator) enters the workout of the day (WOD) into the digital scoreboard system. For this purpose, the owner can access the administrator console via a web browser on a client device or via the client device (e.g. iPad, smartphone, PC, laptop, etc.). The owner may enter many WODs in advance for future dates. Once the WOD is entered it is pushed to all client devices associated with the users registered in the digital scoreboard system as sport club members, trainers, and so forth. The registered users can see the WODs via their client devices before entering the gym.

During Workout:

When the members arrive at the gym, the digital scoreboard system “checks in” the members, letting the owners/trainers know who arrived. Location of the members may be determined using location services of their client devices. Upon check-in, the profile of the member is shown on the input device (e.g. iPad, smartphone, PC, laptop, etc.) located in the middle of the workout area.

The WODs, which include multiple individual exercises, are shown on the input device. The input device shows each exercise including description, number of repetitions needed, and a video of how to perform the movements correctly. Furthermore, the input device can display a timer that the owner or trainer sets as the duration of each exercise.

After Workout:

Members can walk up to the input device, chose their profile, and enter their times/repetitions per exercise. Alternatively, the members can enter their times/repetitions using any client device at their leisure. Regardless of how the member enters their times/repetitions per exercise, the digital scoreboard system automatically displays exercise scores of each member for all to see both on the digital scoreboard display device and the client devices associated with the users.

The digital scoreboard system automatically ranks the results of each member in descending order per exercise, per WOD, and so forth. Furthermore, the digital scoreboard system keeps track of all results of a particular member per exercise type to run comparisons and progress. If a member performs a personal record (PR) on any of the exercises, the digital scoreboard application will notify them and inform other users. If the digital scoreboard system detects a box record, it notifies all users (members, administrators, coaches, trainers, owner of the sport club), and the box record is automatically posted on the box record section.

In some embodiments, the input device shows box records per exercise. Each exercise can show the best 5 members per exercise type. The box owner can specify the number of exercises for which box records are kept.

Additionally, the administrator or owner can register new members with the digital scoreboard system using the administrator console associated with the digital scoreboard system. The administrator console can help the owner get the relevant information from the new member, such as profile information, before picture, billing information, insurance waivers, and so forth.

Once a new member is registered, the digital scoreboard system can send an email with a code and instructions to download the digital scoreboard application. Members can download the digital scoreboard application, enter the code, and begin using the digital scoreboard application (their member profile is automatically created and becomes editable).

The administrator console can also handle recurring payments. If for some reason a payment of a particular member does not go through, the digital scoreboard system lets the member know via a push notification. In addition, the administrator console allows owners to schedule workouts, trainers, and volunteers, and to compose messages and send them to all users via a push notification.

FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example electronic form of a computer system 500, within which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. In various example embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be a PC, a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a cellular telephone, a portable music player (e.g., a portable hard drive audio device such as an Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 (MP3) player), a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 500 includes a processor or multiple processors 502 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both), a main memory 504, and a static memory 506, which communicate with each other via a bus 508. The computer system 500 may further include a video display unit 510 (e.g., a LCD or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 500 may also include an alphanumeric input device 512 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 514 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 516, a signal generation device 518 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device 520.

The disk drive unit 516 includes a computer-readable medium 522, on which is stored one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., instructions 524) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 524 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 504 and/or within the processors 502 during execution thereof by the computer system 500. The main memory 504 and the processors 502 may also constitute machine-readable media.

The instructions 524 may further be transmitted or received over a network 526 via the network interface device 520 utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)).

While the computer-readable medium 522 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that causes the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present application, or that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such a set of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, and carrier wave signals. Such media may also include, without limitation, hard disks, floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital video disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and the like.

The example embodiments described herein may be implemented in an operating environment comprising software installed on a computer, in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

Thus, a digital scoreboard system and computer-implemented method for public posting of training scores of sport club members using a digital scoreboard are described. Although embodiments have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes can be made to these exemplary embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims

1. A method for posting exercise scores of sport club members, the method comprising:

receiving, by a digital scoreboard engine, at least one exercise score from a user, wherein the least one exercise score is associated with the user;

receiving, by the digital scoreboard engine, at least one further exercise score from a further user, wherein the at least one further exercise score is associated with the further user;

processing, by the digital scoreboard engine, the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score to rank the user in relation to the further user, calculate statistics for the user and the further user, and compute progress associated with the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score; and

posting, via a digital scoreboard display device, the at least one exercise score, the at least one further exercise score, and data related to the processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital scoreboard display device is displayed on a premise associated with a sport club.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user provides the at least one exercise score via an input device, the input device being attached to the digital scoreboard; and

wherein the input device includes a touch screen tablet device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user provides the at least one exercise score via a digital scoreboard application accessed from a client device associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user provides the at least one exercise locally or remotely.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user includes a sport club member, a sport club trainer, a sport club coach, and a sport club administrator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one exercise score is associated with a CrossFit workout.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the posting includes a rating and statistics of at least the user and the further user based on the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the posting includes a summary dashboard associated with a plurality of scores of the sport club members.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

analyzing the at least one exercise score to assess one or more of the following: remaining exercises of the user, progress of the user over a certain period, a total number of workouts of the user, and a total time of a workout of the user; and

based on the assessment, providing recommendations via a client device associated with the user.

11. A digital scoreboard system comprising:

a digital scoreboard engine configured to:

receive at least one exercise score from a user, wherein the least one exercise score is associated with the user;

receive at least one further exercise score from a further user, wherein the at least one further exercise score is associated with the further user;

process the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score to rank the user in relation to the further user, calculate statistics for the user and the further user, and compute progress associated with the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score; and

post the at least one exercise score, the at least one further exercise score, and data related to the processing; and

a database in communication with the digital scoreboard engine, the database configured to store the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a digital scoreboard display device configured to display the at least one exercise score, the at least one further exercise score, and data related to the processing.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the digital scoreboard display device is displayed on premises associated with a sport club.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising an input device connected to the digital scoreboard display device, wherein the input device includes a touch screen tablet device.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the digital scoreboard display device includes a television set, a Liquid Crystal Display, and a video monitor.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein an input device communicates with the digital scoreboard display device via a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) cable, a Video Graphics Array (VGA) cable, by Bluetooth, or by WiFi.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the digital scoreboard engine resides in a computing cloud or on a server.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising a digital scoreboard application configured to:

receive user input associated with the at least one exercise score; and

transmit the at least one exercise score to the digital scoreboard engine.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising an administrator console configured to provide access to management capabilities of the digital scoreboard system.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, perform the following operations:

receive at least one exercise score from a user, wherein the least one exercise score is associated with the user;

receive at least one further exercise score from a further user, wherein the at least one further exercise score is associated with the further user;

process the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise score to rank the user in relation to the further user, calculate statistics for the user and the further user, and compute progress associated with the at least one exercise score and the at least one further exercise scores; and

post the at least one exercise score, the at least one further exercise score, and data related to the processing.