Spindorphin
A method for adding appeal to an activity by integrating it with chance and reward through using a randomizing device or method involving a variety of action categories related to the activity and data categories that together serve as the inputs and outputs of the randomizing device or method and a prize for performance of the action categories. After being activated, the randomizing device or method produces an output that is performed by one or more participants and/or manipulates a reward for performance of the action categories. At the conclusion of action category performance, the participation prize is awarded to the participants.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/781,020 filed on Mar. 14, 2013 by the present inventor—Earl Cole Zackery
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCHNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONHumans love excitement, games of chance and winning prizes, all of which significantly affect the release of dopamine and the reward centers of the brain. Other behaviors and activities like the consumption of food, sex and drug use similarly affect dopamine release and the reward centers of the brain. A strong link has been established between the behaviors that people like and regularly engage in and behaviors that cause significant releases of dopamine. Unfortunately, exercise, by itself, does not cause a significant release of dopamine which provides an explanation why the majority of Americans are largely physically inactive. The same can be said for many other activities that people don't like to do. The invention claimed and discussed herein focuses on exercise and a method to increase its appeal.
Millions of Americans look to the fitness industry for appealing exercise products and spend over $21 Billion annually. The fitness industry offers a vast array of exercise products with state of the art health and fitness clubs all over America. However, despite the growth of the fitness industry over the last decade and the evolution of its fitness products, the percentage of Americans that are not meeting public health guidelines as set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has not declined resulting in increasing rates of obesity. In fact, there is solid data suggesting the overall physical activity rate for Americans is declining. In 2011, according to Statistic Brain with WebMD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ManCouch as sources, 60% of Americans didn't get the recommended amount of physical activity including 25% that were considered sedentary or not active at all. The amount of people considered sedentary in 2012 stood at 26.2% according to the 2012 America's Health Rankings Report.
As of 2006, the average health and fitness club (HFC) membership rate was only 15.5%. In 2011, according to Statistic Brain with Club Industry and Club Manager Central as sources, U.S. membership sales declined 16% between 2010 and 2011, the average monthly cost of an unlimited use membership (UUM) was $55.00, the average amount of UUM money that goes to waste from underutilization was $39.00 and 67% of people with UUMs never use them.
Overall fitness industry growth despite declining membership sales, increasing physical inactivity rates and associated health problems and substantial consumer waste of fitness industry products point to one conclusion; that although there is a strong awareness of the need for regular physical activity and a sincere intention by some to do so, the appeal of exercise, or lack thereof, still prevents many people from exercising on a regular basis. The physical inactivity epidemic is simply a matter of people not wanting to exercise. A strong need remains for the introduction of a method to add appeal to exercise so that it becomes an activity that people want to do and enjoy doing so that they will realize the numerous and substantial benefits of regular physical activity.
There are a number of methods to add appeal to an activity that is, by itself, unappealing. To date, there are at least fifteen patents on record that have linked exercise and chance. One such method involves U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,885—Exercise Game, filed on behalf of Carol Ann Leaf on Jul. 13, 1971 and issued on Mar. 27, 1973. The Exercise Game patent involves chance, exercise, skill, competition and individual performance to arrive at a winner of the game.
A second method involves U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,891 filed on behalf of Sandra J. Gibson on May 2, 1995 and issued on Aug. 13, 1996. This patent covers an exercise and nutritional board game, apparatus and method to be played by a group of players. The game involves chance, competition, skill, individual performance, nutrition based questions and answers, an assortment of exercises to be performed by participants and rules and procedures to arrive at an eventual winner of the game. The Gibson patent's primary objective is to provide entertainment, to provide instructions for low to high impact exercises and stretching exercises, and to provide nutritional information in a manner that the concept of fitness takes on a new and exciting dimension, while imparting fundamental information on how to improve personal health.
A third method involves U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,513 that was filed on behalf of Kathy M. Harris on Aug. 30, 1999 and issued on Jul. 2, 2002. This patent involves an electronic game of chance, an exercise machine and individual performance. The inventors of this idea imagined its use within gaming arenas such as casinos whereby exercise would be a condition of game play.
A fourth method involves U.S. Pat. No. 7,568,700 that was filed on behalf of Matthew C. Bentley on Mar. 27, 2006 and issued on Aug. 4, 2009 and is titled Fitness Bingo (FITGO). FITGO is a Bingo type game available for purchase in which assorted exercises are called out instead of numbers. When an exercise is called out, players with the called out exercise on their call out card perform the exercise and mark their card. The first player that completes a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line on their call out card wins the game and shouts FITGO. The game was developed for teachers to use in a classroom setting to get their kids moving in a fun way.
The commonality shared with each of the above mentioned patents is that they attempt to add appeal to exercise by linking it with something that is universally enjoyed, that being the element of chance. However, all of the patents involve methods that produce winners and losers. With the exception of Fitness Bingo, skill provides participants an advantage. With the exception of U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,513, all involve competition with other participants. None of patents involve a prize for participation and none of the patents use chance to manipulate a prize for participation.
Although there are a number of methods to add appeal to exercise, today's sedentary society is in need of a method to transform exercise into an activity that people want to do despite their physical activity level, so that their choice to exercise is positively reinforced.
The following tabulation is some prior art that presently appears relevant:
Spindorphin is a method for adding appeal to an activity by integrating the activity with chance and reward through use of a randomizing device or method whereby the device or method dictates a variety of actions related to the activity to be performed and manipulates the reward for performance of the actions. The activity chosen for further discussion relates to physical activity although the invention could be used with many other types of activities including academic and commercial.
The invention is used by choosing an action category or variety of action categories related to the activity to be performed, determining a prize to be awarded for action and choosing one or more data categories. The variety of categories are then used in conjunction with a randomizing device or method to produce a singular output that is either an action to be performed by participants or a data category that provides instruction to the device or method activator or manipulates the prize awarded to participants for performing the actions and affords the device or method activator choice of an action category to be performed by participants. Action categories are performed for a period of time or number of repetitions. The amount of action to be performed is based on the number of outputs from the randomizing device or method and the amount of time or number of repetitions each action is performed.
ADVANTAGESThe focus is on participation versus competition against other participants. Therefore all participants are winners so long as they participate. Participants are engaged in the exercise experience from beginning to end due to the integration of prize and action with the randomizing device or method. Participants are engaged because their exercise experience is not predetermined. Participants are united during the exercise experience because individual performance positively affects all participants. Participants are rewarded for their performance in a non-competitive environment.
FIG. 1—A depiction of a randomizing device
FIG. 2—A depiction of a reward scheme
- 10 wheel
- 20 category overlay
- 30 backboard
- 40 mechanism for stopping wheel rotation
- 50 data category
- 60 action category
- 70 wheel dowel
- 80 participation reward scheme
- 90 base reward
- 100 # of wheel spins
- 110 bonus point total
- 120 base reward magnifier
- 130 total reward
There is provided a method for adding appeal to exercise by integrating it with prize and chance that is easy to use, adaptable and suitable for use by people of all ages. Furthermore, the present invention can be used by any number of participants, regardless of their fitness level.
An exercise method that is generally comprised of one or more participants, a participation prize for each participant, a plurality of action and data categories and a means to activate the randomizing device or method to achieve a singular output. Action categories are a variety of exercises to be performed by one or more participants for a specific time period or number of repetitions. Data categories provide instruction to the device or method activator or are used to manipulate the participation prize and afford the device or method activator choice of an exercise to be performed by one or more of the participants for a specified time period or number of repetitions. Participant exercise concludes when a specified number of device or method activations have occurred at which time the prize for participation is awarded to each participant.
Although an embodiment can be used with one person, its use by more than one person increases the social value participants receive as does the participants performing the exercises together. Additionally, a switch operated fire bell and strobe light can be used for audible excitement. Furthermore, popular music can be played during exercise to enhance the exercise experience.
A wheel, as depicted in
A removable overlay 20 with a printed segmented surface is affixed within the wheel's 10 dowels 70 so that the outer edges of each segment are in alignment with the center of a dowel 70. Within the segment borders of each segment on the overlay 20 is the printed name of an action category 60 or a data category 50. Action categories bear the names of different exercises such as Push-Up, Burpee, Plank and Squat. Data categories bear the name of Bonus and carry a point value such as 250 Bonus, 125 Bonus, 100 Bonus and 50 Bonus. An alternative to using a printed overlay 20 is to print the names of the categories directly on the wheel's surface. The wheel's surface could be of an erasable material. Additionally, action categories could be academic subject matter such as math and history whereas the data categories could be any title or instruction that bears on the prize for participation and/or solely provides instruction to the device or method activator. “SPIN AGAIN” is an example of a title of a data category that does not bear on the participation prize but provides an instruction to the device or method activator.
Exercise begins by a participant spinning the wheel 10. If the number of participants doesn't allow each participant to spin the wheel 10 a random method can be used to select wheel 10 spinners. After the wheel 10 is spun by a participant, the wheel's 10 rotation will stop due to the wheel's 10 dowels 70 being intersected by the mechanism to stop wheel rotation 40. In addition to stopping wheel rotation, the mechanism 40 also designates an overlay 20 category. If the wheel 10 stops on an action category 60, Push-Ups are performed by the participants for a time period or number of repetitions whereas if the wheel 10 stops on a Bonus category 50, its value is recorded and used to manipulate the reward for participation. Bonus categories 50 also afford the wheel spinner choice of an exercise on the wheel overlay 20 to be performed by the participants, including the wheel spinner. Exercise concludes after a specified number of wheel spins have occurred at which time the prize for participation is awarded to each participant.
The prize to be awarded to each participant at the conclusion of exercise or the workout can be something in which its quantity can be easily manipulated or added to such as money or a food item. For example, if the participation reward is an ounce of each participant's favorite ice cream, bonus points achieved could be used to determine the number of toppings participants get to add to it.
A second embodiment uses a computer program as the randomizing device or method and a means for displaying the outputs to participants. The outputs are used in the same fashion as in the first embodiment. As an alternative to the reward scheme presented in the first embodiment, participants become eligible for the reward scheme after completing a specified number of workouts with a specified time frame. For example, participants must complete at least 2 workouts within 30 days to be awarded a participation prize provided at the end of the 30 day period with the prize being the total prize after all prize manipulations in the 30 day period have been factored in. The number of workouts completed in a specified time period can also progressively bear on the base value of the participation prize as well the degree to which it is manipulated.
It is without argument that millions, perhaps billions of people all around the world find exercise to be very unappealing. The same can be said for academics although not to the same degree. Spindorphin is a creative and clever way to use the addictive qualities of gaming in a positive way. Whatever the activity is to be made more appealing so that it is performed more often, can be achieved with Spindorphin. There are numerous randomizing devices and methods that are either readily available, easy to make or available for purchase at little or no cost. Studies have shown that people love to win prizes and be rewarded and that the psychological impact of winning and being rewarded is perhaps more important than the size of the prize or reward. Spindorphin makes winners, never losers. Spindorphin is all about motivating people to do more of what is good for them.
While there have been described ways to use the present invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention.
A method for adding appeal to an activity by integrating said activity with chance and reward comprising:
Claims
1. a randomizing device or method
2. a plurality of action categories that relate to said activity and data categories that together serve directly or indirectly as inputs and outputs of said randomizing device or method
3. a reward or scheme for rewarding performance of the action categories by said one or more humans
4. in accordance with claim 1 wherein said randomizing device or method is a wheel with protruding dowels that is mounted to a surface with a mechanism to stop wheel rotation and designate one of said inputs
5. in accordance with claim 2, the plurality of said inputs are in the form of a circular overlay that is secured within said wheel's dowels and has a printed segmented surface in which the outer edges of each segment border aligns with the center of a dowel and has the name of a said input from said plurality of inputs printed within the borders of each segment
6. in accordance with claim 4, a means for activating said wheel to produce an output that is: whereby integrating the elements of action, chance and reward dynamically motivate performance of said activity.
- a. a said action category to be performed by one or more humans for a period of time or number of repetitions or
- b. a said data category to be used to manipulate said reward or scheme and afford the activator of said wheel choice of a said action category to be performed by said one or more humans for a period of time or number of repetitions
- c. a said data category that provides instruction to said activator of said wheel
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 13, 2014
Publication Date: Sep 17, 2015
Inventor: Earl Cole Zackery (Seattle, WA)
Application Number: 14/210,334
