US 2,009,048,070 · Filed 2007-08-17
How Adidas Turned Your Workout into a Video Game
Imagine your running watch controlling a video game character in real time — the faster you sprint, the faster your digital avatar moves; the higher your heart rate climbs, the more intense the game gets. Adidas patented a system that wires sports sensors (like motion monitors and heart rate trackers) directly into electronic games, so your real-world athletic performance becomes the controller.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a connected system where wearable monitors — devices that track speed, pace, distance, heart rate, temperature, altitude, or similar metrics — feed live performance data into a portable electronic device, which then uses that data to influence a video game. What's protected here is the specific linkage between real-time athletic measurements and dynamic game elements like avatar behavior, character actions, or score changes. A competitor building a similar system that pipes workout data into game mechanics would be treading on this patent's territory.
Why it matters
This patent bridges two massive consumer categories: fitness wearables and gaming. By patenting the connection between them, Adidas positioned itself early in the market for interactive sports experiences — a space where athletic motivation and entertainment overlap. Companies racing to build engaging fitness apps and connected sports gear would need to design around this patent or license it, making it a valuable asset in the competitive wearables and gamification space.
Real-world use
When you run with a fitness tracker that feeds your speed and distance into a mobile game that moves your character faster as you run harder, that real-time linkage is exactly what this patent locks down.
Original USPTO abstract
A sports electronic training system with electronic gaming features, and applications thereof, are disclosed. In an embodiment, the system comprises at least one monitor and a portable electronic processing device for receiving data from the at least one monitor and providing feedback to an individual based on the received data. The monitor can be a motion monitor that measures an individual's performance such as, for example, speed, pace and distance for a runner. Other monitors might include a heart rate monitor, a temperature monitor, an altimeter, et cetera. In an embodiment, an input is provided to an electronic game based on data obtained from the at least one monitor that effects, for example, an avatar, a digitally created character, an action within the game, or a game score of the electronic game.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,009,048,070
- Filing date
- 2007-08-17
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Adidas International Marketing B.V.
- Inventor(s)
- VINCENT STEPHEN MICHAEL, DIBENEDETTO CHRISTIAN, OLESON MARK ARTHUR, GAUDIO PAUL
- CPC class
- G16H20/30
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