US 6,002,982 · Granted 1999-12-14
The 1999 GPS Watch That Invented Fitness Tracking
Imagine a wristwatch that knows exactly where you are on Earth using GPS satellites, measures your heart rate while you run, and records everything so you can replay your workout on a computer later with a map overlay. This patent describes that exact device — basically the grandfather of modern fitness trackers like Strava and Apple Watch.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a wearable sports computer that combines a GPS receiver with sensors for tracking heart rate and environmental data like temperature, stores all that information together, and can transmit it to a personal computer for review. What's protected is the specific integration of satellite positioning, sensor measurement, and data download capability — the idea of bundling real-time location tracking with physiological monitoring and making it portable enough to wear during exercise.
Why it matters
This patent arrived at the exact moment GPS technology became small and cheap enough for consumer devices. By locking down the combination of GPS receivers with heart-rate sensors and data playback features, it established a foundational framework that the entire fitness-tracking industry would build on for the next two decades. Every app that now overlays your run route on a map and syncs it with your heart rate is operating in the legal territory this patent staked out.
Real-world use
Every time you open Strava or Apple Health after a run and see your route displayed on a map with your heart rate curve, you're experiencing the exact workflow this patent describes — GPS location recorded simultaneously with sensor data, then downloaded and visualized on a computer screen.
Original USPTO abstract
A sports computer having an integral global satellite positioning (GPS) receiver and computer interfacing capability enables functional and/or performance characteristics to be tracked and analyzed as a function of geographical position and/or elevation. The computer includes mounting means and/or interfaces to one or more sensors to measure operational and/or physiological parameters such as heart rate, or weather conditions such as temperature. Means are provided for downloading the stored geographical and sensor parameters to an external personal computer so that the data collected during a workout may be reviewed and analyzed on the screen of the PC. Preferably, map data may also be stored enabling the collected data to be viewed relative to the map information, for example, in superposition.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,002,982
- Filing date
- 1996-11-01
- Grant date
- 1999-12-14
- Assignee
- Fry; William R.
- Inventor(s)
- FRY; WILLIAM R.
- CPC class
- A63B24/0021
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