US 6,098,458 · Granted 2000-08-08
The Wireless Movement Tracker That Turned Athletic Training Into a Video Game
Imagine a system that watches you move in real time without any wires or walls holding you back, then shows your movements on a screen like you're in a video game. It measures how fast you sprint in every direction and tracks whether you're getting quicker, making it perfect for athletes, gym-goers, and people recovering from injuries.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a wireless position-tracking system that monitors a person's real-time movement across an open physical space and displays that movement on a computer monitor as a virtual representation. What's protected is the combination of the wireless tracker, the software that creates the visual target destinations, the method of measuring velocity vectors for each movement segment, and the ability to compare movement speeds across multiple directions without any physical barriers confining the player.
Why it matters
This patent created a new category of athletic assessment technology that broke free from the confined spaces of traditional testing labs. By removing the need for physical boundaries or court markings, it made movement analysis accessible to any open gym or field, opening doors for widespread use in sports coaching, commercial fitness facilities, and medical rehabilitation settings. The wireless and software-driven approach made it possible to scale the technology and adapt it to different sports without rebuilding the physical environment.
Real-world use
A football coach uses the system to test whether his wide receivers are accelerating faster in lateral cuts compared to last month, watching their speed metrics update live on a sideline monitor as they sprint to virtual targets.
Original USPTO abstract
A movement skills assessment system without a confining field includes a wireless position tracker coupled to a personal computer and viewing monitor for the purpose of quantifying the ability of a player to move over sport specific distances and directions. The monitor displays a computer-generated virtual space which is a graphic representation of a defined physical space in which the player moves and the current position of the player. Interactive software displays a target destination distinct from the current position of the player. The player moves as rapidly as possible to the target destination. As the movement sequence is repeated, velocity vectors are measured for each movement leg, allowing a comparison of transit speeds in all directions as well as measurement of elapsed times or composite speeds. The system has applications in sports, commercial fitness and medical rehabilitation.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,098,458
- Filing date
- 1995-11-06
- Grant date
- 2000-08-08
- Assignee
- Impulse Technology, Ltd.
- Inventor(s)
- FRENCH; BARRY JAMES, FERGUSON; KEVIN R.
- CPC class
- A63B24/0021
Want to file your own patent?
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