US 6,808,473 · Granted 2004-10-26
The Headphones That Listen to Your Pulse and Tell You to Slow Down
Imagine headphones that measure your heart rate from your temple while you're running, then beep out a rhythm to keep you exercising at exactly the right intensity for your fitness level. This patent describes a wearable device that detects your pulse using either light or sound waves, calculates your ideal aerobic workout zone, and feeds that back to you through music or tones.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a headphone-type device that detects pulse waves from the superficial temporal artery near the ear using either optical or ultrasonic sensors, measures heart rate in real time, compares it against an exerciser's anaerobic threshold, and transmits rhythm feedback through the headphone to guide the user toward optimal exercise intensity. What's protected here is the specific combination of pulse-sensing headphones that automatically adjust feedback based on the wearer's physiological response.
Why it matters
This patent arrives at the intersection of wearable fitness technology and biofeedback coaching. In the early 2000s, when personal heart-rate monitors were bulky straps or chest bands, embedding pulse detection in a headphone form factor was novel. The invention targets the safety problem of people pushing too hard during aerobic exercise by making real-time heart-rate monitoring invisible and integrated into everyday workout gear. It represents an early vision of how wearables could move from accessories into clothing.
Real-world use
Every time a runner wears wireless earbuds with a built-in heart-rate monitor and an app that pulses music tempo to match their target zone, they're using an idea this patent first locked down.
Original USPTO abstract
The objective of this invention is to provide an exercise aid device which can be used for various kinds of exercise and which enables the user to perform aerobic exercise safely and comfortably at the level best suited to that person, and a method which employs this device. In order to achieve this object, the level of intensity of aerobic exercise which is most suitable for the person is considered to be 80% of the AT (Anaerobic Threshold) value as determined by analyzing the pulse rate while that person is exercising. The pulse wave is detected by this headphone-type exercise aid device. The pulse rate is measured at the superficial temporal artery, which is near the right ear. The pulse wave is detected by a sensor of either an optical sensor or an ultrasonic blood velocity meter. Once the optimal exercise is calculated, it is transmitted to the exerciser as the corresponding rhythm through the fitness headphone for maintaining the optimal exercise.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,808,473
- Filing date
- 2001-04-19
- Grant date
- 2004-10-26
- Assignee
- Omron Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- HISANO ATSUSHI, ANDO MASAHIRO, WASHER MERICE A.
- CPC class
- A63B71/0686
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing the next generation of fitness wearables, check our free patent scanner to spot what's already claimed in the space before you invest in prototypes.
Free patentability scan