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Title:
CLIMBING EXERCISE MACHINE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2020/247826
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The present invention provides an improved climbing exercise machine that simulates a continuous vertical climbing motion for the user. The machine generally includes two handles and two foot pedals, each of which is mounted to a reciprocating, self-lubricating slide. The four reciprocating, self-lubricating slides are housed within two uprights disposed on opposing lateral sides of the machine, each of which houses a linear rail; within each upright, a slide mounting a handle and a slide mounting a foot pedal are interconnected by at least one belt. The belt(s) of the left upright and the belt(s) of the right upright are interconnected by an axle housed within a crossbar. The uprights are secured to a stable base. In embodiments, the machine may further include electronic devices and systems that enable a user to perceive digital content.

Inventors:
CARRUTHERS NATHANIEL (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2020/036434
Publication Date:
December 10, 2020
Filing Date:
June 05, 2020
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
CLMBR1 LLC (US)
International Classes:
A63B71/06; A63B22/08; A63B22/10; A63B22/12
Foreign References:
US5083880A1992-01-28
US8801578B22014-08-12
US5492515A1996-02-20
USD853504S2019-07-09
Other References:
See also references of EP 3980143A4
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
BOSCHERT, Tyler, J. (US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. A climbing exercise machine, comprising:

a frame, comprising two uprights disposed on opposing lateral sides of the climbing exercise machine, a base interconnected to at least one upright, and a crossbar interconnecting the uprights above the base;

two handles;

two foot pedals;

four reciprocating, self-lubricating slides;

two linear rails;

at least two belts; and

an axle, housed within the crossbar,

wherein each handle and each foot pedal is mounted to a separate one of the reciprocating, self-lubricating slides,

wherein each upright houses an assembly comprising one reciprocating, self- lubricating slide to which a handle is mounted, one reciprocating, self-lubricating slide to which a foot pedal is mounted, one linear rail, and at least one belt,

wherein the reciprocating, self-lubricating slides of each assembly are mounted on the linear rail of the assembly and interconnected by the at least one belt of the assembly, wherein the belts of both assemblies are interconnected by the axle, and

wherein, due to the interconnections of the reciprocating, self-lubricating slides by the belts and of the belts by the axle, travel of any reciprocating, self-lubricating slide along the rail to which it is mounted results in movement in a same direction or an opposing direction of each of the three other reciprocating, self-lubricating slides along the rails to which they are respectively mounted, thereby simulating a continuous vertical climbing motion for a user.

2. The climbing exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising an electronic device or system enabling a user to perceive digital content while using the climbing exercise machine.

3. The climbing exercise machine of claim 2, wherein the electronic device or system comprises a wirelessly networked tablet computer mounted on a mounting apparatus associated with the frame.

4. The climbing exercise machine of claim 1, wherein the at least two belts consist of four belts.

5. The climbing exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising a braking feature configured to increases resistance encountered by the user during exercise.

6. The climbing exercise machine of claim 5, wherein the braking feature comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a hydraulic pump, a magnetic or electromagnetic device configured to retard rotation of the axle, and a friction brake.

7. The climbing exercise machine of claim 5, further comprising a user input device operable to allow the user to selectively adjust a magnitude of a braking effect imparted by the braking feature.

8. The climbing exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising a sensor or device configured to measure at least one parameter associated with a use of the machine that corresponds to a parameter of interest to the user.

9. The climbing exercise machine of claim 8, wherein the parameter of interest to the user is selected from the group consisting of a length of the use, an effective distance climbed during the use, and a quantity of energy expended during the use.

10. The climbing exercise machine of claim 8, wherein the parameter associated with a use of the machine is selected from the group consisting of a time of the use, a total distance traveled by one or more of the slides during the use, a number of rotations of the axle during the use, and/or a quantity of work done on the axle during the use.

11. A system for delivering digital content to a user, comprising:

the climbing exercise machine of claim 3; and

a remote server, connected to the tablet computer of the climbing exercise machine via a network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the digital content comprises a climbing class or instructional video.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the digital content comprises at least one type of entertainment content selected from the group consisting of television content, movie content, and music.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of an Ethernet network, a Token-Ring network, a wide-area network, a virtual network, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and an infrared network.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the network is a wireless network

16. A method for delivering digital content to a remote user, comprising:

providing the climbing exercise machine of claim 3; and

transmitting, via a network to which the tablet computer is connected, the digital content from a remote server to the tablet computer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital content comprises a live or archived climbing class or instructional video.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital content comprises both video content and audio content and is streamed to the tablet computer substantially in real time.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital content comprises both video content and audio and is archived content provided from a database.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the digital content on a display screen of the tablet computer.

Description:
CLIMBING EXERCISE MACHINE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/858,966, filed 7 June 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application pertains generally to exercise machines, and specifically to climbing exercise machines that simulate a continuous vertical climbing motion for the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many persons in different levels of physical condition and types of athletic ability desire to improve their overall physical fitness and cardiovascular capability. Prior exercise devices provide a wide range of motions and activities for increasing physical fitness. For example, known exercise devices may strengthen and condition individual muscles or various muscle groups of the user. Prior exercise devices may also exercise the entire body simultaneously to increase the overall physical fitness of the user.

Prior exercise devices frequently simulate different motions such as walking, running and climbing. Climbing is particularly advantageous because it exercises the upper and lower body simultaneously, and it efficiently and effectively exercises all the major muscle groups of the body. Prior climbing devices emulate a climbing motion by having moveable handles and foot pedals which move in a generally predetermined pattern or range of motion.

U.S. Patent 5,492,515 to Charnitski, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference, is generally representative of the state of the art of climbing exercise machines, which has not significantly advanced in many years and suffers from several drawbacks. Specifically, prior climbing exercise machines generally comprise a large and unstable base, which significantly increases the machine’s weight, decreases its movability, and presents the risk of injury to the user or surrounding people and property should the instability of the base cause the machine to rock or tip. These problems are compounded by the provision in these machines of a single central track, interconnecting both handles and both foot pedals along a single axis, which further impedes the stability, movability, and safety of the machine and is generally aesthetically displeasing. Moreover, prior climbing exercise machines generally include at least one slide and/or belt that may fail or require frequent lubrication, and which typically shorten the useful life of the machine.

There is thus a need in the art for climbing exercise machines with improved stability, movability, safety, and aesthetics. It is further advantageous for such improved climbing exercise machines to reduce the need for maintenance of the machine or any of its components, and to extend the useful life of the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a climbing exercise machine, comprises a frame, comprising two uprights disposed on opposing lateral sides of the climbing exercise machine, a base interconnected to at least one upright, and a crossbar interconnecting the uprights above the base; two handles; two foot pedals; four reciprocating, self-lubricating slides; two linear rails; at least two belts; and an axle, housed within the crossbar, wherein each handle and each foot pedal is mounted to a separate one of the reciprocating, self- lubricating slides, wherein each upright houses an assembly comprising one reciprocating, self-lubricating slide to which a handle is mounted, one reciprocating, self-lubricating slide to which a foot pedal is mounted, one linear rail, and at least one belt, wherein the reciprocating, self-lubricating slides of each assembly are mounted on the linear rail of the assembly and interconnected by the at least one belt of the assembly, wherein the belts of both assemblies are interconnected by the axle, and wherein, due to the interconnections of the reciprocating, self-lubricating slides by the belts and of the belts by the axle, travel of any reciprocating, self-lubricating slide along the rail to which it is mounted results in movement in a same direction or an opposing direction of each of the three other reciprocating, self-lubricating slides along the rails to which they are respectively mounted, thereby simulating a continuous vertical climbing motion for a user.

In embodiments, the climbing exercise machine may further comprise an electronic device or system enabling a user to perceive digital content while using the climbing exercise machine. The electronic device or system may, but need not, comprise a networked tablet computer mounted on a mounting apparatus associated with the frame.

In embodiments, the at least two belts may consist of four belts.

In embodiments, the climbing exercise machine may further comprise a braking feature configured to increases resistance encountered by the user during exercise. The braking feature may, but need not, comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of a hydraulic pump, a magnetic or electromagnetic device configured to retard rotation of the axle, and a friction brake. The climbing exercise machine may, but need not, further comprise a user input device operable to allow the user to selectively adjust a magnitude of a braking effect imparted by the braking feature.

In embodiments, the climbing exercise machine may further comprise a sensor or device configured to measure at least one parameter associated with a use of the machine that corresponds to a parameter of interest to the user. The parameter of interest to the user may, but need not, be selected from the group consisting of a length of the use, an effective distance climbed during the use, and a quantity of energy expended during the use. The parameter associated with a use of the machine may, but need not, be selected from the group consisting of a time of the use, a total distance traveled by one or more of the slides during the use, a number of rotations of the axle during the use, and/or a quantity of work done on the axle during the use.

In another aspect of the present invention, a system for delivering digital content to a user comprises a climbing exercise machine as described herein; and a remote server, connected to the tablet computer of the climbing exercise machine via a network.

In embodiments, the digital content may comprise a climbing class or instructional video.

In embodiments, the digital content may comprise at least one type of entertainment content selected from the group consisting of television content, movie content, and music.

In embodiments, the network may be selected from the group consisting of an Ethernet network, a Token-Ring network, a wide-area network, a virtual network, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and an infrared network.

In embodiments, the network may be a wireless network

In another aspect of the present invention, a method for delivering digital content to a remote user comprises providing a climbing exercise machine as described herein; and transmitting, via a network to which the tablet computer is connected, the digital content from a remote server to the tablet computer.

In embodiments, the digital content may comprise a live or archived climbing class or instructional video.

In embodiments, the digital content may comprise both video content and audio content and may be streamed to the tablet computer substantially in real time.

In embodiments, the digital content may comprise both video content and audio and may be archived content provided from a database. In embodiments, the method may further comprise displaying at least a portion of the digital content on a display screen of the tablet computer.

These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the aspects, embodiments, and configurations contained herein.

As used herein, “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions“at least one of A, B and C,”“at least one of A, B, or C,”“one or more of A, B, and C,”“one or more of A, B, or C,”“A, B, and/or C,” and“A, B, or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together. When each one of A, B, and C in the above expressions refers to an element, such as X, Y, and Z, or class of elements, such as Xi-Xn, Yi-Ym, and Zi-Z 0 , the phrase is intended to refer to a single element selected from X, Y, and Z, a combination of elements selected from the same class (e.g., Xi and X2) as well as a combination of elements selected from two or more classes (e.g., Yi and Z 0 ).

It is to be noted that the term“a” or“an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising,”“including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term“means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112(f) and/or Section 112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term“means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the disclosure, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

It should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation given throughout this disclosure is deemed to include each and every lower numerical limitation as an alternative, as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this disclosure is deemed to include each and every higher numerical limitation as an alternative, as if such higher numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every numerical range given throughout this disclosure is deemed to include each and every narrower numerical range that falls within such broader numerical range, as if such narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein. By way of example, the phrase from about 2 to about 4 includes the whole number and/or integer ranges from about 2 to about 3, from about 3 to about 4 and each possible range based on real (e.g., irrational and/or rational) numbers, such as from about 2.1 to about 4.9, from about 2.1 to about 3.4, and so on.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of the specification to illustrate several examples of the present disclosure. These drawings, together with the description, explain the principles of the disclosure. The drawings simply illustrate preferred and alternative examples of how the disclosure can be made and used and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure to only the illustrated and described examples. Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following, more detailed, description of the various aspects, embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure, as illustrated by the drawings referenced below.

Figure 1 illustrates various embodiments of a frame (uprights, crossbar, and base) of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an interior of an upright of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate a handle of a climbing exercise machine comprising a void space, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 3D, 3E, and 3F illustrate a generally El-shaped handle of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 3G, 3H, 31, and 3J illustrate an ergonomic handle of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate foot pedals of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 is an exploded view of connection mechanisms associated with a crossbar and a base of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective cutaway view of an upright of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 7 is an illustration of coordinated movements of handles and foot pedals of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C are illustrations of different embodiments of uprights of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, and 9E illustrate further various embodiments of a frame of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 10A and 10B illustrate adjustment and safety mechanisms that may be provided as part of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 11 is a rear perspective view of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 12 illustrates various internal components of a climbing exercise machine, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing device in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a letter that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments disclosed herein. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that various embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details. The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope or applicability of the disclosure. Furthermore, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, the preceding description omits a number of known structures and devices. This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes of the claims. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should however be appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein.

While the exemplary aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations illustrated herein show the various components of the system collocated, certain components of the system can be located remotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LAN and/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should be appreciated, that the components of the system can be combined in to one or more devices or collocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switch network, or a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from the following description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, that the components of the system can be arranged at any location within a distributed network of components without affecting the operation of the system.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connecting the elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable of supplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements. These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may be capable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media used as links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electrical signals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.

As used herein, the phrases“at least one,”“one or more,”“or,” and“and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions“at least one of A, B and C,”“at least one of A, B, or C,”“one or more of A, B, and C,”“one or more of A, B, or C,”“A, B, and/or C,” and“A, B, or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term“a” or“an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms

“a” (or“an”),“one or more” and“at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term“automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to any process or operation done without material human input when the process or operation is performed. However, a process or operation can be automatic, even though performance of the process or operation uses material or immaterial human input, if the input is received before performance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human input that consents to the performance of the process or operation is not deemed to be“material.”

The term“computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH- EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, it is to be understood that the database may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations of the present disclosure are stored.

A“computer readable signal” medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

The terms“determine,”“calculate,” and“compute,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.

It shall be understood that the term“means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term“means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the disclosure, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

As used herein unless otherwise provided, the term“belt” refers to any piece of material having the general shape of a loop that may be looped over a pulley and used to mechanically link two or more rotating shafts. Examples of belts as that term is used herein include loops of flexible material (such as, by way of non-limiting example, leather, fabric, rubber, or a synthetic polymer), chains, and ropes.

As used herein unless otherwise provided, the terms“inward” and“inwardly” refer to a direction oriented generally in a horizontal plane and generally toward a central longitudinal axis of a frame of an exercise machine. By way of non-limiting example, handles and foot pedals of an exercise machine may extend“inwardly” from uprights of a frame because they extend from a left upright of the frame toward the right, or from a right upright of the frame toward the left (i.e., in both cases, toward the central longitudinal axis of the frame). By logical extension, as used herein unless otherwise provided, the terms “outward” and“outwardly” refer to a direction oriented generally in a horizontal plane and generally away from the central longitudinal axis of the frame of the exercise machine, e.g. toward the left from a left upright of the frame or toward the right from a right upright of the frame.

Aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a“circuit,”“module” or“system.” Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods of this disclosure can be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or the like. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing the methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the various aspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for the disclosed embodiments, configurations, and aspects includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include processors (e.g., a single or multiple microprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein.

Examples of the processors as described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing, Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motion coprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family of processors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™ family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel® Core® Ϊ5-4670K and Ϊ7-4770K 22nm Haswell, Intel® Core® Ϊ5-3570K 22nm Ivy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300, and FX-8350 32nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments® Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments® OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors, ARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processors, other industry- equivalent processors, and may perform computational functions using any known or future- developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/or architecture.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readily implemented in conjunction with software using object or object-oriented software development environments that provide portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms. In additional embodiments, the disclosed methods may be implemented in conjunction with functional programming. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance with this disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the system, the particular function, and the particular software or hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being utilized.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partially implemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executed on programmed general-purpose computer with the cooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this disclosure can be implemented as program embedded on personal computer such as an applet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system component, or the like. The system can also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software and/or hardware system.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functions implemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations with reference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are in existence and are considered to be included in the present disclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein, and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having essentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents included in the present disclosure.

The present invention provides an improved climbing exercise machine that simulates a continuous vertical climbing motion for the user. The machine generally includes two handles and two foot pedals, each of which is mounted to a reciprocating, self- lubricating slide. The four reciprocating, self-lubricating slides are housed within two uprights disposed on opposing lateral sides of the machine, each of which houses a linear rail; within each upright, a slide mounting a handle and a slide mounting a foot pedal are interconnected by at least one belt. The belt of the left upright and the belt of the right upright are interconnected by an axle housed within a crossbar. The uprights are secured to a stable base. In embodiments, the machine may further include electronic devices and systems that enable a user to perceive digital content (e.g. streaming multimedia, such as climbing classes or instructional videos, as well as other digital entertainment content) while using the machine; by way of non-limiting example, such devices and systems may include a wirelessly networked tablet computer mounted on the crossbar of the machine.

Referring now to Figure 1, various embodiments of a frame 10 of the exercise machine 1 are illustrated, comprising two uprights 11, a crossbar 12, and a base 13. As illustrated in Figure 1, the uprights 11, and therefore the rails 14 to which the reciprocating, self-lubricating slides 20 are mounted, are generally parallel to each other. The uprights 11 are generally disposed at a horizontal distance approximately commensurate with a shoulder width of the user, but this width may vary, and in some embodiments may be adjustable by the user.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the crossbar 12 housing the axle 16 that interconnects the belts 17 itself interconnects and spaces apart the uprights 11. In some embodiments, the crossbar 12 may be disposed at a top end of the uprights 11 to provide a generally A-shaped appearance, while in other embodiments, such as that illustrated in Figure 1, the crossbar 12 may be disposed at or near an approximate midpoint of the uprights 11 to provide a generally H-shaped appearance. The belts 17 may be interconnected by more than one axle 16; in these embodiments, an axle 16 interconnecting the belts 17 may be provided in association with the top crossbar 12, or the central crossbar 12, or both.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the uprights 11 are longitudinal beams that, when the user is using the machine, extend outwardly away from the user. Each beam forms an angle with a base 13 of the exercise machine 1 of between about 0 and about 90 degrees, such that the user perceives an upward direction (and optionally also a forward direction) of motion, and works against at least a portion of his or her own weight, while exercising; in some embodiments, this angle may be adjustable by the user. The uprights 11 interconnect with a base 13, which may generally be shaped such that the“footprint” of the exercise machine 1 on a floor, ground, or other horizontal surface on which the machine 1 is placed has the general shape of three sides of a rectangle. The uprights 11 and base 13 thus provide greater stability for the machine 1 than prior climbing exercise machines, while occupying a comparable or even smaller area of floor or ground space.

As illustrated particularly in Figures 9B, 10A, and 11 that follow, climbing exercise machines of the present invention may optionally include devices and systems that enable a user to view digital content while using the machine. These devices and systems may include a tablet computer affixed to a vertically disposed mount extending upwardly from a centrally located (i.e. at or near an approximate midpoint of the uprights 11) crossbar 12, but it is to be expressly understood that such devices and systems may include other components (e.g. wireless networking components, additional or alternative types of audiovisual equipment, etc.) and be affixed to the frame 10 in any suitable configuration (e.g. mounted directly on a surface of a central crossbar, affixed to a mount extending downwardly from a top crossbar, etc.). Such devices and systems are preferably wirelessly connected to a network for providing multimedia content (e.g. the Internet), by which the user may receive and view live or recorded instructional videos or other multimedia content, e.g. television shows, movies, music, etc.

Referring now to Figure 2, an interior of an upright 11 of the climbing exercise machine 1 is illustrated in cross-section. As illustrated, a handle 18 of the machine 1, graspable by the user’s hand, extends both inwardly (away from the rail 14) and outwardly (into an interior of the upright 11). The handle 18 is affixed to a handle adjustment plate 19, which is interconnected via a belt 17 and cog to a generally C-shaped slide 20. The slide 20 is reciprocating and self-lubricating, and at the open end of the C-shape snugly receives the rail 14. The snug fit of the rail 14 within the open space defined by the slide 20 permits the slide 20 to travel smoothly along the rail 14 (i.e. along the length of the upright 11) to allow the user to exercise, while ensuring that the slide 20 does not become detached or loosened from the rail 14. While in Figure 2 the illustrated plate 19 and slide 20 mechanisms are shown in conjunction with a handle 18 (i.e. for receiving the user’s hand), it is to be expressly understood that the same or similar mechanisms are provided, mutatis mutandis , in conjunction with each foot pedal 21 (i.e. for receiving the user’s foot).

Referring now to Figures 3 A through 3J, various configurations of a handle 18 of the climbing exercise machine 1 are illustrated. In Figures 3 A through 3C, a grip portion of the handle 18 has a generally triangular shape in a horizontal plane, defining a central void space; as illustrated, such a structure allows the user to grasp any of the three sides of the triangular shape, and thereby place at least part of his or her hand within the central void space, while exercising. In Figures 3D through 3F, a grip portion of the handle 18 is generally V-shaped; as illustrated, such a structure allows the user to apply either an

“overhand” or“underhand” grip to the handle 18, either of which may be desirable for various exercise applications. In Figures 3G through 3J, ergonomic features, such as a textured or patterned grip material, are provided on a surface of a grip portion of the handle

18; as illustrated, and as in Figures 3D through 3F, the user may apply either an“overhand” or“underhand” grip to the handle. The handle 18 embodiment of Figures 3G through 3J includes various other optional features, including a flat inward-facing surface 23 (allowing a user to, e.g., apply pressure to the handle 18 with a palm of the hand), and a release pin or button 24 that allows a user to adjust the handle 18 and/or detach the handle 18 from the slide 20.

Referring now to Figures 4A through 4C, various configurations of a foot pedal 21 of the climbing exercise machine 1 are illustrated. These foot pedal 21 configurations are provided with various features, any or all of which may be provided in any combination in embodiments of the invention. As illustrated in Figure 4A, the foot pedal 21 may be provided with an adjustable strap 25, such as, by way of non-limiting example, a strap comprising a hook-and-loop fastener, that may aid the user in securing the user’s feet to a foot pad 26 of the foot pedal 21 during exercise; this reduces the likelihood of a slip, trip, or fall during exercise, thus reducing the risk of injury to the user. The configuration shown in Figure 4A also includes a rod 27 that interconnects the foot pad 26 and strap 25 to the slide 20; in this embodiment, the rod 27 is manipulable by a wrench or other tool to tighten or loosen the connection, and is threaded to secure the rod 27 to a corresponding nut 28 to mitigate the risk of accidental disconnection of the foot pedal 21 during exercise. As shown in Figure 4C, the foot pad 26 of the foot pedal 21 may be provided with a textured surface to improve the grip and/or aesthetic features of the foot pad 26; the textured surface may take any suitable configuration, including, as illustrated and by way of non-limiting example, a striated configuration or a tessellated or“honeycomb” pattern. As illustrated in Figures 4B and 4C, the rod that interconnects the foot pad 26 and strap 25 to the slide 20 may be received by a slot 29 on the side of the foot pad 26 and may be adjustable or reconfigurable within the slot 29 to allow the foot pad 26 to be moved forward or backward relative to the rod 27. The foot pad 26 may also have a restricted or unrestricted range of rotation about the rod 27, allowing the user to apply dorsiflexion or plantar flexion during exercise while keeping his or her foot in flush contact with the foot pad 26.

Referring now to Figure 5, connection mechanisms of the axle 16, crossbar 12, and base of 13 the climbing exercise machine 1 are illustrated. As illustrated in Figure 5, the uprights 11 of the frame may be provided with apertures 30, through which the axle 16 may penetrate to interconnect the belts 17 housed within the left and right uprights 11. Where the axle 16 enters, intersects, or meets each upright 11, there is generally provided a means for converting linear motion of the belt 17 to rotational motion of the axle 16 (and/or vice versa); one such means is a sprocket disposed within or in conjunction with the aperture 30. As a result of this type of interconnection between the belts 17 and the axle 16, the movements of the belts 17 (and therefore the slides 20, and therefore the handles 18 and foot pedals 21) on either side of the machine 1 may be coordinated with each other so as to ensure that the user employs a predetermined climbing motion, known as a climbing pattern; this feature is described in greater detail with reference to Figure 7 below. Additionally, the crossbar 12 may be secured to the uprights 11 by means of screws 32 or other affixing devices inserted through a central bore 33 of the crossbar 12 and/or axle 16, as illustrated. Also illustrated in exploded view is one example of a connection mechanism 33 (in this case, a simple insertion connection) for two sides of the base 13 to be securely interconnected to each other and provide stability to the exercise machine 1.

Referring now to Figure 6, another embodiment of an interior of an upright 11 of the climbing exercise machine 1 is illustrated in cutaway view. In this embodiment, the rail 14 comprises both a center structural 34 core and a bracket 35. The bracket 35 may have any suitably rigid construction and/or material; as illustrated in this embodiment, the bracket 35 is of unitary construction and is milled from iron or steel. The bracket 35 affixes a pulley 36, which receives and maintains the belt 17 associated with the rail 14; as illustrated, the belt 17 is looped over either longitudinal side of the center structural core 34 of the rail 14. In this embodiment, the reciprocating, self-lubricating slide 20 may substantially surround the entirety of a circumference of the center structural core 34, but as before, the slide 20 and rail 14 are configured to snugly fit together such that the slide 20 may travel smoothly and securely along the length of the rail 14. The bracket may 35, but need not, have at least one axis, diameter, or width greater than a corresponding axis, diameter, or width of the central structural core 34 of the rail, thereby acting as a“stop” to prevent the slide 20 from traveling beyond an upper end of the central structural core 34. The handle 18, as before, is connected to one side of the belt 17. It is to be expressly understood that, although the details of the structure of this embodiment may (or may not) differ from the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, the ultimate function, from the user’s point of view, remains the same: as the user moves the handle 18 upwardly or downwardly, the travel of the slide 20 along the rail 14 causes corresponding movement of the belt 17 and therefore of the foot pedal 21 disposed on the same belt 17 (not shown), and, due to the interconnection of the two or more belts 17 via the axle 16 of the exercise machine 1, corresponding movement of the belt 17, handle 18, and foot pedal 21 of the opposing upright 11 of the exercise machine 1 (not shown). While in Figure 6 the illustrated belt 17 and slide 20 mechanisms are shown in conjunction with a handle 18 (i.e. for receiving the user’s hand), it is to be expressly understood that the same or similar mechanisms are provided, mutatis mutandis , in conjunction with each foot pedal 21 (i.e. for receiving the user’s foot). Of course, the movement of the other handle 18 or either of the two foot pedals 21 of the machine 1 may also cause movement of the handle 18 illustrated in Figure 6.

Referring now to Figure 7, the climbing pattern created by the configuration of the handles 18 and foot pedals 21 in conjunction with the belts 17 of the climbing exercise machine 1 is illustrated. As illustrated in Figure 7, the handles 18 and foot pedals 21 are interconnected to the belts 17 of each upright 11 (in this case, on opposing sides of the belt 17 to ensure contralateral motion), and/or the belts 17 of each upright 11 are interconnected via the axle 16, in such a way that when the user moves the left handle 18a downwardly, the left foot pedal 21a moves upwardly, the right handle 18b moves upwardly, and the right foot pedal 21b moves downwardly. Additionally, or alternatively, when the user moves the left foot pedal 21a upwardly, the left handle 18a moves downwardly, the right handle 18b moves upwardly, and the right foot pedal 21b moves downwardly. Additionally, or alternatively, when the user moves the right handle 18b upwardly, the left handle 18a moves downwardly, the left foot pedal 21a moves upwardly, and the right foot pedal 21b moves downwardly. Additionally, or alternatively, when the user moves the right foot pedal 21b downwardly, the left handle 18a moves downwardly, the left foot pedal 21a moves upwardly, and the right handle 18b moves upwardly. This climbing pattern, in which a hand and the opposite foot move upwardly while the other hand and foot move downwardly, is known as a “contralateral” or“cross-crawl” climbing pattern and may be a preferred embodiment of the desired climbing motion. In some embodiments, an alternative climbing pattern in which the right hand and foot move in one vertical direction while the left hand and foot move in the opposite direction— known as an“ipsilateral” or“standard” climbing pattern— may be preferred and provided for. Of course, all of the above movements may also be true vice versa , i.e. with each of the directions reversed.

As illustrated in Figure 7, the exercise machine 1 is configured so as to encourage the user to use a smooth, continuous, repeatable climbing motion that represents good climbing form, e.g. a contralateral climbing motion with one hand and the opposite foot (e.g. left hand and right foot) moving in one vertical direction (e.g. downwardly) while the other hand and foot (e.g. right hand and left foot) move in the opposite vertical direction (e.g. upwardly). This encouragement of good climbing form improves the usefulness and safety of the machine to the user, as good climbing form not only improves the effectiveness of the exercise in building strength but reduces the risk of muscle strain and other injuries. It is to be expressly understood that the climbing pattern illustrated in Figure 7 is exemplary only, and that the handles 18, foot pedals 21, slides 20, belts 17, axles 16, and other components of the climbing exercise machine 1 of the invention may be configured to encourage the user to use any desired climbing pattern while exercising.

Referring now to Figures 8A through 8C, various embodiments of the uprights 11 in the frame 10 of the climbing exercise machine 1 are illustrated. The embodiment illustrated in Figure 8C is a generally A-shaped frame 10, having two full-length uprights 11 extending the entire height of the frame 10 from the base 13 to the top crossbar 12, but other configurations and embodiments are expressly contemplated and illustrated. By way of non limiting example, one alternative embodiment of the uprights is illustrated in Figure 8A. In this embodiment, the two uprights 11 are, as before, separate above the crossbar 12, but have been combined, below the crossbar 12, into a single central unitary upright 11c to provide a generally Y-shaped appearance to the frame 10 of the exercise machine. In such an embodiment, the two full-length rails 14 of the embodiments heretofore illustrated may instead be replaced by any of several different rail configurations, including, e.g., three half- length rails 14 (one in each upright 11 above the crossbar 12, and a single rail 14 supporting both foot pedals 21 below the crossbar 12), four half-length rails 14 (one in each upright 11 above the crossbar 12, and separate rails 14 supporting each foot pedal 21 below the crossbar 12), or two full-length rails 14 that are“crimped,”“kinked,” or“zigzagged” so as to be housed within the single central unitary upright 11c below the crossbar 12, through at least a portion of the crossbar 12, and then upwardly into the separate uprights 11 above the crossbar as before. The configuration of the belts 17 may, in this embodiment, be altered in similar fashion; the foot pedals 21 may be associated with two separate belts 17, or a single shared belt 17, that may or may not be the same belts 17 as those associated with the handles 18. Regardless of the exact rail 14 and belt 17 configurations, however, it is to be expressly understood that the principal advantages and benefits are derived from interconnecting the belts 17 associated with the handles 18 and the foot pedals 21 in such a way as to provide coordinated motion between the handles 18 and the foot pedals 21, which may be accomplished in any suitable configuration as will be understood by those of skill in the art in view of this disclosure.

By way of further non-limiting example, another alternative embodiment of the uprights is illustrated in Figure 8B. In this embodiment, the two uprights 11 are, as before, separate above the crossbar 12, and remain separate below the crossbar 12 as before but at a lesser horizontal distance. The rail 14 and belt 17 configuration may be modified to fit this frame 10 shape, as it may be in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 8 A. Again, regardless of the exact rail 14 and belt 17 configurations, it is to be expressly understood that the principal advantages and benefits are derived from interconnecting the belts 17 associated with the handles 18 and the foot pedals 21 in such a way as to provide coordinated motion between the handles 18 and the foot pedals 21, which may be accomplished in any suitable configuration as will be understood by those of skill in the art in view of this disclosure.

Figures 8 A through 8C also illustrate various embodiments of the base 13 of the exercise machine. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 8C, the base 13 might be modified to have two members 37 meeting at an acute angle rather than the three rectangular members illustrated in, e.g., Figure 1. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 8A, the base 13 might have a“tripod” or“tetrapod” (or similar) form, with three or four (or more) members 37 extending outwardly away from the single central unitary upright 11c. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 8B, the base 13 might have a“footed” form, with“feet” 38 extending outwardly away from the uprights 111. Any one or more of these and other contemplated base 13 configurations may be combined with any one or more configurations of the frame 10, and such combinations and modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

Referring now to Figures 9A through 9E, additional embodiments of frames 10 of a climbing exercise machine 1, specifically with a single central unitary upright 1 lc to provide a generally Y-shaped frame 10, are illustrated. As illustrated in Figures 9B and 9E, the uprights 11 and crossbar 12 may collectively take the form of“split arms” having any suitable shape, and specifically may be curved and/or tapered to provide a desired width between the split arms, thereby providing a frame 10 that more closely resembles a “wishbone” shape or“tuning fork” than a Y shape. In these embodiments, the crossbar 12 may not be an elongate horizontal component, but may instead comprise the basal portions of the split arms where the split arms intersect the single central unitary upright 11c. Of particular note in these embodiments, in addition to the varying frame 10 shape and any one or more of several possible base 13 configurations, is the provision of an adjustable arm 39, interconnected with and extending upwardly from the crossbar 12 and/or intersection point of the split arms. The adjustable arm 39 functions as a mounting device for a tablet 40 or other electronic device or system that may provide the user with digital instruction, entertainment, or other data while exercising, and an angle of the adjustable arm 39 with respect to a horizontal axis may be selectively adjusted, preferably within a range of no less than about 0 degrees and no more than about 90 degrees, by a user, as illustrated in Figure 9D.

Referring now to Figures 10A and 10B, various optional adjustment and safety mechanisms that may be provided as part of climbing exercise machines 1 of the present invention are illustrated. As a first non-limiting example, an adjustable handle 41, which may be the same as or different from a handle 18 used by the user during exercise, may be provided on an upper or central portion of the frame 10 to aid the user in stepping up onto the foot pedals 21 of the exercise machine. As a second non-limiting example, a mounting bracket 42, provided in association with a mounting arm 39 for a tablet 40 or other electronic device or system, may allow the tablet 40 or other device or system to be tilted or rotated relative to the mounting arm 39; the mounting arm 39 may also be, in addition to adjustable with respect to angle, telescoping or otherwise articulable to allow for adjustment of a height of the tablet 40 or other device or system. As a third non-limiting example, and as illustrated in Figure 10B, a foot pedal 21 of the exercise machine 1 may comprise a crank 43 or other mechanism allowing a position of the foot pedal 21 to be adjusted, e.g. forward or backward (relative to the rod 27 mounting the foot pedal 21 to the slide 20) or inwardly or outwardly (relative to the frame 10).

Referring now to Figure 11, additional features of embodiments of climbing exercise machines 1 of the present invention are illustrated. In this embodiment, the crossbar 12 takes a different form than in the other embodiments previously illustrated; specifically, the crossbar 12 in this embodiment takes the form of an X-shaped piece, such that an axle 16 interconnecting the belts 17 of the left and right uprights 11 may be disposed and/or housed within either or both of the arms of the X-shape. This embodiment may provided advantages and benefits related to the smooth travel and mechanical longevity of the belts 17 and/or axle(s) 16. In this embodiment, a mounting arm 39 for a tablet 40 is curved, extending upwardly and toward a user from its connection point on the intersection of the two arms of the X-shaped piece. A further configuration of a base 13, in which a triangular portion having footings 44 is interconnected to each upright 11, is provided in this embodiment. Speakers may also be integrated into the base 13 or a lower portion of the frame 10, which may be operably connected via a wired or wireless connection to the tablet 40 to play audio content delivered via the tablet 40.

In embodiments, climbing exercise machines of the present invention may comprise a braking feature that increases the resistance the user encounters during exercise and thereby increases the intensity and/or effectiveness of the user’s workout. Generally, the braking feature comprises a device or means that slows the rotation of the axle and/or increases the amount of work required to rotate the axle. By way of non-limiting example, such braking features may include a hydraulic pump, a magnetic and/or electromagnetic device that acts to slow or retard the rotation of the axle (e.g. an eddy current brake), and/or a friction brake. The degree of braking, i.e. the magnitude of the braking effect imparted by the braking feature and thus of the increase in work needed to rotate the axle, may be selectively adjusted by a user, for example by use of a knob or other user input device.

Referring now to Figure 12, another embodiment of a climbing exercise machine 1 according to the present invention is illustrated; the frame 10 is omitted from the illustration to more clearly depict internal components of the climbing exercise machine 1. In this embodiment, the belts 17 are toothed belts, which may be advantageous for, by way of non limiting example, interfacing with a sprocket 45 that is configured to convert linear motion of the belts 17 into rotational motion of the axle 16 (or vice versa). The climbing exercise machine 1 also includes various other features of the invention, such as belt tensioners 46 that may serve any one or more of several purposes, including but not limited to the ability to be adjusted or controlled by the user via a user input device (not shown) to increase or decrease tension on the belts 17 and thus increase or decrease the resistance the user encounters during exercise. Additionally or alternatively, the user can modify the resistance encountered during exercise by controlling, via the same or a different user input device, a resistance pump or motor 47 that is operatively interconnected to the axle 16, e.g., via a belt and pulleys.

In embodiments, climbing exercise machines of the present invention may comprise a sensor or device for measuring and/or recording at least one parameter associated with a use of the machine that corresponds to a parameter of interest to the user. Specifically, many users desire to measure, record, or calculate parameters such as a length of the workout, an effective distance climbed during the workout, a quantity of energy expended the workout, and so on. In some cases these parameters can be measured directly (e.g. by timing the workout), while others may be calculated from parameters associated with the machine, e.g., the total distance traveled by the reciprocating, self-lubricating slides, the number of rotations of the axle, and/or the work done on the axle (total and/or per rotation). Accordingly, the sensor or device may measure and/or record the parameter associated with the machine and, optionally, convert this parameter to a parameter of interest to the user according to an algorithm. In some embodiments, data comprising the parameter associated with the machine and/or the parameter of interest to the user may be presented to the user in a graphical user interface of the tablet computer of the exercise machine.

In embodiments, the base of the climbing exercise machine may comprise wheels or casters that permit the machine to be easily repositioned on a floor or ground surface. The wheels or casters may take any suitable form and may be placed on any suitable portion of the base. The wheels or casters may, but need not, be selectively removable and/or may be provided with a braking and/or locking mechanism to secure the machine in a desired position.

Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. More specifically, this example illustrates a computing environment 100 that may function as the servers, user computers, or other systems provided and described herein. The environment 100 includes one or more user computers, or computing devices, such as a computing device 104, a communication device 108, and/or more 112. The computing devices 104, 108, 112 may include general purpose personal computers (including, merely by way of example, personal computers, and/or laptop computers running various versions of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows® and/or Apple Corp.’s Macintosh® operating systems) and/or workstation computers running any of a variety of commercially-available UNIX® or UNIX-like operating systems. These computing devices 104, 108, 112 may also have any of a variety of applications, including for example, database client and/or server applications, and web browser applications. Alternatively, the computing devices 104, 108, 112 may be any other electronic device, such as a thin-client computer, Internet-enabled mobile telephone, and/or personal digital assistant, capable of communicating via a network 110 and/or displaying and navigating web pages or other types of electronic documents. Although the exemplary computer environment 100 is shown with two computing devices, any number of user computers or computing devices may be supported.

Environment 100 further includes a network 110. The network 110 may can be any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that can support data communications using any of a variety of commercially-available protocols, including without limitation Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Transmission Control Protocol/Intemet Protocol (TCP/IP), Systems Network Architecture (SNA), Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), AppleTalk, and the like. Merely by way of example, the network 110 maybe a Local Area Network (LAN), such as an Ethernet network, a Token-Ring network and/or the like; a wide-area network; a virtual network, including without limitation a Virtual Private Network (VPN); the Internet; an intranet; an extranet; a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN); an infra-red network; a wireless network (e.g., a network operating under any of the IEEE 802.9 suite of protocols, the Bluetooth® protocol known in the art, and/or any other wireless protocol); and/or any combination of these and/or other networks. The system may also include one or more servers 114, 116. In this example, server 114 is shown as a web server and server 116 is shown as an application server. The web server 114, which may be used to process requests for web pages or other electronic documents from computing devices 104, 108, 112. The web server 114 can be running an operating system including any of those discussed above, as well as any commercially- available server operating systems. The web server 114 can also run a variety of server applications, including SIP servers, HyperText Transfer Protocol (secure) (HTTP(s)) servers, FTP servers, CGI servers, database servers, Java servers, and the like. In some instances, the web server 114 may publish operations available operations as one or more web services.

The environment 100 may also include one or more file and or/application servers 116, which can, in addition to an operating system, include one or more applications accessible by a client running on one or more of the computing devices 104, 108, 112. The server(s) 116 and/or 114 may be one or more general purpose computers capable of executing programs or scripts in response to the computing devices 104, 108, 112. As one example, the server 116, 114 may execute one or more web applications. The web application may be implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in any programming language, such as JavaTM, C, C#®, or C++, and/or any scripting language, such as Perl, Python, or Tool Command Language (TCL), as well as combinations of any programming/scripting languages. The application server(s) 116 may also include database servers, including without limitation those commercially available from Oracle®, Microsoft®, Sybase®, IBM® and the like, which can process requests from database clients running on a computing device 104, 108, 112.

The web pages created by the server 114 and/or 116 may be forwarded to a computing device 104, 108, 112 via a web (file) server 114, 116. Similarly, the web server 114 may be able to receive web page requests, web services invocations, and/or input data from a computing device 104, 108, 112 (e.g., a user computer, etc.) and can forward the web page requests and/or input data to the web (application) server 116. In further embodiments, the server 116 may function as a file server. Although for ease of description, Figure 13 illustrates a separate web server 114 and file/application server 116, those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described with respect to servers 114, 116 may be performed by a single server and/or a plurality of specialized servers, depending on implementation-specific needs and parameters. The computer systems 104, 108, 112, web (file) server 114 and/or web (application) server 116 may function as the system, devices, or components described herein.

The environment 100 may also include a database 118. The database 118 may reside in a variety of locations. By way of example, database 118 may reside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) one or more of the computers 104, 108, 112, 114, 116. Alternatively, it may be remote from any or all of the computers 104, 108, 112, 114, 116, and in communication (e.g., via the network 110) with one or more of these. The database 118 may reside in a Storage-Area Network (SAN) familiar to those skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions attributed to the computers 104, 108, 112, 114, 116 may be stored locally on the respective computer and/or remotely, as appropriate. The database 118 may be a relational database, such as Oracle 20i®, that is adapted to store, update, and retrieve data in response to Structured Query Language (SQL) formatted commands.

Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing device in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. More specifically, this example illustrates one embodiment of a computer system 200 upon which the servers, user computers, computing devices, or other systems or components described above may be deployed or executed. The computer system 200 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 204. The hardware elements may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs) 208; one or more input devices 212 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.); and one or more output devices 216 (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.). The computer system 200 may also include one or more storage devices 220. By way of example, storage device(s) 220 may be disk drives, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as a Random-Access Memory (RAM) and/or a Read-Only Memory (ROM), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like.

The computer system 200 may additionally include a computer-readable storage media reader 224; a communications system 228 (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.); and working memory 236, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. The computer system 200 may also include a processing acceleration unit 232, which can include a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a special-purpose processor, and/or the like.

The computer-readable storage media reader 224 can further be connected to a computer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, in combination with storage device(s) 220) comprehensively representing remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or more permanently containing computer- readable information. The communications system 228 may permit data to be exchanged with a network and/or any other computer described above with respect to the computer environments described herein. Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term“storage medium” may represent one or more devices for storing data, including ROM, RAM, magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or other machine-readable mediums for storing information.

The computer system 200 may also comprise software elements, shown as being currently located within a working memory 236, including an operating system 240 and/or other code 244. It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments of a computer system 200 may have numerous variations from that described above. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.

Examples of the processors 208 as described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 620 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing, Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motion coprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family of processors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™ family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel® Core® Ϊ5-4670K and Ϊ7-4770K 22nm Haswell, Intel® Core® Ϊ5-3570K 22nm Ivy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300, and FX-8350 32nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments® Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments® OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors, ARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processors, other industry- equivalent processors, and may perform computational functions using any known or future- developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/or architecture.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and configurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations, sub combinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the various aspects, aspects, embodiments, and configurations, after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and configurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and configurations hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of implementation.

The foregoing discussion of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the disclosure are grouped together in one or more, aspects, embodiments, and configurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate aspects, embodiments, and configurations other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed aspects, embodiments, and configurations. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure.

Moreover, though the description of the disclosure has included description of one or more aspects, embodiments, or configurations and certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative aspects, embodiments, and configurations to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.