WO1996008785B1

WO1996008785B1 - Body movement machine for personal multimedia systems

Info

Publication number: WO1996008785B1
Application number: PCT/US1995/009699
Authority: WO
Filing date: 1995-07-27
Publication date: 1996-05-17

Abstract

A body movement machine for personal multimedia systems that transmits to the body of at least one person a sequence of physical movement stimulus correlated with multimedia events such as, for exemple, video games or audiovisual reproductions, comprising movement actuators (1) able to support the direct or indirect moving rest of a human body; a power module (2); and a programmable control module (4) connected to and capable to process incoming signals generated by personal multimedia systems intended for home use, to execute movement sequences for enjoyment, relaxation, and instruction, among other purposes.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 13 March 1996 (13.03.96); original claims 1-7 replaced by amended claims 1-7 (2 pages)]

1. A body movement machine for personal multimedia systems that transmits to the body of at least one user a sequence of physical movement stimulus correlated with multimedia events such as for example those involved in computerized video games, CHARACTERIZED IN comprising:

at least one movement actuator acting along at least one axis, having said movement actuator at least a moving part, said moving part including a surface able to receive the moving being part of an external structure able to securely sustain a user's body;

a power module conected to said movement actuator to provide it regulated energy equivalent to at least the movement work brought to said external structure and user's body, said power module being conected to an adequate power source to be in turn energy fed;

a control module conected to said power module to provide it control information signals, being said control module microprocessor based, comprising hardware and operating software, being said control module able to comand in a selectable open or closed loop operation mode, the performing of a sequence of movements qualified by a style predetermined by said operating software processing external signal inputs correlated with multimedia events.

2. A body movement machine as defined in claim 1 , wherein said actuator comprises a movement sensor able to transmit feedback signals to said power and control moduli, appliable to implement said closed loop operating mode.

3. A body movement machine as defined in claim 1 , wherein said operating software included in said control module is at least partially resident in the module; said software

comprising at least a first part that stays unmodified, residing in read-only type of memory means, being said memory means esentially permanent components of said control module; a second part able to be modified, residing in reprogramable memory means, being said memory means esentially fixed parts of said control module; and a third part able to be changed, residing in physically replaceable non-volatile memory means.

4. A body movement machine as defined in claim 1., wherein said power and control moduli further comprise a first set of conection means able to receive said multimedia signals from external multimedia sources; a second set of conection means able to receive feedback movement information signals appliable to said selectable closed loop mode of operation; a third set of conection means able to bring programing access to said reprogramable memory means to program information signals originated in external programing devices; and a fourth set of conection means able to receive the conectable insertion of said replaceable non-volatile memory means.

5. A body movement machine as defined in claim 1 , which comprises at least one pair of movement actuators acting along parallel and generally vertical axis, being said pair of movement actuators linked together to a single drive mean to produce simultaneously in both actuators nearly the same amount of displacement but in opposite senses; said single drive mean being conected with said power module to receive from it a regulated ammount of energy equivalent to at least the movement work brought by said pair of movement actuators to said external structure and user's body.

6. A body movement machine as defined in claim 5 , wherein said single drive mean linked to said pair of movement actuators comprises at least a movement sensor able to transmit feedback signals to said power and control moduli, to implement said closed loop operating mode.

7. A body movement machine as defined in claim 5 , comprising two of said pairs of movement actuators able to receive the rest of the four legs of a common external structure sustaining a user's body, said actuators configuring spatially a rectangular figure of simple supporting points, each pair of said actuators ocupying the extremes of one diagonal of said rectangular figure. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Statement under Article 19

The amendments under Article 19 published with the present note were implemented in order to obtain the clearest and most precise definitions of the present Invention, as well as to prevent conflicts with the prior art cited within the

ISA Report.

In effect, the amended claim 1 reflects precisely the essential parts of the Invention in its more general scope without conflicting with the cited document USPAT No. 5,113,852 (Murtonen) by the elimination of any reference to a DIRECT application of movement

to the users body, as could appear in original claims 1 and 3. The original claim 2 has been also included in amended claim 1.

Another relevant change is to include into the amended claims

the definition of a prefered embodymenr. of the Invention as detailed in the description and drawings originally filed, by the new amended claims 5, 6 and 7. This change produces a

restriction of secondary importance but prevents an eventual interference with cited USPAT No. 4,066.256 (Trumbull), shows more clearly the advantages of the Invention at the realization level and distincts it underlining certain relevant particular features.

Amended claim 4 defines all about conection means, extending it's scope and including what was formerly defined in filed claim 6.

This is also what, permits a more concise and exact redaction of the software definition claim, former numbered 5 and now being

converted in amended claim 3.

Finally, filed claim 7 was cancelled because it was incorrectly

redacted, without any consequential reduction of the scope of the Invention as originally filed.-