Exercise system with display programming

Abstract

An exercise system presents display programming at a rate that is commensurate to a user's exercise rate. The user's exercise rate is monitored and compared to a default exercise rate. When the user's exercise rate is above or below the default exercise rate, the presentation of the display programming is adjusted to maintain a temporal relationship between the user's exercise rate and the display programming. The presentation of the display programming can be adjusted by periodically skipping or pausing frames of the display programming to increase or decrease the duration of the display programming.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An exercise system comprising:
 a movable element that moves during a user's performance of an exercise to simulate a distance traveled by the user during the performance of the exercise at an exercise rate that is selectively adjustable by the user; and   a display that presents display programming to the user, the display programming comprising a plurality of frames having a specified sequence, each frame within the plurality of frames having assigned to it a predetermined distance,   wherein:
 the display is configured to present each frame within the plurality of frames in the specified sequence, and 
 the display is configured to present each frame within the plurality of frames for the period of time that is required for the distance traveled by the user during the performance of the exercise to meet or exceed the predetermined distance assigned to each frame. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of frames are images of a real world trail. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined distance assigned to each frame corresponds to an actual distance traveled between two consecutive images of the real world trail. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined distance for each frame is the same. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined distance assigned to each frame is less than three feet. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined distance assigned to each frame is less than one foot. 
     
     
         7 . The exercise system of  claim 1 , wherein the exercise rate is determined by at least one of the user's speed, the speed of the movable element, a resistance applied to the moveable element, a degree of incline of the movable element, and a degree of tilt of the movable element. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the distance traveled by the user during the performance of the exercise is calculated based on the exercise rate and an elapsed time. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the movable element is a continuous belt on a treadmill. 
     
     
         10 . A method for correlating the presentation of display programming with a simulated amount of distance traveled by a user on an exercise device, comprising:
 obtaining display programming, the display programming comprising a plurality of frames having a specified sequence;   assigning a predetermined distance to each frame within the plurality of frames;   presenting to the user a first frame within the display programming;   tracking the simulated distance traveled by the user on the exercise device during presentation of the first frame;   determining whether the simulated distance traveled by the user on the exercise device during presentation of the first frame is the same as or exceeds the predetermined distance assigned to the first frame; and   presenting to the user a second frame that sequentially follows the first frame if the simulated distance traveled by the user on the exercise device during presentation of the first frame is the same as or exceeds the predetermined distance assigned to the first frame.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising continuing to track the distance traveled by the user on the exercise device during presentation of the first frame if it is determined that the distance traveled by the user on the exercise device during presentation of the first frame is not the same as and does not exceed the predetermined distance assigned to the first frame. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of frames are images of a real world trail. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance assigned to each frame corresponds to an actual distance traveled between two consecutive images of the real world trail. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the predetermined distance for each frame is the same. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance assigned to each frame is less than one foot. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance assigned to each frame is less than six inches. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the exercise device includes a selectively adjustable movable element that moves during the user's performance of the exercise. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising determining a rate at which the moveable element moves during the performance of the exercise, wherein the rate is determined by at least one of the user's speed, the speed of the movable element, a resistance applied to the moveable element, a degree of incline of the movable element, and a degree of tilt of the movable element. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the simulated distance traveled by the user during the performance of the exercise is calculated based on the rate and an elapsed time. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the movable element is a continuous belt on a treadmill.