HK1172224A - Improved mobile communication terminal and method - Google Patents

Description

Improved mobile communication terminal and method

The present application is a divisional application of chinese patent application 200780016444.2 entitled "improved mobile communication terminal and method" filed on 28/3/2007.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to mobile terminals and, more particularly, to exercise applications for mobile terminals.

Background

Mobile terminals or mobile (cellular) telephones for mobile telecommunication systems, such as GSM, UMTS, D-AMPS and CDMA2000, have been used for many years. In the past, mobile terminals have been almost exclusively used for voice communication with other mobile terminals or fixed telephones. More recently, the use of modern terminals has expanded to include not only voice communications, but also various other services and applications, such as www/wap browsing, video telephony, electronic messaging (e.g., SMS, MMS, email, instant messaging), digital image or video recording, FM radio, music playing, exercise analysis, electronic games, scheduling/organizer/time planning, word processing, etc. Furthermore, modern terminals have local connectivity capabilities, such as bluetooth, allowing the mobile terminal to communicate with various devices.

A relatively new use of mobile terminals is as exercise tracking devices. The terminal is able to measure and record time and distance during the exercise. However, users sometimes lack motivation to actually adhere to and perform the originally desired exercise.

It is generally desirable to provide improvements to the user interface and functionality and internal and external interoperability of mobile terminals for exercise tracking.

Summary of The Invention

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to solve or at least reduce the above problems.

In general terms, the above object is achieved by the appended independent claims.

A first expression of a first inventive aspect is a method of providing a user interface of an exercise application for a mobile communication terminal including a display, the method comprising: accepting a first input of a user layout (layout) defining a container for exercise related measurements; accepting a second input associating an exercise related measurement with each of the containers; and when it is determined that exercise has been started, displaying the user layout of the containers on the display, each container showing an associated exercise-related measurement.

The method may further comprise: when a switch view user input is detected, the second layout is displayed.

The second layout may be different from the user layout.

Each of the exercise related measurements may be a measurement selected from the group consisting of: distance, time, calories burned, speed, pace, step intensity, minutes per mile, minutes per kilometer, distance map, speed map, and intensity map.

The method may further comprise, prior to accepting the first input defining the user layout: presenting layout alternatives of available user layouts on the display.

A second expression of the first inventive aspect is a mobile communication terminal configured to provide a user interface of an exercise application, the mobile communication terminal comprising: means for accepting a first input defining a user layout of a container for exercise related measurements; means for accepting a second input associating an exercise related measurement with each of the receptacles; and means for displaying the user layout of the containers on the display when it is determined that exercise has been started, each container showing an associated exercise related measurement.

A third expression of the first inventive aspect is a mobile communication terminal configured to provide a user interface for an exercise application, the mobile communication terminal comprising a display, a keyboard, and a controller configured to accept a first input defining a user layout of a container for exercise related measurements; the controller is configured to accept a second input associating an exercise related measurement with each of the receptacles; and the controller is configured to display the user layout of the containers on the display when it is determined that exercise has been started, each container showing an associated exercise related measurement.

A fourth expression of the first inventive aspect is a computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed in a mobile communication terminal, performs the method according to the first expression of the first inventive aspect.

A first expression of a second inventive aspect is a method for accepting input from an external device to a mobile communication terminal, the external device being usable for an exercise application of the mobile communication terminal, the method comprising: detecting the presence of the device; establishing a communication channel between the device and the mobile communication terminal; when data becomes available in the device, the data is made available to the exercise application.

The device may be a device comprising an actuator, the data comprising user input data generated when the actuator is actuated.

The apparatus may be configured to be mounted on a motorcycle, the method further comprising: the exercise application uses the user input data to determine a lap time.

The device may be a device comprising a motion sensitive sensor, the data comprising motion data generated when the motion sensitive sensor detects motion.

The apparatus may be configured to be mounted on a bicycle, the method further comprising: the exercise application uses the motion data to determine a flatness of a trajectory followed by the bicycle.

The apparatus may be configured to be mounted on a sled, the method further comprising: the exercise application uses the motion data to determine a skill level of a rider of the skateboard.

The device may be a device comprising a global positioning system receiver, the data comprising position data generated using the global positioning receiver.

The apparatus may be configured to be mounted on a bicycle, the method further comprising: the exercise application uses the position data to determine a measurement selected from a group consisting of a rate and a position.

A second expression of a second inventive aspect is a mobile communication terminal configured to accept input from an external device, the external device being usable for an exercise application of the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal comprising: means for detecting the presence of the device; means for establishing a communication channel between the device and the mobile communication terminal; means for making data available to the exercise application when the data becomes available in the device.

A third expression of the second inventive aspect is for a mobile communication terminal configured to accept input from an external device, the external device being usable for an exercise application of the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal comprising a display, a keypad, and a controller, the controller being configured to detect a presence of the device; the controller is configured to establish a communication channel between the device and the mobile communication terminal; the controller is configured to make data available to the exercise application when the data becomes available in the device.

A fourth expression of the second inventive aspect is for a system for use during exercise, the system comprising: an external data providing apparatus, comprising: means for acquiring data; and means for transmitting said data to a receiving device; the system further comprises: a mobile communication terminal configured to accept input from the external data providing device, the external device being usable for an exercise application of the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal comprising: means for detecting the presence of the device; means for establishing a communication channel between the device and the mobile communication terminal; means for making data available to the exercise application when the data becomes available in the device.

A fifth expression of the second inventive aspect is a computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed by a mobile communication terminal, performs the method according to the first expression of the second inventive aspect.

A first expression of a third inventive aspect is a method of adding a planned exercise entry in an exercise schedule in a mobile communication terminal, the method including: receiving user input of a planned start time for the planned exercise entry; receiving user input of a planned exercise type for the planned exercise entry; determining a music playlist to associate with the planned workout entry; and playing the playlist when it is determined that the workout associated with the planned workout entry has started.

The determining a music playlist may include determining a playlist based on the exercise type.

The determining the music playlist may include: determining at least one exercise stage that is at least a subset of the planned exercises associated with the planned exercise entry, each of the at least one exercise stage having an associated exercise stage intensity; for each of the at least one exercise session, determining a range of beats per minute matching the intensity; for each of the at least one exercise session, presenting at least one song, the song being available to the mobile communication terminal, the song having a beats per minute measurement matching the range of beats per minute; and for each of the at least one exercise session, receiving user input to select one of the at least one song to be included in the playlist.

The determining the music playlist may include: determining at least one exercise stage that is at least a subset of the planned exercises associated with the planned exercise entry, each of the at least one exercise stage having an associated exercise stage intensity; for each of the at least one exercise session, determining a range of beats per minute matching the intensity; for each of the at least one exercise session, determining one song available to the mobile communication terminal, the song having a beats per minute measurement matching the range of beats per minute, the song to be included in the playlist.

A second expression of a third inventive aspect is a mobile communication terminal capable of adding a planned exercise entry in an exercise schedule in the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal including: means for receiving a user input of a planned start time for the planned exercise entry; means for receiving a user input for a planned exercise type for the planned exercise entry; means for determining a music playlist to associate with the planned workout entry; and means for playing the playlist when it is determined that the workout associated with the planned workout entry has started.

A third expression of the third inventive aspect is a mobile communication terminal capable of adding a planned exercise entry in an exercise schedule in the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal display, keyboard, and controller configured to receive user input of a planned start time for the planned exercise entry; the controller is configured to receive a user input of a planned exercise type for the planned exercise entry; the controller is configured to determine a music playlist associated with the planned workout entry; and the controller is configured to play the playlist upon determining that the workout associated with the planned workout entry has started.

A fourth expression of the third inventive aspect is a computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed in a mobile communication terminal, performs the method according to the first expression of the third inventive aspect.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, from the appended dependent claims and from the drawings.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All statements herein reciting "a/an/the [ element, device, component, means, step, etc. ]" are to be interpreted openly as specifying at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a cellular telecommunications system, which is an example of an environment in which the present invention may be employed;

FIG. 2a is a schematic front view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a schematic side view illustrating the mobile terminal of FIG. 2 a;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the internal component, software and protocol structure of the mobile terminal shown in FIGS. 2a and 2 b;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing how the operating modes may be switched in an embodiment of the invention;

5a-d are schematic diagrams showing how a user may influence the layout of an exercise application in the mobile terminal of FIG. 2 a;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between the mobile terminal of FIG. 2a and an external device;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between beats per minute and exercise intensity in the mobile terminal of fig. 2 a; and

fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a table containing data related to songs available to the mobile terminal of fig. 2 a.

Detailed Description

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which specific embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the specification.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a cellular telecommunication system in which the invention can be applied. In the telecommunication system of fig. 1, various telecommunication services such as cellular voice calls, www/wap browsing, cellular video calls, data calls, facsimile transmissions, music transmissions, still image transmissions, video transmissions, electronic message transmissions and electronic commerce may be performed between a mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention and other devices, such as another mobile terminal 106 or a stationary telephone 132. It should be noted that for different embodiments of the mobile terminal 100 and in different situations, the different telecommunication services mentioned above may or may not be available; the present invention is not limited in this respect to any particular set of services.

The mobile terminals 100, 106 are connected to a mobile telecommunications network 110 via base stations 104, 109 by RF links 102, 108. The mobile telecommunications network 110 may be compatible with any commercially available mobile telecommunications standard, such as GSM, UMTS, D-AMPS, CDMA2000, FOMA and TD-SCDMA.

The mobile telecommunications network 110 is operatively connected to a wide area network 120, the wide area network 120 may be the internet or a part thereof. An internet server 122 has data storage 124 and is connected to the wide area network 120, as is an internet client computer 126. The server 122 may be a www/wap server hosting www/wap capable of providing www/wap content to the mobile terminal 100.

A Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)130 is connected to the mobile telecommunications network 110 in a similar manner. Various telephone terminals including a stationary telephone 132 are connected to the PSTN 130.

The mobile terminal 100 is also capable of communicating locally via a local link 101 to one or more local devices 103. The local link may be any type of link with a limited range, such as a Bluetooth, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) link, a Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB) link, an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network link, an RS-232 serial link, and the like. The local device 103 may be, for example, various sensors capable of communicating measurements to the mobile terminal 100 over the local link 101.

An embodiment 200 of the mobile terminal 100 is shown in more detail in fig. 2 a. The mobile terminal 200 comprises a speaker or earphone 202, a microphone 205, a display 203 and a set of keys 204, wherein the keys 204 may comprise a common ITU-T type keypad 204a (an alphanumeric keypad representing the characters "0" to "9", "", "#") as well as specific other keys, such as soft keys 204b, 204c and a joystick 211 or other type of navigation input device.

A mode switch button 212 is also provided, which is shown more clearly in fig. 2 b. The button is used to switch the operation mode of the mobile terminal. In this embodiment, the button is placed in the upper position by default. When the user wants to switch modes, the button is moved to a lower position and released, after which the button is returned to the default upper position by a mechanical means, such as a spring or the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the function of the mode switch button can be readily replaced by a push button or any other suitable type of input device.

The internal component, software and protocol structure of the mobile terminal 200 will now be described with reference to fig. 3. The mobile terminal has a controller 300 that is responsible for the overall operation of the mobile terminal and is preferably implemented by any commercially available CPU ("central processing unit"), DSP ("digital signal processor") or any other electronic programmable logic device. The controller 300 has associated electronic memory 302, such as RAM memory, ROM memory, EEPROM memory, flash memory, or any combination thereof. The memory 302 is used by the controller 300 for various purposes, one of which is to store data and program instructions for various software in the mobile terminal. The software includes a real-time operating system 320, drivers for a man-machine interface (MMI)334, an application processor 332, and various applications. The applications may include a personal training application 350, a media player application 360, and various other applications 370, such as applications for: voice calls, video calls, sending and receiving SMS, MMS, or email, web browsing, an instant messaging application, a phone book application, a calendar application, a control panel application, a camera application, one or more video games, a notepad application, and so forth.

The MMI 334 also includes one or more hardware controllers that cooperate, along with MMI drivers, with the display 336/203, the keypad 338/204, and various other I/O devices such as a microphone, speaker, vibrator, ring generator, LED indicator, and the like. It is well known that a user can operate a mobile terminal through a man-machine interface thus formed.

The software may also include various modules, protocol stations, drivers, etc., which are collectively designated as 330 and which provide communication services (e.g., transport, network, and connectivity) to the RF interface 306 and optionally to the bluetooth interface 308 and/or the IrDA interface 310 for local connectivity. The RF interface 306 comprises an internal or external antenna and suitable radio circuitry for establishing and maintaining a wireless link to a base station (e.g. the link 102 and the base station 104 in fig. 1). As is well known to those skilled in the art, a radio circuit comprises a series of analog and digital electronic components that together form a radio receiver and transmitter. These components include, that is, band pass filters, amplifiers, mixers, local oscillators, low pass filters, AD/DA converters, and the like.

The mobile terminal also has a SIM card 304 and an associated reader. As is well known, the SIM card 304 includes a processor and local work and data memory.

Fig. 4 shows how the operating mode can be switched in an embodiment of the invention. The mobile terminal 400 (e.g., the mobile terminal 200 of fig. 2 a) includes a display 403 (e.g., the display 203 of fig. 2 a), a joystick 411 (e.g., the joystick 211 of fig. 2 a), and a mode switch button 412 (e.g., the mode switch button 212 of fig. 2 a) to allow a user to switch operating modes.

The operation mode is a mode in which the mobile terminal 400 operates in a specific manner. For example, fig. 4 shows 3 modes of operation: a phone mode 440, an exercise mode 441, and a media player mode 442.

When the mobile terminal 400 is in the phone mode 440, the mobile terminal behaves as the user would expect a conventional mobile terminal to behave. In other words, the menu system and/or the shortcut keys allow the user to instruct the mobile terminal to perform a desired function, such as voice telephony, www/wap browsing, video telephony, electronic messaging (e.g., SMS, MMS, email, instant messaging), digital image or video recording, electronic gaming, scheduling/organizer/time planning, word processing, etc.

When the mobile terminal 400 is in the exercise mode 441, the main purpose of the mobile terminal is to provide applications to the user related to the user's physical exercise. In this mode, the mobile terminal may support exercises such as running, cycling, etc.

In one embodiment, an accelerometer is integrated in the mobile terminal 400. In another embodiment, an external accelerometer is connected to the mobile terminal 400, for example, through a local link, such as local link 101 in FIG. 1. When the mobile terminal is carried by the user, the accelerometer may detect the acceleration and thus the step (step) taken by the user. When an accelerometer is integrated into or connected to the mobile terminal 400, the mobile terminal automatically measures the movement of the day. If the user has previously entered personal information such as weight, height, etc., the mobile terminal 400 may convert the data from the accelerometer into other measurements such as distance traveled and calories burned. Alternatively, a GPS (global positioning system) receiver may be integrated into or connected to the mobile terminal 400 in order to allow more accurate distance measurement. Also, an external heartbeat monitor may be connected to the mobile terminal 400 in order to detect heartbeats and calculate heart rate.

When the mobile terminal 400 is in the media player mode 442, the mobile terminal's primary purpose is to play media to the user. For example, a media player may play music or sound files, such as MP3(mpeg-1 audio layer 3) files, AAC (advanced audio coding) files, or ogg files. Alternatively, the media player may also be used to listen to FM radio or to play video files, for example according to the MPEG-2, MPEG-4 or H.323 standard.

When the user switches the operation mode by the mode switching button 412, the modes are sequentially switched. In the illustrated embodiment, there is a list of operating modes including, in this order, a phone mode 440, an exercise mode 441, and a media player mode 442. Accordingly, if the mobile terminal 400 is in the phone mode 440 and the user actuates the mode switch button 412, the phone is switched to the exercise mode 441. Similarly, if the mobile terminal 400 is in the exercise mode 441 and the user actuates the mode switch button 412, the phone switches to the media player mode 442. Finally, if the mobile terminal 400 is in the media player mode 443 and the user actuates the mode switch button 412, the phone loops back and switches to the phone mode 440.

In order to make it easy for the user to determine which mode is currently used, the elements of the user interface are specific for each mode. There are a number of different user interface elements that can be changed to allow the user to see which mode is being activated, for example, the light in the center of the joystick 411 can change color, the background on the display 403 can have a different color or appearance, or the overall theme of the user interface with colors and fonts can change. In one embodiment, one of a set of icons at the top of the display 403 may be highlighted to indicate which mode is being activated.

The mode change may also change the sound effect. For example, in the phone mode 440, the sounds may be discrete or even disappear for actions such as button presses, entering menus, exiting menus, while in the exercise mode 441, a larger unique sound is played for these actions to give clear feedback to the user while exercising. The media player mode 441 may provide a completely different, cooler (cool) or ambient sound scheme for the above-mentioned actions in order to provide feedback to the user about the actions performed, while not unduly disturbing the experience of listening to music. Alternatively, the sound scheme may also be changed according to whether an earphone is connected to the mobile terminal 400. The change in sound need not be a completely different sound; the change may be an effect applied to the sound. For example, the sound related to button presses in phone mode may be reused in media play mode while a strong reverberation effect is applied to the sound to give a more surround effect while still providing familiarity to the user.

Further, a temporary user indication may be given when the actual mode changes. For example, for a mode change, the vibrator may vibrate, where the vibration is the same for all modes or each mode has a particular vibration associated with it. Further, the dialog may display the name of the new operating mode in the display 403, or may play a sound effect or speech synthesizer announcing the new mode to the user.

Note that although the mode may be switched, a specific suitable process of the inactive mode may still be performed. For example, the exercise application may count the user's steps in the background regardless of the mode in which the mobile terminal is. Similarly, the media player may let the user listen to an FM radio station while the mobile terminal is in the exercise mode, or the phone application may temporarily interrupt the current process if an incoming phone call is detected.

Fig. 5a-d are schematic diagrams showing how a user may influence the layout of an exercise application in the mobile terminal of fig. 2 a. The mobile terminal has been previously set in the exercise mode.

When the user indicates, for example through an options menu, that the user desires to change the default layout of the exercise screen, a view, such as view 520 of FIG. 5a, is displayed on the display. Here, the user has the ability to select a layout corresponding to his/her preference. In view 520, there are 4 menu items available in this example, each corresponding to a layout. The menu item 550 corresponds to a layout named "Competition layout" with default measures of Competition time, distance, kcal, and time. The menu item 551 corresponds to a layout named "running layout" with default measurements of time, kcal and distance. The menu item 552 corresponds to a layout named "walking layout" with default measures of time and distance. Finally, in this example, menu item 553 corresponds to a layout with the name "simple layout", with a default measure of time. Alternatively, the layout may be automatically selected according to a training program that the user has selected, such as running, walking, etc.

Once the layout is selected, the user may edit the exercise related measurements to be displayed. For example, if the user selects the running layout in FIG. 5a and indicates that the exercise measurement is to be modified, a view such as view 521 of FIG. 5b is displayed. There are 3 menu items, one menu item 556 for the upper container, one menu item 557 for the lower left container and one menu item 558 for the lower right container. The number of menu items corresponds to the number of containers or fields of the layout in question. The container is simply a space of the layout that can be used to display the measurements. Each container has default measurements already assigned to it, but the user has the ability to modify what measurements should be displayed in each container. Examples of measurements that the user may select are: distance, time, calories burned, speed, steps (steps), step intensity (step intensity), minutes per mile, minutes per kilometer, distance map, speed map, and intensity map.

Once the user begins exercising, a view such as view 522 of FIG. 5c is displayed. Corresponding to the view 521 of fig. 5b, the upper container 560 shows time, the lower left container 561 shows the number of burnt kcal, and the lower right shows the distance from the start of the exercise.

Although view 521 of fig. 5c has been configured as a default view, the user may also switch to other views as needed during the workout. For example, the user may tap the display screen, which is detected by a motion sensor in the mobile terminal, affecting the switching of the view on the mobile terminal. Alternatively, the user may press a button or issue a voice command to switch views. For example, the second view may be the view 523 shown in fig. 5 d. Here, the user can see text and graphics representing the distance. The graph shows how far the current trace is covered. Other views may be displayed on the display by the user again performing the same user input. Preferably, there is a circular list of layouts.

After the default layout may be determined by the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal may be configured to have two or more user-definable layouts or other layouts. For example, other layouts may depend on what training program is used, or what time of day or week it is.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between the mobile terminal of fig. 2a and an external device 670 and 673. Communication occurs over a local link 601, such as local link 101 of fig. 1.

In order to provide communication between the mobile terminal and the external device, the following connection procedure is performed. First the mobile terminal detects the presence of an external device. This may occur by the mobile terminal polling the device or the device itself initiating the communication. Subsequently, a communication channel is established between the external device and the mobile terminal. Once the communication channel is established, two-way communication may occur.

The external device may be, for example, a remote input device 670, a motion sensor device 671, a GPS receiver 672, or any other suitable external device 673.

The remote input device is, for example, a device having one or more buttons thereon. The device may be mounted in a location convenient to the user, whereby input on the remote device may be used for appropriate actions by the exercise application in the mobile terminal. For example, the remote input device may be mounted on the steering wheel of a motorcycle, near the thumb, allowing the user to press a button when the user passes a particular point of the trajectory, such as the finish line. By collecting the number of such presses applied to the buttons of the remote input device, the exercise application can calculate the number of laps, which the user can analyze after he or she has completed motorcycling. Alternatively or additionally, the exercise application may use a speech synthesizer to read out lap counts to a headset wearable by the user when available.

The external motion sensor 671 may be connected to the mobile terminal if a motion sensor, such as an accelerometer, is not provided in the mobile terminal itself. The motion sensor 671 may then be used for all of the above uses for which a motion sensor is suitable. Alternatively or additionally, the motion sensor may be mounted on a bicycle, such as a mountain bike. The motion data collected by the exercise application can then be used to determine the flatness (roughnesss) of the bicycle passing trajectory. This flatness may be measured over time and the user may be presented with a graphic that gives an abstract overview of the flatness of the trajectory. The vertical axis of the graph generally represents the flatness and the horizontal axis is generally time or distance.

Another use of an external motion sensor is a sled. If the motion sensor is mounted on a skateboard, the exercise program may use the motion data to determine the skill level of the user. Typically, if the user is a beginner, the motion is unstable and wobbling. For medium users, the motion is smooth, while for high users, the motion is more aggressive, but in a controlled manner, indicating to the user that various tricks are being performed.

If the GPS receiver 672 is connected to the mobile terminal, data about the position may be fed back to the exercise application as well as other applications of the mobile terminal. GPS can also provide accurate velocity and time measurements. This is particularly useful for exercises such as riding a bicycle or even rowing a boat, provided that the mobile terminal and GPS receiver are waterproof. The exercise application may then receive data on velocity and distance, which is difficult for these movements to use in other ways, such as using motion sensors. Also when running, the GPS receiver gives a more accurate measurement, although the motion sensor may give a fair indication of speed and distance.

Any other external device 673 deemed appropriate may be connected through the local link 601.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between beats per minute and exercise intensity in the mobile terminal of fig. 2 a.

In an exercise application, access to a calendar is provided, allowing a user to schedule his/her exercise progress. This helps the user to achieve more routine goals, such as subtracting 10 pounds, or exercising 3 hours per week. The user can thus add exercise entries to the calendar and enter important parameters, such as the start time of the plan. The user may also indicate what type of workout should be associated with the entry. The type of exercise affects the intensity of the exercise over time and may be, for example, an interval training exercise, full intensity, very easy or regular program. In fig. 7, an example illustrating a conventional plan is shown. Intensity 778 is shown on the vertical axis and time 779 is shown on the horizontal axis.

During the first time period 780, or exercise period, the intensity is relatively low. Therefore, the beats per minute (bpm) associated with the time period is also relatively low, in this case 100-. As described below, the associated song has a bpm measurement of 100-. This is the warm-up phase of the exercise.

In the second time period 781, the intensity is higher than the intensity of the first time period 780. Therefore, the associated beats per minute (bpm) for this period is also higher, in this case 120-. The associated song has a bpm measurement of 120-. This is the climb phase of the exercise, where the intensity is increasing.

During the longer third time period 782, the intensity is even higher than during the second time period 781. Thus, the associated beats per minute (bpm) for this period is even higher, in this case 130-. The associated song has a bpm measurement of 130-. This is the majority of the exercise in this example, where the user is performing, for example, running at a relatively high rate.

During a fourth time period 783, the intensity is again relatively low, as in the first time period 780. Therefore, the associated beats per minute (bpm) for this period is also relatively low, in this case 100-. The associated song has a bpm measurement of 100-. This is a gradual relaxation phase of the exercise, where the intensity is gradually decreased before the exercise is finished.

Other exercise types may have other schedules for their respective intensities. Although other exercise types are not illustrated herein, any type of exercise type may be associated with beats per minute and thus any exercise type is within the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a table containing data related to songs available to the mobile terminal of fig. 2 a.

The table has a title ID 885 giving the identification of each table entry in the table, the song name 886, bpm 887, and other titles 888, such as artist, album, genre, composer, year of recording, track number, star rating, etc.

The example table includes 5 table entries 889-893. These table entries may be considered in conjunction with the exercise type of FIG. 7 and the bpm range for each time period. The first time period 780 and the fourth time period 783 have bpm ranges that satisfy table entries 890, 891, and 893. The second time period 781 has a bpm range that satisfies table entry 892 and the third time period 782 has a bpm range that satisfies table entry 889.

Through the relationship between the exercise types of the selected calendar entry, a playlist containing songs matching the exercise types may be created. When there are several songs available for selection for a particular time period, the user may manually select the songs, or the mobile terminal may select which song or songs to play. The mobile terminal may select the songs using any suitable selection criteria, such as first selecting a song that plays often, randomly selecting a song, and so forth. If the song determined to correspond to the time period has a combined duration longer than the duration of the time period, the song is truncated in the playlist in order to match the set time period. Alternatively, the time period is adjusted to have its duration adapted to the song used for that time period.

This creates a playlist for the calendar entry in the exercise calendar that matches the exercise type.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is clear to a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

Claims (11)

1. A method of adding a planned exercise entry in an exercise schedule in a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

receiving user input of a planned start time for the planned exercise entry;

receiving user input of a planned exercise type for the planned exercise entry;

determining a music playlist to associate with the planned workout entry, the determining a music playlist comprising determining a playlist based on the type of workout; and

playing the playlist when it is determined that the workout associated with the planned workout entry has started.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of exercise is one taken from the group consisting of cycling, running, and walking.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving user input for a planned start time for the planned exercise entry comprises adding an exercise entry to a day.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a music playlist comprises:

determining at least one exercise stage that is at least a subset of the planned exercises associated with the planned exercise entry, each of the at least one exercise stage having an associated exercise stage intensity;

for each of the at least one exercise session, determining a range of beats per minute matching the intensity;

for each of the at least one exercise session, presenting at least one song, the song being available to the mobile communication terminal, the song having a beats per minute measurement matching the range of beats per minute; and

for each of the at least one exercise session, user input is received to select one of the at least one song to be included in the playlist.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a music playlist comprises:

determining at least one exercise stage that is at least a subset of the planned exercises associated with the planned exercise entry, each of the at least one exercise stage having an associated exercise stage intensity;

for each of the at least one exercise session, determining a range of beats per minute matching the intensity;

for each of the at least one exercise session, determining one song available to the mobile communication terminal, the song having a beats per minute measurement matching the range of beats per minute, the song to be included in the playlist.

6. A mobile communication terminal capable of adding a planned exercise entry in an exercise schedule in the mobile communication terminal, comprising:

means for receiving a user input of a planned start time for the planned exercise entry;

means for receiving a user input for a planned exercise type for the planned exercise entry;

means for determining a music playlist to associate with the planned workout entry, the determining a music playlist comprising determining a playlist based on the type of workout; and

means for playing the playlist when it is determined that the workout associated with the planned workout entry has started.

7. The mobile communication terminal of claim 6, wherein said exercise type is one taken from the group consisting of cycling, running and walking.

8. The mobile communication terminal of claim 6, wherein receiving user input for a planned start time for the planned exercise entry comprises adding an exercise entry to a day.

9. A mobile communication terminal capable of adding a planned exercise entry in an exercise schedule in the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal comprising a controller,

the controller is configured to receive a user input of a planned start time for the planned exercise entry;

the controller is configured to receive user input of a planned exercise type for the planned exercise entry;

the controller is configured to determine a music playlist to associate with the planned workout entry, the determining the music playlist including determining a playlist based on the type of workout; and

the controller is configured to play the playlist when it is determined that the workout associated with the planned workout entry has started.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the exercise type is one taken from the group consisting of cycling, running, and walking.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein receiving user input for a planned start time for the planned exercise entry comprises adding an exercise entry to a day.