Apple Inc. was granted a patent on Tuesday for a weightlifting tracking system.
The patent was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and dubbed "Shoe wear-out sensor, body-bar sensing system, unitless activity assessment and associated methods," according to CNET. A sensor is mentioned in the filing to be attached to the weightlifting body bar to keep track of and record the user's capabilities and progress.
A "shoe wear-out sensor" was mentioned in the original filing to attach to sneakers and other footwear. However, Apple revised the filing over time, aiming at a sensor fitting on the body bar and transmitting the results to mobile devices.
"In one embodiment, display 512 (shown in dotted outline) is part of a watch (or a MP3 player or a cell phone) that may be seen when worn or used by the user when performing exercises; and measurements determined by processor 504 are transmitted to the watch (or to the MP3 player or cell phone) for display upon display 512," the document said.
The sensor in Patent No. 8,749,380 counts and displays repetitions. The patent also includes a watch that can be used for remote readings, Apple Insider reported.
The document said the device can make Hall sensors, accelerometers, processors and its own display work together. Users can clip the sensor onto a dumbbell, bar, machine apparatus or other piece of fitness equipment to count repetitions.
The release of an Apple iWatch is currently only a rumor. However, it has been hinted at with Apple's introduction of Health, the company's new toolkit and hub app for health and fitness, at the Worldwide Developer's Conference last week, CNET reported.
The rumored wearable device is expected to be unveiled later this year, Apple Insider reported. The latest rumors for the iWatch claim that it will have a curved OLED screen.
Patent No. 8,749,380 was first filed for in 2012. Curtis A. Vock and Perry Youngs are credited as the inventors of the device.
