US 10959649

Patent Summary: US 10,959,649 B2

Date of Analysis: May 1, 2026

A comprehensive review of US Patent 10,959,649, titled "Systems and methods for stride length calibration," has been conducted. The following summary provides key details of the patent and a plain-language explanation of its independent claims.

Key Patent Details:

• Title: Systems and methods for stride length calibration
• Assignee: Beijing Shunyuan Kaihua Technology Co Ltd
• Inventor: Ming Shun Fei
• Filing Date: January 29, 2015
• Issue Date: March 30, 2021
• Abstract: Described herein are systems, devices, and methods for determining a user's stride length and monitoring various aspects of the user's activities. An apparatus worn or carried by the user may determine and track when a user takes a step and, based at least in part on user-specific information, determine an estimated stride length of the user associated with a respective step rate or step rate range. The apparatus may further monitor the physical location, speed, or pace of the user during an activity and, in conjunction with step count information, determine a verified stride length for the user associated with a respective step rate or step rate range. The estimated and verified stride length determinations may be stored and used to determine one or more aspects of a user's subsequent activities, including but not limited to pace, speed, and calorie expenditure information, even when physical location information is unavailable.

Litigation Status:

A search of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) 2026 dockets for litigation involving US Patent 10,959,649 did not yield any specific results. However, the patent's Google Patents page notes a case filed in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, docket number 25-1230. Further details on the status and specifics of this litigation are not available from the provided search results.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

US Patent 10,959,649 contains two independent claims, which form the core of the invention. Below is a simplified explanation of each.

Independent Claim 1:

This claim describes a method for a wearable device to calculate a user's stride length. The process starts with the device gathering user-specific information like height, weight, and gender. It then measures the user's step rate (how many steps they take in a certain time). Using both the user's information and their step rate, the device calculates an initial "estimated" stride length.

Later, when the device can track the user's actual distance traveled (for example, using GPS), it measures the number of steps taken over that distance to calculate a "verified" stride length. This verified stride length is then saved. The key part of the invention is that this new, more accurate "verified" stride length is used to improve the initial "estimated" stride length for different step rates. For instance, if the verified stride length is longer than the estimate at a certain step rate, the device will adjust its estimates for other step rates to be longer as well. This allows the device to provide more accurate distance and speed data in the future, especially when GPS isn't available (like on a treadmill).

Independent Claim 13:

This claim focuses on the wearable device itself (the "apparatus") rather than the method. It outlines a system that includes at least one accelerometer to detect steps, a time-keeping component, a display, and a processor. The processor is the brain of the operation and is programmed to perform the method described in Claim 1.

Specifically, the processor is configured to:

• Receive user-specific data.
• Calculate the user's step rate from the accelerometer data.
• Determine an initial "estimated" stride length based on the user data and step rate.
• When GPS or other location data is available, calculate a "verified" stride length by dividing the distance traveled by the number of steps.
• Store this verified stride length and use it to adjust and improve the estimated stride lengths for other step rates.
• Use these refined stride length values to calculate the user's speed and pace, even when location data is unavailable.