Exercise equipment abuse prevention control system and network employing same

摘要

An exercise device abuse-prevention control system is provided to help prevent users of community or shared exercise equipment from spending too much time on the equipment and not allowing other users to use and enjoy the equipment. The control system includes an external variable indicator measuring at least one external variable not dependent on a given user's physiology, e.g., the time of day or the number of machines in use at once. A timer measures a duration of the user's workout, and a timer limiter is provided and is presettable by an administrator to delineate a maximum workout duration when the at least one external variable reaches a predetermined threshold. When the external variable indicator measures the at least one external variable to be reached or exceeded, the timer limiter prevents the user's workout from exceeding the maximum duration.