1. A plyometric jumping exercise game apparatus comprising:
a base platform;
a plurality of target platforms of various heights;
a plurality of load sensors;
a plurality of lights;
at least one scoreboard; and
at least one CPU,
wherein said target platforms are connected to said base platform, and wherein at least one light is mounted to said base platform and at least one light is mounted adjacent to each target platform of said plurality of target platforms, and wherein said scoreboard is mounted to said base platform, and wherein said CPU is mounted within said scoreboard, said CPU being electrically connected to said sensors, said lights, and said at least one scoreboard.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one speaker, wherein said speaker is electrically connected to said CPU.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of target platforms are connected to a periphery of the base platform.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pedestals, wherein each target platform of said plurality of target platforms is positioned on a top portion of a respective pedestal of said plurality of pedestals.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pedestals comprise cylindrical columns of various heights.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pedestals comprise a box-type form.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one light mounted adjacent to each target platform is mounted to the target platform.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one light mounted adjacent to each target platform is mounted to a periphery of the base platform.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising safety handrails associated with each target platform of said plurality of target platforms.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target platforms comprise a material of rugged construction to withstand loading and abuse of a person jumping on the base platform.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a top surface of each target platform of said plurality of target platforms comprises a material pliable enough to absorb energy of a user jumping on the target platform.
12. A method for a user to operate a plyometric game comprising a base platform and a plurality of target platforms of various heights; said method comprising the steps of:
(a) illuminating at least one light mounted to said base platform;
(b) extinguishing the at least one light mounted to said base platform when the user is positioned on the base platform;
(c) illuminating a first light mounted adjacent to a first target platform of said plurality of target platforms;
(d) extinguishing the first light mounted adjacent to the first target platform of said plurality of target platforms after the user has jumped from said base platform onto the first target platform of said plurality of target platforms;
(e) assigning a first score associated with the user’s jump onto the first target platform of said plurality of target platforms;
(f) displaying the first score;
(g) illuminating the at least one light mounted to said base platform; and
(h) extinguishing the at least one light mounted to said base platform when the user has jumped from the first target platform of said plurality of target platforms onto said base platform.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of
(i) illuminating a second light mounted adjacent to a second target platform of said plurality of target platforms;
(j) extinguishing the second light mounted adjacent to the second target platform of said plurality of target platforms after the user has jumped from said base platform onto the second target platform of said plurality of target platforms;
(k) assigning a second score associated with the user’s jump onto the second target platform of said plurality of target platforms;
(l) adding the second score to the first score to result in a total score; and
(m) displaying the total score.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of assigning a first score comprises assigning a first score based on an amount of time taken for the user to jump from the base platform to the first target platform of said plurality of target platforms.
15. A method of playing a plyometric game comprising the steps of:
providing a plyometric jumping exercise game apparatus, the apparatus comprising a base platform and a plurality of target platforms of various heights; and
jumping from said base platform to a first target platform of said plurality of target platforms associated with a first light upon illumination of said first light.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of jumping from said first target platform to said base platform upon illumination of at least one light mounted to the base platform and jumping to a second target platform associated with a second light upon illumination of said second illuminated light.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
I claim:
1. A method of making a locally distributed electrode, comprising the steps of:
placing a conducting metallic oxide layer and a first counter electrode in contact with a noble metal electroplating solution; and
applying a negative potential to the metallic oxide layer relative to the first counter electrode, such that the noble metal is electrodeposited from the solution preferentially at defect sites on a surface of the metallic oxide layer.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic oxide layer is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide, antimony-doped tin oxide, indium oxide, fluorine-doped indium oxide, aluminum-doped tin oxide, phosphorus-doped tin oxide, and indium zinc oxide.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic oxide layer is disposed on a substrate selected from the group consisting of glasses and plastics.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the noble metal is selected from the group consisting of platinum, iridium, gold, osmium, palladium, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, and alloys thereof.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a negative potential includes the step of maintaining the potential of the metallic oxide layer below a predetermined value.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a negative potential includes the step of maintaining the current flowing between the metallic oxide layer and the first counter electrode below a predetermined value.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the step of placing a conducting metallic oxide layer and a first counter electrode in contact with a noble metal electroplating solution, the step of:
pretreating the metallic oxide layer to increase the density of the defect sites at which the noble metal is preferentially electrodeposited.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of pretreating the metallic oxide layer includes a step selected from the group consisting of oxygen plasma cleaning, sputter cleaning, mechanical abrading, and chemical etching.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the step of placing a conducting metallic oxide layer and a first counter electrode in contact with a noble metal electroplating solution, the step of:
annealing the metallic oxide layer at an elevated temperature to decrease the density of the defect sites at which the noble metal is preferentially electrodeposited.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the step of applying a negative potential to the metallic oxide layer relative to the first counter electrode, the step of:
applying a cathodic potential pulse to the metallic oxide layer relative to the first counter electrode such that the noble metal is electrodeposited on the metallic oxide layer at sites other than the defect sites.
11. The method of claim 1, furthering comprising, after the step of applying a negative potential to the metallic oxide layer relative to the first counter electrode, the step of:
heat treating the locally distributed electrode.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the step of applying a negative potential to the metallic oxide layer relative to the first counter electrode, the step of:
applying a layer of an insulating metallic oxide to the surface of the conducting metallic oxide layer on the locally distributed electrode.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
placing the locally distributed electrode and a second counter electrode in contact with a solution for electroplating a non-noble metal; and
applying a negative potential to the locally distributed electrode relative to the second counter electrode, such that the non-noble metal is electrodeposited from the solution preferentially on the noble metal electrodeposited at defect sites on the surface of the metallic oxide layer.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the non-noble metal is selected from the group consisting of silver, bismuth, copper, tin, cadmium, mercury, indium, lead, antimony, thallium, zinc, and alloys thereof.
15. A method of making a locally distributed electrode, comprising the steps of:
placing a conducting metallic oxide layer and a counter electrode in contact with a noble metal electroplating solution;
applying a negative potential to the metallic oxide layer relative to the counter electrode, such that the noble metal is electrodeposited from the solution preferentially at defect sites on a surface of the metallic oxide layer; and
heat treating the locally distributed electrode.
16. A locally distributed electrode, comprising:
a conducting metallic oxide layer, including a surface having a plurality of defect sites; and
a plurality of noble metal deposits preferentially disposed on the surface at the defect sites, such that the noble metal deposits define the locally distributed electrode.
17. The locally distributed electrode of claim 16, wherein the metallic oxide layer is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide, antimony-doped tin oxide, indium oxide, fluorine-doped indium oxide, aluminum-doped tin oxide, phosphorus-doped tin oxide, and indium zinc oxide.
18. The locally distributed electrode of claim 16, wherein the metallic oxide layer is disposed on a substrate selected from the group consisting of glasses and plastics.
19. The locally distributed electrode of claim 16, wherein the noble metal is selected from the group consisting of platinum, iridium, gold, osmium, palladium, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, and alloys thereof.
20. The locally distributed electrode of claim 16, further comprising:
a plurality of non-noble metal deposits preferentially disposed on the noble metal deposits.
21. The locally distributed electrode of claim 20, wherein the non-noble metal deposits comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, bismuth, copper, tin, cadmium, mercury, indium, lead, antimony, thallium, zinc, and alloys thereof.
22. The locally distributed electrode of claim 16, further comprising:
a layer of an insulating metallic oxide disposed on the layer of conducting metallic oxide.