Golf accessory and system including same

• US 10,092,813 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brendan Robert Osborne
• Original Assignee: Brendan Robert Osborne
• Inventors: Osborne, Brendan Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US15/102,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20160310821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0655 Tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0661 arranged on the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/00 Golfing accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3605 Golf club selection aids informing player of his average or expected shot distance for each club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3608 Attachments on the body, e.g. for measuring, aligning, restraining A63B69/0059, A63B69/3673 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 with sound-emitting source
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0669 Score-keepers or score display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 : sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 : with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 : with motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports

Abstract

A golf playing statistics capture system is provided including a plurality of near field communication tags, each attached to a respective golf club within a golfer'"'"'s set of clubs, an external electronic device operating statistics capture software, and a golf accessory including a near field communication reader mechanism, wireless communication device associated with the near field communication reader mechanism to receive information from the near field communication reader mechanism and transmit information to the external electronic device.

Claims

1. A golf accessory including a housing having at least one near field communication reader mechanism, a wireless communication device associated with the near field communication reader mechanism to receive information from the near field communication reader mechanism and to transmit information to an external electronic device, at least one input button externally accessible on the housing and associated with the wireless communication device, a power source to power the near field communication reader mechanism and the wireless communication device such that when powered, the near field communication reader mechanism reads a near field communication tag attached to a golf club determining a type of the golf club and transmits that information to the external electronic device, the at least one input button can be used to manually transmit additional stroke information to the external electronic device to account for penalty strokes taken and an energizing button provided on the housing to temporarily energize the near field communication reader mechanism as required by the user.

2. The golf accessory according to claim 1 wherein the at least one input button communicates with a switch within the housing in order to provide input or instructions.

3. The golf accessory according to claim 1 wherein the at least one near field communication reader mechanism includes a near field communication reader device with an associated antenna to energize the near field communication tag in order to collect information therefrom.

4. The golf accessory according to claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device is a Bluetooth low energy device.

5. The golf accessory according to claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device powers down with the near field communication reader mechanism in order to conserve power and is energized through the same energizing button as the near field communication reader mechanism.

6. The golf accessory according to claim 1 wherein a Universal Serial Bus (USB) is provided to allow charging of any onboard battery and information transfer to be passed to the golf accessory.

7. The golf accessory according to claim 1 wherein a distance input button is provided with a request transmitted to the external electronic device and distance information displayed or audibly emitted by the external electronic device as a result.

8. A golf playing statistics capture system including a plurality of near field communication tags, each attached to a respective golf club within a golfer'"'"'s set of clubs, an external electronic device operating statistics capture software, and a golf accessory including a housing having at least one near field communication reader mechanism, wireless communication device associated with the near field communication reader mechanism to receive information from the near field communication reader mechanism and transmit information to the external electronic device, at least one input button externally accessible on the housing and associated with the wireless communication device, a power source to power the near field communication reader mechanism and the wireless communication device such that when powered, the near field communication reader mechanism reads the near field communication tag attached to a golf club determining a type of the golf club used by the golfer for each stroke and transmits that information to the statistics capture software operating on the external electronic device and the at least one input button can be used to manually transmit additional stroke information to the statistics capture software operating on the external electronic device to account for penalty strokes taken and an energizing button provided on the housing to temporarily energize the near field communication reader mechanism as required by the user.

9. A golf playing statistics capture system according to claim 8 including a setup process whereby each near field communication tag is attached to a club in golfer'"'"'s set with the identity of each club associated with each near field communication tag in order to identify the club thereafter.

10. A golf playing statistics capture system according to claim 8 wherein each external electronic device includes a processor with memory for storing and following instructions as well as a display upon which the processor can cause interfaces to be generated showing statistics.

11. A golf playing statistics capture system according to claim 8 wherein a location device provided as a part of the external electronic device is used for distance and location information.