Sports entertainment apparatus

• US 10,104,329 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Faratzis
• Original Assignee: John Faratzis
• Inventors: Faratzis, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pinheiro, Jason
• Application Number:
  US13/751,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20140211090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 463 42, 4554262
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for use in association with a sporting event, competition, or game is provided. The system includes an interactive surface configured to have the sporting event occur thereon and display information related to the sporting event, competition, or game occurring thereon and a controller configured to convey display information to the interactive surface. Alternately, a system is provided including an interactive sports surface configured to have a sporting event occur thereon and concurrently display information related to the sporting event occurring thereon, and means for controlling information displayed via the interactive sports surface. The means for controlling is configured to convey display information related to the sporting event to the interactive sports surface.

Claims

1. A system for use in association with a competition, comprising:

an interactive surface comprising a substantially horizontally mounted electronic display surface covered by a substantially transparent covering surface, the substantially transparent covering surface of the interactive surface configured to have the competition occur thereon and display information related to the competition occurring thereon displayed by the electronic display surface of the interactive surface, wherein the competition occurring thereon comprises competition participants physically competing on top of the substantially transparent covering surface of the interactive surface, and the information related to the competition comprises display information that alters at least one parameter of the competition, wherein the at least one alterable parameter changes from a first unaltered state at the beginning of the competition to then a second altered state during the competition that is a different location from the first unaltered state, and wherein the at least one alterable parameter is a boundary line of the competition or is a new boundary line or new boundary area; and

a controller configured to convey competition related display information to the interactive surface, wherein the controller further comprises an observation processing module configured to receive information related to the competition and provide query information usable to poll an audience regarding the competition, wherein a polling result of the audience is the basis for the at least one alterable parameter.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a surface interaction module configured to convey information to the interactive surface.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a query processing module configured to receive query information and transmit a query based on the query information to a user device and receive a response to the query from the user device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the observation processing module is configured to provide information related to the competition to a display viewable to audience members viewing the competition.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the surface interaction module is configured to receive sensor data for data sensed related to the competition.

6. The, system of claim 3, wherein the observation processing module is configured to transmit desired surface display information to the surface interaction module.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein data sensed related to the competition comprises position of a sporting event participant on top of the interactive surface.

8. A system for use in association with a sporting event, comprising:

an interactive sports surface comprising a substantially horizontally mounted electronic display surface covered by a substantially transparent covering surface, the substantially transparent covering surface of the interactive sports surface configured to have the sporting event occurring thereon and concurrently display information related to the sporting event occurring thereon displayed by the electronic display surface of the interactive sports surface, wherein the sporting event occurring thereon comprises sporting event participants physically competing on top of the substantially transparent covering surface of the interactive sports surface, and the information related to the sporting event comprises display information that alters at least one parameter of the sporting event, wherein the at least one alterable parameter changes from a first unaltered state at the beginning of the sporting event to then a second altered state during the sporting event that is a different location from the first unaltered state, and wherein the at least one alterable parameter is a boundary line of the sporting event or is a new boundary line or new boundary area; and

a controller configured to convey display information related to the sporting event to the interactive sports surface, wherein the controller is configured to query at least one user and employ a response provided by the user to be the basis of the at least one altered parameter for display on the interactive sports surface.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a sensor arrangement configured, to sense parameters related to persons associated with the sporting event.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the sensor arrangement is provided with equipment employed by a person associated with the sporting event.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller comprises a sports surface interaction module, a query processing module, an observation processing module, and a processing module configured to process information related to the sporting event and transmit display information to the interactive sports surface.

12. A system for use in association with a sporting event, comprising:

an interactive sports surface comprising a substantially horizontally mounted electronic display surface covered by a substantially transparent covering surface, the substantially transparent covering surface of the interactive sports surface configured to have the sporting event occurring thereon and concurrently display information related to the sporting event occurring thereon displayed by the electronic display surface of the interactive sports surface, wherein the sporting event occurring thereon comprises sporting event participants physically competing on top of the substantially transparent covering surface of the interactive sports surface, and the information related to the sporting event comprises display information that alters at least one parameter of the sporting event, wherein the at least one alterable parameter changes from a first unaltered state at the beginning of the sporting event to then a second altered state during the sporting event that is a different location from the first unaltered state, and wherein the at least one alterable parameter is a boundary line of the sporting event or is a new boundary line or new boundary area; and

means for controlling information displayed via the interactive sports surface;

wherein means for controlling is configured to convey display information related to the sporting event to the interactive sports surface; and

wherein the means for controlling information further comprises an observation processing module configured to receive information related to the competition and provide query information usable to poll an audience regarding the competition, wherein a polling result of the audience is the basis for the at least one alterable parameter.