Game implements and system for tracking or locating same

• US 10,716,971 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2018
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steven M. Oberc
• Original Assignee: Mitchell O Enterprises, LLC
• Inventors: Oberc, Steven M., Patnaik, Hare K., Ganesan, Subramaniam
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US16/217,886
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0028 Tracking the path of an object, e.g. a ball inside a soccer pitch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/04 Badminton
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/24 Angular displacement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• 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 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0054 Bowling, i.e. ten-pin bowling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 : American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/04 : Bow shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/14 : Shot putting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/15 : Discus throwing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/16 : Spear or javelin throwing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 : Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 : Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 : Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0022 : Coatings, e.g. paint films; Markings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 : Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 : Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 : Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 : for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 : Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3655 : Balls, ball substitutes, or attachments on balls therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 : Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 : Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 : Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 : Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

A system for locating an electronic game implement such as an electronic golf ball. The electronic game implement has an outer shell and internal core, with the core containing graphene coated electronics and a battery, wherein the associated electronics of the electronic game implement includes a processor and transceiver configured to measure data including acceleration, speed, travel trajectory and final location while also being configured to transmit the measured data via a communications protocol. The ball or sports game implement that includes the associated electronics are also an embodiment of the invention. The system includes a smart device having associated electronics to communicate with the electronic game implement ball, with the associated electronics of the smart device including a processor configured to receive the measured data from the electronics of the electronic game implement.

Claims

1. A system for locating a golf ball comprising:

a golf ball having an outer shell and internal core, with the core containing associated electronics and a battery, wherein the associated electronics of the golf ball comprise a processor and transceiver which are coated with non-conductive graphene and which are configured to measure data including acceleration, speed, travel trajectory and final rest location of the golf ball while also being configured to transmit the measured data via a communications protocol; and

a smart device having associated electronics to communicate with the golf ball, the associated electronics of the smart device comprising a processor configured to receive the measured data from the associated electronics of the golf ball;

wherein the non-conductive graphene coating allows the measured data that is to be transmitted via the communications protocol from the golf ball to the smart device to pass through the non-conductive graphene coating.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the associated electronics of the golf ball further include a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis magnetometer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the outer shell of the golf ball comprises an ionomer resin and the core comprises a polybutadiene polymer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the graphene coated electronics are further provided with an additional moisture resistant coating to prevent water or moisture from contacting the graphene coating or electronics.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the additional coating is a urethane conformal coating.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the ball includes one or more additional layers of the moisture resistant coating or non-conductive graphene coating between the core and outer shell to further protect the core and electronics.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the smart device is a smart phone or smart tablet that includes an app that calculates ball location, ball travel, ball velocity, or ball trajectory from the data provided by the electronics from the ball through the cloud.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the app measures how close the golf ball is to the smart device with different colors used to indicate different distances between the smart device and the ball.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the app uses the color red as an indication of the golf ball is more than 75 feet away, the color yellow as an indication that the ball is within 50 feet, and the color green as an indication that the ball is within 10 feet of the smart device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the golf ball is programmed with algorithms based on Fibonacci sequence, and is configured to measure acceleration of the golf ball by using the algorithms based on the Fibonacci sequence.

11. The ball or sports game implement of claim 1, wherein the non-conductive graphene coating has a thickness of 25 μ

m.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the associated electronics of the golf ball are configured to measure data related to the golf ball on 30 Hz basis.

13. A ball or sports game implement that provides sports related data and that includes associated electronics to measure data related to the playing or the ball or game implement;

wherein the associated electronics of the ball or game implement comprise a processor and transceiver that are coated with non-conductive graphene, the processor and transceiver are configured to measure acceleration of the ball or game implement by using the algorithms while also being configured to transmit the measured acceleration of the ball or game implement via a communications protocol to a smart device, and;

wherein the non-conductive graphene coating allows the measured acceleration that is to be transmitted via the communications protocol from the ball or sports game implement to the smart device to pass through the non-conductive graphene coating.

14. The ball or sports game implement of claim 13, wherein the processor of the ball or sports game implement is programmed with algorithms based on Fibonacci sequence, and is configured to measure acceleration of the ball or sports game implement by using the algorithms based on the Fibonacci sequence.

15. The ball or sports game implement of claim 13, which is a golf ball, baseball, football, basketball, hockey puck, soccer ball, tennis ball, bowling ball, javelin, discuss, shot-put, badminton birdie or arrow.

16. The ball or sports game implement of claim 13, wherein the measured acceleration is transmitted to a smart device having associated electronics to communicate with the ball or sports game implement, the associated electronics of the smart device comprising a processor configured to receive the measured data from the associated electronics of the ball or sports game implement.

17. The ball or sports game implement of claim 13, which includes one or more additional layers of moisture resistant coating or the non-conductive graphene coating upon the non-conductive graphene coating to further protect the electronics.

18. The ball or sports game implement of claim 13, wherein the non-conductive graphene coating has a thickness of 25 μ

m.

19. The ball or sports game implement of claim 13, wherein the processor and transceiver are further configured to measure data including one or all of rotation data, acceleration data, or location data.

20. A ball or sports game implement that provides sports related data and that includes associated electronics to measure data related to the playing or the ball or game implement;

wherein the associated electronics of the ball or game implement comprise a processor and transceiver that are coated with non-conductive graphene, the processor is programmed with algorithms based on Fibonacci sequence and is configured to measure acceleration of the ball or sports game implement by using the algorithms based on the Fibonacci sequence, and the transceiver is configured to transmit the measured acceleration of the ball or game implement via a communications protocol to a smart device, and;

wherein the non-conductive graphene coating allows the measured acceleration that is to be transmitted via the communications protocol from the ball or sports game implement to the smart device to pass through the non-conductive graphene coating.