Goaltender training apparatus

• US 20040224796A1
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael J. Kudla
• Original Assignee: Michael J. Kudla
• Inventors: Kudla, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,918,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/478
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/14 Lacrosse
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/22 Field hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0024 for hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0026 for ice-hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities

Abstract

A training device for a goaltender employs a plurality of transceivers mounted within a housing that emit beams that are reflected off of cooperative reflectors attached to a goal. The transceivers and reflectors are aligned such that uninterrupted reflected beams are sensed by the emitting transceiver. A visual indication is provided to a goaltender positioned between the goal and the training device whether the goaltender is positioned so as to block shots from a point between the training device and the goal to a plurality of specified areas of the goal so as to provide feedback to the goaltender with respect to goal coverage.

Claims

1. Goaltender training apparatus for providing feedback regarding the positioning of a goaltender between a goal and said training apparatus, said training apparatus comprising;

at least one reflector selectively positioned adjacent said goal;

at least one transceiver spaced from said goal, each of said at least one transceiver being operative in a first state to emit a beam that is directed along a path so as to reflect from a corresponding one of said at least one reflector back to the respective transceiver when said path is uninterrupted and to provide a first output condition in response to receipt of said reflected beam, and wherein said transceiver is operative to provide a second output condition in the event said path is interrupted by said goaltender; and

at least one annunciator associated with each of said at least one transceiver for providing a first indication in response to said first output condition from the respective transceiver and a second indication in response to said second output condition from the respective transceiver, wherein each of said at least one annunciator is responsive to the position of said goaltender at a given time to provide one of said first and second indications.

2. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one transceiver is an optical transceiver and said at least one reflector is an optical reflector.

3. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein said beam is an infrared beam.

4. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one annunciator comprises a visual annunciator.

5. The training apparatus of claim 4 wherein said each said at least one visual annunciator comprises a light.

6. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one transceiver is an ultrasonic transceiver and each of said at least one reflector is an ultrasonic reflector.

7. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein said beam emitted from said at least one transceiver comprises a laser beam.

8. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one reflector is mounted to said goal.

9. The training apparatus of claim 8 wherein said goal includes a pair of vertical goalposts and said at least one reflector is mounted to at least one of said pair of vertical goalposts.

10. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein, said at least one transceiver includes first and second transceivers and said at least one reflector includes first and second reflectors, and

wherein said first transceiver emits a first beam that is reflected from said first reflector back to said first transceiver along a first path when said first path is uninterrupted and said second transceiver emits a second beam that is reflected from said second reflector back to said first transceiver along a second path when said second path is uninterrupted.

11. The training apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first path generally crosses said second path.

12. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein each one of said at least one transceiver includes a tranmitter operative to emit said beam and a receiver operative to detect said emitted beam.

13. The training apparatus of claim 12 wherein said transmitter and receiver of each of said at least one transceiver are separate components.