Personal golfing assistant and method and system for graphically displaying golf related information and for collection, processing and distribution of golf related data

• US 20070087866A1
• Filed: 10/03/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dallas Nash, James Meadows, Richard Edmonson, Richard Root
• Original Assignee: Dallas Nash, James Meadows, Richard Edmonson, Richard Root
• Inventors: Root, Richard, Edmonson, Richard, Meadows, James, Nash, Dallas
• Granted Patent: US 8,221,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/409
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0691 Maps, e.g. yardage maps or electronic maps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/14 Geo-tagging, e.g. for correlating route or track location data with specific information related to that specific location
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/76 Wind conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• 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 69/3605 Golf club selection aids informing player of his average or expected shot distance for each club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0669 Score-keepers or score display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning

Abstract

A personal golfing assistant system is comprised of software running on a PDA attached directly or remotely to a GPS receiver that enables the user to survey and/or electronically capture geophysical golf data. A handheld device connected to or integrated with a GPS receiver can instead be used. Software allows a golfer to use a handheld PDA/GPS unit during the course of play to mark a ball location automatically and/or determine the distance to golf course targets and/or objects, and to analyze golf related data and generate statistics. The system can send a set of parameters tailored for a specific course to a real time tunable GPS to adjust for optimal performance and can adjust measurements to compensate for environmental condition changes. The system provides an improved graphical method for measuring and displaying distances between a golfer and a golf course object, for displaying multiple measured distances along a line of sight between a golfer and a golf object or target, and for orienting a target or object on a display to coincide with a user'"'"'s line of sight. There is also provided a method for collecting and uploading golf course geographic information services (GIS) data to an internet accessible server, processing the uploaded data, distributing data upon an authorized user request, and downloading the requested data to an electronic device.

Claims

1-116. -116. (canceled)

117. A method of automatically identifying a handheld device using a unique identification number comprising the steps of:

storing said unique identification number in a memory of said handheld device;

retrieving said unique identification number from said memory of said handheld device, when logging into a web site; and

permitting user access, via said handheld device, to an area of said web site in response to said unique identification number retrieved from said memory of said handheld device.

118. The method of claim 117, wherein said area accessed comprises golf course data available for downloading based on a purchase or a subscription associated with said unique identification number.

119. The method of claim 117, wherein said area accessed comprises golf course information previously recorded and uploaded to said web site by a user.

120. The method of claim 117, wherein said area accessed comprises at least one folder area containing course information downloadable to said handheld device.

121. The method of claim 117, wherein said area accessed comprises user preferred settings for said handheld device.

122. The method of claim 118, wherein golf course data to be downloaded is encrypted using a key for said unique identification number based on a static key.

123. The method of claim 118, wherein golf course data to be downloaded is encrypted using a key for said unique identification number based on a rotating key.

124. The method of claim 117, wherein one or more screens associated with said unique identification number are displayed on said handheld device.

125. The method of claim 124, wherein said one or more displayed screens comprise one or more advertising screens associated with a group of unique identification numbers.

126. The method of claim 124, wherein said one or more displayed screens comprise a sponsor screen associated with a group of unique identification numbers.

127. The method of claim 124, wherein said one or more displayed screens comprise a personal startup screen corresponding to said unique identification number.

128. The method of claim 117, wherein at least one security protocol is invoked based on said unique identification number.

129. The method of claim 128, where said security protocol invoke disables or reduces a functionality of the handheld device.

130. The method of claim 117, further comprising the step of automatically updating a current application software on said handheld device based on said handheld device reporting, upon connection to said web site, said current application software version running on said handheld device, and said web site downloading a selected application software update from a file storage area on said web site.

131. The method of claim 130, wherein said application software update is associated with said unique identification number of said handheld device.

132. The method of claim 130, wherein said application software update is associated with a group of unique identification numbers.

133. The method of claim 117, whereby updated real-time data residing in a web site server database is streamed to said handheld device or a group of handheld devices.

134. The method of claim 117 whereby data is streamed in real-time from said handheld device to said web site and associated with said unique identification number of said handheld device.

135-137. -137. (canceled)

138. An integrated handheld apparatus for graphically displaying an object on a golf course to a golfer comprising:

a computing device;

a location measuring device connected to said computing device;

an apparatus display connected to said computing device;

said location measuring device adapted to produce measured location information corresponding to a location of said location measuring device; and

wherein said measured location information is used to display a representation of said object on said apparatus display, as viewed from above said object, and said representation automatically rotates to orient said representation to coincide with said golfer'"'"'s line of sight to said object.

139. The apparatus of claim 138 wherein said object is a green, a movable cross hair is displayed on said apparatus display and the distance between said handheld apparatus and the apparent position of the crosshair relative to said green is computed and displayed.

140. The apparatus of claim 139 wherein said cross hair is displayed so that a portion thereof intersects the boundary of said displayed green at an intersection point and wherein the distance between said handheld apparatus and the apparent position of said intersection point relative to said green is computed and displayed.

141. The apparatus of claim 140 where said cross hair is displayed so that one or more portions thereof intersect the boundary of said displayed green at two intersection points and wherein the distance between said handheld apparatus and the apparent position of each of said two intersection points relative to said green are computed and displayed.