Intelligent System To Indicate Appropriate Trajectories in Cue Sports

• US 20100178994A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Do, Lydia Mai, Nesbitt, Pamela Ann
• Granted Patent: US 8,246,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/2
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 15/006 Training or aiming arrangements on billiard tables

Abstract

A game manager receives a request from a user to play a cue sport, which includes a table and a plurality of balls. The game manager retrieves user attributes corresponding to the user that include a user skill level. Next, the game manager detects ball locations for each of the plurality of balls, and determines one or more beginning shot opportunities based upon the user skill level and the plurality of ball locations. In turn, the game manager provides the beginning shot opportunities to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request from a user to play a cue sport that includes a table and a plurality of balls;

retrieving user attributes that correspond to the user;

detecting, for the plurality of balls, a plurality of ball locations on the table;

determining one or more beginning shot opportunities based upon the user attributes and the plurality of ball locations; and

providing the one or more beginning shot opportunities to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a first beginning shot opportunity and a second beginning shot opportunity, wherein the first beginning shot opportunity corresponds to a cue ball and a first ball, and wherein the second beginning shot opportunity corresponds to the cue ball and a second ball;

determining that the first beginning shot opportunity has a higher probability of success based upon a user skill level included in the user attributes; and

highlighting the first beginning shot opportunity over the second beginning shot opportunity in response to determining that the first beginning shot opportunity has a higher probability of success based upon the user skill level.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

detecting a shot type of the first beginning shot opportunity based upon the plurality of ball locations;

computing a shot success probability for the first beginning shot opportunity based upon the shot type and a ball pocketing success rate for the user corresponding to the shot type; and

utilizing the computed shot success probability during the determination that the first beginning shot opportunity has the higher probability of success based upon the user skill level.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein physical attributes are utilized during the determination of the one or more beginning shot opportunities, wherein at least one of the physical attributes is selected from the group consisting of a user height, a user physical handicap, and a user handedness.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a first set of shot opportunities that includes a first beginning shot and one or more subsequent first set shot opportunities;

identifying a second set of shot opportunities that includes a second beginning shot and one or more subsequent second set shot opportunities;

determining that the first set of shot opportunities results in a higher net ball pocketing than the second set of shot opportunities; and

highlighting the first set of shot opportunities over the second set of shot opportunities in response to determining that the first set of shot opportunities results in the higher net ball pocketing than the second set of shot opportunities.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

computing a historical shot accuracy by tracking a ball pocketing success rate for one or more shot types; and

adjusting a user skill level included in the user attributes based upon the historical shot accuracy.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein equipment attributes are utilized during the determination of the one or more beginning shot opportunities, wherein at least one of the equipment attributes is selected from the group consisting of stick attributes and table attributes.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein environmental attributes are utilized during the determination of the one or more beginning shot opportunities, wherein at least one of the environmental attributes is selected from the group consisting of location surroundings, atmospheric quality, and emotional status.

9. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by at least one of the processors;

a nonvolatile storage area accessible by at least one of the processors;

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

receiving a request from a user to play a cue sport that includes a table and a plurality of balls;

retrieving user attributes that correspond to the user;

detecting, for the plurality of balls, a plurality of ball locations on the table;

determining one or more beginning shot opportunities based upon the user attributes and the plurality of ball locations; and

providing the one or more beginning shot opportunities to the user.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

identifying a first beginning shot opportunity and a second beginning shot opportunity, wherein the first beginning shot opportunity corresponds to a cue ball and a first ball, and wherein the second beginning shot opportunity corresponds to the cue ball and a second ball;

determining that the first beginning shot opportunity has a higher probability of success based upon a user skill level included in the user attributes; and

highlighting the first beginning shot opportunity over the second beginning shot opportunity in response to determining that the first beginning shot opportunity has a higher probability of success based upon the user skill level.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

detecting a shot type of the first beginning shot opportunity based upon the plurality of ball locations;

computing a shot success probability for the first beginning shot opportunity based upon the shot type and a ball pocketing success rate for the user corresponding to the shot type; and

utilizing the computed shot success probability during the determination that the first beginning shot opportunity has the higher probability of success based upon the user skill level.

12. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein physical attributes are utilized during the determination of the one or more beginning shot opportunities, wherein at least one of the physical attributes is selected from the group consisting of a user height, a user physical handicap, and a user handedness.

13. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

identifying a first set of shot opportunities that includes a first beginning shot and one or more subsequent first set shot opportunities;

identifying a second set of shot opportunities that includes a second beginning shot and one or more subsequent second set shot opportunities;

determining that the first set of shot opportunities results in a higher net ball pocketing than the second set of shot opportunities; and

highlighting the first set of shot opportunities over the second set of shot opportunities in response to determining that the first set of shot opportunities results in the higher net ball pocketing than the second set of shot opportunities.

14. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

computing a historical shot accuracy by tracking a ball pocketing success rate for one or more shot types; and

adjusting a user skill level included in the user attributes based upon the historical shot accuracy.

15. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

receiving a request from a user to play a cue sport that includes a table and a plurality of balls;

retrieving user attributes that correspond to the user;

detecting, for the plurality of balls, a plurality of ball locations on the table;

determining one or more beginning shot opportunities based upon the user attributes and the plurality of ball locations; and

providing the one or more beginning shot opportunities to the user.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

identifying a first beginning shot opportunity and a second beginning shot opportunity, wherein the first beginning shot opportunity corresponds to a cue ball and a first ball, and wherein the second beginning shot opportunity corresponds to the cue ball and a second ball;

determining that the first beginning shot opportunity has a higher probability of success based upon a user skill level included in the user attributes; and

highlighting the first beginning shot opportunity over the second beginning shot opportunity in response to determining that the first beginning shot opportunity has a higher probability of success based upon the user skill level.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

detecting a shot type of the first beginning shot opportunity based upon the plurality of ball locations;

computing a shot success probability for the first beginning shot opportunity based upon the shot type and a ball pocketing success rate for the user corresponding to the shot type; and

utilizing the computed shot success probability during the determination that the first beginning shot opportunity has the higher probability of success based upon the user skill level.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein physical attributes are utilized during the determination of the one or more beginning shot opportunities, wherein at least one of the physical attributes is selected from the group consisting of a user height, a user physical handicap, and a user handedness.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

identifying a first set of shot opportunities that includes a first beginning shot and one or more subsequent first set shot opportunities;

identifying a second set of shot opportunities that includes a second beginning shot and one or more subsequent second set shot opportunities;

determining that the first set of shot opportunities results in a higher net ball pocketing than the second set of shot opportunities; and

highlighting the first set of shot opportunities over the second set of shot opportunities in response to determining that the first set of shot opportunities results in the higher net ball pocketing than the second set of shot opportunities.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information handling system further performs actions that include:

computing a historical shot accuracy by tracking a ball pocketing success rate for one or more shot types; and

adjusting a user skill level included in the user attributes based upon the historical shot accuracy.