Anti-Theft Basketball and System

• US 20130293381A1
• Filed: 05/07/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kenneth Cigril Washington
• Original Assignee: Kenneth Cigril Washington
• Inventors: Washington, Kenneth Cigril
• Application Number:
  US13/888,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20130293381A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.6
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0627 when used improperly, e.g. by giving a warning
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/00 Hollow inflatable balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/004 electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00

Abstract

An anti-theft basketball including an identification device that triggers an alert if such basketball passes a boundary including a reader that interrogates the identification device. The basketball incorporates such identification device in a manner that does not affect the integrity, size, shape, or bounce of the basketball, such as on top of, under, or within the cover of the basketball or its inflatable core.

Claims

1. A ball comprising:

a cover;

an inflatable core; and

a wireless identification device that is integrated with the ball in a manner that does not substantially affect the size, weight, and bounce of the ball.

2. The ball of claim 1 wherein the ball is a basketball.

3. The ball of claim 1, wherein the wireless identification device stores data specific to the basketball.

4. The ball of claim 1 wherein the wireless identification device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device that is configured to modulate and demodulate a radio-frequency signal.

5. The ball of claim 4 wherein the RFID device is a passive RFID device.

6. The ball of claim 5 wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of identifying indicia, date of manufacture, date of first use, and designated location.

7. The ball of claim 5 wherein the wireless identification device is configured to transmit the data to a reader.

8. The ball of claim 1 wherein the wireless identification device is affixed to the ball in a location selected from the group consisting of on the cover, within the cover, under the cover, on the core, and within the core.

9. The ball of claim 1, wherein the wireless identification device is configured to be interrogated by a reader that initiates an alert upon such interrogation.

10. A ball loss prevention system comprising:

a ball comprising;

a cover;

an inflatable core; and

a wireless identification device that is integrated with the ball in a manner that does not substantially affect the size, weight, and bounce of the ball; and

a reader that reads data from the wireless identification device;

wherein when the reader reads data from the wireless identification device, the reader initiates an alert.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless identification device stores data specific to the basketball.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the wireless identification device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device that is configured to modulate and demodulate a radio-frequency signal.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the RFID device is a passive RFID device.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of identifying indicia, date of manufacture, date of first use, and designated location.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the wireless identification device is configured to transmit the data to the reader.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the wireless identification device is affixed to the ball in a location selected from the group consisting of on the cover, within the cover, under the cover, on the core, and within the core.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the alert is an audible alarm.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the alert is a notification transmitted to an operator computer.

19. The system of claim 10 wherein the reader is disposed within a security bar.

20. The system of claim 10 wherein the reader is disposed at a location predetermined by an operator as a boundary for which the ball should not pass.