Training system and method

• US 20150051024A1
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Churchman
• Original Assignee: David Churchman
• Inventors: Churchman, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,586,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/438
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0433 Detecting, signalling or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0627 when used improperly, e.g. by giving a warning
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/16 Angular positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/00 Training appliances or apparatus for special sports training of parachutists B64D23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of an American-style football quarterback training device and method. Goals associated with the disclosed system include training a quarterback to not telegraph passes and to look in a direction opposite to where the ball is about to be thrown. The disclosed device comprises a sensor that is mountable on desired headgear, for example a football helmet, and is useful for detecting lateral head position and lateral head movement, a processor for processing data associated with the lateral head position and for processing data associated with lateral head movement, a user interface, a memory storage device, and optionally a timer, each of which are in communication with the processor and sensor. The lateral head position a quarterback can be monitored and data can be captured and processed relative to when the quarterback'"'"'s head moves outside of an acceptable threshold range of acceptable lateral head positions. In some embodiments, users may be notified through one or more alarms if the quarterback'"'"'s head moves outside of the acceptable threshold range of acceptable lateral head positions.

Claims

1. A method carried out with respect to a device for training a quarterback in the game of American Football, the device comprising a sensor for detecting lateral head position and lateral head movement, the sensor mountable on a headgear and communicably coupled to a processor for processing data associated with the lateral head position and data associated with lateral head movement, the processor communicably coupled to a user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a first play design, said first play design having a first direction for a pass to be thrown;

communicating the first play design to a user;

communicating the first play design to the device;

establishing a first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions based on the first play design;

detecting with the device, a first lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the first lateral head position and determining that the first lateral head position does not exceed the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

detecting with the device, data indicating lateral head movement resulting in a second lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the second lateral head position and determining that the second lateral head position exceeds the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

communicating with the device, a message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is exceeded.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first play design further comprises at least one of a first offensive formation, and a first distance for the pass to be thrown.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of inputting one or more desired levels of difficulty, and wherein the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is also based level of difficulty.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing in a memory storage device, at least one of the first play design, the data associated with the first lateral head position, the data associated with the second lateral head position, and data indicating that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is exceeded.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second play design, said second play design having a second direction for a pass to be thrown;

communicating the second play design to a user;

communicating the second play design to the device;

establishing a second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions based on the second play design;

detecting with the device, a third lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the third lateral head position and determining that the third lateral head position does not exceed the second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

detecting with the device, data indicating lateral head movement resulting in a fourth lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the fourth lateral head position and determining that the fourth lateral head position exceeds the second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions; and

communicating with the device, a message indicative that the second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is exceeded.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a timer, and the method further comprises the steps of:

setting the timer for a first time period, the first time period defined as a duration that the device will actively detect lateral head position;

starting the timer for the first time period; and

stopping the timer concurrently with when the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is exceeded.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first play design and the second play design are the same.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

selecting a second play design, said second play design having a second direction for a pass to be thrown;

communicating the second play design to a user;

communicating the second play design to the device;

setting the timer for a subsequent time period, the subsequent time period defined as a length of time that the device will actively detect lateral head position;

establishing a second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions based on the second play design;

starting the timer;

detecting with the device, a third lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the third lateral head position and determining that the third lateral head position does not exceed the second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

detecting with the device, a fourth lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the fourth lateral head position and determining that the fourth lateral head position does not exceed the second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

stopping detection of lateral head movement with the device concurrently with expiration of the subsequent time period; and

communicating with the device, a message indicative that the second threshold range of allowable lateral head positions was not exceeded during the subsequent time period.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is exceeded is communicated to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a communication means capable of communicating messages to a quarterback and wherein the message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is exceeded is communicated to the quarterback.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a communication means capable of communicating messages to a quarterback and wherein the first play design is communicated to the quarterback.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a hand-held computer, smartphone, or tablet, allowing a user to perform the step of communicating the first play design to the device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication means capable of communicating messages to the quarterback is an audible alarm, a flashing light, or a static light.

14. A method carried out with respect to a device for training a quarterback in the game of American-style football, the device comprising a sensor for detecting lateral head position and lateral head movement, the sensor mountable on a headgear and communicably coupled to a processor for processing data associated with the lateral head position and data associated with lateral head movement, the processor communicably coupled to a user interface and a timer, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a first play design, said first play design having a first direction for a pass to be thrown;

communicating the first play design to a user;

communicating the first play design to the device;

setting the timer for a first time period, the first time period defined as a duration that the device will actively detect lateral head position;

establishing a first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions based on the first play design;

starting the timer;

detecting with the device, a first lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the first lateral head position and determining that the first lateral head position does not exceed the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

detecting with the device, a second lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the second lateral head position and determining that the second lateral head position does not exceed the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

stopping detection of lateral head movement with the device concurrently with expiration of the first time period; and

communicating with the device, a message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions was not exceeded during the first time period.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first time period is less than about three seconds.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the timer is started concurrently with a football being snapped to the quarterback.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first play design further comprises at least one of a first offensive formation, and a first distance for the pass to be thrown.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of inputting one or more desired levels of difficulty, and wherein the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is also based level of difficulty.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface comprises a hand-held computer, smartphone, or tablet allowing a user to perform the step of communicating the first play design to the device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of starting the timer is completed by a coach through the user interface.

21. A method carried out with respect to a device for training a quarterback in the game of American Football, the device comprising a sensor for detecting lateral head position and lateral head movement, the sensor mountable on headgear and communicably coupled to a processor for processing data associated with the lateral head position and data associated with lateral head movement, the processor communicably coupled to a user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a first play design, said first play design having a first direction for a pass to be thrown;

communicating the first play design to a user;

communicating the first play design to the device;

establishing a first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions based on the first play design;

monitoring lateral head position with the device;

processing with the device, data associated with the monitored lateral head position and comparing the data associated with the monitored lateral head position with the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions; and

recording data indicative of a result of the comparison of the data associated with the monitored lateral head position with the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions in a memory storage unit.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of:

failing to detect lateral head position outside the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions; and

communicating with the device, a message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions was not exceeded.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of:

detecting a first lateral head position outside the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

communicating with the device, a message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions was exceeded.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the device further comprises a timer communicably coupled to the processor and the method further comprises the steps of:

setting the timer for a first time period, the first time period defined as a duration that the device will actively detect lateral head position;

starting the timer;

failing to detect lateral head position outside the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions;

stopping detection of lateral head movement with the device concurrently with expiration of the first time period; and

wherein the data indicative of the result of the comparison of the data associated with the monitored lateral head position with the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions comprises data indicative of the failure to detect lateral head position outside the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of communicating with the device, a message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions was not exceeded during the first time period.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of monitoring lateral head position with the device includes detecting with the device, a first lateral head position,

wherein the step of processing with the device, data associated with the monitored lateral head position, includes processing with the device, data associated with the first lateral head position,

wherein the step of comparing the data associated with the monitored lateral head position with the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions includes comparing the first lateral head position to the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions, and wherein recording data indicative of the result of the comparison of the data associated with the monitored lateral head position with the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions in a memory storage unit includes recording a result of the comparison of the first lateral head position to the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions in the memory storage unit;

and further comprising the step of;

detecting with the device, a subsequent lateral head position;

processing with the device, data associated with the subsequent lateral head position, comparing the subsequent lateral head position to the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions, and recording a subsequent result in the memory storage unit;

stopping detection of lateral head movement;

communicating with the device, recorded data indicative of whether the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions is exceeded.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of manipulating the recorded data for statistical purposes.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the device comprises a communication means capable of communicating messages to a quarterback, and wherein the message indicative that the first threshold range of allowable lateral head positions was exceeded is communicated to the quarterback.