SCREEN BASEBALL GAME APPARATUS WITHOUT TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL LIMITATIONS

• US 20160339316A1
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Realyagu Zone Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Realyagu Zone Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Seung-Jin, KWON, Han-Jo, KIM, Hyoung-Gon
• Granted Patent: US 9,604,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0638 Displaying moving images of recorded environment, e.g. virtual environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0647 Visualisation of executed movements
• 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 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/406 with rotating discs, wheels or pulleys gripping and propelling the balls or bodies by friction
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0616 Means for conducting or scheduling competition, league, tournaments or rankings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball

Abstract

A screen baseball game apparatus without temporal and spatial limitations includes a pitching machine unit pitching a ball according to a pitch type selected by a defense, a batting detection unit detecting batting of a batter, a game management unit registering a user personal bank, periodically checking screen baseball devices, performing a simulation along the trajectory of a batted ball converted from received batting detection data, and outputting simulation information, a game photographing unit photographing batting of a batter, a screen displaying pitching, the simulation information, and the batting image, a screen driving unit receiving the batting image and the simulation information and reproducing them on the screen, a game server matching stores having available screen game devices, a database storing the periodic check data, an available game schedule, the batting image, and game information, and a device control unit receiving the control instruction for integral monitoring and controlling.

Claims

1. A screen baseball game apparatus without temporal and spatial limitations, the screen baseball game apparatus comprising:

a pitching machine unit that pitches a ball according to a pitch type based on pitching information selected by a defense side;

a batting detection unit that, as the pitching is started when a batter in an offense side presses a pitching pedal, detects batting of the batter and outputs batting detection data;

a game management unit that registers a personal bank of a user, periodically checks states of screen baseball devices and whether the screen baseball devices operate normally, receives the batting detection data, converts the batting detection data into a trajectory of a batted ball, performs a simulation along the trajectory of the batted ball, and outputs simulation information;

a game photographing unit that photographs batting of the batter and transmits a batting image to the game management unit;

a screen that displays a pitching motion, the simulation information, and the batting image;

a screen driving unit that receives the batting image and the simulation information and reproduces the batting image and the simulation information on the screen;

a game server that matches stores, which have available game devices among a plurality of stores, with each other, checks states of the screen baseball devices provided in the plurality of stores, and transmits and receives information selected by the user and a control instruction of a manger through the game management unit;

a database that stores periodic check data of the game management unit, stores an available game schedule input through the game management unit in each store to provide the available game schedule to the game server, and stores the batting image and game information data to be utilized for a user training program and a character development program; and

a device control unit that receives the control instruction from the game server to collectively monitor and control the screen baseball devices such that the screen baseball devices process the control instruction,

wherein the batting detection unit comprises;

a plurality of front detection sensors provided in a contact position between both wall surfaces of a ballpark and an extension line of a base, and a front position or a rear position of the contact position to detect coordinate data of the batted ball;

a plurality of plane position sensors provided in left and right batter boxes and a catcher area to detect a strike ball which fails to be batted and a foul ball; and

a camera sensor provided in a home plate to remove a shade from the trajectory of the batted ball and to detect change in a movement direction of the batted ball at a batting pointe.

2. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the screen baseball device comprises an online communication unit that receives the simulation information and batting image data and transmits the simulation information and the batting image data to the game server and the database.

3. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game management unit issues a registration card having the personal rank and member subscription information of the user;

and registers the personal rank through a reader to read the registration card.

4. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game management unit inputs the personal rank and member subscription information of the user using an application of a portable terminal, and registers the personal rank by interworking with the application through a short-range communication function of the portable terminal.

5. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pitch type of the ball to be pitched is selected through a keypad or a joystick to prevent the pitching information from leaking to the offense side.

6. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pitching machine unit comprises:

a pitching input unit that receives pitching data, which includes the pitch type selected by the defense side, and batting information on both the personal rank and a height of the batter in the offense side, through the game management unit;

a pitching data calculation unit that receives the pitching data, generates a pitch value, which is preset, or a pitch value of the pitch type directly input from the pitching input unit, and calculates and outputs data for pitch adjustment and posture adjustment corresponding to a strike zone using the pitch value and the batting information;

a pitch adjustment unit that receives the data for pitch adjustment to control a pitch drive unit such that the pitch type of the ball to be pitched is adjusted;

a posture adjustment unit that receives the data for posture adjustment to control a posture drive unit such that a posture of a pitcher on the screen is adjusted; and

a pitching machine that receives the ball from a ball feeding unit and pitches the ball according to the pitch type and the posture of the pitcher that are adjusted.

7. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pitching machine comprises a plurality of wheels that push the ball by rotating forward, and the pitch type of the ball is determined depending on rotational speeds of the plurality of wheels.

8. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pitching machine unit further comprises an internal memory that previously stores an adjustment value for a specific pitch type of the ball to be pitched by taking into consideration that the pitching machine has a different revolution and a distance between the pitching machine and the batter boxes is varied according to the stores.

9. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in the game management unit, a defensive position is manually adjusted according to at least one of a batter characteristic, a runner situation, and a score situation by the defense side, and a runner motion is manually adjusted according to at least one of the runner situation and the score situation by the offense side.

10. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the screen driving unit comprises:

a projector that displays a broadcasted baseball image to show a motion of a player on the screen; and

an auxiliary projector that displays a surrounding image, which is not viewed on the screen, on a wall surface.

11. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the screen comprises:

a blind installed on a rear surface of the screen to shield rear light to increase clarity of a pitching motion image and a simulation image that are displayed; and

a reflective coating provided on a front surface of the screen to increase brightness of the pitching motion image and the simulation image that are displayed.

12. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game photographing unit comprises a camera mounted on an upper portion of a left wall or a right wall in front of the batter to photograph the batting of the batter and to transmit the batting image of the batter through a stream transmitting unit embedded in the camera, and

wherein the game management unit receives the batting image through a stream receiving unit embedded therein, transmits the batting image to the screen driving unit, and reproduces the batting image on the screen.

13. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 12, wherein the game management unit temporarily stores the batting image, transmits the batting image to the database through the stream receiving unit if necessity, and utilizes the batting image for the user training program and the character development program.

14. The screen baseball game apparatus of claim 2, wherein the online communication unit employs one of wired communication, short-range communication and Internet networks.