Computer aided game apparatus
First Claim
1. A system for playing a game on a course, said game having one or more players, said system comprising:
- a portable apparatus, comprising;
a processor;
a memory coupled to said processor;
a display coupled to said processor;
a data input device coupled to said processor;
a geographic information system (GIS) stored in said memory, said GIS representing said course as an electronic map;
a position locator stored in said memory and coupled to said GIS to indicate the position of the player on said electronic map;
a performance database stored in said memory and coupled to said position locator for capturing statistical information from the player and generating recommendations to the player based on said statistical information to optimize the player'"'"'s result; and
a communication port coupled to the processor for sending and receiving the GIS and the performance database to and from the portable apparatus;
a host computer for use at a golf course with the portable apparatus, the host computer comprising;
a second communication port to link the host computer to the portable apparatus; and
a national computer system adapted to communicate with the host computer;
a national GIS residing on said national computer system; and
a national performance database residing on said national computer system,wherein said GIS of said apparatus and said database of said apparatus are adapted to be downloaded via the host computer from said national GIS and said national performance database of the national computer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer aided game apparatus is disclosed for tracking location and distance on a golf course, recommending club selection, recording golfer performance statistics, receiving notification via a pager, and playing infomercials during the course of a golf game. The apparatus has a processor connected to a memory which is suitably supports a geographic information system (GIS), a player performance database, and an infomercial database. The apparatus has a global positioning receiver which operates in conjunction with the GIS for indicating the current position of the golfer. The GPS receiver is connected to the processor which in turn drives a convenient, intuitive touch screen display. The apparatus has a pager which allows for direct contact with the golfer. To support data networking, the microprocessor is also connected to one or more interface ports, including an infra-red port, a parallel port, a serial port, and a PCMCIA port. Through the interface ports, the microprocessor can maintain, update, or back-up data stored in the memory. Typically, data not already present on the memory are downloaded from a central computer before each game is played. At the end of each game, statistics generated during the game are uploaded into the central computer system for archival purposes. As the game progresses, the apparatus of the present invention integrates the distance computation, the recording of the golfer performance, and the suggesting of proper club selection based on distance and past performance. Further, the apparatus of the present invention preserves statistics for each golfer for long term analysis. Additionally, the apparatus of the present invention can also support infomercials from the golf course operators to entertain and educate the golfers while generating supplemental advertising revenues for the course operators.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A system for playing a game on a course, said game having one or more players, said system comprising:
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a portable apparatus, comprising; a processor; a memory coupled to said processor; a display coupled to said processor; a data input device coupled to said processor; a geographic information system (GIS) stored in said memory, said GIS representing said course as an electronic map; a position locator stored in said memory and coupled to said GIS to indicate the position of the player on said electronic map; a performance database stored in said memory and coupled to said position locator for capturing statistical information from the player and generating recommendations to the player based on said statistical information to optimize the player'"'"'s result; and a communication port coupled to the processor for sending and receiving the GIS and the performance database to and from the portable apparatus; a host computer for use at a golf course with the portable apparatus, the host computer comprising; a second communication port to link the host computer to the portable apparatus; and a national computer system adapted to communicate with the host computer; a national GIS residing on said national computer system; and a national performance database residing on said national computer system, wherein said GIS of said apparatus and said database of said apparatus are adapted to be downloaded via the host computer from said national GIS and said national performance database of the national computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for playing a game on a course, said game having one or more players, said apparatus comprising:
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a processor; a memory coupled to said processor; a display coupled to said processor; a data input device coupled to said processor; a geographic information system (GIS) stored in said memory, said GIS representing said course as an electronic map; a position locator stored in said memory and coupled to said GIS to indicate the position of the player on said electronic map; a performance database stored in said memory and coupled to said position locator for capturing statistical information from the player and generating recommendations to the player based on said statistical information to optimize the player'"'"'s result; and a pager, wherein said pager allows messages to be transmitted to said player.
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13. A method of collecting and applying statistical information in a computer-aided-game apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) loading historical information from a host computer; (b) collecting statistical information from said golfer; (c) receiving positional data from a GPS receiver; (d) processing said positional data and said statistical information from said golfer with said historical information from said host computer; (e) providing analysis to said golfer and host computer; wherein said loading historical data comprises the step of downloading historical data from a national database. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification