Baseball scorekeeper

• US 6,041,266 A
• Filed: 01/14/1992
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chad Nickerson, Jamie Sherffius
• Original Assignee: Danny L. Nickerson
• Inventors: Nickerson, Danny L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US07/820,261
• Time in Patent Office: 2,989 Days
• Field of Search: 364/411, 364/410, 364/412, 364/709.01, 340/323 R, 273/25, 273/26, 273/27, 273/28, 273/433, 273/88, 273/148 R, 273/451, 700/91, 700/92, 463/3, 463/25
• US Class Current: 700/92
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/182 Softball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/025 adapted to a specific application

Abstract

An electronic automated scorekeeper for calculation and recordation of athletic contest statistics. An operator enters data into the device via a keyboard with a plurality of specialized keys. One set of the keys located on a graphic of the playing field, corresponds to the positions of the players in the contest, such as the field positions of baseball players. Another set of the keys is dedicated to one step entry of common events during the contest. Other keys provide control functions and alpha-numeric entry. At the start of the contest, the operator enters data about the players and the teams. As the contest is contested, the operator enters events as they occur. The automated scorekeeper records the data entered and calculates the progress of the game and the player statistics as they occur. The device provides for a printed output of the game in progress, for periodic statistical summaries and for a final game and player statistical output.

Claims

1. An electronic baseball scorekeeper, for keeping the score of a real baseball game played by real players on a field, comprising:

a plurality of field position manually operable elements each of which elements is dedicated to a given field position,

a plurality of event manually operable elements each of which elements is dedicated to a single type of game event;

a plurality of manually operable alphabet elements for entry of a list of player names by operating different ones of said alphabet elements for the different letters of the alphabet, respectively, that are entered;

storage means for storing said list of player names, events and statistics;

display means for display of events, said list of player names and statistics,

processor means, including said storage means, and having a first mode for accepting said list of player names from said alphabet elements, a second mode for providing said list to said display, a third mode for entering data from said field position elements and said event elements into said processor means, a fourth mode for calculating statistics including the score and a fifth mode for providing statistical information to said display,

said processor means advancing from player to player on said list as necessary to cause at least a part of said event data and at least a part of said field position data to be provided to said processor means as related to the proper player on said list.

2. The scorekeeper of claim 1, wherein said processor means includes means, which during said third mode, enters into said processor means data, resulting from manual operation of said alphabet elements during said third mode, as event data,

said processor means and said display means cooperating to display the information entered into said processor means by the event elements, the player position elements and the alphabet elements, during said third mode, along with the name of a player.

3. The scorekeeper of claim 2, wherein at least some of said players come up to bat,

said processor means including means for associating the name of a player who was at bat with the event data that was entered by said alphabet elements, said event elements and said player position elements, during the player'"'"'s time at bat.

4. The scorekeeper of claim 3, said processor means further including:

means for maintaining current game, team and player status;

means for counting the number of occurrences of at least one of said events;

means for comparing said number to a predetermined count; and

means for updating said game, team and player status dependant upon said comparison.

5. The scorekeeper of claim 4, wherein:

said means for counting includes means for tracking the ball/strike count of a current batter;

said means for comparing including means for determining if said batter strikes out or walks; and

said means for updating including means for advancing the player rotation and team rotation upon accumulation of sufficient balls, strikes or outs.

6. The scorekeeper of claim 3, said processor further including:

means for maintaining current game, team and player status;

means for recognizing specific game events; and

means for updating said game, team player status dependant upon said recognition.

7. The scorekeeper of claim 6, wherein:

said events include hits; and

said means for updating includes means for advancing the player rotation after a hit.

8. An electronic baseball scorekeeper as defined in claim 1 including, first and second control elements for the two teams respectively,

a display,

said processor means including means which during the progress of the game will display information on said display about one team when said first control element is operated and will display information on said display about the other team when said second control element is operated.

9. A device according to claim 1, in which said event manually operable elements include two manually operable elements for entering balls and strikes respectively, and said manually operable elements that are dedicated to player position comprising manually operable elements representing the positions of infielders and outfielders.

10. A device as defined by claim 1, comprising:

said device having a face that has a simulated baseball field on said face,

said elements that are dedicated to player positions being positioned on said field.

11. An electronic baseball scorekeeper for keeping statistical information on a real baseball game that progresses through plural half innings and that has real players of two real teams playing on a real baseball field with at least some of the players coming up to bat and while at bat one or more events happen, comprising:

processor means including memory means,

said scorekeeper having a player entry mode during which the players names may be entered into said processor means, a game mode for entering into said processor means event data representing said events that occur while batters are at bat and a substitute player entry mode,

user operable means for entering the names of the players of the two teams into said processor means when said scorekeeper is in said player entry mode comprising a first set of manually operable elements for respectively entering the separate letters of the names of the players into said processor means,

said user operable means including means for entering event data into said processor means when the scorekeeper is in said game mode comprising a second set of manually operable elements;

said first and second sets of manually operable elements, when the scorekeeper is in the game mode, comprising said means for entering event data into said processor means,

said user operable means including program means (a) for switching the scorekeeper from the player entry mode to the game mode (b) for entering, into said processor means, event data that occurs while any given player is at bat, and (c) for suspending the game mode and switching to the substitute player entry mode for the entry into said processor means the name of a substitute player,

said processor means including means (a) for associating event data entered in said processor means with the name of the player who was at bat at the time that the event occurred, and (b) for providing statistics including the score of the game based on the event data entered during the game mode, and

means for giving a visual indication of data in said processor means.

12. A device as defined in claim 11, in which said user operable means comprises means (1) for entering the identification of a first fielder who threw the ball to a second fielder to make an out, along with the identification of said second fielder, and (2) for also entering runs, hits, errors and outs.

13. An electronic baseball scorekeeper as defined in claim 11, in which said program means switches the scorekeeper from the player entry mode to the game mode when the first event of the game is entered into said processor means.

14. An electronic baseball scorekeeper as defined in claim 13, in which said user operable means comprises key means and said second set of manually operable elements is a set of event keys,

said processor means comprising means which in response to user selection of an event key processes data subsequently entered on said key means as event data.

15. A device for statistical record keeping of a sporting athletic contest involving real baseball players that come up to bat and move on a field of play according to the rules of baseball, there being a plurality of player positions on said field, there being various types of events that may occur while any given player is at bat, the device comprising:

data processing means including a central processing means and an associated memory,

user entry means for entering a list of the names of said players into said data processing means and including (a) first manually operable elements for entering into said data processing means, data representing an identification of at least some of the events that occur while any given player is at bat, and (b) second manually operable elements, each element of which is dedicated to one of said player positions and is connected to said data processing means for the entry of data;

said user entry means and said data processing means associating, in said memory, the name of the given player with the data entered by both of said first and second manually operable elements with respect to the events that occurred while such given player was at bat, and

display means connected to said data processing means for selective display of data in said data processing means.

16. A device as defined in claim 15, in which said device has a player entry mode in which the names of the players may be entered into said data processing means and a game mode during which the data relating to events may be entered into said data processing means,

said first manually operable elements comprising means for entering the names of the players during the player entry mode and for entering data relating to said events during the game mode.

17. A device as defined in claim 15, in which there are manually operable elements each of which is dedicated to a single type of game event.

18. A device as defined in claim 15, in which said device has a player entry mode in which the names of the players may be entered in the data processing means and a game mode during which said data relating to events may be entered into said data processing means,

said first manually operable elements comprising two groups of manually operable elements, the first of which groups comprising means for entering player names in said data processing means during the player entry mode and entering event data during the game mode, and the second group comprising elements each of which is dedicated to a single type of game event.