Basketball sensing apparatus

• US 9,623,311 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Thurman, Robert T., Krysiak, Kevin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leichliter, Chase
• Application Number:
  US14/204,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 473415
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/182 Softball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/64 Frequency, e.g. of vibration oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/72 Temperature
• 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 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 : Football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 : Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0066 : Rugby; American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 : American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0095 : Volleyball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 : Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0084 : Exercising apparatus with means for competitions, e.g. virtual races
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/02 : Bladders
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 : Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 : with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 : Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 67/002 : Games using balls, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 : for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 : Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 : Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 : with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 : using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

An apparatus including a data acquisition device, a processing unit, a memory and an output device. The data acquisition device obtains at least one attribute of a shot of a basketball towards a basket. The at least one attribute is sensed by at least one sensor carried by the basketball or derived from signal output by the at least one sensor. The memory contains instructions to direct the processing unit to determine whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot by comparing the at least one attribute of the shot to one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket, and to present on the output device to a person an output based on the determination of whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot, and other information regarding the shot.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a data acquisition device to obtain at least one attribute of a shot of a basketball towards a basket, the at least one attribute comprising an acceleration trace of the basketball as sensed by at least one sensor carried by the basketball;

a processing unit;

an output device; and

a memory containing instructions to direct the processing unit to determine whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot by comparing the acceleration trace to one or more predetermined signature acceleration traces of a made basket, and to present on the output device to a person an output based on the determination of whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot, and other information regarding the shot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the other information comprises information from a plurality of shots by the person.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the other information includes a shooting percentage.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises instructions for directing the processing unit to present a graphical representation on the output device, and wherein the graphical representation comprises a diagram of at least a portion of a basketball court and a representation of shooting percentages from different locations on the basketball court.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the graphical representation further comprises an indication of a number of shot attempts from different locations on the basketball court.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the graphical representation comprises a heat map of made and missed shots on the basketball court.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the heat map includes colors that vary depending upon the shooting percentage of the person at the different locations on the basketball court.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprise instructions for directing the processing unit to present a statistical comparison on the output device indicating differences of at least one of shot release speed, launch angle, shot direction, and spin for made shots and missed shots.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises instructions for directing the processing unit to track shooting percentages, to compare the tracked shooting percentages with corresponding shooting percentages of a celebrity basketball player and to output the comparison on the output device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises instructions for directing the processing unit to present at least one of audio and video of a celebrity basketball player.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one audio and video of the celebrity basketball player comprises at least one of training or shooting recommendations.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprise instructions for directing the processing unit to share shooting results to a social media forum.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises instructions for directing the processing unit to track shooting percentages, to compare the tracked shooting percentages with corresponding shooting percentages of another person and to output the comparison on the output device.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition device, processing unit, the memory and the output device are part of a phone.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition device, processing unit and memory are part of a basketball.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a made shot signature storage containing the one or more predetermined signature characteristics of the made shot.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output device is part of a portable electronic device, and wherein the made shot signature storage is remote from the portable electronic device.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the made shot signature storage is part of a portable electronic device including the output device.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit and the memory containing instructions to direct the processing unit to determine whether the shot is a made basket are remote from the portable electronic device and are in communication with the portable electronic device across a network.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory contains instructions to direct the processor to determine a type of the shot that is a made basket based upon the at least one attribute of the shot and to store the determined type of the shot.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute sensed by the at least one sensor carried by the basketball or derived from signal output by the at least one sensor comprises acceleration of the basketball during engagement of the basketball with at least one of a rim, a net and a backboard and wherein the instructions direct the processing unit to determine a type of made shot made shot selected from a group of shots consisting of a swish shot, a bank shot, a bank plus rim shot or a rim shot.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a data acquisition device to obtain at least one attribute of a shot of a basketball towards a basket, the at least one attribute being sensed by at least one sensor carried by the basketball or derived from signal output by the at least one sensor;

a processing unit;

an output device; and

a memory containing instructions to direct the processing unit to determine whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot by comparing the at least one attribute of the shot to one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket, and to present on the output device to a person an output based on the determination of whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot, and other information regarding the shot, wherein the memory comprises instructions for directing the processing unit to present a graphical representation on the output device, wherein the graphical representation comprises a diagram of at least a portion of a basketball court and a representation of shooting percentages from different locations on the basketball court, and wherein the graphical representation comprises a heat map of made and missed shots on the basketball court.