Basketball shot determination system

• US 9,656,142 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US14/204,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 473415
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• 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 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• 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 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• 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 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: G09B 19/0038 : Sports

Abstract

A basketball shot determination system for use with a basket and a portable electronic device including a processing unit, a memory and an output device, the system includes a basketball, at least one sensor carried by the basketball, and a non-transient computer-readable medium. The medium contains code to direct the processor to obtain at least one attribute of a shot of the basketball towards the basket. The at least one attribute being sensed by the at least one sensor or derived from signal output by the at least one sensor. The code also directs the processor to determine whether the shot is a made basket by comparing the at least one attribute of the shot to one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket, and to present output to a person based on the determination of whether the shot is a made basket.

Claims

1. A basketball shot determination system for use with a basket and a portable electronic device including a processing unit, a memory and an output device, the system comprising:

a basketball;

at least one sensor carried by the basketball, the at least one sensor comprising an accelerometer;

a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code to direct the processor to;

obtain at least one attribute of a shot of the basketball towards the basket, the at least one attribute being sensed by the accelerometer or derived from signal output by the accelerometer;

determine whether the shot is a made basket by comparing the at least one attribute of the shot sensed or derived from signals output by the accelerometer to one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket shot or a missed basket shot;

present output to a person based on the determination of whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot; and

calibrate and establish a directional coordinate system for the basket.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a data acquisition device for receiving signals from the at least one sensor relating to the at least one attribute of the shot of the basketball towards the basket.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the code includes instructions to direct the processing unit to identify one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket shot based upon signals received from the at least one sensor carried by the basketball during at least one made basket calibration shot.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one made basket calibration shot comprises at least one of a made bank shot, a made swish shot and a made rim shot.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one signature characteristic of a made basket shot comprises at least one sensed characteristic of the basketball sensed by the at least one sensor during a period of time consisting of a time that begins while the basketball is passing through a net of the basket.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one signature characteristic of a made basket shot comprises a characteristic of the basketball sensed by the at least one sensor as the basketball passes through a net of the basket.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one signature characteristic of a made basket shot comprises a sensed characteristic of the basketball sensed by the at least one sensor as the basketball passes through a lower half of the net.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one signature characteristic of a made basket shot comprises a characteristic of the basketball sensed by the at least on sensor as the basketball travels from the net to the ground.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one signature characteristic of a made basket shot comprises a plurality of sensed characteristics of the basketball in combination during the made basket shot.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensed characteristics of the basketball in combination comprises at least one of a spin of the basketball, a maximum height of a parabolic path of the basketball, a velocity of the basketball, and a distance traveled by the basketball until encountering resistance.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensed characteristics of the basketball during the made basket shot further comprises a sensed vibration of the basketball corresponding to impact of the basketball with a backboard of the basket.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensed characteristics of the basketball during the made basket shot further comprises a sensed vibration of the basketball corresponding to impact of the basketball with a rim of the basket.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of sensed characteristic of the basketball during the made basket shot further comprises a spin of the basketball during the made basket shot.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensed characteristics of the basketball during the made basket shot comprises a sensed vibration of the basketball corresponding to impact of the basketball with a rim of the basket.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of sensed characteristics of the basketball during the made basket shot further comprises a spin of the basketball during the made basket shot.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket shot comprises at least one characteristic of the made basket as a function of time.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to calibrate and establish directional coordinate system for the basket comprise instructions to calibrate and establish a baseline for an earth compass direction of the basket with respect to the basketball using a magnetometer carried by the basketball.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions prompt a person to move the basketball in a direction of the basket from a free-throw line perpendicular to the free-throw line as part of establishing the directional coordinate system.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions prompt a user to input values as to a location of a current location the basketball with respect to a location of the basket.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions direct the processing unit to utilize a localized magnetic field in a basketball court containing the basket to calibrate and establish a directional coordinate system for the basket.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions direct the processing unit to utilize a global positioning system to calibrate and establish a directional coordinate system for the basket.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the code includes 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.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the graphical representation further comprises an indication of a number of shot attempts from different locations on the basketball court.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the graphical representation comprises a heat map of made and missed shots on the basketball court.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the heat map includes colors that vary depending upon the shooting percentage of the person at the different locations on the basketball court.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions prompt a person to move the basketball in a direction of the basket from a free-throw line perpendicular to the free-throw line as part of establishing the directional coordinate system.

26. A basketball shot determination system for use with a basket and a portable electronic device including a processing unit, a memory and an output device, the system comprising:

a basketball;

at least one sensor carried by the basketball;

a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code to direct the processor to;

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

determine whether the shot is a made basket by comparing the at least one attribute of the shot to one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket shot or a missed basket shot; and

present output to a person based on the determination of whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot, wherein the code includes instructions to direct the processing unit to calibrate and establish a directional coordinate system for the basket.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the instructions to calibrate and establish directional coordinate system for the basket comprise instructions to calibrate and establish a baseline for an earth compass direction of the basket with respect to the basketball using a magnetometer carried by the basketball.

29. A basketball shot determination system for use with a basket and a portable electronic device including a processing unit, a memory and an output device, the system comprising:

a basketball;

at least one sensor carried by the basketball;

a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code to direct the processor to;

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

determine whether the shot is a made basket by comparing the at least one attribute of the shot to one or more predetermined signature characteristics of a made basket shot or a missed basket shot; and

present output to a person based on the determination of whether the shot is a made basket shot or a missed basket shot, wherein the code includes instructions to direct the processing unit to calibrate and establish a directional coordinate system for the basket, wherein the code includes 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.