Systems and methods utilizing a ball including one or more sensors to improve pitching performance

• US 9,889,358 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aidan Conner Frye, Isaac Brady Frye, Jeffrey Kyle Greenwalt, Jeffrey Neal Frye, Richard Joseph Finn, Thomas Jay Nace
• Original Assignee: Aidan Conner Frye, Isaac Brady Frye, Jeffrey Kyle Greenwalt, Jeffrey Neal Frye, Richard Joseph Finn, Thomas Jay Nace
• Inventors: Greenwalt, Jeffrey Kyle, Frye, Jeffrey Neal, Finn, Richard Joseph, Nace, Thomas Jay, Frye, Aidan Conner, Frye, Isaac Brady
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNIS, MICHAEL DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/731,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20160354666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2037/125 stitchings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0006 for pitching
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/24 Angular displacement
• 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 2220/44 Angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• 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 2243/0054 : Bowling, i.e. ten-pin bowling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0066 : Rugby; American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 : American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 39/08 : made of two halves
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/004 : electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 : with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 : for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 : Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 : Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

A ball, and in particular a baseball or softball, including one or more sensors such as accelerometers and/or inertial measurement units, and systems and methods using the same to improve a pitcher'"'"'s pitching performance are described herein. In some embodiments, the ball may include one or more inertial measurement units and/or accelerometers capable of monitoring motion of the ball while it is thrown. Various types of pitches may be selected, and in response to the inertial measurement unit(s) and/or accelerometer(s) detecting certain parameters corresponding to a selected pitch, one or more indicators may be caused to perform an action. For example, one or more illuminating elements located on the ball may turn a first color in response to detecting parameters corresponding to the selected pitch.

Claims

1. A method for providing feedback to an individual throwing a ball, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a type of pitch for a ball to be thrown as;

obtaining at least one parameter corresponding to the selected pitch type;

monitoring at least one pressure sensor located within the ball;

detecting, based on monitoring the at least one pressure sensor, an absence of pressure;

determining, in response to detecting the absence of pressure, a three-dimensional spatial location of the ball at substantially the same instant that the absence of pressure was detected;

monitoring, in response to detecting the absence of pressure, at least one additional sensor located within the ball;

determining that the at least one additional sensor has detected the at least one parameter corresponding to the selected type of pitch; and

causing at least one illuminating element located on a surface of the ball to turn a first color in response to the at least one parameter being detected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter for the selected type of pitch of the ball to be thrown comprises at least one of:

a spin rate;

an amount of vertical displacement;

an amount of horizontal displacement; and

velocity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional sensor comprises at least one of:

an inertial measurement unit;

a gyroscope; and

an accelerometer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further comprises:

detecting that the output from the at least one additional sensor has exceeded a predefined threshold for the at least one parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing at least one audio producing element to produce an audio tone in response to the at least one parameter being detected.