System, method, and apparatus for monitoring sporting apparatus and users thereof

• US 9,950,237 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Kline, Michael J., Rae, John, Carlyle, Scott, Bacon, Kirk, Ripp, Patrick, Brunski, Jeff, Vogler, Jay, Brekke, Dustin
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Yingchuan
• Application Number:
  US14/694,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20160310820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0663 worn on the wrist, e.g. wrist bands
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/00 Training appliances or apparatus for special sports training of parachutists B64D23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0015 for cricket
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0026 for ice-hockey
• 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: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

A system may comprise one or more monitoring devices that may communicate with a mobile device or a wearable device worn by a user of a sporting apparatus. The system may enable motion data specific to motion of the sporting apparatus to be conveniently captured and transmitted, and displayed on the wearable device. The system may include functionality to permit disablement of the motion detecting, transmission, and/or displaying functions at times when such functions are not permitted to be used, and to record the date, time, and location when such functions have been disabled to permit verification thereof by a governing body or sporting organization. The system may further include a learning module enabling monitored motion of the object to be correlated to monitored motion of the user such that predictive motion of the sporting object based only on monitored motion of the user may be obtained and displayed.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving first data, the first data indicative of operation of a first sporting apparatus;

processing the first data for further transmission as displayable information;

providing the displayable information for display on a wearable device;

based on a location of the wearable device or a mobile device associated with the wearable device, providing instructions to enter into an off mode, wherein the off mode comprises a sleep mode that prevents the wearable device or the mobile device from displaying second data while the wearable device still receives or transmits the second data, the second data indicative of operation of the first sporting apparatus while the wearable device is in the off mode; and

providing instructions to enter into the off mode based on a date.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions to enter into the off mode are provided to the wearable device and to a monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device captures the first data and the second data.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first data is indicative of being from a monitoring device associated with the first sporting apparatus, the monitoring device comprises an off mode.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sporting apparatus is selected from the group comprising a golf club, a tennis racket, a squash racket, a racquetball racket, a baseball bat, a softball bat, a cricket bat, a hockey stick, a sports shoe, a ball, a puck, a boxing glove, sports apparel, or a lacrosse stick.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the displayable information comprises at least one of velocity, acceleration, or deceleration of the first sporting apparatus.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the displayable information comprises at least one of attack angle, azimuth, impact, swing length, or swing path of the first sporting apparatus.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is at least one of a mobile device, the wearable device, or a monitoring device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first data is indicative of the first sporting apparatus impacting a second sporting apparatus, the second sporting apparatus comprising a monitoring device that collects the second data associated with the first sporting apparatus impacting the second sporting apparatus.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein:

the first sporting apparatus is selected from the group comprising a golf club, a tennis racket, a squash racket, a racquetball racket, a baseball bat, a softball bat, a cricket bat, a hockey stick, a sports shoe, a boxing glove, sports apparel, or a lacrosse stick, and

the second sporting apparatus is selected from the group comprising a golf ball, a tennis ball, a squash ball, a racquetball, a baseball, a softball, a cricket ball, a hockey puck, a soccer ball, a football, a punching bag, and a lacrosse ball.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the second data comprises at least one of velocity, acceleration, deceleration, compression, spin rate, launch angle, azimuth, spin direction, location, altitude, carry distance, roll distance, flight distance, and flight path of the second sporting apparatus.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the second data is displayed on the wearable device as second displayable information in another location.

12. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving first data, the first data indicative of operation of a sporting apparatus; and

receiving instructions to enter into an off mode based on a criteria associated with a monitoring device, the off mode comprising a sleep mode that prevents a wearable device from transmission or reception of the first data while the monitoring device still receives the first data;

recording a location of the device; and

recording a duration of time the device is in the off mode while in the location.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the criteria comprises the location.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is a wearable device or the monitoring device.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the criteria comprises a date.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the monitoring device captures the first data.