System for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together in a common location

• US 20080218343A1
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel Joseph Lee, Leon R. Ashcraft, Thomas J. Howa
• Original Assignee: Daniel Joseph Lee, Leon R. Ashcraft, Thomas J. Howa
• Inventors: Lee, Daniel Joseph, Ashcraft, Leon R., Howa, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US12/011,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218343A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.6
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2055/402 Warning devices for indicating missing golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/08 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2210/50 Size reducing arrangements for stowing or transport
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/80 Special sensors, transducers or devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/74 with powered illuminating means, e.g. lights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/10 Non-metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/14 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 55/00 Bags for golf clubs; Stands for golf clubs for use on the course; Wheeled carriers specially adapted for golf bags
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/06 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/08 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/10 with means for indicating correct holding positions A63B60/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, such as a set of golf clubs normally maintained together in a golf bag, utilizes a magnet secured to each respective item. A magnetic field sensor monitors total magnetic field in the common location as an indicator of missing items. Alternately, a sensor can keep track of items removed from and added to the common location as an indicator of missing items. If one or more items are missing, an alarm, such as an audible and/or visual alarm, can be provided in a desired manner, such as when keeping track of gold clubs in a golf bag, when the golf bag is moved.

Claims

1. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, comprising:

a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location;

a magnet secured to each respective item in the set of items, each magnet positioned with respect to the respective item to which it is secured so as to add to a total magnetic field strength present in the common location when the respective item is present in the common location;

at least one magnetic field sensor positioned with respect to the common location to determine magnetic field strength present at the common location, the magnetic field strength sensed being an indication of the number of magnets present in the common location, the number of magnets present being an indication of whether all items of the set are present in the common location; and

means to compare the magnetic field sensed in the common location at a particular time with the expected total magnetic field if all items are present in the common location to provide an indication if any items are missing from the common location.

2. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 1, additionally including a sensor to sense the passage of a magnet by the sensor and positioned with respect to the common location to sense the removal of a magnet from the common location or the addition of a magnet to the common location, and means for keeping track of the number of magnets removed and the number of magnets added to the common location.

3. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 2, wherein the items are a set of golf clubs and the common location is a golf bag.

4. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 3, wherein each golf club has a grip portion at one end thereof and the magnet secured to each respective item is secured in the grip portion of each respective golf club.

5. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 4, additionally including an elongate body adapted to be positioned in the golf bag similarly to a golf club and mounting the magnetic field sensor at one end thereof to be positioned in the bottom of the golf bag when the elongate body is positioned in the golf bag and mounting the sensor along the elongate body toward the opposite end thereof to be positioned above the magnetic field sensor when the elongate body is positioned in the golf bag.

6. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 5, wherein the means to compare the magnetic field sensed and to keep track of the number of magnets removed from the common area and number of magnets added to the common area is a programmed computer.

7. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 6, wherein the computer is a microprocessor.

8. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 6, additionally including a sensor to sense when the golf bag moves and upon movement of the golf bag, to cause an indication to be given if a golf club is missing from the bag.

9. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 8, wherein the sensor to sense when the golf bag moves is a sensor selected from the gorup of sensors consisting of a motion sensor, a magnetic compass, or a vibration sensor.

10. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 8, wherein the indication given is an audible indication.

11. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, comprising:

a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location;

a magnet secured to each respective item in the set of items, each magnet positioned with respect to the respective item to which it is secured so as to enter the common location when the item is added to the common location and to leave the common location when the item is removed from the common location;

a sensor to sense the passage of a magnet by the sensor and positioned with respect to the common location to sense the removal of a magnet from the common location or the addition of a magnet to the common location, and

means for keeping track of the number of magnets removed and the number of magnets added to the common location, the excess of the number of magnets removed from the common location over the number of magnets added to the common location indicating the number of items missing from the common location.

12. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 11, wherein the items are a set of golf clubs and the common location is a golf bag.

13. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 12, wherein each golf club has a grip portion at one end thereof and the magnet secured to each respective item is secured in the grip portion of each respective golf club.

14. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 13, additionally including an elongate body adapted to be positioned in the golf bag similarly to a golf club and mounting the sensor in the elongate body to be positioned toward the top of the golf bag when the elongate body is positioned in the golf bag.

15. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 14, wherein the means to keep track of the number of magnets removed from the common area and number of magnets added to the common area is a programmed computer.

16. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 15, wherein the computer is a microprocessor.

17. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 15, additionally including a sensor to sense when the golf bag moves and upon movement of the golf bag, to cause an indication to be given if a golf club is missing from the bag.

18. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 17, wherein the sensor to sense when the golf bag moves is a sensor sselected from the group of sensors consisting of a motion sensor, a magnetic compass, or a vibration sensor.

19. A system for determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, according to claim 17, wherein the indication given is an audible indication.

20. A method of determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, comprising the steps of:

securing a magnet to each of the items of the set of items;

obtaining a measurement of total magnetic field when all items are present in the common location to obtain an expected total magnetic field when all items are present;

sensing the total magnetic field present in the common location at a particular time when it is desired to know if all items are present in the common location; and

comparing the sensed total magnetic field with the expected total magnetic field when all items are present to determine if all items are present at the particular time.

21. A method of determining presence or absence of individual items making up a set of items normally maintained together as a set in a common location, comprising the steps of:

securing a magnet to each of the items of the set of items;

assembling all items in the common location;

after assembling all items in the common location, sensing movement of magnets out of and into the common location; and

keeping track of all magnets removed from the common location and all magnets added to the common location thereby knowing whether an item is missing from the common location to determine if all items are present at a particular time in the common location.