Wireless scoreboard display system

• US 6,980,113 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daktronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Daktronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Uehran, Randy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US10/384,431
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 340/323.R, 340/573.1, 340/825.69, 377/5, 463/4
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities

Abstract

A wireless scoreboard display system, including at least two scoreboard displays, two controllers, a spread spectrum radio receiver in each scoreboard display, and a spread spectrum radio transmitter in each controller. Software controls the selection of a transmitting channel while a combination of hardware and software is used in the selection of a receiving channel.

Claims

1. A wireless scoreboard display system comprising:

a. at least two scoreboard displays, each of said scoreboard displays including a radio receiver; and

,

b. at least one controller including a radio transmitter transmitting data to be displayed; and

,

c. a channel selector means to select one or more of said scoreboard displays to receive and display the transmitted data.

2. The wireless scoreboard display system as defined in claim 1, wherein each radio transmitter is a spread spectrum radio transmitter and each radio receiver is a spread spectrum radio receiver.

3. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 2, wherein the channel selector means includes a combination of hardware and software used to select a primary channel of the radio receiver included in each of the scoreboard displays.

4. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 3, wherein the hardware includes a rotary switch.

5. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 2, wherein the channel selector means includes software used to select the primary transmitting channel of the radio transmitter of the at least one controller.

6. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 5, wherein each controller further includes means for prompting as to which channel would be best to select.

7. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 2, wherein the channel selector means includes a combination of hardware and software used to select a primary channel of the radio receiver included in each of the scoreboard displays and also includes software used to select the primary channel of the radio transmitter of the at least one controller.

8. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 2, wherein the channel selector means further includes a master broadcast channel for transmission of data from the at least one controller and receiving of data by all of the at least two scoreboard displays, wherein the master broadcast channel is distinct from the selected primary channel of each scoreboard display of the at least two scoreboard displays.

9. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 2, wherein the primary channels are 2.4 GHz channels, the at least two scoreboard displays are two scoreboard displays and the selected primary channel of one receiver is selected from channels 1–

15 and the selected primary channel of the other receiver is selected from channels 17–

32.

10. A wireless scoreboard display system comprising:

a. at least two scoreboard displays, each of said scoreboard displays including a radio receiver; and

,

b. at least two controllers each including a radio transmitter transmitting data to be displayed; and

,

c. a channel selector means to select one or more of said scoreboard displays to receive and display the transmitted data.

11. The wireless scoreboard display system as defined in claim 10, wherein each radio transmitter is a spread spectrum radio transmitter and each radio receiver is a spread spectrum radio receiver.

12. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 11, wherein the channel selector means includes a combination of hardware and software used to select a primary channel of the radio receiver included in each of the scoreboard displays.

13. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 12, wherein the hardware includes a rotary switch.

14. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 11, wherein the channel selector means includes software used to select the primary transmitting channel of the radio transmitter of each of the at least two controllers.

15. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 14, wherein each controller further includes means for prompting as to which channel would be best to select.

16. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 11, wherein the channel selector means includes a combination of hardware and software used to select the a primary channel of the radio receiver included in each of the scoreboard displays and also includes software used to select the primary channel of the radio transmitter of the at least two controllers.

17. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 11, wherein the channel selector means further includes a master broadcast channel for transmission of data from the at least two controllers and receiving of data by all of the at least two scoreboard displays, wherein the master broadcast channel is distinct from the selected primary channel of each scoreboard display of the at least two scoreboard displays.

18. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 11, wherein there are two controllers, four scoreboard displays, and two adjacent basketball courts, two of the four scoreboard displays displaying data relating to one basketball court and the other two scoreboard displays displaying data relating to the other basketball court.

19. The wireless scoreboard display system of claim 11, wherein the system is associated with a multi-field baseball complex, each baseball field of the multi-field baseball complex having a scoreboard display, and wherein each scoreboard display has a selected primary channel which is non-interfering with other selected primary channels of the multi-field baseball complex.