Sports box

At athletic events, particularly for youth leagues, amateur leagues and other non-professional events, methods of communicating important real-time information about the event to the spectators and even the participants is often limited to simple, mechanical devices.

At youth football games, for example, the down information is normally displayed on a series of flip over, metal sheets with the numbers 1-4 on them. The distance remaining for a first down is not even communicated directly. The spectator must look and the present down marker and the first down chains and then estimate the remaining distance to first down.

Even at the professional level, this method has not changed for on-field display of such information. Fixed scoreboards are a luxury most athletic programs cannot afford.

Most non-professional sports programs do not generate revenues and thus money with which to purchase equipment is always limited. Moreover, in most youth programs, the athletic events are usually varied between a variety of public and municipal parks, playgrounds, or structures completely outside the control of the athletic program operators. Thus, fixed equipment at such sites is rarely possible. Thus, whatever such equipment is on hand must be easily transportable to, from and during the athletic event and easy to use and operate.

Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for affordable, easy to transport, easy to operate display apparatus for athletic events.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box for interactive use at athletic events to display real time information about the event and which is easily transportable and useable by the operator, the sports box comprising a transport system for enabling the operator to easily transport, carry, position and re-position the sports box to, from and during the athletic event; a digital display coupled to the transport system for displaying one or more items of real time information about the athletic event; and one or more controllers coupled to the transport system for enabling the operator to enter the real-time information to the display.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the digital display is comprised of digital read-outs enabling the operator to input the one or more information items and the attendees and participants at the athletic event to view the information items.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the digital display is comprised of one or more digital read-outs for displaying the information items and one or more controllers for separately inputting the information to the one or more digital read-outs.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the digital display displays the one or more information items on a front side and back side simultaneously enabling attendees and participants on either side of the sports box to view the information items.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the digital display is see-through enabling the operator to see through the display to the athletic event and to observe the informational items on the display.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the digital display is battery operated.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the controller is a keypad.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the controller is a receiver and operated by means of a remote control device.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box for interactive use at athletic events wherein the transport system is comprised of a lightweight, hollow piece of tubing.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein an end of the transport system is shaped as a point for easily stationing the transport system into soil.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein the transport system is collapsible for easy storage and transport to and from the athletic event.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box wherein an end of the transport system is coupled to movable stand enabling the sports box to be rolled to different locations during the athletic event.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box for interactive use at athletic events further comprising a sensor coupled to the transport system for measuring distance the transport system is moved and conveying distance information to the digital display.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box for use at football events and used to display down information.

A method and apparatus for a portable digital sports box for interactive use at athletic events further comprising a sensor coupled to the transport system for measuring distance the transport system is moved and enabling the digital display to display down information and distance to first down information.