| Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereofRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Golf, Ball, Having Locator MeansAthletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060105857, Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION [0001] 1. Technical Field [0002] This invention relates generally to athletic balls. More particularly, this invention provides for an athletic ball comprising a GPS receiver, a microprocessor and a transmitter for determining the telemetry of the ball and a corresponding method of use thereof. [0003] 2. Related Art [0004] Various athletic games, like baseball, softball, lacrosse, golf and other similar sports employ the use of athletic balls. Often it is advantageous to have access to telemetric data pertaining to athletic ball position and/or ball movement dynamics such as variable direction, velocity and/or acceleration. Improvements in sports performance time and again result from investigation into the physics of the sport. Accordingly, athletes and others have a desire to evaluate various physical characteristics of athletic ball movement by analyzing telemetric data pertaining to athletic balls. By way of example, hitting coaches may seek to review telemetric data corresponding to how fast a baseball accelerates and how far it flies after being hit by a particular batter or lacrosse coaches may want to track ball movement during a game to study strength of field. [0005] Ball location is particularly critical in the game of golf. Golfers seek to position a golf ball strategically throughout a series of ball movements on a golf course. Thus, it is advantageous to understand flight characteristics of a golf ball in order to gain knowledge and skill needed better maneuver a ball on a course. Furthermore, during a typical golf game, it is not uncommon for a golf ball to become obscured from view by course terrain. Hence various devices and methods have been implemented to provide information about golf ball flight dynamics and/or to locate hit golf balls. However, the various devices and methods are inadequate in that the devices and methods do not provide an athletic ball affording capability for receiving, processing, transmitting, and/or relaying GPS signal data pertaining to the ball. Instead the various devices and methods relevant to a golf ball, and/or athletic balls in general, employ positioning of additional exterior implements and/or devices to accomplish telemetric analysis of the ball [0006] Accordingly, there is a need for an improved athletic ball design including a receiver, a processor, a transmitter, and/or a multiplexing signal relay to determine the telemetry of the athletic ball and a corresponding method of operation pertinent ball use. SUMMARY OF INVENTION [0007] The present invention is directed to an athletic ball telemetry apparatus that offers improved operability. [0008] A first general aspect of the invention provides for an athletic ball comprising a receiver, the receiver being configured to receive GPS signal data, a microprocessor, the microprocessor being configured to triangulate received GPS signal data and determine ball position, and a transmitter, the transmitter being configured to transmit ball position to an output device. [0009] A second general aspect of the invention provides for an athletic ball comprising a multiplexing signal relay, said relay configured to receive signals simultaneously broadcast by a plurality of earth-orbiting satellites and communicate the received satellite signals to a position-processing output device. [0010] A third general aspect of the invention provides for a method for determining the telemetry of an athletic ball, wherein the method comprises providing an athletic ball having a GPS receiver, a microprocessor, and a transmitter, receiving satellite signal data into the receiver included within the ball, processing the received data to compute the position of the ball; and transmitting the computed ball location to an output device. [0011] The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of various embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] Some of the embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein: [0013] FIG. 1 depicts a front view of an embodiment of an athletic golf ball, in accordance with the present invention; [0014] FIG. 2 depicts a sectional view of an embodiment of an athletic golf ball, in accordance with the present invention; [0015] FIG. 3 depicts a front view of an embodiment of an athletic baseball, in accordance with the present invention; [0016] FIG. 4 depicts a sectional view of an embodiment of an athletic baseball, in accordance with the present invention; and [0017] FIG. 5 depicts a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a method of using an embodiment of an athletic ball, in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0018] Although certain embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment. The features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. [0019] As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. [0020] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts a front view of one embodiment of an athletic ball such as golf ball 100, in accordance with the present invention. The athletic golf ball 100 may have a dimpled outer surface 10. The dimpled outer surface 10 may be geometrically designed to provide aerodynamic flight characteristics desirable for accurate ball flight. For example, the dimpled outer surface 10 may be configured with spaced apart dimples having a particular surface depth such that the athletic golf ball 100, upon being hit by a golf club and propelled away from the club, flies farther and straighter than a golf ball having a non-dimpled surface. As the athletic golf ball 100 may be employed in the sport of golf, the athletic golf ball 100 may be designed for maximum conformance with golfing standards and rules pertaining to ball size, weight, geometric design and the like, while still obtaining the advantages of the present invention. To extend the durability of the athletic golf ball 100, the dimpled outer surface or layer 10 may be formed of materials such as polymers, or composite polymeric mixtures and other like materials that provide for an efficiently manufactured impact resistant surface capable of withstanding wear and tear from normal golf play. Continue reading about Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof... Full patent description for Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Golf club head with adjustable weight member Next Patent Application: Golf ball and thermoplastic material Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Athletic ball telemetry apparatus and method of use thereof patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.22573 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Tyco , Unilever , Warner-lambert , 3m 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
