Amusement devices: games – Games accessories – All video game accessories
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-16
2001-07-17
Layno, Benjamin H. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Games accessories
All video game accessories
C273S14200F, C273S459000, C283S115000, C283S049000, C283S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260845
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tool for assisting the coach of a sports team, or for assisting a group of individuals participating in a game or other activity. More specifically, the invention relates to a tool that provides for a fair rotation of players or participants among a plurality of positions or tasks in a sporting event, game or activity.
In recreational sports, such as soccer and baseball, there arc a fixed number of playing positions. In baseball there are nine playing positions, and in adult soccer, there are eleven playing positions. In many youth soccer leagues, there are from three to eight playing positions. Roster sizes vary from team to team, but almost always include more players than playing positions. Typically, in a sporting event in which children are involved, it is important to fairly move the children around among the various playing positions, and make certain that each child receives equal playing time. It is particularly difficult when dealing with younger children to coordinate their activities on the field, teach them how to play the game, while at the same time keeping track of who is playing which position and how long each child has been at each position. It is often impossible to prepare a set rotation of players and positions prior to game time, because the coach does not always know which players will show Lip, nor the total number of players that will show up.
The prior art has not adequately addressed the issue of assisting coaches in providing a fair rotation of players among a plurality of positions in a sporting event or game. The prior art only discloses devices for passively tracking the current playing position occupied by each player, but does not disclose a device that pro-actively instructs a coach which players are to occupy the various playing positions and which players are to occupy reserve positions (i.e., out or bench positions). For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,197 (the '197 patent), discloses a volleyball rotation counter. As shown in
FIG. 1
of the '197 patent, the volleyball rotation counter
10
includes a frame
20
and two rotatable disks
40
. Rotatable disks
40
have upper surfaces
48
capable of receiving visible, removable markings. Each disk
40
represents a different one of two teams playing volleyball. The two disks
40
arc separated by intermediate portion
170
, which represents the volleyball net between the two teams. Each disk
40
includes six position spaces
140
, representing the twelve playing positions on the volleyball court. In each position space
140
, the umpire marks the number of the player who is in that playing position. The umpire then keeps track of the playing position occupied by each player by rotating the appropriate disk
40
in response to the players of a team rotating playing positions. The '197 patent discloses nothing about accommodating extra players that occupy reserve positions, and providing a rotation of players among playing positions and reserve positions.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,080 (the '080 patent) discloses a game position monitoring device that merely keeps track of the playing position occupied by each member of a team. Referring to
FIG. 1
of the '080 patent, the position monitoring device
10
includes a carrying member
12
adapted to receive either the names or uniform numbers of the various playing members of the team, or alternatively, the playing positions that are to be occupied in playing the game. The position monitoring device
10
also includes a rotatable clement
16
that includes spaces
18
for receiving the appropriate information, such as the names or uniform numbers of players, or the playing positions that are to be occupied in playing the game. As with the rotation counter disclosed in the '197 patent, the monitoring device in the '080 patent passively monitors which player is in which playing position, and does not actively assign players to positions, including playing positions and reserve positions.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The coaching tool of the present invention provides advantages that are not realized in prior art devices. The coaching tool disclosed herein actively assigns players to positions, including playing positions and reserve positions, rather than passively monitoring which players are currently occupying the various playing positions.
The coaching tool comprises a base and a plurality of rotatable elements. The base is adapted to receive a plurality of player representations. Each player representation represents one of a plurality of players. Each rotatable element is divided into a unique number of sections. Each section of a rotatable element includes a position representation that represents a particular one of the plurality of positions. Each rotatable element is rotatably mountable on the base such that each section of the rotatable element aliens with one of the plurality of player representations on the base and thereby assigns each player to a particular playing position or to a reserve position. New position assignments are obtained by rotating the rotatable element and aligning each player representation with a new position representation.
In addition to pro-actively assigning players to playing positions and reserve positions, rather than passively monitoring and reacting to changes in playing position assignments as disclosed in the prior art, there are numerous other differences between the invention disclosed herein and the monitoring devices disclosed in the prior art. The differences will become evident in the following detailed description.
In an alternative embodiment, the invention includes a base and a plurality of rotatable elements, and provides a rotation of a plurality of participants among a plurality of tasks.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2907123 (1959-10-01), McMahon
patent: 3941080 (1976-03-01), Ford
patent: 4173197 (1979-11-01), Anker
patent: 5582128 (1996-12-01), Wollan et al.
patent: 5938198 (1999-08-01), Kostecki
Kinney & Lange , P.A.
Layno Benjamin H.
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