Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Projectile addressing surface and target – or distance marker
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-20
2001-01-30
Graham, Mark S. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Projectile addressing surface and target, or distance marker
C473S155000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179720
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a correlation method and apparatus for target-oriented sports activities and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for matching a golf ball driven from a tee box of a practice range with an impact location within a target area of the practice range.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Golf ranges, both outdoor and indoor, are commonplace and serve to permit a golfer to practice a variety of shots with different clubs. While practice is required if a golfer wishes to improve their game, many golfers find practice at a golf range to be quite boring, particularly in comparison to actual play. Accordingly, Accu-Sport International, Inc. of Winston-Salem, N.C. has developed an apparatus for simulating a golf game at a practice range as described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,924 to James W. Kluttz, et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
As described by the Kluttz '924 patent, the golf game apparatus includes a display positioned adjacent to the tee box of the practice range to display a simulated golf hole layout. Following a golf shot, the golf game apparatus determines the total distance of the shot based upon the actual flight time of the golf ball, the linear flight distance of the golf ball to an initial impact position and a simulation of the anticipated roll of the golf ball following impact. As a result, the display can also provide an indication of the final resting position of the golf ball relative to the simulated golf hole layout. The golf game apparatus of the '924 patent therefore provides a golfer with a significant amount of information regarding their practice shots, including the linear flight distance and the total distance of each shot. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,388 to Bryce P. Beard, III, et al. which describes a system including a number of vibration sensors for determining the impact location of a golf ball and a display for providing a golfer with a visual representation of the relative position of the impact location with respect to a predetermined target.
While the devices described by the Kluttz '924 patent and the Beard '388 patent represent great advances in the art, difficulties can arise if two or more golfers are hitting golf balls at the practice range at the same time. In these circumstances, conventional devices for determining the impact location of a golf ball will be generally unable to distinguish between the golf balls hit by each of the golfers. As a result, these conventional devices will be unable to reliably determine the impact location of a golf ball hit by any one of the golfers since the respective impact locations of the golf balls hit by the other golfers may be misinterpreted as the impact location of the golf ball hit by the golfer of interest.
The devices described by the Kluttz '924 patent and the Beard '388 patent have difficulty distinguishing between the golf balls hit by a number of golfers since these device do not track the golf balls during flight but, instead, await impact of the golf balls within the target area in order to detect the respective impact locations of the golf balls. Accordingly, tracking systems have been developed which track the golf ball during flight from the tee box to the target area. For example, Accu-Sport International, Inc. has also developed a system including a video camera and an associated video frame processor for tracking the flight of a golf ball as described by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,342,051 and 5,489,099 to David B. Rankin, et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. While tracking systems can accurately determine the flight path and resulting impact location of a golf ball hit by one of many golfers at a practice range, tracking systems can only monitor one golfer at a time. As a result, a practice range having a number of tee boxes or hitting bays would have to purchase several tracking systems in order to track the golf balls hit by golfers from different ones of the tee boxes, thereby significantly increasing the cost to the practice range in comparison to non-tracking systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The correlation method and apparatus of the present invention matches the impact location of an object at or near a predetermined target with one of many shots at the target. For example, the correlation method and apparatus can match the golf ball driven from a tee box with an impact location within the target area. Advantageously, the method and apparatus of the present invention can identify which one of a number of golf balls landing within the target area was hit from a specific tee box at a golf practice range having numerous tee boxes using the same target area. Thus, the method and apparatus of the present invention can determine the flight distance and flight time of the golf ball in a reliable manner without tracking the golf ball during flight.
The apparatus of the present invention includes first sensor means for determining a golf ball striking time at which the golf ball is driven from the tee box toward the target area. The first sensor means also preferably determines an initial velocity and a launch angle of the golf ball such that a predicted range of the golf ball can be determined. The apparatus also includes second sensor means for determining the respective impact locations of a plurality of golf balls within the target area. Preferably, the second sensor means determines respective golf ball impact times for each of the plurality of golf ball landing within the target area. The second sensor means then generates signals representative of the respective impact locations of the plurality of golf balls.
The apparatus of the present invention also includes a signal processing means, such as a signal processor, responsive to data provided by the first and second sensor means. The signal processor discriminates between the plurality of golf balls which landed within the target area so as to match the respective impact location of one of the plurality of golf balls which landed within the target area with the golf ball driven from the tee box at the golf ball striking time. Once the impact location of the golf ball is determined, the flight distance of the golf ball can be readily determined even though the golf ball was not tracked during its flight.
In embodiments in which the predicted range of a golf ball is determined based upon the initial velocity and the launch angle of the golf ball, the signal processor can include means for comparing the respective flight distances of the plurality of golf balls landing within the target area to the predicted range of the golf ball driven from the tee box toward the target area. The signal processor of this embodiment can also include means for identifying each of the golf balls landing within the target area which has a respective flight distance within a predetermined window, such as a predetermined percentage or a predetermined number of feet, about the predicted range as a potential match.
In embodiments in which the second sensor means determines respective golf ball impact times for the plurality of golf balls landing within the target areas, the second sensor means can include means for determining the respective flight times of the plurality of golf balls landing within the target area based upon the respective golf ball striking and golf ball impact times.
The signal processor of this embodiment can also include means for comparing the respective flight times of the plurality of golf balls landing within the target area with a predetermined flight time window and for identifying each of the golf balls landing within the target area which has a respective flight time within the predetermined flight time window as a potential match, i.e., as a candidate to be the golf ball driven from the tee box at the golf ball striking time. The signal processor of this embodiment can also include means for determining the respective ball velocities for the plurality of golf balls landing with
Kluttz James W.
Rankin David Benjamin
Accu-Sport International, Inc.
Alston & Bird LLP
Graham Mark S.
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