Education and demonstration – Physical education – Golf
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-29
2001-09-25
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Education and demonstration
Physical education
Golf
C434S257000, C473S199000, C473S266000, C473S234000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293802
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data formats, and more particularly to a system and method for providing a hybrid lesson format.
2. Related Art
A common challenge facing instructors in a variety of disciplines is that of presenting training materials to the students in an effective manner. To meet this challenge, instructors have developed aids to supplement the live lecture. For example, instructors will often utilize audio/visual aids, labs, workshops, role playing and other techniques to enhance the learning experience.
A particular challenge, however, is presented to instructors who teach students in physical activities such as, for example, sports. Not only do these students require information regarding the activity and how it is performed, but they also require feedback on their own technique and how to improve their own personal styles.
To address this challenge, instructors have often turned to the video recorder. Using this approach, instructors typically record the student performing the activity, and play the recording to the student so that he or she can see the areas where improvement is required. The student can also compare the video playback of his or her technique with that of a professional and use this information to improve the technique.
Such techniques are commonly used in a variety of activities, especially sporting activities. For example, golf pros have long been using the video camera to allow golf students to view their swing and see for themselves what they are doing wrong. More recently, advanced video systems have been made available to enhance this learning experience. One such system is the ASTAR 400, available from ASTAR, Inc. of San Diego, Calif. The ASTAR system is used by golf professionals across the country and throughout the world to enhance their golf lessons. The ASTAR system captures the student's golf swing on video tape and allows it to be played back to the student in regular, slow motion and still frame. Recorded swings of golf pros can be recalled from storage and played side-by-side with the student's swing for a direct comparison.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one or more embodiments of the invention, one or more capture stations can be utilized in conjunction with one or more analysis stations at a remote location or locations to provide remote training for a student in a given discipline. For example, this patent document discusses the invention in terms of one or more embodiments where the subject of instruction is a sporting activity such as golf.
According to one or more embodiments of the invention, a capture station is utilized to capture the student's activity such as, in the example of the golf instruction embodiment, the student's golf swing. The captured motion is forwarded to a remote analysis center where it can be reviewed by a qualified instructor and a personalized lesson prepared for the student based on the captured student's motion. In the golf example frequently described herein, the student's golf swing is captured at a capture station and forwarded to an analysis center. At an analysis center, a golf instructor such as for example a golf pro or other qualified instructor, reviews the captured swing and prepares a personalized lesson, instructing the golfer how he or she might improve on his or her swing. The personalized lesson is forwarded to the student at the original capture station, at another capture station, or at some other location (referred to as a “playback station”) where it is played back by the student so that he or she may receive the personalized lesson.
In one embodiment, the invention can be implemented utilizing any of a variety of communications media between capture stations and analysis centers. In fact, in one embodiment, one or more routing centers can be utilized to manage the flow of traffic (i.e. captured motion and personalized lessons) between capture stations and analysis centers.
In one embodiment the communications medium utilized between the capture stations and the analysis centers, is the Internet, although alternative communications media can be utilized. In an Internet embodiment, the routing centers can be implemented as servers, such as web servers to manage the flow of traffic typically encountered in an Internet environment.
According to one embodiment of the invention, motion capture technology can be implemented to capture the appropriate portion of the student's motion, save that appropriate motion, and forward only that appropriate motion to the analysis center. In this manner, unnecessary or unneeded motion need not be captured and transferred between capture stations and analysis centers. In one embodiment of the invention, the motion capture technology utilizes a sound pressure level sensor to recognize that an event has occurred. This event recognition can then be used to define the motion, or a time frame of the motion to be captured, stored, and forwarded to an analysis center. For example, in the golf instruction embodiment, a mechanism can be used to detect the impact of the student's club head with the golf ball. Once this event is detected, the capture center can be programed to capture or save a pre-determined amount of captured motion before and after the indication of the event. For example, it may be determined that it is appropriate to capture two seconds of motion video prior to the occurrence of the event and one second after the occurrence of the event, to capture a full back swing and follow through of a golf swing.
In one embodiment, a circular buffer can be implemented utilizing random access memory or other data storage to capture a motion in a continuous loop. The start and stop times in the circular buffer utilized to define the captured motion ultimately forwarded to the analysis center, is based on the occurrence of the triggering event. Thus, one feature of the invention is that only a pre-determined and limited amount of motion needs to be captured, stored and forwarded to analysis centers, thus conserving memory and communication bandwidth resources.
Numerous features can be implemented and utilized in preparing the personalized lesson at an analysis center. For example, according to one embodiment, the instructor can retrieve the personalized swing and add additional information to be included with the captured swing in preparing the personalized lesson. For example, the instructor may wish to add graphic overlays to the swing to help illustrate a suggested improvement to the student's swing. An instructor may add “chalk lines” over a still frame of the student's captured swing to illustrate, for example, proper club or body position. Preferably, the instructor can also include a vocal/audio recording, providing a narrative of the personalized lesson. In this manner, audio and perhaps even the student's swing with included graphics can be provided back to the student as part of the personalized lesson. Pre-recorded audio items such as music or other narratives or instructions can also be included as part of the personalized lesson.
In one embodiment, the instructor may decide to provide pre-recorded materials as part of the personalized lesson. These pre-recorded materials can include, for example, pre-recorded drills, exercises, instructions, or other pre-recorded audio/video data items. These items can be retrieved by the instructor from local storage accompanying the analysis center. Alternatively, in one embodiment an identification of selected pre-recorded materials is packaged and included with the personalized lesson. Upon playback at a capture or other playback station, the playback station receives the identification as part of the personalized lesson and utilizes this identification to retrieve the identified material (i.e. drill or other material) from local storage. In this manner, full motion video of a pre-recorded drill does not have to be transferred across a communications channel from the
Astar, Inc.
Harris Chandra
Lyon & Lyon LLP
Martin-Wallace Valencia
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