Electrical pulse counters – pulse dividers – or shift registers: c – Applications – Game or sport
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-21
2002-07-09
Wambach, Margaret R. (Department: 2816)
Electrical pulse counters, pulse dividers, or shift registers: c
Applications
Game or sport
C473S480000, C473S485000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06418179
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to basketball score counters, particularly to a basketball score counter, which counts basketball shots by using two sets of photoelectric sensors for sensing the route of basketball shots.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For counting valid shots and scores during a basketball game, a sensing rod
11
in the form of a microswitch shown in
FIG. 1
was disposed under a basket hoop
12
in such a way that a pitched basketball flying through the basket hoop
12
would be collided with the sensing rod
11
and judged by a score counter as a valid shot.
It is generally all right to sense valid shots with the above said microswitch under normal conditions. However, malfunctions of the score counter may occur in the case of a reverse throw or rebounds. Furthermore, the mechanical microswitch is inevitably getting elastically fatigue gradually or worn-out in the long run.
To overcome the above drawback, a sensing device equipped with a pair of photoelectric transmitting/receiving elements has been developed for sensing and judging basketball shots, as shown in
FIG. 2
, wherein a set of transmitting/receiving sensors
13
is arranged above or below the basket hoop
12
respectively. When a basketball is thrown into the basket hoop
12
, a transmitter
131
of the set of transmitting/receiving sensors
13
projects light on the basketball and the light is reflected and received by a receiver
132
of the set of sensors
13
, so that it is possible in this way to detect whether a basketball has been thrown into the basket hoop
12
or not. Nevertheless, the set of sensors
13
located below the basket hoop
12
may be interfered by the net
14
to reflect the transmitted light back to the receiver and cause the score counter to misjudge basketball shots.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of this invention is to provide a score counter by sensing the route of basketball shots, wherein a pair of photoelectric sensors is installed at respective positions below an inner rim of the basket hoop for detecting basketball valid shots. Such an arrangement is capable of overcoming the basket net interference to the photoelectric sensors for avoiding malfunctions and discriminating the correct route after a basketball is thrown into the basket hoop.
For more detailed information regarding advantages or features of this invention, at least an example of preferred embodiment will be elucidated below with reference to the annexed drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4858920 (1989-08-01), Best
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