Communications: electrical – Systems – Plural
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-04
2001-01-30
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Systems
Plural
C340S539230, C340S332000, C340S32300R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06181236
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND—FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to whistles used by officials at sporting events to indicate the occurrence of some event. In particular, it provides the improvement of simultaneous audible and visual signals to overcome noise.
BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
In many sports such as football, soccer, basketball, ice hockey, wrestling, etc., an official blows a whistle to notify players and spectators of the occurrence of some event. Due to increased crowd noise, it is often impossible for live spectators at a stadium and television viewers at home to discern the audible signal and to know when the event occurred. It is, therefore, proposed that these officials use a conventional whistle to initiate a wireless signal simultaneous with, and in the same manner as, the present art, audible signal. By means of a receiver, this wireless signal is then used to initiate a variety of visual signals that can easily be discerned by both live spectators and television viewers. If desired for security, the wireless signal can be comprised of several frequencies.
Football is an excellent example for the usage of this improvement. When a referee signals that a play has ended, the audible signal usually can not be heard by the crowd in attendance or by the television audience. If the ball is subsequently fumbled, it is difficult to know whether the whistle was blown before or after the fumble. With this improvement, when the whistle is blown, a simultaneous wireless signal initiates a variety of lights or other visual indications on the playing field and also on the television screen. By use of video replay, it is then possible to determine exactly when the referee's signal was made.
PRIOR ART
There have been toy and party whistles with extension elements that give a visual indication as long as they are blown, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 530,909 and 532,642. There is a sports whistle which maintains an element in the extended position after it has been blown, e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,246. There is an illuminating whistle which has a lamp bulb within the whistle, e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,316. There is an electronic whistle device which provides an electrically activated audible signal when a hand-held button is depressed, e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,652.
None of the above-mentioned, prior art whistles emit a wireless signal and none of them meet the need for visual observation from a great distance or iva the television screen. In addition, the electronic whistle device does not maintain the advantages of the present art, mouth blown whistle.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:
(a) to enable a sports official to give a signal which overcomes crowd noise;
(b) to maintain the present art referee whistle and its audible signal;
(c) to improve such whistles so they can provide simultaneous wireless signals;
(d) to provide a flash of light or movement of an object in the sport arena visible to entire audience that is triggered by a wireless signal from the whistle; and
(e) to provide an indication on television screens that is triggered by a wireless signal from the whistle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4314316 (1982-02-01), Gertler et al.
patent: 5293354 (1994-03-01), Costabile
patent: 5507246 (1996-04-01), Rand
patent: 5847652 (1998-12-01), Yamamoto
patent: 6067013 (2000-05-01), Pejic
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