Games using tangible projectile – Playing field or court game; game element or accessory... – Means removably supporting projectile in position to be...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-25
2002-04-23
Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Playing field or court game; game element or accessory...
Means removably supporting projectile in position to be...
C473S439000, C473S422000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06375584
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an improvement to a automatic practice device for improving the skill of a football place kicker, particularly the speed, distance, direction and angle of the kick, and to enhance timing and coordination between the center, holder, and kicker by simultaneously and integrally simulating charging lineman and providing immediate visual split-timing and total elapsed timing feedback to the kicker, center, and holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In assessing the expertise and success of field goal and points after touchdown kicks, it is critical that the kick be completed rapidly and at an appropriate angle so as to avoid being blocked by the oncoming rushing linemen of the opponent. It is also critical that the kick have enough distance and correct direction to reach and pass through the goal posts constructed in the end zone. Kickers need a great deal of practice to perfect these skills. A kicker's success in kicking is dependent, not only on his own skill in actually kicking the ball, but also on how well-timed and coordinated the actions of the center and holder are in quickly and accurately hiking and setting up the ball on the kicker's tee during the kicking process. Although necessary, it is difficult to afford the kicker consistent real-time practice because presence of the entire team of players is necessary to simulate actual game circumstances. Thus, often a field goal kicker's only exposure to a full team environment with rushing linemen is in an actual game. This is realistically not the place to practice or hone the kicker's skills, since obviously a lot is at stake, e.g. championships and money. The other players also require time to practice their respective skills which are most often not of the type that benefit from field goal practice.
A need therefore exists for a device and method to allow a kicker to practice without convening the entire team, in a manner which most closely resembles real game playing time and which gives immediate and comprehensive feedback on a multitude of critical skills which the kicker, center, and holder need to perfect in each kick in order to achieve a score, such as:
1) accurate timing of the kick: the faster the ball is hiked, set up, and kicked the less likely it is to be blocked.
2) the angle of the kick: the greater the angle from the ground the less likely the arms of the oncoming linemen will be to tip, deflect or block the ball.
3) the direction of the kick: the ball needs to pass between the goal posts to score.
4) The distance of the kick: if the ball is not kicked far enough it will not reach the goal posts and no score will be made.
Expertise in numerous athletic endeavors focuses on the time it takes to perform the task, thus knowledge by the athlete of this elapsed time is critical to perfecting the skill of the athlete. Kicking field goals and points after touchdown in the sport of football is no exception, and is a skill that is highly dependent on timing. Timing ability relates, not only to the immutable forward movement of time as measured and displayed by a timing device such as a clock, but also to the ability of one player to correlate or coordinate his actions with the action of another, eg. at the moment the center hikes the football, the holder prepares to catch it and the kicker begins to move toward the kicking area. The holder then proceeds to catch the ball and set it up in proper position on the platform as the kicker continues his stride in the kicking process toward the tee and then follows through with the kick, within a matter of a few seconds. Should the center or holder bungle the snap, catch and/or set-up of the football, the football may not be available at the time the kicker reaches it anticipating its presence there and the higher is the likelihood that the kick will be blocked because of the time delay and lack of coordination. Thus, it is critical that all three players cooperate and coordinate their actions and timing so that a successful kick and score can result.
Field goal kickers as a rule kick the football as hard as they are able on each kick regardless of the distance the football is from the goalposts. The vertical angle of the kick is critical due to the charging oncoming linemen of the opponent who are attempting to block the kick and not only keep the opponent from scoring points for the successful field goal or point after touchdown, but also to potentially obtain possession of the football as a result of the blocked kick. Thus, it is imperative that the kicker kick the football as far, and as fast as he can in the proper direction and at the proper angle toward the goal posts so as to diminish the likelihood of blocking by the opposing linemen and enhance the probability of a successful scoring kick.
Historically, field goal kicks in professional football, take between two to four seconds from the time the football is hiked (also known as the snap) by the center until the time the kicker actually kicks the ball. This timing range is too narrow for the kicker center, and holder to inherently and comparatively measure time improvement between kicks. The timing is also too narrow to enable a third person to accurately utilize a hand-held stopwatch beginning at the snap, stopping midway at set up (split-time) and stopping again at the exact moment of the kick (total elapsed time). Therefore, an instrument integrally connected to the ball to measure the split-time and total elapsed time is needed. It is therefore of utmost importance that the timing device be highly sensitive and directly integrated with the football holding platforms (at the center and at the holder positions) so as to immediately start the time measurement at the exact moment the ball is snapped by the center to the holder, record a split time when the holder sets up the ball on the holder's platform and immediately stop the time measurement at the exact moment the football actually leaves the holder's platform after the kick. The faster the kick is completed the less likely it is that the kick will be blocked as the difference between a successful and unsuccessful kick may be just hundredths of a second, thus timing segments are critical parameters to track progress.
To accurately simulate oncoming linemen for angle, timing, direction and distant purposes as would exist during a game, the entire offense and defense (21 other players) would be needed on the field for each practice kick by the kicker. This would be logistically impossible in light of the limited practice time available and the number of kicks a field goal kicker, center and holder reasonably need to be proficient. Since the kicker, center, and holder get very little opportunity, except in real game situations, to simultaneously fine-tune and coordinate all the key elements, speed, distance, direction, angle, and coordination of the three players, necessary to a successful kick it is important to have a device that simulates real-time play and provides virtually independent practice time with immediate feedback. This type of practice is not only important at the kicker's home practice field but also, is important for practice at foreign fields when games are “on the road”. Thus, the device ideally should be portable and easily set up at a variety of angles and distances from the goalposts to simulate the multitude of positions from which a kicker could be required to kick whether at his own home team field or at foreign fields for away games.
Automated devices for practicing athletic skills have been used for a long time by athletes in a variety of sports. For instance, automated devices are provided for throwing baseballs at baseball batters in conventional batting cage set ups to improve hitting skills. Devices simulating an opponent hitting back tennis balls to a tennis player at various speeds, spins, and directions to improve ground strokes are also known.
Structural and mechanical practice devices have also been prod
Aryanpour Mitra
Malin Haley & DiMaggio, P.A.
Sewell Paul T.
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