CA2695959A1 - Method and system for an intelligent portable scoreboard with customizable and self officiating capabilities - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a personalized scoreboard that is customizable, with built-in score keeping intelligence, and the ability for the players themselves to officiate the game according to official scoring rules of the sport. The scoreboard is a portable design that utilizes one or more wireless remote control modules that are worn by the players during game play, to control the scorekeeping functionality.

Description

Field of the Application The present invention relates to an electronic scoreboard system, in particular, to a method and system used in sports for keeping track of scores in real time.

Background Of The Invention To sustain a healthy and balanced lifestyle, sports and fitness have always been an integral part of people's lives. This includes people of all ages from youths to seniors, participating from community level recreational sports to competitive matches and tournaments. With this growing demand and popularity for sports and games amongst both amateur and professional sport athletes, these exists a need for an affordable and portable scorekeeping system that allows players to easily keep track of the score, and automatically officiates the game based on rules of the sport under play.

Various mechanically built and/or electrically controlled scoreboards have been developed over the years, ranging from simple flip-cards or peg-boards to large scale electronic scoreboards that are permanently installed inside arenas or venues. However, these are mostly cumbersome to use and often restrictive in functionality and difficult to adapt to different sports. Large scale scoreboards are typically very expensive and can not be easily transported to other locations.

The quest is to develop a scoreboard system that's versatile, customizable, easy to use, and most importantly, has the built in intelligence for scorekeeping based on the specific chosen sport. A
portable scoreboard would allow players to setup and used in different locations, and provide a more personalized score keeping system. It would also allow for ease of storage when not in use. This would enhance the players' overall experience in playing sports and make it much more enjoyable and engagement in the activity. Overall, this would motivate people to achieve a more active and healthy body and fitness level.

It would be advantageous to provide an improved method and system for keeping score and the present invention addresses these needs.

Summary Of The Invention Without a scoreboard, players themselves would try to keep track of the score while they play the game. However, often time, during long rallies or matches, the one keeping score might loose track of the score and might cause some degree of confusion in the players, resulting with some instances arguments or disagreements between the two opposing teams. This disrupts the flow of the game and reduces the overall enjoyment in playing the sport.

A basic scoreboard would alleviate this problem and allow the players' to concentrate and enjoy playing the game. A more sophisticated scoreboard, such as the proposed invention, would further enhance the experience by providing additional capabilities and features that would solve many of the deficiencies found in existing arts.

Existing prior arts ranged from those where scores are changed manually by hand, such as "flip-cards"
or "peg-boards", to highly sophisticated large-scale computer controlled scoreboard fixtures installed permanently inside arenas and stadiums.

Flip-card and peg-boards are very restrictive in terms of the amount of scoring information that can be tracked and displayed and are cumbersome to use. It often requires someone, example a spectator or a referee on the side line to update the score as the game progresses.

The above mentioned prior arts lack the time keeping capability for sports that require a game clock, example of time sensitive sports may include basketball, hockey or soccer.

Similarly, mechanical "scoring drums" or "rotary numbered discs or wheel" type of scoreboards consumes an excessive amount of space and overall weight, as it needs to accommodate a sufficiently large diameter display for all the digits. Thus limiting their ability to be portable, and often time these mechanical fixtures consume a lot of power to operate and maintain. Similarly, these mechanical scoreboards require a dedicated person, example a spectator or referee on the side line, to update the score as the game progresses. The score changes are typically done through a keyboard or button panel that is connected to the wall or ceiling mounted scoreboard.

Some prior arts use electromechanical displays that contain a lot of moving parts with motors and relays. These types of displays are also very costly, consumes high amount o of power to operate and prone to damage upon impact. Other prior arts might use lamps or light bulbs for the display, which are power inefficient, high maintenance and generates excessive heat.

As for electronic based prior arts, most are very large in size and are not suitable for transporting and portable use on a routine bases. These scoreboards are usually installed permanently inside an arena or playing field, and typically only one would be installed per facility. Also, these scoreboards are limited to keeping score of only a few types of sports, and can not be adapted to real multi-sport use.

There are some existing scoreboards that claim to be portable. However, they are still very large in size relative to the proposed invention as none of them exhibit a "foldable"
enclosure design, thus unpractical for daily use on a recreational basis, unless it's an organized event or tournament where space is not an issue for it to be installed.

Most importantly, the one fundamental difference between existing scoreboard systems and the proposed invention is the intelligence built into the scorekeeping functionality. All prior arts utilizes a straightforward and "dummy" approach to scorekeeping, meaning these products are simply a collection of individual counters to be used for keep track of different events or conditions for the game played. However it greatly lacks the capability of incorporating the official game rules into the score keeping sequence. This is one key disadvantage of existing prior arts and this is one area where the proposed invention addresses. Basically, the proposed invention allows players themselves to officiate the game with out worrying about the rules of the game as this functionality is built-in to the system upon selecting the type of sport. This feature, together with the remote devices worn by the players, achieves the personalized experience in scorekeeping, thus allowing the players to fully engulf in the sport they are playing.

Existing prior arts are often time very difficult to configure and control since the user interfaces often consist of many rows of buttons, each dedicated to control a specific numerical counter or function on the scoreboard. The user panels are usually located at the back side of the scoreboard, which makes it very difficult for the player themselves to control while looking at the, front-side of the display, especially for the case when the scoreboard is mounted on the wall. Others are done through a dedicate user panel with series of keys and buttons.

The proposed scoreboard uses a very simple user interface consisting of an alphanumeric menu-driven LCD screen, controlled by a few multi-functional keys, and can be conveniently accessed from the front panel of the scoreboard. The interface is very intuitive, with a menu showing settings and options, allowing the user to easily make the required change or update.

Some of the prior arts mentioned above have capabilities to remote control the scoreboard, either via a cable wire or through a wireless mean. However, all of these prior arts do not provide a remote control unit that is small, compact or lightweight for wearing by the players themselves. This limitation usually results with the one or more players needing to stop the game temporarily in order to walk up to the scoreboard to update the score. Creating a very inconvenient and disruptive experience.

Similarly, updating the score for some prior arts can be very cumbersome. Some require the score change to be initiated directly on the scoreboard via its back-panel interface or others would use an auxiliary control box that is connected to the scoreboard either by wires or radio link. The proposed scoreboard uses miniature wireless remote modules that can be easily integrated to the players' apparel, either as a wristband, wristwatch, necklace, or a clip-on-pin attached to the shirt or cap.

Most prior arts, regardless if it's manual flip-card or electronic based, requires a third person or party to operate and update the score. Third person is someone that is not involved in the current game and is situated outside of the playing area (i.e. court or playing field) during the duration of play. For competitive games, the officiating referee might be responsible for the scorekeeping, but for semi-competitive or recreational matches, such a person might not always be present. Therefore, the propose scoreboard is a system that allows the players themselves to operate thru a simple push of a few keys on the wireless remote, with nearly no interruption to the game. Also, audible tones will be generated by the scoreboard each time the score is updated to indicate a change is made, and these tones can be a pre-recorded voice message announcing the current score or game information or as simple as a beep of a horn.

Brief Description of the Drawings and Figures:

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which shows an embodiment of the present invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front and open view of an embodiment of the scoreboard FIG. 2 shows a closed view of an embodiment of the scoreboard FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the right side view of the scoreboard system, with panel opened and supporting leg extended. I/O ports illustrated.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of the left side view of the scoreboard system, with panel opened and supporting leg extended. Visor panel installed.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the wearable remote control devices FIG. 6 shows in block diagram form, an embodiment of a controller and its auxiliary components for use in the scoreboard system FIG. 7 and 8 show, in flowchart form, an embodiment of the method of the software algorithm Similar reference numerals are used in different figures to denote similar components. Item Number 1-21, 200-260 Drawings and Artwork:

The proposed invention is a scoreboard that utilizes a compact, lightweight, robust design that allows for easy transport in any sport bag or backpack, and can be easily setup on site, and simple to operate during the game. In a tournament type of sporting venue, or a semi-competitive club found at a local recreational community centre, this would allow different groups of players to have access to their own scoring system, and each system is independently. For example, in a gymnasium or arena, with multiple badminton courts setup, each court could independently keep their own scores.

Detailed Description with Reference to Item Numbers on Figures:

With reference to FIG I is an embodiment of a foldable enclosure of the scoreboard display (1 & 2).
The foldable configuration allows for a high degree of portability during transport to the location and storage. Also, by having the actual displays folded inward protects of the actual display surface from scratches and damage when not in use. The folding hinge (4) uses a multi ball joint design that allows for three degree of movement between the two halves of the enclosure and the supporting leg apparatus.
FIG 2 shows an embodiment of the scoreboard in a closed form (1 & 2), when not in use, exposing the folding hinge (4) in a terminal position and the supporting leg stored away in the compartment (2).
Also shown is the battery compartment (2) hidden in the spine of the hinge.

Reference is now made to FIG 3 that shows an embodiment of the supporting leg (3) with the extension mechanism. This apparatus is built into the back side of the scoreboard enclosure (1&2) to provide support when the display is opened in an upright position. Together with the folding hinge (4) provides a flexible configuration of the scoreboard display. This design allows for different configurations and installation of the scoreboard, on various surfaces including, but not limited to; table top, glass panel mounted, wall mounted or fence installed.

One of the key design objectives was to maximize the visibility of the display while still minimizing the overall size of the scoreboard. This was achieved with a large aspect ratio on the digit size in comparison to the dimensions of the overall enclosure (1 & 2). Plus the folding hinge design (4) allows for greater display surface area when in use, but half the size during carriage and storage.

The digit display (1&2) is maximized by using the full dimensions of the enclosure, and to improve visibility, super bright and high efficiency solid state LEDs are used for extremely robust and reliable operation. LEDS are also low power consumption, allowing the system to be battery powered.

With reference to FIG 4, to achieve a high visibility display in both indoor and outdoor environments, i.e. under the bright sun or in night time conditions, a visor panel (5) is integrated into the enclosure (1).
This visor panel can also provide to a certain degree protection from rain or snow, assuming the conditions are still suitable for play.

When not in use, the visor panel (4) could also be used in an upright vertical position to be used as a personalizing team or player nameplate. This enhances the usability of the scoreboard compared to the traditional "HOME" and "GUEST" names used.

With reference to FIG 5, wireless remote modules (6 & 7) can be wom by the players during play to allow for the updating of the score. These remotes are very simple devices that are button cell battery powered that can be integrated into the players' apparel. For example, it can be worn as a wrist band or wrist watch or as part of the cap wom by the players. These remote modules are paired and synchronized with the scoreboard prior to use. This is done through the GUI
interface of the LCD
panel.

With Reference to FIG 6, the core of the scoreboard system (8) is a high performance microcontroller (15) that controls all internal and external functionalities of the system.

The system is powered by a dual power source including battery or AC input (9), with a built in battery charging circuit (10) if rechargeable batteries are used. The system also has indications showing low battery and full battery states. With the batteries, it enhances the portability of the product without compromising the overall weight too much as the overall system consumes very little power.

The battery compartment is integrated as part of the folding hinge or "spine", achieving a few compact and assessable design.

To save battery power, a built in light sensor circuitry (17) is used to sense the ambient lighting of the environment (indoor and outdoor) and automatically adjust the intensity of the displays (18) for optimal viewing. The display will also automatically reduce its intensity during non-active or idle periods of the game to save battery.

An audio amplifier and piezo buzzer (19) is used for audio output of real-time score and game status changes or events. These could be audible tones or musical sequences stored in the system memory (13). Alternatively, the audio amplifier could drive a conventional loud speaker (19).

There is built in memory (13) on the system for non-volatile storage of game scores and statistics, as well as the customized user settings and parameters. The data stored could also be transferred to a computer terminal via USB connectivity (11 & 12) for further analysis or processing (ex. by team coaches to evaluate the players' progress).

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 and 8, which show, in flowchart form, an embodiment of the software algorithm (200) and the methodology used for scorekeeping control. The method (200) relates to a control sequence involving a scoreboard display described above, and two remote controls worn by the players themselves. The control sequence is performed in parallel with the display and the remote controls.

The method (200) begins in step 202 with system initialization. This involves input/output (I/O) port configurations and resetting of software parameters. The system then enters into step 204 where Menu Selection is displayed to the user via the LCD GUI (Graphical User Interface).
In Menu Selection, various options and features can be made, including Sports Selection (206), Save Score (208), and Miscellaneous Settings (210). User can choose different sports in the Sports Selection menu, such as basketball, football, badminton, volleyball and hockey. Miscellaneous Setup allow user to update settings for system calendar and clock, game clock/timer, audio buzzer on/off, and settings for transmit of data to external source via USB.

If Save Score (208) is enabled by the user, this feature will allow the system to continuously log and store to memory all the events that occur during the game. This includes score changes (i.e. increment or decrement), time stamps and other game related information. If Save Score is disabled by the user, this function will not be active.

Depending on the type of Sport Selected (214), different game settings are available for the user to configure. If user chooses to keep with default settings, then they could proceed to step 228 to Start Game. Users could also load/retrieve a previously stored setting (via memory) and proceed to step 228 to Start Game. Else, the user can choose to view or reconfigure any of the game settings (220) pertaining to the selected sport. For example; the user can choose either a "singles" match or "doubles"
match (ex. the game of badminton uses a different scoring system depending on whether players are competing one-on-one or two-on-two), or the number of points per game, or the number of games per match, or the type of deuce/time break play to select. On the game clock side, the timer can be changed accordingly, and allows for countdown or count-up options.

Once all of these customized settings are completed, the user can choose to Save the New Settings (224) or proceed immediately to Start Game (228). FIG 7 is continuation of FIG
6 flow chart, and it shows the Start Game (228) sequence, and this is where all settings are loaded and game is in progress.

As game proceeds, Step 230 waits for game update input from the players via the wireless remote modules and updates the score display in real-time (238). This event would also trigger an audible tone to be sounded, indicating to all players that the score has been updated. The method 200 has built-in intelligence to ensure sports rule compliance is met, and displays other game related information in step 236. This might include "fouls", "time expiry", and "point change violation". Point change violation is a built in error checking algorithm to ensure player score inputs are valid.

In step 240 monitors the game point progress, compares with the point setting of the selected sport, and reports intermediate or final game results. The system also outputs various information during the game, such as display game points, foul counts, and period count; turning on buzzer for point increment; and playing musical sequence at the end of the game.

The method 200 also keeps track of the game timer for the relevant sport selected, and displays time information, and links the game progress with the timer accordingly. When the time expires, an audible tone or buzzer will be sounded notifying players. Note, some sports do not require timer or clock tracking.

If Save Score feature was enabled (208) during game settings, all of these events that occur during the game will be logged into memory on the system in real time. Various information can be collected during the game, such as points per quarter, time stamps per score change event, game advancement speed, final scores etc. In step 248, when the game is finished, the system has the capability to reconcile all the data collected and prepare the overall statistical game summary. The collected information can then be transmitted to an external source via USB bus for analysis or interpretation by players, coaching staff or other interested parties.

The system and method described also monitor the game progress and ensure it complies with the rules and standards for the sport selected. It will be appreciated that the embodiments of the method and system described above determine the winning team by comparing the final game score and with the setting of the selected game. Once a game is finished and the winner is determined, the players can restart a new brand game or abort the system.

The method 200 is only a generic flowchart of the overall algorithm and structure, but it must be appreciated that every sport defined in the system has different score keeping rules and regulations, and the system applies variations of the algorithm accordingly. This embodiment illustrates the capability for the user to customize the settings and how the system keeps score and game information according to official game rules.

Example List of Prior Arts References:
7,404,373, Portable game scoreboard http : //p a tft . u s l)to ..qov/netacgi / n p h-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=35&f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&sl =scoreboards&OS=scoreboards&RS=scoreboards 5,615,636, Portable scoreboard http://patft.usi)to.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool. htm I&r=8&f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s 1=%22portable+scoreboard%22&OS="portable+scoreboard"&R
S ="portable+s co r e b oa rd"

4,045,788, Allpurpose portable scoreboard http://patft. u s pto. g ov/netacgi/n p h-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=14&f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&sl =%22portable+scoreboard%22&OS="portable+scoreboard"&
RS="portable+scoreboard"

5,294,913, Indoor/outdoor portable basketball scoreboard hftp://i)atft.usi)to.gov/netaccii/nph-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=9&f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=%22portable+scoreboard%22&OS="portable +scoreboard"&R
S="portable+scoreboa rd"

4,280,291, Two-sided portable scoreboard http: //patft. u s pto. gov/netacgi/n p h-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-boo1.html&r=11 &f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=%22portable+scoreboard%22&OS="portable+scoreboard"&

RS="portable+scoreboard"

7,520,827, Electronic table tennis http://patft.usi)to.pov/netac. i/q nph-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-boo1.html&r=5&f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&sl =scorekeeping&OS=scorekeeping&RS=scorekeeping 6,725,107, Electronic scorekeeping device and system therefore (statistics) hftp://Patft.uspto.gov/netacoi/nL)h-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=26&f=G&1=50&co 1=AN D&d=PTXT&s l =scorekeepinq&OS=scorekeeping&RS=scorekeepinq 6,210,296, Portable tennis scorekeeper device http://Datft.usoto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=40&f=G&I=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&sl =scorekeepino&OS=scorekeeping&RS=scorekeepina 6,041,266, Baseball scorekeeper http: //p atft. u s pto. goy/netacgi/n p h-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&o=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=42&f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&sl =scorekeeping&OS=scorekeeping&RS=scorekeeping 5,879,249, Scorekeeping apparatus for a tennis racquet hftp://patft.ust)to.gov/netac-ai/nph-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=50&f=G&1=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&sl =scorekeepina&OS=scorekeeping&RS=scorekeepino 7,091,875, Wearable remote control http://Datft. usrto.gov/netacgi/nrh-Parser?Sectl =PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1 &u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-booI.html&r=2&f=G&1=50&co 1=AND&dPTXT&s 1=7091875&OS=7091875&RS=7091875

Claims (16)

1 Claims 1. A scorekeeping system comprising of A portable scoreboard that has built-in intelligence to keep track of score according to official rules of the sport under play And players themselves could update the score count through the means of wearable remote controls that are integrated into their sporting apparel.

2. The system defined in claim 1 has the capability to support multiple types of sports, and complies with the official rules of the sport, with reference to the rule books found from international and national sport associations. This intelligent capability is implemented in software algorithms, operating on a solid-state hardware platform.

3. The system defined in claim 1 has the capability at the beginning of play for allowing the players to customize the game settings and configurations for the selected sport via the built-in user interface comprising of a LCD display and electronic keys.

4. The system defined in claim 1 allows the score and game status to be updated by the players themselves without the intervention of a third party (i.e. someone not part of the game). This is done using one or more wireless remote devise worn by the players.

5. The system defined in claim 4 utilizes wearable remote control modules that are wore by the one or more players. These wearable modules are mean to be non-intrusive to the players, and are integrated into the apparel. They provide a means for full control and communication access to the scorekeeping function on the scoreboard unit.

6. The system defined in claim 4 describes wireless modules integrated into the following apparel, but not limited to; wristbands, headbands, lip of a baseball cap, necklace, or as simple as a broche with safety pin.

7. The system defined in claim 1 is made up of two enclosures joined together on one edge by dual hinges to form a foldable design.

8. The system defined in claim 7 is a compact and lightweight design that allows for easy transport in a carrying case or backpack by the players themselves to and from the sporting site (i.e. court, arena, playing field, etc)

9. The system defined in claim 1 has built in audio output of tones and musical sound as feedback to the players for various events or conditions met during a game. This might include playing a sound to indicate score updating or playing a musical sequence to indicate game clock expiry.

10. The system defined in claim 1 utilizes LED technology for the digit display panels, achieving a power efficient design, and with LED's solid-state nature, allows for better durability and shock/impact resistance compared to conventional light bulbs or mechanical alternatives.

11. The scoreboard defined in claim 1 can be powered either with built in rechargeable battery supply or external AC input. A battery charger circuit is used for recharging batteries.

12. The system defined in claim 1 is further personalized with a name plate that can be customized by the players themselves, by writing in for example their team name or their player names. This allows the ability to differentiate the two scores displayed.

13. The name plate defined in claim 10 serves a dual purpose, by also allowing it to be installed on the scoreboard display as a sun visor to allow for better visibility of the LED
display under varying outdoor or indoor lighting environment.

14. The system defined in claim 1 allows the user game settings and score data to be stored into internal memory in real-time and retrieved at a later time.

15. The system defined in claim 1 also allows for the game information and custom game settings to be saved internally in memory for later retrieval or sent via standard communication protocol to an external PC terminal or laptop for further processing.

16. The feature defined in claim 5 can be extended to include software application running on the computer to allow for graphical analysis of all the games played and stored earlier. This deem advantageous to coaching staff as it would help track the progress of the players/team on a quarter by quarter basis or game by game basis.