GB2314779A - Portable game or sport scoring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Portable game or sport scoring apparatus is adapted for being carried or worn about the person, includes one or more input buttons (3a,3b,4a,4b,6,7) which incrementally adjust the score of the player and his opponent, and display means for displaying the score. In a modification, the apparatus may be arranged to transmit the score to an external scoreboard.

Description

PORTABLE GAME OR SPORT SCORING APPARATUS This invention relates to scoring apparatus for use in a sport or game. In particular, but not exclusively, it relates to apparatus for use by participants in a sport such as tennis for keeping the score of a match whilst it is progressing.

The keeping of score in a sport like tennis can be rather complex, involving the accumulation of points, games and sets and it is relatively easy for a participant to lose track of the score at any point. For professional games, this is not so much of a problem since officials will be monitoring the score and displaying it on a scoreboard for the participants to see. However, the majority of tennis is played by amateurs who do not have access to officials and external scoreboards and who need to keep the score themselves.

The present invention arose in an attempt to provide an apparatus, easily accessible to a participant and by which he can progress and monitor the score of a game as the game goes on in a simple and reliable fashion.

According to the present invention there is provided a portable game or sport scoring apparatus adapted for being carried or worn about the person and including one or more input buttons which incrementally adjust the score of the player and his opponent, and display means for displaying the score.

The apparatus is preferably embodied as an article to be worn on the wrist of a user, on a wrist band, such as in a watch or similar structure.

The article is preferably designed to display tennis scores such that actuation of the or a combination of buttons increments the scores of both parties and, according to the rules of the game, at appropriate times increments the score in points, games and sets. The display means preferably displays the respective scores in each game, the number of games won by each side and the number of each sets won and/or the score in each set completed. Separate buttons may be provided for incrementing the wearer's score and that of his opponent.

The apparatus may automatically increment games and/or sets as the appropriate score is reached or separate buttons may be included for incrementing games and sets.

The apparatus may additionally include a time display, preferably with stopwatch functions.

In a modification, the apparatus may further comprise means for transmitting the displayed score to an external scoreboard, the external scoreboard being provided with means for receiving and displaying the information.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the face of a scoring apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows the apparatus of Figure 1 with an additional time display; Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment; and Figure 4 shows, schematically, a block diagram.

Referring to Figure 1, an apparatus for scoring a game of tennis 1 is mounted upon a wrist band 2 for wearing upon a user's wrist. The apparatus has a general appearance similar to that of a wrist watch, although it may be of any specific shape. Although shown for use as a tennis scoring watch, the concept of the invention may be applied to apparatus for scoring any game or sport and the display revised accordingly.

The display 2 may be any type of visual electronic display, and is preferably a liquid crystal (LCD) display. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the score of the wearer and of his opponent is shown, as a) points scored in the particular game in suit, b) the number of games and c) the score of each played set. The scores towards the bottom of the apparatus, ie. under line D relate to the wearer and the scores above them relate to his opponent. Thus, in the example given, two sets have already been played. The first set was won 6-1 by the wearer and the second set was won 6-2 by his opponent. In the present set, the wearer is leading by 3 games to 2, and by 40 points to 30 in the sixth game of the set. A plurality of buttons are provided to increment the display as each point is scored. Buttons are provided for incrementing the score in points, in games and in sets of each player. The buttons are positioned generally adjacent to the respective part of the display they alter and are provided in approximately diametrically opposed pairs. Thus, a button 3a which increments the wearers' points score in each game is roughly diametrically opposed to button 3b which is pressed to increment his opponents' points score. Each press of a button 3a or 3b (depending who wins the point) increments the respective score according to the standard rules of tennis (ie. 15, 30, 40, etc). As usual in tennis, if the score reaches 40 points each, then this is termed deuce and the apparatus goes on to indicate when it is one players advantage and so on.

When one or other player wins the game, that players respective game button 4a or 4b (which are again diametrically opposed) is depressed once. Thus, if the wearer wins a game he depresses his button 4a and the score in his games display is incremented. If his opponent wins a game then button 4b is depressed. Once a set is won, then a set button 5 is depressed and this enters the game score into a set display area 6 so that as the game progresses the user can tell at a glance the score in sets, games and points. In one version of the embodiment of Figure 1, two 'set' buttons may be provided, one of which, eg. the left hand one 6, indicates that the wearer has won a set and the other of which, 7, indicates that his opponent won a set. Alternatively, button 6 may be arranged to insert the game score (eg. 6-2) into the sets box so that only one set button is required. Button 7 may then be used for other functions, such as a cancellation button in case an error has been made so that depression of it cancels the effect of the last button pressed, or for other functions.

The buttons may be differently coloured or otherwise distinguished for easier identification and reference. For example, buttons 3a and 3b may be one colour, 4a and 4b a second colour and 6 and 7 a third colour. The buttons and display are configured so that, as the viewer looks at the apparatus on his wrist, his score and buttons are nearest his body and his opponent's are further away. This reduces mistakes.

Figure 2 illustrates a modification to the embodiment of Figure 1 and in this modification an additional part of the display 8 is given over to displaying the time so that the apparatus can also be used as a conventional watch. Most preferably, stopwatch functions may also be provided so that the wearer can monitor the duration of a game for example. The stopwatch and time functions may be actuated through operations of the existing buttons or further buttons may be added. For example, in known manner, the duration of time for which a button is depressed may alter the operation of that button so that for any particular button a brief depression and release increments the respective score part of a display whereas a longer depression, say for over 2 seconds, may actuate a particular time function, or may be used as a cancellation or RESET signal. The control of multiple functions by single buttons is well known and this concept is taken further in Figure 3 in which only two buttons are provided. Reverting back to Figure 2, in the game illustrated, the game has only just begun and the score in the first game is 30-ALL since the games display indicates that no games have been played and there are no entries in the set box.

Instead of separate buttons for score, games and sets, a single button may suffice for each players' score.

The relevant button is depressed each time a point is won by that player and the score incremented accordingly. The apparatus is in this case programmed to detect automatically that a game has been won by referring to the rules of the game and thereby to automatically adjust the game score. Similarly, once a set has been won the apparatus is programmed to detect this and to automatically adjust the set display. Thus, only two buttons may be required, buttons 9a and 9b of which button 9a increments the score of the wearer and button 9b increments the score of his opponent. In the game shown, 4 sets have already been played, the score from the users perspective being 6-1, 2-6, 6-7, 6-love ("zero") and in the final set he is leading by 3 games to 2. In the sixth game of this set it is his advantage (v).

Figure 3 also shows a further modification which may be applied to any embodiment of the invention and in which a further part of the display 10a, 10b is used to determine which player is currently serving. Each time a scoring button is depressed, a mark is shown in one or other of these boxes and this alternates. The mark in this case is shown as an X. Thus, the wearer can tell at a glance whether it is his turn to serve or that of his opponent. Box 10a towards the bottom of the apparatus refers to the wearer and box 10b refers to the opponent.

The electronic circuitry for realising the present invention is of straightforward design and will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. One example is shown very schematically in Figure 4. Each of the input buttons 3a, 3b, etc are connected to a central processing unit 11 which includes data relevant to the rules of the particular sport, eg. tennis, the watch is applied for.

The rules will typically be stored in a non-volatile readonly memory form although they may be stored in a read/write memory, such as a RAM, so that the watch may be used with different sports having different rules. Each depression of a particular button increments the score according to the rules in the processing unit and the processing unit sends data to a display 13, such as an LCD display unit, for display in the normal fashion.

In a modification, data may be transmitted in a wireless manner from the apparatus to an external scoreboard and this is shown schematically in dotted lines. To achieve this a transmitter 15 receives score details from the processing unit 11 and transmits these to a receiver 16 forming part of an external receiving unit, such as an external scoreboard. The communication may be electromagnetic, such as by radio or infra-red signals, or may be by ultrasound communication or by any other means of communication. The receiver 16 receives the signals, which will be in the form of a digital (eg. binary) code or as a modulated carrier wave for example, decodes these and applies them to a scoreboard processing unit 17. This then applies the decoded signals to a display 18 which will usually be an external scoreboard. The scoreboard will be relatively large so that it can be viewed by both players and/or by spectators. Each time the score on the portable scoring apparatus 1 is updated, a corresponding signal is sent to the scoreboard processing unit to update the display on that so that the scoreboard is updated substantially at the same time as the watch.

The concepts described may be applied for the scoring of any sport or game.

Claims (9)

1. Portable gme or sport scoring apparatus, adapted for being carried or worn about the person and including one or more input buttons which incrementally adjust the score of the player and his opponent, and display means for displaying the score.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, adapted for wearing on the wrist of a wearer.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, further comprising time display means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, including means for communicating data to an external receiver, for display on an external scoreboard connected to the receiver.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the score data is displayed on both the portable apparatus and the external scoreboard.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, adapted for displaying tennis scores.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, including a plurality of input buttons each associated with one or more score-incrementing and/or time-related functions.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the score is incrementally adjustable in points, games and sets.

9. Game or sport scoring apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.