Patent Application
20240399236
The use of technology on the golf course has increased recently as global positioning satellite (GPS) mobile device technology have become more wide-spread. For example, various golf applications have been designed to run on GPS-enabled smart phones that may be used to keep track of scores.
However, conventional technologies for recording experiences on a golf course are static, physical and manual, requiring the use of physical maps, stickers, push pins, physical photo albums and the like. Further, these technologies do not retain all the pertinent information about courses a user visits over the course of their life. Further, conventional golf applications may generally provide scoring and logistical content related to the golfer without allowing the golfer to memorialize and share experiences lived on the golf course. Conventional golf applications are directed towards improving a user's golf game, and do not provide for recording and retaining pertinent information regarding the user experience and then displaying this information in a map format.
While conventional golfing applications capture static metrics focused on the user's particular round of golf-like distance to the pin, hole score, course score, handicap, course maps, hazard locations, club recommendations-they do not capture the social or experiential aspects of the golfing experience. People play the game to optimize scores, but they also play golf with family, friends and colleagues for fun and the wonderful lifetime of memories the game helps them create. Remembering the feeling of particular shots, comments from friends, the weather at the time, and various other social and experiential details are not captured by today's golfing applications. As such, conventional golfing applications are deficient at recording and sharing the entire experience of the game.
In one aspect, a method may include detecting, by a computing device, a first geographic location of a first mobile device associated with a first user while the first user may be playing a first game of golf, receiving, by a computing device, a first selection of first golf content associated with the first user in accordance with the detected first geographic location, storing, by the computing system, the first golf content in a computer readable medium associated with the first user, and providing, by the computing system, the selected first golf content for display by the first mobile device based on a first set of parameters selected by the first user.
The method may also further include detecting, by the computing device, a second geographic location of a second mobile device associated with one or more second users while the second users may be playing golf, receiving, by the computing device, a second selection of second golf content associated with the second user in accordance with the detected second geographic location, storing, by the computing device, the second golf content in the computer readable medium, and providing, by the computing device, the selected second golf content associated with the second user playing a second game of golf previous to the first game of golf by the first user for display by the first mobile device. Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be provided, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to detect a first geographic location of a first mobile device associated with a first user while the user may be playing a first game of golf, receive a first selection of first golf content associated with the first user in accordance with the detected geographic location, store the first golf content in a computer readable medium associated with the first user, and provide the selected first golf content for display by the first mobile device based on a first set of parameters selected by the first user.
In another aspect, a computing apparatus including a processor may be provided. The computing apparatus also includes a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the apparatus to detect a first geographic location of a first mobile device associated with a first user while the user may be playing a first game of golf, receive a first selection of first golf content associated with the first user in accordance with the detected geographic location, store the first golf content in a computer readable medium associated with the first user, and provide the selected first golf content for display by the first mobile device based on a first set of parameters selected by the first user.
Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.
The disclosed methods and system allow users to capture metrics from their golf adventures and memories, e.g., experiences on a golf course, for example, by recording content associated with the user experience on the golf course. Users may then display this content on an electronic map. By use of the electronic map, a user may interact with other users to share an experience on a golf course. For example, a user may share content regarding a golf course showing holes played, interaction with other users, and other content, thereby providing a user story. Users may also comment on their own or other users' play during a game of golf, such as bragging about golf play or commenting on another user's poor performance. Users may keep an experiential history of their play across different courses around the country or world. Conventionally, this type of history would be kept on a physical map using push pins or the like.
A user can thereby memorialize their golf adventures and memories, e.g., experiences of playing golf, for example, by recording, displaying, commenting on, or otherwise interacting with the golf experiential and social content. Additionally, implementations described herein may provide for a user to transmit the golf experiential and social content to other users, thereby providing for a plurality of users to share the experience of playing golf. Processing resources are thereby saved as a plurality of users may use a centralized computer system.
These methods and systems comprise golf social content and golf experiential content. Golf social content, as used herein, includes golf content specific to the information, comments, pictures, videos, and audio of other people, either alone or in relation to an application user. Examples include social media comments from others or to others received or transmitted at a particular geographic location on a golf course; audio, video, or images of the golfer or other golfers at a geographic location on the golf course; the specific players who played a golf round or rode in a golf cart; the handicaps of those other players; tournament details; or any other condition about the interaction with others during the golf game—specifically, in some embodiments, at specific locations of the golf course. Golf experiential content, as used herein, includes golf content specific to the particular experience at a point in time or at a particular location on a golf course. Examples include the weather at a point in time (e.g., wind, sun, temperature, precipitation); times of year (e.g., summer or fall); other events going on with a user (e.g., certain months pregnant, large presentation due next day, birthday, or other event); emoticons entered by a user (e.g., smiley face, frowny face, or the like); sound of a ball strike; time on the course; or any other condition about the experience during the golf game-specifically, in some embodiments, at specific locations of the golf course.
Additional examples of golf experiential and social content that can be provided include, but are not limited to, scoring information associated with one or more golfers, social networking content (e.g., Twitter updates, blog posts, Facebook posts, etc. provided by one or more golfers), messages sent to golfers (e.g., text or multimedia messages), multimedia content associated with one or more golfers (e.g., video, audio or photographic content) including pictures or avatars of the golfers, other user-defined information associated with one or more golfers (e.g., user selectable phone numbers, email addresses), information associated with a golf course (e.g., address, websites, reviews or ratings associated with the golf course), other golfers who played on the golf course with a user on (e.g., one or more golfers who play a particular golf hole or course), recordings of a professional golfer who played the course previously, and weather data (e.g., current weather conditions or weather conditions when a course was played). Content may also be representative of one or more maps of a golf course and/or specific golf holes within a golf course.
In
In
Based on the geographic location frame 122, a plurality of course addresses within the selected location may be shown, for example a first course address panel 124 and second course address panel 128. The address fields may show the name and address of a golf course. The first course address panel 124 and second course address panel 128 may be selectable by the user, for example, by utilizing a touch screen. Below the first course address panel 124, a game date panel 126 shows a plurality of dates related to golf content. Also shown in the first course address panel 124 and second course address panel 128 may be a first game start time panel 130 and second game start time panel 132 which display a particular time in relation to a golf content. On selection of the first course address panel 124 or second course address panel 128, the user may be displayed a course content display frame 160.
The player list panel 158 may show the user names of one or more second users selected by the first user. It is contemplated that the player list panel 158 can show avatars and content related to them. The player list panel 158 may be selectable to show additional content of the other golfers, for example in the gallery panel 154. It is contemplated that one of the second users can be selected and that content can be dragged or dropped to the second user on the player list panel 158 to transmit or receive golf content.
The gallery panel 154 shows golf content related to the user and/or other selected second users.
The gallery panel 154 may provide for selection of golf content by the first user for storage or transmission to second users. For example, golf content can be dragged and dropped on the gallery panel 154 for storage or dragged from the gallery panel 154 to the player list panel 158 for onward transmission.
On selection by the first user, a golf course screen 134 may be shown in
The first user indicator 138 and second user indicators 140a and 140b may be selected to access golf experiential or social content associated with either the first user 214 or second users 212. For example, the first user indicator 138 and second user indicators 140a and 140b may be associated with content stored on the content server associated with the respective users by the computing environment 202, thereby providing for a shared experience on the golf course.
An example list of content settings and their functions may be shown according to Table 1 below:
In
The content server 208 and account server 206 may be shown as separate entities. However, as may be known in the art, the content server 208, account server 206 could co-exist in the same device, for example the device 302 as shown in
The first mobile device 204 as shown in
The functionality of memorializing and sharing the golf content can be provided by an application resident on the computing environment 202, for example distributed over the first mobile device 204, account server 206, and content server 208. Application may include one or more software applications that may be provided to or accessed by first mobile device 204 and may provide for user to input and receive data, for example, by a Graphical User Interface (“GUI”) associated with the first mobile device 204. For example, application may include software installed on the first mobile device 204 in association with software resident on the account server 206, content server 208 and/or any other software capable of being provided via cloud computing environment.
The first mobile device 204 may be configured to track (e.g., detect) a geographic location of a first mobile device 204 associated with the first user 214. The tracking of the geographic location of the first mobile device 204 may be performed in any suitable way and using any suitable technologies, including, without limitation, Global Positioning System (“GPS”) technologies and terrestrial signaling triangulation technologies. As an example, the first mobile device 204 may track the location of the first user 214 using GPS and/or cellular phone wireless signaling triangulation technologies. Further, the first mobile device 204 can track the location with respect to particular geographic markers, thereby providing for the display of the first user 214 on an interactive map of the course. The first mobile device 204 can also track and display a plurality of second users 212 using the application.
The first mobile device 204 may have a user interface that may provide for the first user 214 to interact with the content server 208 to receive and store first user 214 content. For example, user interface facility may provide a user interface for display by a first mobile device 204 associated with (e.g., carried by) a first user 214 through which one or more functions, options, features, and/or tools may be provided to a golfer and through which input provided by the first user 214 may be received. As shown above, the interface facility may comprise functionality to display a course content display frame 160, thereby providing for the first user 214 to interact with the content server 208.
In an embodiment, content from content server 208 can be formatted on the first mobile device 204 based on first user 214 configurations and account settings. For example, the first user 214 can select an option to display the fonts and styles consistent with the Professional Golfers' Association (“PGA”) standard.
Content server 208 may be adapted to download and upload content to the first mobile device 204. For example, content server 208 can use a direct communication link with the first mobile device 204 through a Wi-Fi link to directly download content to the first mobile device 204 or upload user-generated content to the content server 208. Content can then be stored on a computer-readable medium associated with the content server 208 or the first mobile device 204.
The content server 208 may also receive a location from the first mobile device 204, for example, the location of a first user 214 with respect to a golf course map 136. The content server 208 may then associate the golf content with a location of the first mobile device 204. In this way, content associated with the location of the first user 214 may be received by or transmitted from the first mobile device 204 when the first user 214 may be within a geographic radius of a location, such as a golf hole. The content server 208 may also receive a movement by a first user 214 to another position while playing a game of golf (e.g., walking or riding from a first shot location to a second shot location), and thereby update the first user 214 location. Golf content may then be updated in accordance with the updated location and selected and stored/provided based on the location.
It is contemplated that the user may select a particular golf course by using the first mobile device 204. For example, content server 208 may provide a geographic location for display by the first mobile device 204 such displaying the United States in the map screen 118. On selection of the geographic location by the first user 214, the content server 208 may download a list of golf courses associated with the geographic location to the first mobile device 204 for first user 214 selection. In an embodiment, the top 100 golf courses and information regarding them could be displayed to first user 214 for selection. In an embodiment, the first mobile device 204 could display courses within a geographic radius of a particular location, such as an airport.
The first user 214 may maintain an account with an account server 206 that may provide for the first user 214 to log into the account server 206 by means of the mobile device 204. It is contemplated that if the first user 214 may be new to the system, the first user 214 may register an account with the account server 206 by means known in the art. The account may be associated with the first mobile device 204 and/or a user account. For example, the account may be associated with the first mobile device 204 using a phone number or other device identifier, or via an application installed locally on the first mobile device 204. It is contemplated that the account may be associated with an account of a merchant that may be accessible via the first mobile device 204, such as an email address accessible via the first mobile device 204 and through which the user can receive a communication from a merchant and/or the account server 206. In some implementations, the first user 214 may use the first mobile device 204 to provide an authorization to receive push notifications, text messages, and/or other communications from the account server 206, and/or the like. The first user 214 may also select communication preferences, including preferences for sharing content with one or more second users 212, thereby providing for or preventing the sharing of golf content. The account server 206 may provide differing subscription levels to the first user 214. The account server 206 may then restrict access to the content server 208 based on a subscription level.
The account server 206 may provide for access to and transmission of content between the first mobile device 204 and content server 208. For example, user generated content can be uploaded from the first mobile device 204 and stored on the content server 208. The content can also be downloaded from the content server 208 onto the first mobile device 204 for display to the first user 214. In an embodiment, the content can be routed to/from the content server 208 through the account server 206 to the first mobile device 204. It may be also contemplated that the account server 206 could provide a cryptographic authentication providing for the first mobile device 204 to send and receive content directly to/from the content server 208 or resident on second mobile devices 216. Such authentication could be by any means known in the art, for example, a certificate or public/private key generation.
The account server 206 may be adapted to store a plurality of content settings related to the user account and to allow the first user 214 to configure the content displayed on the first mobile device 204. The first user 214 may manually configure the content settings. However, it may be also contemplated that the content settings may be autoconfigured by the account server 206, content server 208 or first mobile device 204
In an embodiment, in response to a detection by location tracking facility of a location of the first mobile device 204 associated with the first user 214, content server 208 may select golf content associated with second users 212 who played the golf hole previous to the playing of the golf hole. The content server 208 may then provide the selected golf content to the first mobile device 204 for display to the first user 214. Additionally or alternatively, content server 208 may select golf content for display by the first mobile device 204 based on an identity of a first user 214 associated with the golf content instance or in accordance with any other factor deemed relevant by content server 208. For example, the first user 214 can be shown content previously recorded by second users 212 selected as other players in the player list panel 158. It is also contemplated that the first user 214 can be shown content concurrently being recorded by the second users 212, for example, in real-time.
The content of the second users 212 can be routed to the first user 214 by means known in the art. For example, content from the second mobile devices 216 can be sent directly to the content server 208 or routed through the account server 206, and then downloaded to the first mobile device 204 as described in
Bus 304 may include one or more components that enable wired and/or wireless communication among the components of device 302. Bus 304 may couple together two or more components of
Memory 308 may include volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. For example, memory 308 may include random access Memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive, and/or another type of memory (e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and/or an optical memory). Memory 308 may include internal memory (e.g., RAM, ROM, or a hard disk drive) and/or removable memory (e.g., removable via a universal serial bus connection). Memory 308 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 308 stores information, instructions, and/or software (e.g., one or more software applications) related to the operation of device 302. In some implementations, memory 308 may include one or more memories 308 that may be coupled to one or more processors (e.g., processor 306), such as via bus 304. In some implementations, memory 308 may comprise a storage component 310 such as a non-transitory computer readable medium for storage of memory.
Input component 312 enables device 302 to receive input, such as user input and/or sensed input. For example, input component 312 may include a touch screen, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a microphone, a switch, a sensor, a global positioning system sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and/or an actuator. Output component 314 enables device 302 to provide output, such as via a display, a speaker, and/or a light-emitting diode. Communication interface 316 enables device 302 to communicate with other devices via a wired connection and/or a wireless connection. For example, communication interface 316 may include a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, a modem, a network interface card, and/or an antenna.
Device 302 may perform one or more operations or processes described herein. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory 308) may store a set of instructions (e.g., one or more instructions or code) for execution by processor 306. Processor 306 may execute the set of instructions to perform one or more operations or processes described herein. In some implementations, execution of the set of instructions, by one or more processors 306, causes the one or more processors 306 and/or the device 302 to perform one or more operations or processes described herein. In some implementations, hardwired circuitry may be used instead of or in combination with the instructions to perform one or more operations or processes described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, processor 306 may be configured to perform one or more operations or processes described herein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.
The number and arrangement of components shown in
The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations.
As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software.
Some implementations are described herein in connection with thresholds. As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, more than the threshold, higher than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, fewer than the threshold, lower than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, or the like.
It will be apparent that systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methods is not limiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and/or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code—it being understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based on the description herein.
Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of various implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set.
