Patent Application
20230084889
The present invention relates to a basketball training system. In particular, a sensor-operated basketball training system capable of teaching crossover dribbling of a user and able to electronically track progress of the user during use thereof.
Basketball is a sport which requires specific training and skills. One such skill is crossover dribbling in which a basketball player dribbles a basketball within one hand and quickly switches (i.e., crosses over) the basketball to the other hand with minimal bounce in front of another player.
Current basketball training devices are typically stationary devices which are unable to be adjusted to each individual user and are unable to track the progress of a user during use.
It is therefore desirable to provide a sensor-operated basketball training system capable of easily electronically tracking a user's progress, to thereby effectively train each user to perform a crossover dribble move or other basketball skills.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a sensor-operated basketball training system is provided. The basketball training system includes a base unit and a satellite unit both providing upright support to the system on a flat surface, each of the base unit and the satellite unit comprising a leg portion adjustable in a vertical direction to correspond to a height of a user and the satellite unit comprising a satellite sensor for emitting a signal and the base unit comprising a base sensor for receiving signals from the satellite sensor, a retractable drawstring to be extended to connected to the satellite unit in parallel with the signal(s) transmitted to the base unit from the satellite unit, and a digital counter which counts a total number of times the user performs the dribble operation and interferes with (or blocks) the signal transmitted to the base unit.
The present invention also provides a method of performing training of a crossover dribble move using the above-mentioned sensor-operated basketball training system.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the invention with the advantages and the features, refer to the description and to the drawings.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention describes a sensor-operated basketball training system sensing and tracking the success of a user when performing a basketball skill (e.g., a crossover dribble move), to thereby effectively train the user. One skilled in the art however will understand that the present invention may have additional embodiments and that the other embodiments of the invention may be practiced without several of the specific features described below. Although the present invention is described with use in training a player to perform a crossover dribble move, the sensor-operated basketball training system described in the present invention may also be used to effectively train other basketball skills such as “behind the back”, “between the legs” and “in & out”.
With reference now to
The basketball training system 50 includes a base unit 100 and a satellite unit 200 to provide upright support to the system 50 on a flat surface (e.g., a floor 10), each of the base unit 100 and the satellite unit 200 comprising a base portion 102, 202 and a leg portion 104, 204 respectively that are adjustable in a vertical direction to correspond to a height of a user, for example, the height of the user's knees. According to an embodiment of the present invention both of the base portions 102 and 202 are weighted. They may be filled with any weighted substance, for example, sand or water, suitable for weighing down and provided fixed support of the base unit 100 and the satellite unit 200 during use. According to one or more embodiments, the base portions 102 and 202 may be formed of any size or shape that is suitable for the purposes as set forth herein. As shown in the figures, the base portions 102 and 202 are of the shape of a half of a basketball.
Each of the base unit 100 and the satellite unit 200 have a leg portion 104 and 204 connected at a first end thereof to base portions 102 and 202 respectively and secured therewith by a securing means (e.g., securing component 105 depicted in
The base unit 100 further comprises a main housing 114 connected to a second end of the leg portion 104 for housing a display 116 and other components of the base unit 100 (as depicted in
The base unit 100 further comprises a base proximity sensor 118 for sensing that a user is within a predetermined distance of the base unit 100. The base proximity sensor 118 can be a motion sensor, a heat sensor, or any type of sensor suitable for sensing that a user is near the base unit 100. Additional detail regarding the operation of the base proximity sensor 118 and the base unit 100 will be further discussed below.
The base unit 100 further comprises a base sensor unit 120 for sensing and receiving a signal 60 (e.g., an infrared laser signal) from the satellite unit 200 during operation of the system 50. The base unit 100 includes a receiver 121 to receive one or more signals 60 from a transmitter 221 (as depicted in
The base unit 100 further includes a retractable drawstring 125 retractable and extendable to connect to the satellite unit 200 during use. The base unit 100 includes a secondary housing 130 (as depicted in
The base unit 100 further comprises a timer 134 and a counter 135 (e.g., a digital counter as depicted in
Referring back to
A storage holder 140 is also disposed at the base unit 100, for example, at a top of the leg portion 104 near the display 116 or at a bottom of the leg portion 104 near the base portion 102 for storing a power adapter for supplying external power to the power supply 146 and/or a remote control unit 160 (as depicted in
More details regarding the satellite unit 200 will now be discussed with reference to
The satellite unit 200 further comprises a satellite sensor 220 for emitting the signal(s) 60 (e.g., an infrared signal) to the receiver 121 of the base sensor 120 of the base unit 100 upon the start of the system 50, and a power supply 246 housed in a housing 247 connected to leg portion 204 and including an on/off switch for supply powering to the components of the satellite unit 200 including the satellite sensor 220 and a controller/processor 245 to turn on the satellite unit 200. The power supply 246 can be a replaceable or rechargeable battery or a USB interface for connecting to an external power supply source. The present invention is not limited to the base unit 100 or the satellite unit 200 being physically connected to an external power supply and can be supplied by alternative power means such as solar energy or other suitable alternative power means.
Additional details regarding the operation of the components of the system 50 will now be discussed with reference to
The controller/processor 145 can be a microcontroller, or other type of suitable control system capable of controlling operation of the components of the system 50. The controller/processor 145 can be separate components in communication to perform the control operations.
According to an embodiment, the display 116, the controller/processor 145, digital counter 135, power supply 146 and memory 148 are disposed within the main housing 114. The present invention is not limited to all of these components being disposed in a particular part of the system 50, and the location thereof can be varied as necessary.
The power supply 146 is configured to supply power to the system 50. According to one embodiment, the power supply 146 includes a universal serial bus (USB) port or interface disposed within the housing 114 to receive a cable connection (or power adapter) for connecting with an external power source (not shown). Alternatively, according to other embodiments, the power supply can be a wired, wireless or solar power supply or any other type of power supply capable of enabling operation of the system 50. The power supply 146 can also be a battery e.g., a replaceable or rechargeable battery according to one or more alternative embodiments.
A notification unit 147 is also provided which generates an audio notification signal (e.g., an alarm signal) to notify the user when the user or the basketball interferes with the signal 60 transmitted from the satellite unit 200.
The memory 148 is configured to temporarily store the status information obtained from the digital counter 135 to thereby display this information to the user of the system 50. According to other embodiments, the memory 148 can be configured to store other information such as username, password, date, historical use data (e.g., user progress information), as desired by the user. This information can be retrieved from the user of the software application 150 via a user system connected to the system 50 at the USB connector, or via an external remote user system by web access. The memory 148 can include a flash memory or other type of media or machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions for operation of the system 50. The memory 148 is in communication with an internal memory of the digital counter 135, and can be a RAM, ROM or any other type of memory suitable for the purpose set forth herein.
The software application 150 is an application enabling access to the digital counter 135 when a user system is connected with the system base unit 100 within the network environment 152. The network environment 152 can be a wired or wireless connection. The software application 150 is downloadable or installable remotely at the user system or on a cloud platform. It can be downloaded by a client or application (APP) store and implemented with the network environment 152 examples of which include Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, or any other communication technology used within a user system. It works within a predetermined range or distance but it not limited hereto and may vary accordingly.
According to alternative embodiments, the functionality of the base unit 100 could be performed by the satellite unit 200. Thus, the components of the base unit 100 could alternatively be disposed within the satellite unit, for example, the display 116, the timer 134, counter 135, notification unit 147 and the memory 148, Therefore, the user would be able to view the status and use information of the system 50 at the satellite unit 200 instead of the base unit 100.
Further as shown in
Further operation of the system 50 within a method 500 will now be described with reference to
Then, in operation 506, user performs an initial dribble operation of the basketball and steps over the satellite unit 200. Next, in operation 508, the user dribbles the basketball lower than the retractable drawstring 125 traveling underneath the retractable drawstring 125 from one side to the other in between the user's legs and behind the user's back. If the user dribbles the basketball interferences with the signal(s) 60 being transmitted from the transmitter 221 of the satellite sensor 220 of the satellite unit 200 to the receiver 121 of the base sensor 120 of the base unit 100, the base sensor 120 will detect the error at the receiver 121 and send a signal to the digital counter 135 and the notification unit 147. The user may dribble the basketball for 7 seconds, for example, and every time the user interferes with the signal 60 via the user's body or the basketball, the signal 60 is broken that was being transmitted from the satellite unit 200 to the base unit 100.
In operation 510, the notification unit 147 generates an audible alarm signal alerting the user that an error has occurred. The digital counter 135 keeps track of all the user errors and temporarily stores the data in memory 148. The timer will stop when the user comes into close proximity with the base proximity sensor 118.
Both the time data (e.g., 7 seconds) from the timer 134 and the count data (e.g., 3 errors) from the digital counter 135 are then displayed at the display 116 of the base unit 100, for the user to view.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, in operation 512, as the user develops his/her skills, the retractable drawstring 125 may be retracted into the base unit 100, and the user may operate the system 50 and perform the crossover dribbling operation or other basketball skills without use of the retractable drawstring 125 as a guide, solely relying upon the detection of the sensors 118, 120 and 220.
From operation 510 or 512, the user can use the remote control unit 160 (as depicted in
The sensor-operated basketball training system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention provides the advantages of allowing a user or player to monitor their speed and achieve efficient performance of the crossover dribble move, thereby enhancing their basketball skills.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
While the preferred embodiment to the invention had been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.
