Patent Application
20240091619
The present disclosure relates generally to a sports tetrahedron and related systems and methods of use. More particularly the present disclosure relates an open face tetrahedron that may comprise bungee cord rigging, punching pads, photo sensors, and a plurality of additional elements in order to provide an immersive entertainment experience.
Devices that purport to aid athletes in improving their skills are known. Such devices may also provide for an immersive entertainment experience even for players not seeking improvement. However, these known device suffer a number of shortcomings. For example, none of these known devices provide stable structures that enable a player to select from one of a variety of sports to play or improve on. Constructing a structure or system that provides for the combination of diverse sports, such as boxing, baseball, golf, soccer, and the like has a low expectation of success because one would not expect that one device is capable of providing an interchangeable and immersive improvement or entertainment experience for each sport.
Therefore, what is needed is a sports tetrahedron and related systems and methods of use having the following characteristics and benefits over the prior art.
The subject matter of this application may involve, in some cases, interrelated products, alternative solutions to a particular problem, and/or a plurality of different uses of a single system or article.
In one aspect, a device is disclosed. In this aspect, the device comprises a tetrahedron shape constructed from six bars or edges, four vertices, and four faces. In this aspect, the device also comprises bungee cords attached at least once to each of the six edges, wherein the bungee cords are connected within the space between the edges, referred to as faces. Finally, this aspect also includes punching pads attached to each segment of bungee cords.
In another aspect, a method of using a device is disclosed. In this aspect, the device comprises the same elements as the device in the previous aspect, but the punching pads of the device in this aspect also include accelerometers within each of the punching pads. In this aspect the device also includes support bars attached to three edges on the bottom face of the tetrahedron. Also, the method comprises standing in the bottom face and hitting at least one of the punching pads.
It should be expressly understood that the various physical elements of the present disclosure summarized and further disclosed herein may be of varying sizes, shapes, or otherwise dimensions and made from a variety of different materials or methods of manufacture without straying from the scope of the present disclosure.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention and does not represent the only forms in which the present disclosure may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments.
Generally, the present disclosure concerns a sports tetrahedron and related systems and methods of use. The sports tetrahedron is generally constructed by the connection of six bars or edges that form a four-sided shape, defining triangles on each one of the four sides or faces. While the bars or edges used in the construction of the tetrahedron disclosed herein may comprise any suitable material, in a preferred embodiment, the edges comprise a wood material. In one embodiment, the four sides or faces of the tetrahedron may be open to allow for easy ingress and egress from the interior of the tetrahedron.
In another embodiment, the tetrahedron may comprise a bungee cord rigging on at least three of the four faces, with the fourth face being a bottom face for a player to stand in the center. A user may enter or exit the interior of the tetrahedron by climbing under or through the bungee cords. The bungee cord rigging may be attached to the edges and/or vertices of the tetrahedron. In one embodiment, the bungee cord rigging may be in the shape of a net or web, where the rigging is attached to the top vertex of the tetrahedron and extends to attach to a middle point on an edge of the tetrahedron. The bungee cord rigging may include punching pads attached to the cords that may provide a player with 360° of striking surfaces for punching, kicking, or otherwise hitting. The bungee cord rigging may allow the pads to be easily adjusted, such as by raising or lowering the height of a specific pad, or by changing the location of another pad by removing it and reattaching it to a separate location on the rigging.
With the disclosure of the aforementioned preferred embodiments, it is apparent that one of the critical aspects of the present disclosure is the height of the device. The height of the tetrahedron is critical because it is preferred that most people are able to stand in the interior of the tetrahedron without hitting their head on the top vertex. The average height for an adult is approximately 5′4″, so the height of the tetrahedron must be at least 5′4″. However, in a preferred embodiment, the height of the tetrahedron may be adjusted up to 10′. The height of the tetrahedron is measured from the center of an open face to the vertex immediately opposite that face. For example, the height may be measured from the center of the bottom face to the top vertex.
It is also apparent that the device being shaped specifically as a tetrahedron is also critical. While a device with bungee cord rigging could be in the shape of a cube or another three-dimensional shape, it is critical that the device disclosed herein be constructed in the shape of a tetrahedron. The reason for this is that the tetrahedron is a strong shape that does not bend or break easily, due to the structural integrity provided by the combination of four triangular shaped objects. The strength of the shape is particularly critical in the preferred embodiment, when the edges of the tetrahedron are constructed from a wood material that may be more prone to breaking than other material, such as metal.
By utilizing the shape of a tetrahedron, the present disclosure may prevent the collapsing of the device under the weight of the bungee cord rigging, pads, and any other structure or device that may be attached to the edges of the tetrahedron, such as, for example, a pull-up bar. In an embodiment that utilizes a pull-up bar, the edges of the tetrahedron may be constructed thick enough to provide sufficient load-bearing capacity for an adult to do pull-ups on the pull-up bar. For example, the average weight of an adult male in the United States is approximately 200 lbs. Accordingly, it may be critical that the tetrahedron be constructed with sufficient load bearing capacity to support at least 200 lbs of weight on one of its open faces.
In addition to preventing the collapsing of the tetrahedron (i.e., a vertical displacement of the device), it may also be desirable to prevent a lateral displacement of the device when the various punching pads on the bungee cord rigging may be hit. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the bottom face of the tetrahedron may comprise a support mechanism for preventing the lateral movement of the tetrahedron. In one embodiment, the support mechanism may be a plurality of support bars comprising pegs attached to the bottom edges of the tetrahedron. The pegs on the support bars may be inserted into the ground or another structure to prevent the lateral movement.
In order to provide an immersive experience for a boxing player, each punching pad may include an accelerometer that may be operable to measure the force generated by a user's hit and at what angle the hit connected with the punching pad. This information may then be used to provide a score or performance history for the player to view on a digital screen. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the tetrahedron may be one element in a system, with the system comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions and allowing and instructing a data processor to carry out the steps required during game play to provide a visual display of a player's score or performance on a digital screen.
The non-transitory computer readable medium and/or processor may be stored in the housing of a computing device connected to a visual display. In one embodiment, the computer readable medium and processor may be included on a small, easily programmable single-board microcontroller, such as those manufactured under the trade name Raspberry Pi®. Traditional computers, mobile devices (e.g., cell phones and tablets), and their related hardware may also be considered “computing devices,” and may be used in connection or combination with the various embodiments of the system disclosed herein. The digital screen and/or visual display disclosed herein may be a touch screen to allow for easy navigation by a user interested in viewing their score, performance stats, or other metrics.
The accelerometers in the punching pads may communicate force and/or directional information to the processor through an electronic communication system, and the processor may interpret the received information and display appropriate score, performance stats, and the like on the visual display. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic communication system may be a short-range wireless connection between the accelerometers and the processor, such as a Bluetooth® connection. In this preferred embodiment, the wireless connection may be established between a wireless transmitter housed with the body of the accelerometer and a wireless transceiver housed within the body of a computing device, wherein the wireless transceiver may be electrically connected to the processor.
The system may also utilize a network and/or internet connection for the processor to communicate information stored within the non-transitory computer readable medium or memory to the internet. For example, this type of connection may allow the computing device to post score and/or performance information on a social media website. Various other devices and functionalities may be used in conjunction with the sports tetrahedron and related system disclosed herein (e.g., photo sensors, speakers, and the like). Most of these additional elements are described in further detail below in reference to the particular illustrated embodiments. It should be expressly understood that any one of the elements disclosed in reference to a particular embodiment may be used in combination with any other particular embodiment also disclosed herein without straying from the scope of the present disclosure.
Turning now to
The accelerometers 10 within the punching pads 6 can be used to measure the force generated by a user's hit by first measuring the acceleration of each of the punching pads 6 away from a rest position and then communicating this information to at least one computing device 11. In this preferred embodiment, the accelerometers 10 communicate the information via a wireless connection 12 to a computing device 11. Once communicated, the information is then interpreted by a processor 13 of the computing device 11 and displayed as a force, strength, or score metric on a visual display 14 connected to the processor 13.
In order to prevent the tetrahedron 1 from becoming displaced by the force of a user's punch, in this embodiment, the tetrahedron 1 comprises support bars 15 on the bottom face 9 of the tetrahedron 1. The support bars 15 each include at least one peg 16, which may be forced into the ground or lodged within another surface to prevent the tetrahedron 1 from moving. In other embodiments, different support mechanisms may be used. The configuration of the punching pads 6 and the bungee cord 4 rigging on the tetrahedron 1 may also be adjusted or completely removed. For example, the pads 6 may be attached to different bungee cords 4 by first detaching either the webbing 7 from the rear faces 8 of the pads 6 or by detaching at least one end of the bungee cord 4 from an edge 3, and then reattaching the pads 6 by reversing the previously mentioned steps.
For example, and turning now to
In embodiments that do not comprise bungee cords, or in embodiments where the bungee cords 4 have been removed from the edges 3, the sports tetrahedron 1 may be utilized in different ways. However, even in embodiments that comprise bungee cords 4, the additional elements further disclosed herein may be used in conjunction with the bungee cords 4 and punching pads 6. For example, in one embodiment, a punching bag or a wing chun dummy 23 is attached to the top vertex 24 of the tetrahedron 1 and is suspended by a rope or cable 25, as shown in
The accelerometer 10 inside the punching bag or dummy 23 functions the same as the previously disclosed accelerometers 10 inside the punching pads 6. Similarly, in this embodiment, the edges 26 of the tetrahedron 1 that are closest to the ground comprise photo sensors 27. The photo sensors 27 may be infrared lasers, video camera, or any device capable of recording visual information. The photo sensor 27 can be used to track a user's footwork as the user moves around the interior of the tetrahedron 1 punching, kicking, or otherwise hitting the dummy 23. In some embodiments, whatever is being tracked by the photo sensor 27 may have to be a specific color in order to ensure accurate recordation. Regardless of the embodiment, the photo sensors 27 are operable to communicate the recorded visual information to at least one computing device 11 via a wireless connection 12. Once communicated, the visual information is then interpreted by a processor 13 of the computing device 11 and displayed on a visual display 14 connected to the processor 13.
Aside from boxing, the tetrahedron 1 may be used to improve a player's performance or simply as entertainment for a variety of other sports. For example, in the embodiment shown in
Similar to the previously disclosed punching pads 6, the large pad 28 includes at least one accelerometer 10, which can measure the force and/or acceleration generated when a ball impacts the pad 28. Simultaneously, photo sensors 27 attached to at least five edges 3 of the tetrahedron 1 can measure the trajectory 32 of an incoming ball. The photo sensors 27 may measure the trajectory 32 of an incoming ball by recording snapshots of the ball at various points in time (e.g., on the order of milliseconds) as the ball 29, 31, or 32 approaches the large pad 28. The at least one accelerometer 10 and the photo sensors 27 then communicate the force and trajectory 32 information to at least one computing device 11 via a wireless connection 12. The processor 13 of the computing device 11 is then operable to interpret and display this information on a visual display 14 connected to the processor 13.
Even without the large pad 28, the tetrahedron 1 can still be utilized for sports. As shown in
In this embodiment, the accelerometers and the photo sensors 27 communicate all trajectory and force or displacement information to at least one computing device 11. The processor 13 of the at least one computing device 11 then interprets this information and displays the same on a visual display 14. In one example, the combination of trajectory and force information may allow the processor 13 to display a golf swing or batting analysis on the visual display 14. The analysis may provide a player with information about the player's form, so the player can improve their hits in the future.
When a player is finished using the tetrahedron 1, it may be desirable to provide a mechanism for easily disassembly and storage. Accordingly, an exemplary structure and method for collapsing the tetrahedron 1 are further disclosed herein. In the collapsible embodiment of the tetrahedron 1, shown in
In this embodiment, one of the bottom vertices 38a comprises a double hinge 39 attached to two edges 40, and a third edge 41 is attached to the double hinge 39 by a hook 42. The hook 42 can be disconnected by applying a force parallel to the central axis 43 of the third edge 41. Similarly, a second one of the bottom vertices 38b comprises a mounting bar 44 attached to one of the edges 45. The two other edge 46 attached to the second bottom vertex 38b each comprise a hook 42a and 42b attached to an end of each of the two edges 46. One of the hooks 42a or 42b are attached to the mounting bar 44, and the other one of the hooks 42a or 42b is attached or interlocked with a portion of the hook 42a or 42b that is not engaged with the mounting bar 44. As with the hook 42 of the first bottom vertex 38a, the hooks 42a and 42b of the second bottom vertex 38b can only be removed by forces applied parallel to their central axis 43.
Once the hooks 42, 42a, and 42b are disengaged from the bottom vertices 38a and 38b, respectively, the tetrahedron 1 may be collapsed. First, the locking mechanisms 37 are unlocked on each of the six edges to allow the edges to be folded at each of the single hinges 36. The double hinge 39 in the first bottom vertex 38a may then be folded to allow edge 46 to be folded towards edge 40. The other two vertices 48 (i.e., one top and one bottom) of the tetrahedron 1 each comprise a triple hinge 47 attached to each of the three edges connected to each of the other two vertices 48. The remaining edges may be folded at the triple hinges 47 and then folded at the single hinges 36 to completely collapse the tetrahedron 1. In other embodiments, different collapsing mechanisms may be used to facilitate storage and portability of the tetrahedron 1.
While several variations of the present disclosure have been illustrated by way of example in preferred or particular embodiments, it is apparent that further embodiments could be developed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, or the inventive concept thereof. However, it is to be expressly understood that elements described in one embodiment may be incorporated with any other embodiment in combination with any other elements disclosed herein in the various embodiments. It is also to be expressly understood that any modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and are inclusive, but not limited to the following appended claims as set forth.
