Movement-examination system for electronically determining strike-zone location during ball movement
OwnerRonald J. Meetininventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A movement-examination system (102 or 202) usable for electronically calls “balls” and “strikes” in baseball and softball electronically determines whether at least part of a ball (52) pitched by a pitcher (P) toward the strike zone (56) entered the zone based on its shape as the ball moved toward the zone.
Claims21
A movement-examination system for a ball-movement region in which at least two designated physical body features of a batter situated near a strike zone of the ball-movement region are timewise variably spaced vertically apart from a body reference situs, the zone having lower and upper zonal boundaries at respective temporary lower and upper boundary locations dependent on how far each body feature is vertically spaced apart from the situs, the system comprising:
- a boundary determiner for electronically determining the locations of the lower and upper zonal boundaries as a function of how far each body feature is vertically spaced apart from the situs as a ball pitched by a pitcher moves toward the zone;
- and
- a movement analyzer responsive to the determinations of the locations of the lower and upper zonal boundaries for electronically determining within purview of the system whether at least part of the ball entered the zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.