Basketball goal sensing system
AssigneeRight Time Sports, LLC.
InventorsMichael Joseph Costabile, Patrick Sean Finnerty, Anthony R. Kobet, Dennis Brady Whitley
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Abstract
A basketball goal sensing system includes a sensor assembly integrated with the cover plate pad of a commercially available basketball hoop. The sensor assembly includes a plurality of infrared LEDs and a plurality of sensors for detecting infrared light that reflects off an object passing through the basketball rim and/or net. If an object passing through the rim and/or net exhibits a reflective profile of a basketball, the system considers the event to be a goal and transmits a signal to the base station. If that goal is a clock-stopping event the game clock is stopped.
Claims9
A goal sensing system including:
- a. A basketball hoop having a cover plate pad, said cover plate pad defining a depression;
- b. A sensor assembly engaged with said depression wherein said sensor assembly lays substantially flush with said cover plate pad;
- c. A base station communicatively coupled to said sensor assembly;
- and
- d. A game clock communicatively coupled to said base station, wherein said sensor assembly sends a signal to said base station when a goal occurs at said basketball hoop.
A method of sensing a basketball goal including the non-sequential steps of:
- a. Engaging a sensor assembly with the cover plate pad of a basketball hoop, said sensor assembly including a plurality of infrared LEDs and a plurality of infrared sensors, wherein each of said sensors is directed towards the rim or the net of said basketball hoop;
- b. Communicatively coupling said sensor assembly with a base station;
- c. Communicatively coupling a game clock with said base station;
- d. Comparing the reflective profile of an object activating a first sensor with a pre-established first sensor basketball reflective profile;
- e. Comparing the reflective profile of said object activating a second sensor with a pre-established second sensor basketball reflective profile;
- and
- f. Signaling a base station that a goal has occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.