Patent ID: 6702292
Filing Date: 2004-03-09
Classification: A63B

Abstract:
A game ball system for using the height to which a ball is thrown to trigger game events, the system including;a. a means for position sensing for determining the position of a ball and for producing information representing the position of the ball; b. where the means for position sensing is a plurality of motion sensors disposed at varying vertical heights, with each motion sensor in the plurality of motion sensors accounting for a vertical zone of scoring in order to detect an upward trajectory of a ball passing through the vertical zones of scoring; c. an input device to receive user input; d. a processor communicatively connected with the means for position sensing and the input device to receive the information representing the position of the ball from the means for position sensing, to receive the user input from the input device, and to process the information representing the position of the ball and the user input according to a set of game rules for scoring tosses with an upward trajectory as the ball passes through the vertical zones of scoring to generate game output messages; and e. an output device communicatively connected with the processor to receive the game output messages therefrom, and to present the messages in a user-understandable form, whereby when a user tosses the ball upward, the processor receives a combination of user input and information about the position of the ball, and processes the information according to a set of game rules for scoring tosses with an upward trajectory as the ball passes through vertical zones of scoring, providing feedback to the user regarding a game in the form of output signals provided by the output device.