Abstract:
A positioning system for use on a football field includes a plurality of stationary devices for positioning about a football field, each stationary device having a transmitter and receiver. The system includes a spotting device having a transmitter, receiver, and display. The system includes a first marking device having a receiver, transmitter, and display. A processor is in data communication with at least one stationary device and the stationary device is in data communication with the first marking device and spotting device. These devices are able to determine, communicate, and display actual spotter device (ball) position, ideal spotter (ball) position, and marker position. Together, this enables a referee to spot a football and determine first down yardage without the traditional use of markers and chains. The spotter device may be placed adjacent the nose of a football and the display communicates if the ball should be moved forward or backward.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to tracking and positioning systems and, more particularly, to a positioning system for use in a football game. The system enables a referee to accurately and efficiently position a ball and to measure and mark first downs. 
         [0002]    Accurately measuring and marking first downs during a football game is a difficult and time-consuming task. Traditionally, football referees must use a pair of markers connected by a chain to measure an appropriate mark that a football must be advanced to be granted a first down. Whenever the football is advanced close to that mark, the chain and markers may need to be carried onto the field in order to determine if the first down was, in fact, reached. Another issue of measuring difficulty is when an incomplete pass is thrown and the ball must be returned to the exact point of a previous spot. Properly positioning a ball after a penalty is assessed may also introduce ball placement inaccuracies. As these ball placements necessarily require an amount of subjective decision making by the referees, inaccurate ball placements are common. 
         [0003]    Various devices and systems have been proposed in the prior art for measuring and determining first downs and accurate ball placements. More particularly, systems for determining if a first down has been achieved or for determining correct ball position include lasers, are mounted on a carriage or on a first down marker itself, and provide for emitting a laser beam across the field of play. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing systems either depend upon the correct positioning of a sideline accessory, e.g. the first down marker, carriage, or the like, or require an additional target to be positioned on the field onto which the laser beam is projected. These systems further require special accommodation for shaping the laser beam on account of the rising slope of the field. 
         [0004]    Therefore, it would be desirable to have a positioning system that enables football referees to accurately, easily, and efficiently determine a first down position as well as a ball position without the traditional use of markers and chains. Further, it would be desirable to have a positioning system that utilizes multiple transmitters and receivers to calculate measurements and to visually indicate when a ball has been correctly positioned on the field. In addition, it would be desirable to have a positioning system in which a referee needs only to carry and use a small spotter device that is in communication with a plurality of receivers positioned at stationary and predetermined locations about the field of play. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A positioning system for use on a football field includes at least three stationary devices with each stationary device having a stationary transmitter and receiver. The system includes a spotting device having a spotting receiver, a spotting transmitter, and a display. Further, the system includes a first marking device having a first marking receiver, a first marking transmitter, and a first marking display. The stationary devices, spotting device, and first marking device transmit and receive ideal spotter position data, actual spotter position data, and first marker position data. A processor is in data communication with each stationary device and includes programming for determining ideal spotter position data and ideal first marker position data. The processor also includes programming for actuating the at least one stationary transmitter to transmit ideal spotter position data and the ideal first marker position data. 
         [0006]    Determinations by the processor, transmission of data between the component devices, and displaying this respective data on the spotting device display and marker displays enables a referee to properly position a ball on the football field after each down, after an incomplete pass, after a penalty has been assessed, etc. This is accomplished through data communication between the system components and the processor. The processor is able to triangulate data from the stationary devices to determine ideal spotter position data. The spotting device, on the other hand, transmits actual ball location to the stationary devices. Put simply, the idea spotter position data represents where the spotter device (and the ball) should be and the actual position data (determined by the spotter device in communication with the stationary devices) represents where the ball is actually located. 
         [0007]    Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a positioning system for accurately determining a first down marking in a football game and for accurately positioning a football. 
         [0008]    Another object of this invention is to provide a positioning system, as aforesaid, that enables a referee to accurately determine a first down position without carrying or using traditional markers and chains. 
         [0009]    Still another object of this invention is to provide a positioning system, as aforesaid, that enables football referees to easily and efficiently position a football after every down. 
         [0010]    Yet another object of this invention is to provide a positioning system, as aforesaid, that triangulates the position of a ball using a spotting device and receivers previously positioned about a football field. 
         [0011]    A further object of this invention is to provide a positioning system, as aforesaid, in which a spotting device visually indicates when a ball is properly positioned relative to a previously determined first down measurement. 
         [0012]    A still further object of this invention is to provide a positioning system, as aforesaid, in which first down markers transmit signals to the receivers for determining their position on the field so as to calculate an offset, e.g. a first down position. 
         [0013]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of a marker device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 1   b  is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from  FIG. 1   a;    
           [0016]      FIG. 1   c  is a sectional view taken along line  1   c - 1   c  of  FIG. 1   a;    
           [0017]      FIG. 2   a  is a perspective view of a spotter device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spotter device display indicating that the ball is correctly positioned; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2   b  is a front view of the spotter device as in  FIG. 2   a  but indicating the actual position of the ball is not yet correct; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a positioning system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a schematic drawing of a positioning system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating use of the spotter device; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is another schematic drawing of the positioning system as in  FIG. 4 , illustrating use of the marker devices. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]    A positioning system  100  for use in a football game according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 1   a  through  5  of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a positioning system  100  according to the current invention includes a plurality of stationary devices  110  and a spotting device  120 . 
         [0023]    At least three stationary devices  110  are preferably included, and as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the system  100  may include more than three stationary devices  110 . Each stationary device  110  has a respective receiver  112  (also referred to herein as a “stationary receiver”), and at least one of the stationary devices  110  has a respective transmitter  114  (also referred to herein as a “stationary transmitter”) ( FIG. 3 ). 
         [0024]    The spotting device  120  ( FIGS. 2   a - 4 ) has a receiver  122  (also referred to herein as a “spotting receiver”) for receiving ideal spotter position data from at least one stationary transmitter  114 , a transmitter  124  (also referred to herein as a “spotting transmitter”) for transmitting actual spotter position data to each stationary device  110 , and a display  126  (also referred to herein as a “spotting display”) for displaying the ideal spotter position data and the actual spotter position data. The actual spotter position data represents the actual location of the spotting device  120 , and the ideal spotter position data represents where the spotting device  120  should be in accordance with the rules of football. Actual spotter position data is labeled  111   a  in  FIG. 3 ; ideal spotter position data is labeled  111   b  in  FIG. 3 . The spotting display  126  may display the ideal spotter position data and the actual spotter position data as a difference between the ideal spotter position data and the actual spotter position data (FIGS.  2   a  and  2   b ), or the spotting display  126  may simply display both the ideal spotter position data and the actual spotter position data. The spotting device  120  may include a user input  128  in data communication with the spotting transmitter  124  for selectively actuating the spotting transmitter to transmit the actual spotter position data, and/or the spotting device  120  may include a nose cup  129  complementary to a nose  2   a  of a football  2  ( FIG. 4 ). The user input  128  may be a keypad, for example, and/or the user input  128  may be a pressure switch connected to the nose cup  129 . 
         [0025]    A processor  130  may be in data communication with each stationary receiver  112  for obtaining the actual spotter position data from the stationary device  110 . The processor  130  may have a receiver in communication with the stationary transmitters  114 , or the processor  130  may be physically connected to the stationary receivers (e.g., by data cables). Arrows  132  in  FIG. 3  represent the data communication between the processor  130  and a respective stationary device  110 . The processor  130  may include programming for determining the ideal spotter position data (i.e., by triangulation) and actuating at least one stationary transmitter  114  to transmit the ideal spotter position data to the spotting receiver  122 . 
         [0026]    A first marking device  140  may have a receiver  142  (also referred to herein as a “first marking receiver”) for receiving ideal first marker position data from at least one stationary transmitter  114 , a transmitter  144  (also referred to herein as a “first marking transmitter”) for transmitting actual first marker position data to each stationary device  110 , and a display  146  (also referred to herein as a “first marking display”) for displaying the ideal first marker position data and the actual first marker position data. The actual first marker position data represents the actual location of the first marking device  140 , and the ideal first marker position data represents where the first marking device  140  should be in accordance with the rules of football. The first marking device  140  is preferably physically separate from the stationary devices  110  and the spotting device  120 , and the first marking device  140  may be an elongate sign as shown in  FIGS. 1   b  and  1   c.  More particularly, the first marking device  140  may have an elongate member  147  flanked by a pair of visibility-enhancing projections  148 , and the elongate member  147  and/or the projections  148  may have visibility-enhancing indicia (e.g., brightly colored paint). The elongate member  147  may have a lower end  147   a,  and the first marking display  146  may be coupled to the elongate member  147  so that the first marking display  146  is between four feet and six feet from the lower end  147   a  of the elongate member  147  so that the first marking display  146  may be easily viewed when the elongate member  147  is stood upright. 
         [0027]    The processor  130  may have programming for determining the ideal first marker position data (i.e., by triangulation) and actuating at least one stationary transmitter  114  to transmit the ideal first marker position data to the first marking receiver  142 . The processor  130  may additionally or alternately have programming for determining first marker angle data using the actual first marker position data and the ideal first marker position data and actuating at least one stationary transmitter  114  to transmit the first marker angle data for display on the first marking display  146 . First marker angle data may correspond to the angle that the first marking device  140  deviates from ninety degrees when considering a sideline as one line and a line connecting the first marking device  140  and a point corresponding to the correct position of the ball as the other relevant line. 
         [0028]    A second marking device  150  may have a receiver  152  (also referred to herein as a “second marking receiver”) for receiving ideal second marker position data from at least one stationary transmitter  114 , a transmitter  154  (also referred to herein as a “second marking transmitter”) for transmitting actual second marker position data to each stationary device  110 , and a display  156  (also referred to herein as a “second marking display”) for displaying the ideal second marker position data and the actual second marker position data. The actual second marker position data represents the actual location of the second marking device  150 , and the ideal second marker position data represents where the second marking device  150  should be in accordance with the rules of football. The second marking device  150  is preferably physically separate from the stationary devices  110  and the spotting device  120 , and the second marking device  140  may be an elongate sign as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The second marking device  150  may or may not be substantially similar to the first marking device  140 . The processor  130  may have programming for determining the ideal second marker position data (i.e., by triangulation) and actuating at least one stationary transmitter  114  to transmit the ideal second marker position data to the second marking receiver  142 . 
         [0029]    In use, the stationary devices  110  may be positioned at predetermined points about a football field  5  ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ) and initiated or calibrated as to their positions relative to the field. The spotting device  120  may be used to indicate where a ball is located after a play by sending actual spotter position data to the stationary devices  110  which is in data communication with the processor  130  as described above, and the spotting device  120  may then be used to reposition the ball correctly in the center of the field using the ideal spotter position data from the processor  130 . More particularly, a user may position the ball correctly by following the information provided on the spotting display  126 . For example, the spotting display  126  will indicate a positive or negative distance that the ball needs to be moved on the field to be at the correct position ( FIG. 2   b ). Each time the referee places the nose cup  129  at the nose of the football  2  and actuates the input button  128 , the display  126  will again show if the ball needs to be moved in a positive or negative longitudinal direction on the field. When properly positioned, the spotter device display will indicate +0.000 under the Field position indicator ( FIG. 2   a ). 
         [0030]    The spotting device  120  may also be used in a similar manner to adjust a ball&#39;s location due to a penalty, in the event of an incomplete pass, etc. For example, when a  10 -yard penalty is assessed or a penalty calling for half the distance to the goal line is assessed, the processor  130  and stationary devices  110  may cooperate to determine where the ball should be placed. Actual data from the spotter device  120  may then be used to assist the referee in accurately placing the ball at just the right spot. 
         [0031]    The first and second marking devices  140 ,  150  may communicate with the processor  130  as described above so that the first and second marking devices  150  are placed appropriately along a sideline  5   a  ( FIG. 5 ) to indicate, for example, the current line of scrimmage and the first down line in accordance with the rules of football. More particularly, users may position the first and second marking devices  140 ,  150  correctly by following the information provided on the first and second marker displays  146 ,  156 . With specific reference to  FIG. 1   b,  the processor  130  has determined the proper line of scrimmage and caused it to be displayed on the marker display  146 . Also displayed is the distance that the marker still needs to be moved to be properly aligned with the line of scrimmage, e.g. 0.35. The angle measurement is also displayed such that the markers may be placed in perfect 90 degree angle alignment for accurate measurements to be sent to the processor  130 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the second marking device  150  may perform substantially similar to the first marking device  140  on an opposite side of the football field  5  to act as a backup should the first marking device  140  fail for any reason. 
         [0032]    It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.