Abstract:
A personal identification and tracking system comprising an impression means for providing a predetermined image upon an impressionable medium and an activation unit for moving the impression means between a first position, where said impression unit is in contact with the impressionable medium, and a second position whereby said impression unit is out of contact with said impressionable medium. The system is particularly adaptable to snow, sand or mud.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    The present invention pertains generally to identification and tracking systems. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a system and method for permitting users to uniquely identify themselves while partaking in recreational activities on the ski slope or the beach.  
           [0002]    Recreational activities, particularly sporting activities, are enjoyable for many reasons. Many recreational activities include some form of physical exercise which can either be part of a competition or part of a solo activity. Although the physical nature of recreational activities is enjoyable, other benefits include being outdoor in the fresh air and interacting with other people. It is often said that the social aspect of recreational activities is the main reason why most people enjoy such activities.  
           [0003]    Some recreational activities, such as softball, volleyball, soccer and other team sports are inherently social since they require interaction among a plurality of team members. However, other sports such as downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, walking and jogging, do not necessarily lend themselves easily to social interaction between other people. These individualistic recreational activities, and other activities similar to them, could be greatly enhanced if a more social component was added to the activity.  
           [0004]    Another drawback of individualistic recreational activities is that the person taking part in such an activity may find themselves in need of assistance. For example, if such a person is missing for an usually long period of time, it may be necessary to institute a search for the person. However, if the person was skiing, hiking or walking by themselves, a search can take unduly long and require a much greater amount of resources than would otherwise be necessary if the search party had a general idea of the whereabouts of the person. Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for increasing the enjoyment and safety of individualistic recreational activities.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0005]    The present invention is a system and method for identifying and tracking people who engage in selective individualistic recreational activities. The system includes a selectively activatable identification means which can uniquely identify the person engaged in the individualistic recreational activity. The identification means impresses a person&#39;s unique identification or other desired information upon an impressionable medium associated with the recreational activity, such as sand, snow or mud. The identification means may be changed as desired by the system user and also may be activated or deactivated as desired by the system user. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is the identification system made in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is the impression pad portion of the identification unit.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment of the impression pad that includes a system of exchangeable blocks.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 shows the identification and tracking system of the present invention in operation.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention for use when the impressionable medium is sand. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]    The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawing figures where like numerals represent like elements throughout.  
         [0012]    Referring to FIG. 1, the identification system  10  of the present invention is shown in detail. As shown, the system  10  includes an identification unit  12  and a motivation unit  14 .  
         [0013]    The identification unit  12  comprises a cylindrical drum  16  which is rotatably connected to a bracket  18 , which permits the cylindrical drum  16  to freely rotate. An impression pad  22  surrounds the cylindrical  16 . A fastener  20  (such as velcro® brand hook and loop fastener), securely fixes the impression pad  22  to the cylindrical drum  16 .  
         [0014]    As shown in FIG. 2, the impression pad  22  comprises a flexible material, such as rubber, plastic or the like, having raised areas  24  and depressed areas  26 . Preferably, the raised areas  24  and depressed areas  26  are selectively positioned such that they provide a pattern or a message. For example, as shown, they may provide the name of a person “Andrew”, the inventor of the present invention. Alternatively, the raised and depressed portions  24 ,  26  may include patterns, such as a company&#39;s logo; a selective arrangement of numbers and letters, such as a social security number or a phone number; or may include an emergency assistance message such as “I&#39;m lost—please help”. Virtually any message can be displayed using selective positioning of raised areas  24  and depressed areas  26 .  
         [0015]    It should also be noted that although the impression pad  22  is preferably flexible, the raised areas  24  and depressed areas  26  need not be permanent. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 a system of interlocking or non-interlocking rubber or otherwise flexible or non-flexible blocks  30  may be provided, which are held in alignment by a fixing means, such as a velcro® fastener. As shown, the hook portion  32  of the velcro® fastener  20  may be located on the impression pad  22  and the loop portion  34  of the velcro® fastener  20  may be located on the blocks  30 . Other fixing means such as a magnetized arrangement, a mechanical locking system, a bolt or other type of mechanical fastener, or even a glue or liquid fastener may be used. The specific means for providing a selective pattern of raised portions  24  and depressed portions  26  is not central to the present invention, and it should be appreciated as such by those of skill in the art.  
         [0016]    Referring back to FIG. 1, the motivational unit  14  includes a chassis  40  and a motive unit  42 . The chassis  40  is configured to receive the bracket  18  in such a way as to permit the bracket  18  to rotatably move about the chassis  40 .  
         [0017]    The motive unit  42  provides a motive force such that the bracket  18  is forced down and the impression pad  22  presses against the desired surface. The motive unit  42  may be as simple as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, which includes a spring  44 , a loop  46  and a cord  48 . One end  48   a  of the cord  48  is attached to the bracket  18 , and the other end  48   b  of the cord  48  is preferably configured as a loop, for accommodating the hand of the user. The cord  48  is passed through the loop  46  such that when tension is applied to the cord  48  by the user, the bracket  18  is pulled down to compress the spring  44  and force the impression pad  22  against the desired surface. When the tension on the cord  48  is decreased by the user, the spring  44  provides an upward force such that the bracket  18  and the impression pad  22  are forced away from the desire surface.  
         [0018]    In operation, as shown in FIG. 4 with reference to the application of the present invention on a downhill ski, as the skier activates the system by applying tension to the cord  48 , the message on the impression pad  22  is transferred to, and imprinted upon, the snow  50 , thereby leaving a repeating message  52  upon the snow  50 . This message  52  can be a recreational use such that one person can follow the tracks of another person. This can result in many people taking part in an activity which was generally deemed as an individualistic recreational activity. The message  52  can also be used to track such a person.  
         [0019]    With reference to FIG. 5, it is shown an application of the present invention which is adapted for recreational activities on the beach  54 . The portions of the system  70  of this embodiment which are common to FIG. 1 are numbered with like numerals. However, this embodiment also includes a harness  110 , an electrical motor  120 , a battery (not shown) and a wireless control system, comprising a wireless transmitter  114  and a wireless receiver  116 .  
         [0020]    The chassis  140  is shaped like a sled, to permit the system  70  to slide along the sand  54  when hauled by the user  180 , (shown in phantom). Additionally, in this embodiment, the motive force is shown a small electrical motor  120  with a screw drive  144  which permits the bracket  18  to be forced both upward and downward. The electrical motor  120  is coupled to the wireless receiver  116 . When the user  180  desires to activate the system  70 , the user presses a “down” button on the wireless transmitter  114 , which sends an appropriate RF command signal to the wireless receiver  116 . The wireless receiver  116  energizes the electrical motor  120  to move the bracket  18  toward the surface of the beach  54 , thereby permitting the impression pad  22  to contact the beach  54  and permit the cylindrical drum  16  to rotate. As with the skiing application, a repeating message  190  is impressed upon the sand  54 , to permit identification and tracking of the user  180 . When the “up” button on the wireless transmitter  114  transmitter is depressed, an appropriate command signal is sent to the wireless receiver  116 . The wireless receiver  116  energizes the electrical motor  120  to reverse the screw drive  144  and move the bracket  18  away from the surface of the beach.  
         [0021]    It should be noted that the present invention provides great benefits to individualistic activities while introducing no environmentally harmful effects upon the ski slope or the beach.  
         [0022]    While the present invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiment, other variations which are within the scope of the invention as outlined in the claims below will be apparent to those skilled in the art.