Patent Publication Number: US-6907840-B1

Title: Football first down indicator system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to football first down markers and more particularly pertains to a new football first down indicator system for providing a method of quickly and accurately determining a first down in football. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   The use of football first down markers is known in the prior art. More specifically, football first down markers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
   Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,588; U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,662; U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,491; U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,708; U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,317; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 304,844. 
   While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new football first down indicator system. The prior art includes inventions having laser members being used to determined first downs on a football field. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new football first down indicator system which has many of the advantages of the football first down markers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new football first down indicator system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art football first down markers, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a pair of first down marker members each having an elongate housing member, and also having a stub shaft being attached to a bottom of the elongate housing member for resting upon a ground, and further having a down display housing being attached to a top of the elongate housing member; and also includes a plurality of number display members being rotatably disposed in each down display housing; and further includes an assembly for determining and signaling a first down in football. None of the prior art describes first down marker members having laser-emitting members to emit laser beams across the field to determine whether a first down was attained. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the football first down indicator system in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a new football first down indicator system which has many of the and many novel features that result in a new football first down indicator system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art football first down markers, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
   Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new football first down indicator system for providing a method of quickly and accurately determining a first down in football. 
   Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new football first down indicator system that is easy and convenient to set up and use just any other first down markers. 
   Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new football first down indicator system that eliminates the time taken to bring out the chain markers to take measurement for a first down and makes the football game move along more rapidly. 
   These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a new football first down indicator system according to the present invention and shown in use. 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a partial cutaway side elevational view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 4  thereof, a new football first down indicator system embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
   As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the football first down indicator system  10  generally comprises a pair of first down marker members each having an elongate housing member  11 , 17 , and also having a stub shaft  15 , 21  being conventionally attached to a bottom of the elongate housing member  11 , 17  for resting upon a ground, and further having a down display housing  16 , 22  being conventionally attached to a top of the elongate housing member  11 , 17 . Each of the elongate housing members  11 , 17  has a front wall  12 , 18 , and a back wall  14 , 20  which is closely spaced from the front wall  12 , 18 . The front and back walls  12 , 18 , 14 , 20  of the elongate housing members  11 , 17  are tapered from the top to the bottom. The front wall  12  of a first of the elongate housing members  11  includes openings  13  being disposed therethrough. 
   A plurality of number display members  23 , 24  are rotatably and conventionally disposed in each down display housing  16 , 22 . The number display members  23 , 24  are slats being movably arranged side-by-side in front openings of the down display housings  16 , 22  and have portions of number indicia displayed thereupon. 
   A means of determining and signaling a first down in football includes a laser-emitting member  25  being conventionally disposed in one of the openings  13  near the bottom of the first elongate housing member  11  for emitting a laser beam from across a football field to a second of the elongate housing members  17 , and also includes a laser-sensor member  26  being conventionally disposed in another one of the openings  13  of the first elongate housing member  11  near the laser-emitting member  25 , and further includes a laser-reflecting member  27  such as a mirror being conventionally disposed in an opening  21  of the second elongate housing member  17  for reflecting a laser beam from the laser-emitting member  25  to the laser-sensor member  26 , and also includes a battery power supply  28  being conventionally disposed in the first elongate housing member  11  and being conventionally connected to the laser-emitting member  25  and to the laser-sensor member  26 . The means of determining and indicating a first down in football further includes a voice box and speaker  29  being conventionally disposed in the first elongate housing member  11  and being conventionally connected to the battery power supply  28  and to the laser-sensor member  26  for producing a vocal message to a first down upon the laser beam being interrupted by a football on the football field  31 . The means of determining and indicating a first down in football also includes a power switch  30  being conventionally disposed in one of the openings  13  of the first elongate housing member  11  and being conventionally connected to the battery power supply  28  and to the laser-emitting member  25  and to the laser-sensor member  26  and to the voice box and speaker  29  for the energizing thereof. 
   In use, the first down marker members are used along opposite sidelines of a football field  31 , and are placed at first down positions along the football field  31 . The user energizes the laser-emitting member  25  which emits a laser beam across the football field  31  to the laser-reflecting member  27  which reflects the laser beam to the laser-sensor member  26  at a level above the football field  31  where only the football would intercede the laser beam. If any part of the football interrupts the laser beam, the laser-sensor member  26  will activate the voice box and speaker  29  which will give a vocal message that a first down was indeed attained. 
   As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
   With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
   Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the football first down indicator system. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.