Patent Publication Number: US-6991552-B2

Title: Swing monitoring device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/436,582, which was filed on Nov. 9, 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,167 and which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/133,236, which was filed on Aug. 13, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,898, both Ser. Nos. 09/436,582 and 09/133,236 being hereby incorporated by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to the field of aids for assisting a person in obtaining a proper swinging movement of sports articles, such as a golf club, baseball bat, hockey stick, tennis racket and the like; and more particularly, relates to an overswinging alerting mechanism for use with such articles which generates a visual and/or audible indicator for the purpose of alerting the person to an improper swinging movement. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   In the past, various devices have been employed to indicate an improper swinging movement of clubs, bats, rackets, sticks and the like so that the person swinging the object can refine his/her swing. Devices for helping golfers hone their swings have received particular attention. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,549,350 to Deike issued Aug. 11, 1925, a whistle is either secured within a recess of the golf club head (see FIG. 4 of Deike) or extended from the top of the golf club head (see FIG. 5 of Deike). This whistle produces the loudest sound at the point of greatest speed of the golf club, which Deike contends should occur at the time of contact of the golf club head with the golf ball. It has been found, however, that the proper golf swing is not necessarily purely dependent upon striking the golf ball at the maximum speed of the golf club. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,057 to Ragan issued Aug. 11, 1981, a golf club is provided with an air flow hole through its head which contains a whistle which according to Ragan provides an indication of the smoothness and velocity of the swing based upon the turbulence of the ambient air at the air flow hole&#39;s outlet head. However, due to variables which determine air turbulence, such as wind gusts, etc., it has been found desirable to provide an overswing alerting mechanism which is not dependent upon the air turbulence of the ambient air. 
   Moreover, since the whistle in Ragan is provided in an air flow hole in the golf club head, the Ragan golf club can only be utilized as a golf practice device unless the Ragan club head employs a second whistle 6 which is provided in hole 12 and the first hole 4 and whistle 5 are eliminated as is shown in FIG. 5 of Ragan. In this embodiment, Ragan contends that sound output may be adequate in some instances if the upper end of the shaft is left open to provide an adequate flow of pressurized air. However, Ragan concedes that this golf club swing trainer will only provide a sound output that may be adequate in some instances, particularly when the golf club is swung in the absence of excessive background noise. However, in view of the many conditions in which golf is played, it has been found desirable to provide an overswing alerting mechanism which is not dependent upon the presence or absence of background noise. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,530 to Oka et al. issued May 1, 1973, a golf swing training attachment is attached by a suction disk to the golf club head wherein a vibration plate emits a sound when the club head reaches a desirable speed. However, in view of the speed of swing of the golf club, such attachments have been found to fly off the golf club. Therefore, it has been found desirable to provide an overswing alerting mechanism for a golf club which is permanently mounted on or incorporated within a golf club, or which is detachably affixed to the club so as to provide an overswing alert without flying off the club during a swing. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,556 to McLaughlin issued Dec. 4, 1973, an attachment is externally mounted on the golf club shaft which includes a pair of differently oriented and pitched whistles which McLaughlin contends do not emit a sound when the swing of the golf club is perpendicular to the club face but will emit differing sounds when there is a hook or a slice. However, the generation of sounds from the two whistles is only dependent upon the angle of the golf club face with respect to the intended swinging direction of the golf club. Accordingly, the McLaughlin golf club practice aid does not produce an audible sound merely upon the occurrence of an overswing condition. 
   Moreover, the United States Golf Association (“USGA”) promulgates and administers the Rules of Golf in the United States. It is believed that each of the golf club practice devices mentioned above does not comply with at least one of the USGA&#39;s rules relating to improper equipment. For instance, the USGA Rules of Golf provide that, in general, the club must not have any external attachments (see USGA Rules of Golf 1998–1999, §4-1a). Therefore, it is believed that the golf club practice aids of U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,530, U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,556 and the aid of FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 1,549,350 do not comply with at least this USGA Rule. In addition, the USGA Rules of Golf provide that the club head cannot have holes therethrough as it must be generally plain in shape (see USGA Rules of Golf 1998–1999 §4-1d and App. II, §4-1d). Therefore, it is believed the golf club practice aids of U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,057 and the aid of FIGS. 1–4 of U.S. Pat. No. 1,549,350 do not comply with at least this USGA Rule. Under the USGA Rules of Golf, penalties, such as penalty strokes, etc., result from use of improper equipment. It has therefore been found desirable to provide an overswing alerting mechanism for a golf club which is believed to be in compliance with the current USGA Rules of Golf. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It has been recognized that it is desirable to provide an overswing alerting mechanism for a golfer which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art. It has been further recognized that it is desirable to provide an overswing alerting mechanism/swing monitoring device that people can use to refine their swings in various sports, such as golf, baseball, tennis, hockey, etc., and which can be applied to the various sports without modification. 
   Accordingly, the present invention provides an overswing alerting mechanism/swing monitoring device that a user can wear, for example on the wrist, hand or arm, that can determine swing information, and that can display and/or store the determined swing information. As an option, the device includes a visual and/or audible indicator for alerting the user to an improper swinging motion. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The following detailed description, given by way of example, will best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevational view in cross-section of a preferred embodiment of a golf club with overswing alerting mechanism in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view in cross-section of another preferred embodiment of a golf club with overswing alerting mechanism in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the grip butt with LCD readout which can be incorporated in the golf club with overswing alerting mechanism of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-section view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club with overswing alerting mechanism in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the alerting mechanism housing depicted in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram representation of a preferred embodiment of the alerting mechanism of the invention. 
       FIG. 7  shows a wristwatch embodiment of a swing monitoring device in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  depicts a golf application of the device shown in  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of a golf club having an overswing alerting mechanism in accordance with the present invention. As is described below, this golf club with overswing alerting mechanism produces an audible sound upon the occurrence of an overswing condition of the golf club. 
   As is shown in  FIG. 1 , the golf club  10  of the present invention generally includes a golf club shaft  12  having a hollow opening  14  extending therethrough for the length thereof and a golf club head  16  supported on an end  17  of the golf club shaft  12  with the golf club head  16  having a striking face  18  for hitting the golf ball. 
   In order to alert the golfer that the golf club has been overswung, an overswing alerting mechanism, generally referred to by reference numeral  20  in  FIG. 1 , is permanently incorporated within the golf club  10  of the present invention. In order to prevent the overswing alerting mechanism  20  from altering the golfer&#39;s swing, the overswing alerting mechanism  20  of the present invention is housed entirely within the hollow opening  14  of the golf club shaft  12 . As is shown in  FIG. 3 , the sound of the horn can be heard through the standard central opening  23  provided in the grip butt  25  of the grip  27  fit over the top end of the golf club shaft  12 . 
   As is shown in  FIG. 1 , the overswing alerting mechanism  20  includes a sound generation assembly  22  for generating an audible sound upon the occurrence of an overswing condition. In the preferred embodiment, the sound generation assembly  22  is in the form of a horn but it can be any electrically-operated device which can emit an audible sound. As is shown in  FIG. 1 , the sound generation assembly  22  is sized to fit within the hollow opening  14  of the golf club shaft  12 . 
   In order to provide electrical energy to the sound generation assembly  22 , an energy generation member  26  is electrically connected thereto and supported within the hollow opening  14  of the golf club shaft  12 . In the preferred embodiment, the energy generation member  26  is in the form of two 1½ volt hearing aid batteries. However, any power supply which can be sized to be accommodated within the hollow opening  14  of the golf club shaft  12  and still provide sufficient electrical power to the sound generation assembly  22  may be employed. 
   As is shown in  FIG. 1 , the overswing alerting mechanism  20  for a golf club of the present invention also includes a circuit activating or closing member  30  provided in the hollow opening  14  of the golf club shaft  12  which activates the energy generation member  26  only upon the occurrence of an overswing condition. More particularly, this circuit closing member  30  includes a weight member  32  which, upon the occurrence of an overswing condition, closes a contact member  34 , which in turn, contacts a contact adjustment screw/switch  36  which is electrically connected to the sound generation assembly  22  by means of electrical wiring  35 . Accordingly, the electrical circuit between the energy generation member  26  and the sound generation assembly  22  is closed to thereby generate an audible sound from the sound generation assembly  22 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the weight member  32  and contact member  34  are positioned within the hollow opening  14  of the golf club shaft  12  so that the weight member  32  will only close the contact member  34 , and thus close the electrical circuit between the energy generation assembly  26  and the sound generation assembly  22 , if the golf club is overswung. 
   Another preferred embodiment of the circuit closing member for the overswing alerting mechanism for a golf club of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . In this embodiment, the circuit closing member  30   a  includes an electronic transducer  38  which is electrically connected between the energy generation member  26  and the sound generation assembly  22  by means of electrical wiring  39   a  and  b . Upon sensing an overswing condition of the golf club, the electronic transducer  38  closes the electrical circuit such that an audible sound is generated by the sound generating assembly  22 . 
   In a further embodiment of the present invention, as is shown in  FIG. 3 , an LCD readout  40  can be provided in a recess  42  of the grip butt end  23 . This recess  42  extends appropriately ¼″×½″ inwardly from the top end of the grip butt end  23 . The LCD readout  40  indicates in miles per hour the speed of the golf club shaft. 
   An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . As can be seen from  FIG. 4 , in the alternative embodiment, the overswing alerting mechanism  20  is positioned within a housing  50  that may be generally cylindrical or conical in shape—although it is not limited to such shapes. The housing includes two “end surfaces”  50   a  and  50   b , end surface  50   a  having a through hole  56 , and end surface  50   b  being fixed to a projection  52 . The through hole  56  is provided for allowing sound projected by the overswing mechanism&#39;s sound generation unit (element  22  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) to exit the housing uninhibited. Projection  52  is provided for detachably attaching the housing to the butt end of a golf club. That is, the projection is inserted into a standard central opening of a grip butt like the opening  23  and butt  25  described in relation to  FIGS. 1–3 . 
   Further, as can be noted from  FIG. 4 , end surface  50   b  is concave in shape in order to more securely adjoin the butt end of a golf club, and end surface  50   a  includes a protective lip  54  projecting upward from the surface. 
     FIG. 5  shows the outside of the housing of  FIG. 4  as viewed by looking down on surface  50   a . As can be seen from  FIG. 5 , surface  50   a  is generally circular in shape, and therefore lip  54  which runs along the perimeter of the surface is also generally circular in shape. As further shown, a display  58  and buttons  60   a  and  60   b  are positioned within surface  50   a . The lip, which projects approximately ⅛″ above surface  50   a , is provided primarily to protect display  58  and buttons  60   a ,  60   b  from direct impact with the ground and other objects. The display is used, for example, to display a golfer&#39;s swing speed, while the buttons may be respectively used, for example, to turn the mechanism on and off and to set the swing speed at which the alarm should be activated. Some alternative uses of the display and buttons are described below with respect to  FIG. 6 . 
     FIG. 6  is a block diagram representation of a preferred embodiment of the alerting mechanism of the invention. The alerting mechanism of  FIG. 6  includes a multiple of sensors  68   a ,  68   b ,  70   a ,  70   b ,  72   a  and  72   b  and a processing unit  72 , in addition to the previously described power source  26 , sound generation assembly  22  and display  58 . A set of user controls  64  and a computer interface are also included, the user controls referring, for example, to buttons  60   a  and  60   b  of  FIG. 5 , and the computer interface being provided for coupling of the mechanism to an external computer/processor. 
   Each sensor of  FIG. 6  is capable of measuring force applied to the alerting mechanism along a particular axis. Thus, for example, sensor  68   a  is an accelerometer which measures the force applied to the mechanism along the X-axis of the three dimensional reference system. Similarly sensors  70   a  and  72   a  may be accelerometers which respectively measure Y-axis and Z-axis forces. In one possible application, sensors  68   a ,  70   a  and  70   b  operate to measure three-dimensional force components acting on the mechanism during a golf swing and pass the measurements to the processing unit which derives an indication of the swing speed from the measurements. It should be noted, however, that the use of three sensors is not required for generation of a swing speed indication. Any one of the sensors  68   a – 72   b , or any combination of the sensors  68   a – 72   b , can be used to provide a swing speed indication. Of course, the number of sensors which can be used is not limited to six. 
   Regardless of the number of sensors employed, the data from the sensors is processed and/or stored in the processing unit  62 . In the configuration depicted in  FIG. 6 , two sensors are employed for each axis of motion and processing the data from each axis involves a differential calculation. That is, in order to convert axial g-forces to actual club head speed, one must employ two sensors per axis and measure the differential g-force on the sensors. 
   In any event, the data processed/stored in the processor can be used to generate an indicator of club head speed suitable for viewing on display  58  and/or suitable for triggering the alarm of the sound generating assembly  22 . Furthermore, the processing unit may be coupled to a computer via computer interface  66  so that sensor data stored in the processing unit can be downloaded to the computer for further analysis. For example, data from sensors  68   a - 72   b  may be used by a computer to construct a graphical representation of a golfer&#39;s entire swing. 
   Based upon the foregoing it will be appreciated that the golf club with overswing alerting mechanism of the present invention generates an audible sound upon occurrence of an overswing condition. Moreover, the generation of the audible sound of the overswing alerting mechanism of the present invention is not purely dependent upon the speed at which the golf ball is struck by the golf club as instead an audible sound is generated if the golf club is overswung. 
   Further, since the overswing alerting mechanism of the present invention is not in the form of a whistle, it is not dependent upon the air turbulence of the ambient air. 
   Moreover, it is believed that the preferred embodiments of a golf club with overswing alerting mechanism of the present invention set forth above comply with the current USGA Rules of Golf relating to golf equipment. That is, in order to make the golf club with overswing alerting mechanism of the present invention suitable for both practice and play, the mechanism is permanently incorporated within the golf club. In this regard, the mechanism is not externally attached, as it is entirely housed within the hollow opening  14  of the golf club shaft, and in addition, the club head remains generally plain in shape (i.e., it requires no holes through the club head). Alternatively, the overswing alerting mechanism is accommodated within a housing that can be detachably affixed to a golf club so that the mechanism can be attached to the club during practice and detached during play under USGA rules. 
   In a further embodiment, as shown in the dotted line in  FIG. 1 , an on-off switch  40  can be attached to the golf club shaft  12  for activating and deactivating the overswing alerting mechanism  20  when desired. 
   In still another embodiment, one or more accelerometers are included within the alerting mechanism  20 , the data from these accelerometers being used to provide overswing indication and being downloadable to a processor and/or memory external to the mechanism. 
   Yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 7 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the invention is implemented as a wristwatch-type swing monitoring device  80 . The wristwatch type device includes an overswing alerting mechanism  82  such as the alerting mechanism  20  included in  FIG. 1  or the alerting mechanism depicted in  FIG. 6 . The device further includes control buttons  84   a  and  84   b , display  86  and memory  88 . Button  84   a  is used to turn the device on and off while button  84   b  is used to set a swing speed at which an alarm is activated and/or to display swing speed information. Display  86  is used to display the speed of the user&#39;s swing, and may be a light emitting diode (LED) display or liquid crystal display (LCD) display like that shown in  FIG. 3 . Memory  88  is used to store swing speed information. 
   In a preferred embodiment, a multiple of swing speeds are stored in the memory and are called up by the user through use of control button(s)  84   a  and/or  84   b . For example, the speeds of the last  64  user swings are stored in the memory and the user presses and holds one or both of buttons  84   a  and  84   b  to observe a sequential display of the speeds, the speeds being passed from the memory to the display and being displayed at a fixed time intervals. In another example, display  86  can be used to provide a scrolling display of listed swing speeds, with button  84   a  being used to scroll up through the list and button  84   b  being used to scroll down through the list. 
   In a related embodiment, button  84   a  is a Program button and button  84   b  is a Power On button. The Program button and Power On button are used to implement four primary functions, calibrating, clearing memory, displaying and setting alarm threshold. 
   To perform calibration of the swing monitoring device, a user holds the device so that the display  86  is facing up, parallel with the floor. With the device turned off, the user presses and holds the Program button. While holding the Program button, the user turns on the device by momentarily pressing the Power on button, the device beeps. While holding the Program button the user hears: beep (pause) beep (pause) beep beep beep. The user releases the Program button after the three beeps. The alerting mechanism is now calibrated. 
   To clear the memory  88 , with the device turned off, the user presses and holds the Program button. While holding the Program button, the user turns on the device by momentarily pressing the Power On button, the device will beep. After the initial beep tone, there will be a pause followed by a second beep. The user releases the Program button. The swing memory is now cleared. 
   To display the swing information on display  86 , with the device turned on, the user presses and holds the Program button. The device will beep, and shortly after beep a second time. The user releases the Program button after the second beep. The display will now sequentially show the last  64  swing values. To abort the swing display, the user powers the device off and then back on. 
   To set the alarm threshold, with the device turned on, the user presses and holds the Program button. While holding the Program button the user hears: beep (pause) beep (pause) beep (pause) beep beep beep. The user releases the Program Button after the three beeps. The alarm threshold is now set. 
   It should be noted that many variations of the wristwatch-type embodiment and its control and display functions will be obvious to one skilled in the art in view of this disclosure. 
   In particular, it should be noted that, as an alternative to implementing the invention as a dedicated wristwatch-type device, the invention may be integrated into a conventional wristwatch. Thereby, a user can simultaneously enjoy the functionality of the invention and the functionality of a traditional wristwatch. In a wristwatch-integral implementation, the controls and display for the swing monitoring functions may be distinct from the controls and display for the traditional wristwatch functions; or the controls and display for the swing monitoring functions may be combined with the controls and display for the traditional wristwatch functions, enabling the use of one set of controls and one display for both sets of functions. 
   The wristwatch-type device depicted in  FIG. 7  may be used by players of any sport that involves swinging of the arm, wrist and/or hand without modifying the device on a sport-by-sport basis. For instance, persons wearing the device can use it to monitor their golf swing and then use it to monitor their tennis swing without changing the device in any way. Further, it is noted that while the device has been disclosed as a wrist-mountable device, it could alternatively be designed for mounting on users&#39; arms or hands. Also the device could be designed for mounting on a users&#39; legs to monitor, for example, soccer kick speed or leg speed during running. 
     FIG. 8  depicts one possible application of the wristwatch-type embodiment of the invention. In  FIG. 8 , a golfer  90  is wearing device  80  on the wrist in order to monitor swing speed when swinging golf club  92 . 
   While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with the reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the sprit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including the foregoing as well as various other such changes and modifications.