Patent Publication Number: US-2003227549-A1

Title: Camera image recording putting during golf tournaments

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001] This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application No. 60/295,741, filed on Jun. 4, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.  
       [0002] The present invention relates generally to improvements in the TV broadcasting of golf events, and more particularly in using to advantage selected circumstances during the play of golf to provide a degree of realism significantly enhancing the enjoyment of an audience viewing the TV broadcast.  
       EXAMPLES OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0003] Currently TV broadcasting provides images duplicating for those not in attendance, i.e., a television audience, circumstances occurring during play witnessed by those in attendance, e.g. at a golf match, golf contest or golf-related event, but omits some circumstances of play not actually witnessed by attendees but which are of significant consequence and which, in accordance with the present invention are used to enhance the enjoyment of the television audience. This TV coverage with the noted prior art limitation of reporting only duplicating images is documented in prior patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,140 for “Automated Hole-In-One Recording System” issued to Vincent on Apr. 7, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,052 for “Hole-In-One Detector” issued to Nicholls et al. on Oct. 11, 1994, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,913 for “Golf Tee Shot-Green Placement Monitoring System” issued to Cohen on Mar. 23, 1999.  
       [0004] In the noted and in all other known patents, a monitoring camera records only what is readily observed, namely whether a hole-in-one has occurred in the &#39;140 and &#39;913 patents presumably in the absence of an observer on the putting green, and the closest to the putting green hole in a so-called, in golf parlance, a closest-to-the-pin contest in the &#39;913 patent, but omits circumstances of play actually occurring but not readily observed, and which not being recorded is a missed opportunity to contribute to the fullest extent to maximizing audience interest in the golf event.  
       [0005] Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.  
       [0006] More particularly, it is an object to provide an image of significant interest value to a TV audience that occurs during golf play but not observed by those in attendance in the manner herein provided, to thus favor TV coverage even over actual attendance, all as will be better understood as the description proceeds. 
     
    
    
     [0007] The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims.  
     [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf tournament in progress;  
     [0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an audience watching a TV broadcast of the golf tournament; and  
     [0010]FIG. 3 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of the TV-broadcast image seen by the audience.  
    
    
     [0011] During play of a golf tournament, as depicted in FIG. 1, a golfer  10  on a golf course putting green  12  will execute a putting stroke  14  with a putter  16  causing a golf ball  18  to roll along a path  20  with the object of entering within the confines of a circular edge  22  bounding an opening  24  opening into a cylindrical cup  26  bounded by a surrounding correspondingly cylindrical surface  28 .  
     [0012] The circumstances of play, as depicted and just described, is viewed by an audience, as noted at  30 , typically at a public facility  32  on a TV screen  34  on which an image, generally designated  36 , is broadcast by transmission means, well understood, as to construction and operating mode, operatively connected between photographing means at the site of the putting green  12  and the TV screen  34 , the viewing of the image  36  by the audience  30  being of significant interest value to the audience  30 .  
     [0013] Underlying the present invention is the recognition that the play of golf requires for scoring the hole  24  on the putting green  12  serving as a target of the putting stroke  14 , and that through such hole  24  there is ambient light transmission, as noted at  38 , available as another condition of golf play by virtue of its nature as an outdoor sport, and wherein the extent of the noted ambient light transmission  38  is of an extent adequate for photographing. The photographing at the site  12  is by a camera that it will be understood to be at the bottom of the cup  22  and in facing relation therefrom upwardly to the hole opening  24 . The photographed activity recorded by the camera is transmitted by known wireless technology to a broadcasting station which in turn is operatively connected to produce the image  36  on the TV screen  34 .  
     [0014] Thus in accordance with the present invention, there is provided for viewing enjoyment of an audience  30  an image  36  presenting a display having at its center the hole bounding edge  22  in a circular shape, as display background the observed ambient condition provided by the light transmission through the circular shape, and as display foreground the observed peripheral edge  40  delimiting the size of the golf ball.  
     [0015] For completeness sake it is noted that the circular shape is of a diameter of 3¼ inches, the regulation size prescribed for the cup  22  of an approved professional golf association (PGA) golf tournament event, and that recommended for the photographing of the selected conditions of golf play according to the present invention is the model BED  20  camera commercially available from Hitachi Devshi, of Plainview, N.Y.  
     [0016] Optionally, a readily commercially available microphone can be positioned at the bottom of the cup  22  to record a movement of the ball  18  descending down the cup and, in practice, will also pick up conversation of golfers on the putting green  12  near the cup  22 . This audio pickup accompanying the image display  36  significantly adds to the entertaiment value of the audience  30  watching the audio/visual broadcast being shown to the audience.  
     [0017] While the TV image herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.