Patent ID: 8908922

Claim:
An electronic device comprising: a housing; a wireless network interface; a camera lens coupled to an exterior of the housing; an input interface; and a processor communicatively coupled to the input interface and a digital image sensor disposed within an interior of the housing wherein the digital image sensor receives light which passes through the camera lens; the processor configured to 1) receive a plurality of 2-D digital images from the digital image sensor, 2) output the plurality of 2-D digital images to the display, 3) select a portion of the plurality of 2-D digital images wherein the portion is selected based upon at least whether an axisymmetric object in free flight used in a play of a game is identifiable, 4) receive input data from the input mechanism which is used to determine an orientation of the camera lens in an earth reference frame; 5) based upon the orientation of the camera lens in the earth reference frame, transform first pixel data in each of the portion of the plurality of 2-D digital images from a first reference frame associated with a current orientation of the camera lens to second pixel data associated with a second reference frame in which the camera lens is resting on a horizontal plane perpendicular to an axis through a gravitational center of the earth and a line drawn through a center of lens perpendicular to a surface of lens is at a center of the pixel data; 6) determine a plurality of first pixel lengths across the axisymmetric object in multiple directions of the second pixel data in each of the portion of the plurality of 2-D digital images to account for motion blurring and light blooming effects; 7) based upon the plurality of first pixel lengths, determine a first characteristic pixel length of the axisymmetric object in each of the portion of the plurality of 2-D digital images; 8) based upon first characteristic pixel length, determine distances from the camera lens to the axisymmetric object in physical space in each of the portion of the plurality of 2-D digital images; 9) determine a center of the axisymmetric object in the second pixel data in each of the 2-D digital images; 10) determine a plurality of second pixel lengths which measure changes in the center of the axisymmetric object between each of the portion of the plurality of 2-D digital images; 11) based upon the plurality of second pixel lengths and the distances from the camera lens, determine a 3-D trajectory of the axisymmetric object as a function of time in physical space, 12) upload, via the wireless network interface, the 3-D trajectory to a remote server, 13) select one of the plurality of 2-D digital images, 14) render a path showing the 3-D trajectory of the axisymmetric object into the selected one of the plurality of 2-D digital images and 15) output to the display a new 2-D digital image including the path of the 3-D trajectory.