Patent ID: 6974391

Claim:
An device for uniquely identifying a golf ball at a target comprising: a simulated golfing green first target area having a hole-in-one aperture therein, a ball collector mounted under said aperture, a ball identification means cooperating with said ball collector for identifying uniquely identified game balls from non-uniquely identified golf balls and for transmitting identity information corresponding to each game ball of said game balls to a remote processing station for correlating the identity of a golfer with said identity information, a surveillance means cooperating with said first target area and surveying above said first target area so as to provide for remote monitoring of said first target area, a first signal means for signalling the golfer and a remote monitor when a uniquely identified game ball has entered said aperture, a first sensor means for detecting when a uniquely identified game ball lands in said first target area and for signalling the golfer and a remote monitor upon detection, wherein said ball identification means includes radio frequency identification transponders mountable into the uniquely identified game balls and corresponding radio frequency identification sensors mounted into cooperation with said ball collector, and wherein, said radio frequency identification sensors include a receiver antenna coil and wherein said radio frequency identification transponders are RFID tags having a sensitive axis whereby, when oriented perpendicular to a winding of said receiver antenna coil is readable by said receiver coil, and wherein said each tag has a non-sensitive axis of orientation where it is least sensitive corresponding to when a transmitting antenna coil of said each tag is in axial alignment with said receiver antenna coil, and wherein said ball identification means includes a curved conduit adapted so that a golf ball rolls through said receiver antenna coil along a curved path such that the ball changes its path direction by ninety degrees while rolling through said receiver antenna coil, said receiver antenna coil mounted adjacent said conduit corresponding to said curved path, and wherein said receiver antenna coil is formed into an ellipse and biased such that a coil-winding axis of said receiver antenna coil follows said curved path.