U.S. patent application number 11/697109 was filed with the patent office on 2007-10-11 for magnetic display for use by coaches and trainers of various sports.
Invention is credited to Martin Lynch.
Application Number | 20070238080 11/697109 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38575739 |
Filed Date | 2007-10-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070238080 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lynch; Martin |
October 11, 2007 |
MAGNETIC DISPLAY FOR USE BY COACHES AND TRAINERS OF VARIOUS
SPORTS
Abstract
A display device (10) for diagramming a play includes a housing
(12) having a handle (14) for lifting and carrying the housing. A
bottom (16) and sides of the housing form a recess is filled with a
layer (18) of magnetic particles and a display panel (20) on which
an outline of a field of play, or a portion thereof, is drawn. The
panel fits over the layer. A stylus (24) has a tip end (26) which,
when brought into contact with, or in close proximity to, an outer
surface of the panel attracts the magnetic particles to the
underside of the form an image (28-32) visible to anyone looking at
the panel. The user can create as many images as he needs to
diagram a play for his team. When done, the user draws a slide (36)
underneath the length of the panel to erase the display.
Inventors: |
Lynch; Martin; (Oak Brook,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
POLSTER, LIEDER, WOODRUFF & LUCCHESI
12412 POWERSCOURT DRIVE SUITE 200
ST. LOUIS
MO
63131-3615
US
|
Family ID: |
38575739 |
Appl. No.: |
11/697109 |
Filed: |
April 5, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60789416 |
Apr 5, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
434/247 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B43L 1/008 20130101;
B43L 12/00 20130101; A63B 2071/0694 20130101; A63B 69/00 20130101;
A63B 2209/08 20130101; A63B 71/06 20130101; G09F 9/375
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
434/247 |
International
Class: |
A63B 69/00 20060101
A63B069/00 |
Claims
1. A display device for diagramming a play for a player or team,
comprising: a housing; a display panel attached to the housing and
defining a compartment within the housing, the display panel having
a template representing a playing surface for an athletic activity;
a plurality of magnetic particles within the compartment; and a
writing instrument that can engage the display panel to create an
image representing a players position and movement during a play,
the writing instrument creating a magnetic field drawing the
magnetic particles to an inner surface of the display panel where
they are visible by the player.
2. The display device of claim 1, the writing instrument comprising
a stylus having a magnetic tip which, when brought into contact
with, or in close proximity to, an outer surface of the display
panel attracts the magnetic particles to the inner surface of the
display panel to form an image visible to the player looking at the
panel.
3. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a slide member
moveably attached to the housing and positioned adjacent the inner
surface of the display panel so that the slide member moves along
the inner surface of the display panel to remove the magnetic
particles from the display panel.
4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a means for erasing
the display on the panel.
5. The display device of claim 4, the erasing means comprising a
slide member moveably attached to the housing and positioned
adjacent the inner surface of the display panel so that the slide
member moves along the inner surface of the display panel to remove
the magnetic particles from the display panel.
6. The display device of claim 1, in which a drawing surface
provided by the display panel employs magnetophoretic phenomena to
produce the display.
7. The display device of claim 1, the housing comprising a handle
for lifting and carrying the device.
8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the template is a playing
surface selected from the group consisting of baseball diamond,
soccer field, basketball court, football field, tennis count,
volleyball court, hockey rink, rugby field, field hockey field,
lacrosse field, cricket field, or dodgeball court.
9. A display device for diagramming a play for a player or team,
comprising: a housing; a display panel attached to the housing and
defining a compartment within the housing, the display panel having
an image of at least a portion of a field of play; and, a plurality
of magnetic particles within the compartment; a diagramming means
by which a user diagrams a play to be performed on the field of
play including indicating the starting position of at least one
player on the field of play and his movements subsequent to the
start of play on the field of play, the diagramming means creating
a magnetic field drawing the magnetic particles to a surface of the
display panel where they are visible by the player, with the
particles depicting the player and his movements.
10. The display device of claim 9, the diagramming means comprising
a stylus having a tip which, when brought into contact with, or in
close proximity to, an outer surface of the display panel attracts
the magnetic particles to the inner surface of the display panel to
form an image visible to the player looking at the panel.
11. The display device of claim 9, further comprising means for
erasing the display on the panel.
12. The display device of claim 11 in which the erasing means
includes a slide member movable over the inner surface of the
display panel to remove the magnetic particles from the display
panel.
13. The display device of claim 9 in which a drawing surface
provided by the panel employs magnetophoretic phenomena to produce
the display.
14. The display device of claim 9, the housing comprising a handle
for lifting and carrying the device.
15. The display device of claim 9 wherein the image is a field of
play selected from the group consisting of baseball diamond, soccer
field, basketball court, football field, tennis count, volleyball
court, hockey rink, rugby field, field hockey field, lacrosse
field, cricket field, or dodgeball court.
16. A method of diagramming a play for a player or team on a
display device, comprising: providing a housing; providing a
display panel attached to the housing defining a compartment within
the housing, the display panel having a template representing a
playing surface for an athletic activity; providing a plurality of
magnetic particles within the compartment; and providing a writing
instrument; moving the tip of the writing instrument along the
display panel to create an image by drawing the magnetic particles
to an inner surface of the display panel where they are visible by
the player or team; creating an image on the display panel with the
writing instrument that represents a player or a teams movement
about the playing surface during a play.
17. The method of diagramming a play for a player or team on a
display device of claim 1, further comprising: providing a slide
member moveably attached to the housing and positioned adjacent the
inner surface of the display panel; and moving the slide member
along the inner surface of the display panel to remove the magnetic
particles from the display panel.
18. The method of diagramming a play for a player or team on a
display device of claim 1, wherein the template is a playing
surface selected from the group consisting of baseball diamond,
soccer field, basketball court, football field, tennis count,
volleyball court, hockey rink, rugby field, field hockey field,
lacrosse field, cricket field, or dodgeball court.
19. The method of diagramming a play for a player or team on a
display device of claim 1, in which a drawing surface provided by
the display panel employs magnetophoretic phenomena to produce the
display
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/789,416 filed Apr. 5, 2006 from which priority
is claimed, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates to the diagramming of plays for a
team by a coach or trainer; and, more particularly, to a magnetic
display for quickly and easily communicating a play to team members
without the use of paper, pen, pencils, or markers.
[0004] Everyone who watches sports on television has seen it. At a
crucial point in a basketball game, a football game, or other
sporting event, the coach calls a "time out" and assembles the team
about him on the sideline of the court or field. With the team
gathered around, the coach or one of his assistants takes out a
display board, such as clipboard or a dry-erase board, along with
an appropriate writing instrument, such as a pen, pencil, or
marker, and diagrams an offensive play for the team to run, or a
defensive set in anticipation of the opposing team's play.
[0005] Typically, the display board includes a layout of at least a
portion of the field of play (e.g. a basketball court, or one end
of a football or soccer field, etc.), and the coach marks the
players' starting positions on the display board. Then, the coach
diagrams instructions on the display board for each player with the
writing instrument by drawing lines that represent a players
movement from a starting position to a desired ending position.
Usually, the resulting display board exhibits a myriad of straight
and/or curved lines with many of the lines intersecting one
another. If the coach makes a mistake or decides to diagram an
alternate play, he must erase the existing lines drawn on the
display board by rubbing with an eraser or other tool or tearing
off a used sheet of paper so there is a clean display board for
drawing. This process uses up valuable coaching time during
"time-outs", which are of relatively short duration. In addition,
if the display is not cleanly erased, any remaining lines denoting
the previously delineated play can confuse the players and result
in the improper execution of the newly diagrammed play or
defense.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Briefly stated, the invention is a display device for use by
coaches and others to quickly and easily diagram plays for their
team, and to quickly "erase" the diagrammed play so another play
can be diagrammed. The device is self-contained and does not
require paper, pencils, pens, or magic markers or the like for
diagramming the plays.
[0007] The display comprises a lightweight, hand-held portable unit
including a display panel or template on which is outlined the
field of play, or a portion thereof, for a particular sport.
Various fields of play, or portions of them, are outlined on the
display panels of different devices so coaches for the respective
sports will have a device readily available to them for diagramming
plays for their sport. The drawing surface employs one of a
plurality of magnetophoretic or magnetic display screens by which
the user uses a stylus or the like to attract magnetic particles to
the underside of the display screen. This allows illustration of
player movement from an initial position through a sequence of
moves to execute a desired play. When diagramming is complete, the
user moves a slide underneath the panel to de-magnetize the
particles and erase the display.
[0008] The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the
invention as well as embodiments thereof will become more apparent
from the reading of the following description in connection with
the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] In the accompanying drawings which form part of the
specification:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the display device of the
present invention for diagramming plays, a portion of the device
being shown in section, and including a stylus for writing on the
surface of the display; and
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display device
displaying one-half of a basketball court;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the display device
displaying a portion of a football field;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the display device
displaying a portion of a soccer field;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a
display device;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bottom of the display
device; and
[0016] FIG. 7 is a enlarged perspective view of a clip of the
display device.
[0017] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The following detailed description illustrates the invention
by way of example and not by way of limitation. The description
clearly enables one skilled in the art to make and use the
invention, describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations,
alternatives, and uses of the invention, including what is
presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the
invention. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention
is not limited in its application to the details of construction
and the arrangements of components set forth in the following
description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is
capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being
carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the
phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of
description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1-4, an embodiment of the present
invention, generally referred to as a display device 10, includes a
generally rectangular case or housing 12 preferably made of a
molded, lightweight, high-impact plastic material, and non-magnetic
material. A molded handle 14 extends from one end of housing 12 for
convenient lifting, holding and carrying of the display device 10.
The housing 12 includes a generally flat lower member 16 with side
members 17 extending upwardly from the edges of the lower member
16. A display panel 20 extends between the side members 17 to
define a compartment within the housing 12. A layer of magnetic
particles 18 reside within in the compartment 19 (FIG. 1).
[0020] The display panel 20 and magnetic particles 18 interact to
form images on the display panel 20, preferably using a type of
magnetophoretic phenomena. For example, the magnetic particles 18
can comprise either microcapsules of a magnetic material or a
beehive cone of particles. A display device 10 using such
magnetophoric phenomena allows a user to repeatedly form images on
the display panel 20, that can be readily erased without leaving a
residual image.
[0021] A template 21 on the display panel 20 represents a playing
surface of a sport or athletic activity. The template 21 can be
applied to the display panel 20 using any appropriate method, such
as silk-screening, engraving, etching, printing, an adhesive label,
or other suitable method. The template 20 can represent the playing
surface of any sport or athletic activity, such as, baseball,
soccer, basketball, football, tennis, volleyball, hockey, rugby,
field hockey, lacrosse, cricket, dodgeball, or other sports. For
example, the template 120 illustrated in FIG. 2 represents half of
a basketball court having a basket B, backboard BB, free throw line
FL, three-point arc TP, and a portion of the center circle CC at
the half-court of the basketball court. Three dots 28 representing
different players are shown on the display.
[0022] In FIG. 3, the template 220 represents a portion of a
football field with lines L extending completely across the field
at five-yard intervals, together with hash marks H on either side
of the field, and along the side of the field (four marks in all)
denoting each yard of play. Again, three dots 28 representing
different players are shown on the display.
[0023] In FIG. 4, the template 320 represents a soccer field with
goals G at each end of the field, corner kick areas CK at each
corner of the field, a goalie box GB, a penalty kick area PK, a
center line CL, and a center circle CE.
[0024] A writing instrument, preferably a stylus 24, includes a
magnetic tip 26 for writing on the display panel 20. When not in
use, the stylus 24 can be stored within a cavity 27 of the housing
12. As a user brings the tip 26 into contact with or in close
proximity to the outer surface of the display panel 20, the tip 26
attracts the magnetic particles 18 to the inner surface of the
display panel 20 with a magnetic field so that the particles 18
form an image (e.g., a dot 28) which is visible on the outer
surface of the display panel 20. In this way, the user can move the
tip 26 of the stylus 24 about the display panel 20 to form a
desired image. The user lifts the tip 26 from the display panel 20
to stop formation of the image. If the user then places the stylus
against or adjacent another location on the display, he will create
another dot, and can begin another image. For example, a desired
image can include a straight line 30, curved line 32, dot 28, an
arrow 34 to indicate a direction of movement, words, such as,
"block" or "pass" to indicate a particular activity, or any
combination thereof.
[0025] The image on the display panel 20 can be erased with a slide
member 36 moveably mounted with a slot 37 of the housing 12 and
positioned below the inner surface of the display panel 20. The
slide member 36 produces a magnetic field opposite to that created
by the tip 26 of stylus 24 and repels the magnetic particles away
from the inner surface of the display panel 20, thereby erasing the
display panel 20. The display panel 20 is now "clean" and the user
can use the stylus 24 to create a new image. The slide member 36
erases the display without the need for any other cleaning
materials, such as an eraser, or a spray bottle and rag.
[0026] The display device 10 is preferably made of plastic
materials that provide both durability and can withstand exposure
to elements that are present during both indoor and outdoor
athletic activities.
[0027] Changes can be made in the above constructions without
departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all
matter contained in the above description or shown in the
accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense. For example, the template can be removeable
and replaceable, such as an overlay.
[0028] In an alternate embodiment (FIGS. 5-7), the display device
10 does not include a handle 14, but rather includes a clip 40
protruding from the lower surface of the display device 10. The
alternate embodiment also includes feet 42, such as rubber or felt,
that support the display device 10 when placed on a supporting
surface. The feet 42 reduce slipping of the device on the
supporting surface. In addition, the stylus 24 is attached to the
display device 10 with a tether 44, such as a cord, string, and the
like.
* * * * *