TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to golf, and more particularly to improving the method of a golfer reading the slope of various terrains found on a golf course, such as the putting green.

BACKGROUND

In a round of golf, the putter is the most used club for a player. Governing bodies of the game of golf state that the average male golfer shoots a score between 98 and 99 with at least 40 putts per round or 2.2 putts per hole. Professional golfers average about 1.8 putts per hole and 32 putts per round.

Determining the slope of a putting green to predict where the ball will roll on the putting surface when struck by the putter is difficult for golfers of all skill levels. Golfers may try to estimate the slope of the putting green surface in various putting green reading methods, which includes but not limited to, squatting to the ground level of the putting surface to predict the slope; using the shaft of the putter to predict the slope of the putting green while holding the putter in front of a player’s body; or walking along side of the projected path of the ball to the hole and predicting the slope of the putting green with one’s feet.

Some of these green reading methods may cause a variety of health and

performance problems for players on the golf course, such as discomfort for those who experience limited mobility, stability, flexibility, and discomfort in the joints and muscles of their lower extremities; acute or chronic joint and muscle pain or weakness from previous injuries to their lower extremities. In addition, slowing down the pace of play for other golfers, which may impact the performance or enjoyment of one or more players negatively; and inconsistent putting

performances for a player who may lack internal confidence and belief in their putting motion or green reading abilities.

The relevant prior art attempts to solve the problems listed above with the use of booklets containing the generic slope patterns of a golf course including each putting green, a pre-determined computerized analysis of each putting green with the use of laser sensor technology, and digital leveling devices. The digital leveling devices may also include the use of a cellular phone that contains an accelerometer and a gyroscope inside of its circuitry.

Pre-configured slope golf course booklets only provide the macro view of slopes on a golf course and do not provide any detailed information at a micro level that may be useful to a golfer when putting on the putting green. The slopes of a golf course may also change over time with landscaping renovations, which as a consequence, may make these booklets inaccurate and obsolete. Using a pre-determined computerized analysis of each putting green with the use of laser sensor technology does provide accurate slope detail of a putting green. This technology has the ability to gather its collected data into an application found on a cellular phone or custom slope booklets for a golf course. However, this is an expensive practice to implement and most operational golf courses and golfers do not have the available finances to perform or use this analysis.

While digital leveling devices, including the use of a cellular phone containing an accelerometer and gyroscope in its circuitry, have the ability to provide a detailed slope reading for a putting green, the process of bringing a digital leveling device to be placed on each putting green surface during a round of golf is impractical. The problems created from this practice include but not limited to, joint and muscle strain on a golfer’s lower back and lower extremities from the act of bending over or squatting down to place and pick up the digital leveling device, slowing down the pace of play for other golfers on a golf course which is widely viewed as a discourteous practice, and the lack of coverage some digital leveling devices may provide when calculating slope. These devices may not accurately reflect the slope for a putt on the surface of a putting green.

ADVANTAGES

The present invention will provide golfers of all levels the ability to read the approximate slopes of a putting green (and other terrains on a golf course) quickly and as a result, increase the probability to make more putts and lower their golf scores. A primary benefit of the present invention is an increase in longevity of people playing the game of golf with chronic pain and injuries, limited mobility, stability, or flexibility by eliminating the need to read the slope of an upcoming putt in methods that may be too strenuous and discomforting to a golfer, such as squatting down to the putting green surface.

Recreational golfers looking to quickly discern the slope in different areas of the green can use the present invention described in detail herein instead of using other green reading methods that may take a player or group of placers longer to complete a golf hole.

As of the date this present patent application is written, governing bodies of the game of golf have prohibited the practice of measuring the slope of any terrain on the golf course, such as a putting green surface during a stipulated round of golf. Therefore, the present invention is not legal for use in tournament play.

Professional golfers and competitive amateur golfers have a different use for the present invention outside of their standard routines of practice.

For most golf tournaments, a tournament committee usually marks the pin positions for an event no later than the day before the tournament starts. Professional golfers and competitive amateur golfers and/or their caddies can use the present invention when playing practice rounds. Participants and their caddies are able to gather slope readings quickly from each side of a marked pin position on the putting green, where they have the opportunity to capture and store this data to a storage medium, such as a golf course yardage book (if available), pocket memo pad, or within an application on a mobile platform, such as a cellular phone or computerized watch.

As a result of using the present invention during the preparation process for an upcoming golf tournament, professional golfers and competitive amateur golfers (and their caddies) have the opportunity to have its captured data available to them in the form of written notes during tournament play. Using the captured data as reference may increase the probability of a player making a putt on the putting green and lowering their golf scores in tournament play.

The use of the present invention can also be applied when practicing on other uneven terrains on a golf course, such as the fairway, rough, or sand bunker. For example, a golfer can practice hitting golf shots from terrains with ascending or descending slopes or on a flat terrain provided by most tee boxes on a golf course.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a belt-mounted slope sensor system for reading and recording the slope data of terrain found on a golf course, such as the putting green, using measurements of pelvic tilt on the midsection of the user. The belt-mounted slope sensor system includes a flexible belt shaped to abut the midsection of a user and is adapted to be worn around the midsection of the user. The system has at least one accelerometer and at least one gyroscope mounted on or within the planar body of the flexible belt or belt buckle to physically associate with different pelvic tilt measurements on the midsection of the user. The accelerometer has a configurable sample rate for sensing the user’s pelvic tilt when standing on uneven levels of terrain on a golf course, which include but not limited to, the surface of a putting green, sand bunker, fairway, rough, or golf practice area. A power source and a data collection system are operably connected to the accelerometer and gyroscope. The data collection system has a means of querying and receiving data from the accelerometer and gyroscope and processing that data into a slope value that is in a storable format. The received data from the data collection system has the capability of being stored in a central database for future reference by the user.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a belt-mounted slope sensor system that provides advantages for a user playing golf not taught by the prior art. Another objective is to provide a belt-mounted slope sensor system that can collect lateral, anterior, and posterior pelvic tilt angle data, convert it into a measurement of slope, and transmit this collected data to a user computer, such as a cellular phone or computerized watch, to be stored and analyzed.

A further objective is to provide a belt-mounted slope sensor system that contains both a power supply and a data collection system to reduce the amount of separate devices and time required to measure and analyze the slope of golf course terrain a user is standing on. A further objective is to provide a belt-mounted slope sensor system that can be calibrated for operation with users that have different hip and leg length

measurements.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, supported by the accompanying drawings below, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a user wearing one embodiment of the belt- mounted slope sensor system;

FIG. 2 is a lateral perspective view of the belt-mounted slope sensor system in FIG. 1, illustrating a user using the system to determine the slope of the putting green at the current position of the user;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the belt-mounted slope sensor system, illustrating the slope value in various units on a cellular phone;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the belt-mounted slope sensor system, illustrating the slope value in various units on a computerized watch; FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the belt-mounted slope sensor system in FIG.l; and FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the process of obtaining a slope value from the belt-mounted slope sensor system in FIG.l.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above-described drawing figures illustrate the present invention, a belt- mounted slope sensor system 10 for tracking and recording the lateral, anterior, and posterior pelvic tilt of a midsection of a user to determine the slope of golf course terrain a user is standing on.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a user wearing one embodiment of the belt- mounted slope sensor system 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the belt-mounted slope sensor system 10 includes a flexible belt 15, an accelerometer 11, a gyroscope 12, a power source 13, and a data collection system 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the flexible belt 15 is adapted to be worn around the midsection of the user to monitor the user’s lateral, anterior, and posterior pelvic tilt in order to determine the slope of the golf course terrain the user is standing on.

The flexible belt 15 has a planar body shaped to abut the midsection of the user. In the present embodiment, the flexible belt 15 includes a belt buckle 17 that contains a mechanism to securely fasten the flexible belt 15 around the midsection of the user, such as a clamp or a clip. The belt buckle 17 is shaped to contain both the power source 13 and the data collection system 14, which, in this case, is a data collector 14 that is a separate piece of electronics illustrated further in FIG. 4.

However, in alternative embodiments, both the power source 13 and the data collection system 14 may be mounted in a single compartment. The term

"compartment" is hereby defined to broadly include any form of compartment, recess, or other mounting feature suitable for mounting the power source 13 and the data collection system 14 on the flexible belt 15.

Furthermore, in another embodiment (not illustrated), the power source 13 and the data collection system 14 may also be provided as a single unit (i.e., the power source 13 may be integrated with the data collection system 14) . In another alternative embodiment, the power source 13 and the data collection system 14 may also be embedded, either integrated as a single unit or as two separate components, inside of the belt buckle 17 of the flexible belt 15 or within the planar body of the flexible belt 15. In yet another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 4, the data collection system 14 is provided elsewhere in a computer network 47

described in greater detail below. While one embodiment of the flexible belt 15 is illustrated, the particular shape and form of the flexible belt 15 may vary according to the design of one skilled in the art.

FIG. 2 is a lateral perspective view of the belt-mounted slope sensor system 10 to illustrate its use on the golf course. In this illustration, the user is standing on the putting green to determine the slope going from left to right (as represented by the arrows) using the system to capture the pelvic tilt data of the midsection of the user. The user takes the slope value shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B and determines the path the ball must take in order to go to the user’s intended target (the hole). In an alternative use, the user may determine the slope of other golf course terrain, such as the fairway, rough, or sand bunker, in order to project the trajectory the ball will take when struck by the golf club in the process of making a golf swing. Additional uses on the golf course that may be discovered by one skilled in the art should be considered within the scope of the present invention.

At least one accelerometer 11 is mounted on or within the planar body or belt buckle 17 of the flexible belt 15 to physically associate with pelvic tilt positions on the midsection of the user. The accelerometer 11 has a sample rate that can be configured for sensing pelvic tilt changes while a user moves to different levels of terrain on a golf course. The power source 13 is stored in or mounted on the planar body of the flexible belt 15 or its corresponding belt buckle 17, and is operably connected to the accelerometer 11.

The belt-mounted slope sensor system 10 also includes at least one gyroscope 12 operably mounted on the flexible belt 15 adjacent to the accelerometer 11 for measuring an orientation of the flexible belt 15 while being worn by the user. The data collection system 14 has a means for receiving data from the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12 and processing that data into a slope value that is in a storable format. Both the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12 are well known in the art, and any suitable embodiments of these may be utilized, according to one skilled in the art.

While FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of one accelerometer 11 and one gyroscope 12, other arrangements of multiple accelerometers and gyroscopes may also be utilized. Alternative arrangements that may be selected by one skilled in the art are also considered within the scope of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the user interface 46 of the user computer 16 in the forms of a cellular phone (smart phone) in FIG. 3A and computerized watch (smart watch) in F1G. 3B. As illustrated in F1G. 3A, the slope value calculated from the raw data from the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12 is displayed in the unit of slope degrees on the user interface 46 on the user computer 16. The user interface 46 on the user computer 16 may display the slope value in other units of measurement, such as slope percentage, as shown in FIG. 3B. The user computer 16 may receive updates of the slope value at a sample rate configured either on the user computer 16 or the flexible belt 15. In another embodiment (not illustrated), the user computer 16 may display a projection of the ball path based on the collection of previous slope values recorded in the user interface. While one embodiment of the user interface of the user computer 16 is illustrated, the particular form of the user computer 16 and presentation of the slope data on the user interface 46 may vary according to the design of one skilled in the art as described below in greater detail.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the belt-mounted slope sensor system 10. In this embodiment, the belt-mounted slope sensor system 10 includes a data collection system 14 for receiving data from the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12. The accelerometer 11 may be used to convert acceleration into an electrical signal. Therefore, the accelerometer 11 may receive input and provide digital output that reflects this activity, which may then be collected, transmitted, stored (i.e., to a computer), and analyzed. The user may be a golfer whose pelvic tilt requires close tracking in order to determine the slope of the terrain the golfer is standing on. The user may also be a person, such as an employee or person working in a remote environment. Those skilled in the art may devise a wide range of uses of this system, and such alternatives should be considered within the scope of the present invention.

The data collection system 14 of FIG. 4 includes a controller that includes a processor 41 and a memory 42. The controller may be used for maintaining a database 43, and/or operably controlling functions of the system, as discussed in greater detail below. Furthermore, while one embodiment of the controller is described herein, alternative embodiments may also be used; for example, a computer separate from the belt may be utilized, which is discussed at length below.

The processor 41 and the memory 42 may be configured to receive data from the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12 and process that data into a slope value that is in a storable format. The data collection system 14 may also have a communications circuitry 45, which serves to transmit information from the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12 to a wireless network device 49 or the user computer 16 (or any other computer device desired, such as a cellular phone or computerized watch). The data collection system 14 may further include a clock 44 to enable the system to track changes in pelvic tilt as a function of time, and to determine a slope value (which may be in any measurable unit desired, such as slope degrees or slope percentage shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B) for a user when the user is preparing to execute a golf swing or putt. The construction and function of the clock 44 are well known in the art, and are therefore not described in greater detail herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates the central computer 48 and the user computer 16, in which the central computer 48 may have a processor 51 and a memory 52. The processor 51 and the memory 52 on the central computer 48 may be configured to receive data (i.e. slope data) from the data collection system 14 and may process that data into a storable format in a central database 53, to allow for later retrieval and analysis of the data. The user computer 16 may also have a processor 41 and a memory 42, as well as a user interface 46 to allow for data analysis. The user computer 16 may have a communications circuitry 45, which serves to receive accelerometer 11, gyroscope 12, or slope data from the data collection system 14. The central computer 48 and the user computer 16 may be linked to the data collection system 14 by a common network 47 via a wireless network device 49.

The user computer 16 and /or the central computer 48 depicted in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4 may include a user interface 46 adapted to enable analysis of the slope data. Thus, the information on these computers may be accessed by any suitable individual (i.e. golfer, coach, member of public relations, etc.) who seeks to analyze the collected slope data. Furthermore, the user computer 16 and/or the central computer 48 may be in a variety of forms, such as a cellular telephone (smart phone),

computerized watch (smart watch), laptop computer, personal computer, server computer, or any other suitable device known in the art. Therefore, while FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the data collection system 14, other arrangements of computers or computer devices may also be utilized.

The user computer 16 is intended to include, generally, a wide range of computing devices used by a wide range of potential data users. Potential persons who may monitor the slope data include, but not limited to, a golfer playing golf (determining the slope of the terrain the golfer is currently standing on), a coach overseeing the slope data from the golfer, and also potentially electronic monitors that take electronic action in response to the data. For example, when the slope is

determined from the pelvic tilt of a golfer while in the act of preparing to putt on the putting green, an electronic monitor (i.e., a program on a computer or similar electronic device) might relay that information to a public relations organization that is providing coverage of a professional golf tournament by the means of television, radio, Internet, social media, and any other forms of communication provided to the general public. A public relations organization may then use that data to provide a projected line or trajectory a golf ball must take in order to go to a projected target (i.e. golf hole) during its coverage of the tournament. The term "user computer" 16 is intended to encompass all of these options, and include any form of monitoring that may be desired by one skilled in the art.

FIG. 5 illustrates the belt-mounted slope sensor system 10 flow of operations when interacting with a user computer 16. In step 1001, the user computer 16 sends a connection request to the flexible belt 15. In this embodiment, the user computer 16 knows the existence of the flexible belt 15. In alternative embodiments, the user computer 16 may need to perform a wireless search for connectable devices in order to discover the presence of the flexible belt 15 or manually register the flexible belt 15 into the memory of the user computer 16. When the user computer 16 has successfully connected to the flexible belt 15, it then requests the raw values from the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12 from the flexible belt 15 in step 1002. In step 1003, the raw values from the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12 are then converted into a slope value. This conversion process may be performed either at the data collection system 14 of the flexible belt 15 or at the user computer 16. ln step 1004, the calculated slope value is then displayed within the user interface 46 on the user computer 16. ln alternative embodiments, the operations performed by the belt-mounted slope sensor system 10 may include more steps or fewer steps to obtain a slope value provided by the raw values of the accelerometer 11 and gyroscope 12. The term "flow of operations" is intended to encompass all of these embodiments, and include any set of instructions that one skilled in the art may desire.

In this application, the terms "computer" or computer device may be a single personal computer platform in accordance to standard construction known to those skilled in the art, or any form of server, portable electronic device, tablet, cell phone, computerized watch, and/or any electronic device known in the art. Furthermore, the terms "computer", "processor”, "memory", and other computer related components, are hereby expressly defined to include any arrangement of one or more computers, processors, memory (chips or devices), and/or computer components, either as a single unit or operably connected and/or networked across multiple computers (or distributed computer components), to perform the functions described herein.

The optimization of a golfer's performance is an important aim in the golf industry. The ability to more accurately measure the slope of terrain on a golf course, such as the putting green, is critical for any golfer who desires to lower their golf scores because the majority of shots performed in a round of golf are on or around the putting green. The present belt-mounted slope sensor system 10 allows golfers of all skill levels to improve their ability to determine slopes on the putting green (and other golf course terrains) without the use of external equipment known in the prior art and increase the probability of lowering their golf scores while at the same time collecting data that may be used as future reference. The system also enables many novel methods regarding non-golf related fields. For example, the system may be used for purposes of performing a land survey of potential residential or commercial properties. While several embodiments are mentioned herein, the scope of the present invention further includes alternative embodiments that could be devised by one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present invention.

As used in this application, the words "a”, "an", and "one” are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms "have", "include", "contain", and similar terms are defined to mean "comprising" unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application.